I'm amused by news Money for Nothing by Dire Straits has been deemed unacceptable for play on Canadian radio. Many moons ago, when I was in grade seven, my teacher ran this program where one kid a day would bring in a song and discuss the lyircs with the class.
YouTube user Retrontario frequently uploads fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips never fail to bring back a ton of memories for me, so I feature them from time to time. I liked the Smurfs enough to include them on my list of favourite cartoons as a child. The Smurfs ranked #4
I've always loved music. Throughout my life, I'd discover new genres, and do a deep dive. I started as a kid with 50s music and rockabilly. I loved The Stray Cats, and made Built For Speed the first cassette I purchased on my own. I then discovered Duran Duran, bought
The murder of John Lennon 30 years ago today is my first memory of a news event. I was quite young at the time, but I vividly remember telling a grade one class mate at St. Cecilia's that a Beatle had died. I can even visualize the coat rack behind
A YouTube clip of Cookie Monster trying out for Saturday Night Live is making the rounds, so you'll see it very soon. Or, you can press play below and see it now. It's up to you. Cookie Monster will always be near and dear to my heart, because he starred
Another retro gem shared by Retrontario reminded me of the origins of the A&E Network. When I first saw A&E, it was called the Arts & Entertainment Network and it was very PBS-ish. Lots of BBC stuff and upper crust viewing, as I recall. Here's an
I don't want to let the 2010 baseball season end without paying tribute to The Drive of '85. Twenty-five years ago, our Blue Jays won their first divisional pennant and got their first taste of post-season play. Can you believe that was twenty-five years ago? In 1983, my first full
I grew up with the old AL East. It was my beloved Jays along with the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees. I hated those last six teams with all my heart and soul. The two teams I always had the
I was just perusing Retrontario's latest uploads when I saw a 1986 ad for the Garden Bros. Circus at Maple Leaf Gardens. Here's the ad with Dave Devall doing the voice over. Watching the ad I realized something. I've never been to the circus. I actually don't think I'd like
In the early 90s, I used to catch a game show on MuchMusic called Test Pattern. It was hosted by Dan Gallagher and it wasn't particularly funny or clever, but if I stumbled upon it I'd watch. I think I watched because of Dan Gallagher. Dan Gallagher's friend, Luciano Casimiri,
YouTube user Retrontario frequently uploads fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips never fail to bring back a ton of memories for me, so I feature them from time to time. I collected these WWF Wrestling Superstars. I was always surprised Special Delivery Jones made the cut. SD Jones was just a
Today is the first day of the school year for most kids. I know because I was nervous last night, had an uneven sleep, and woke up with that 'first day of school' feeling in the pit of my stomach. No, I wasn't nervous for my kids. They're both full-timers
Did anyone else out there collect the Rap Traxx series of hip-hop compilation cds that came out in the late 80s and early 90s, or was I the only one? I totally dug Rap Traxx, especially Rap Traxx 2. Here are the tunes that appeared on Rap Traxx 2. # Artist
Another retro gem shared by Retrontario put the old jingle for Santa's Village back in my head. This is a classic case of ear worming. This damn jingle was stuck in my head for years. "All the children love Santa's Village, all the children love to see him there . . ." If
I don't have many pictures of me as a kid. There's a long story there, but this entry isn't about that. This entry is about a picture I have of me as a kid in which I'm crying. Here's the picture... When I look at that picture, the first thing
Another retro gem shared by Retrontario got me thinking about Romper Room this morning. If you're like me, with a common first name, you remember how awesome it was when the hostess looked through her magic mirror and saw you. I actually thought Romper Room was a Canadian show, but
My kids brought home their final report cards today. I just sat down and reviewed them. They both passed. Of course, everyone passes today. They don't fail kids any more. A kid can do his very best to fail and still get promoted to the next grade. At some point
YouTube user Retrontario frequently uploads fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips never fail to bring back a ton of memories for me, so I feature them from time to time. This ad for Pepsi aired in 1987. I remember it vividly, and still use the "this is a classic confrontation" line
I just read that Pac-Man is 30 years old. As a kid, I loved Pac-Man. In fact, my bed was adorned with Pac-Man sheets. I don't have those sheets anymore, and I remember they were quickly replaced by Dukes of Hazzard sheets, but these were them: If I find them
YouTube user Retrontario frequently uploads fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips never fail to bring back a ton of memories for me, so I feature them from time to time. I honestly don't remember the Super Mario promotion at Sunoco. I don't think I saw this ad, because as a huge
YouTube user Retrontario frequently uploads fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips never fail to bring back a ton of memories for me, so I feature them from time to time. In 1984, I was all about Transformers. That Christmas, Optimus Prime was the top gift I asked for. As I recall,
Like most things, it started with a spontaneous thought. "You're the Alpha-Getti Gobbler!" I blurted to my 2.5 year old daughter. I hadn't thought of the Alpha-Getti Gobbler in years, but that day in 2007 he popped back into my head. The Alpha-Getti Gobbler was a flying spaghetti monster-like
YouTube user Retrontario frequently uploads fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips never fail to bring back a ton of memories for me, so I feature them from time to time. In 1987, there was a Hostess potato chips promotion where you'd get a WWF sticker in each bag. My buds and
YouTube user Retrontario frequently uploads fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips never fail to bring back a ton of memories for me, so I feature them from time to time. In the late 80s, Tetris was huge. I had it for the Nintendo Game Boy and played it often. I actually
I put up a little something about WrestleMania III the other day, and that sparked a comments discussion about the WWE vs. TNA. If you're interested in wrestling, you'll want to click over and check out that thread. I don't know anything about TNA wrestling, but I do remember Rowdy
