S02.E10: DannyDonnieJoeJonJordan

[Stinger97]

After the family cleans out the garage, Adam and Barry become unlikely fans of a boyband. 

[mtlchick]

As a past (and present though that is currently subject to debate) fan, I floved it.  The line about Jordan slayed me.  

[DanaMB]

I owned so much of what was shown in tonight's ep.  I think I still have it all in a box in the attic.

 

Loved this episode.

[Snickerdoodle]

I think I still have a box in the attic, too! Loved this episode.

 

This show has really grown on me.

[ajsnaves]

Damn you Goldberg! Now I have Hanging Tough stuck in my head. That is going to do odd things to my dreams.  I always love to see that I was not the only boy who liked the New Kids.

[dcalley]

My husband isn't that into TV but was not scared away by tonight's episode and even laughed several times. I was happy we got more real footage at the end. For comparison, here are NKOTB Hangin' Tough. But now that damn song is stuck in my head.

Edited January 8, 2015 by dcalley

[mjt626]

I love this show so much.  Tonight was really hard for me.  I lost most of my NKOTB stuff in a basement flood in '08.  I spent most of the episode saying, "I had that!"  I know Bev's pain.

[biakbiak]

Thank goodness for the Goldbergs pack rat tendencies because the shot by shot remake of his childhood NKOTB video made my life.

Edited January 8, 2015 by biakbiak

[dcalley]

And in a thing I don't understand, Adam says, "Sadly, we can't afford the music to put my full NKOTB video online. It's INSANE cause SONY owns the music. And my show. So much for synergy." I'd be quite happy with no sound, but I guess that's not an option.

Edited January 8, 2015 by dcalley

[lark37]

Loved the episode even though I'm way too old to be a NKOTB fan.  As a mom who also had a hard time getting rid of any of my childrens' "art", I could totally relate to Beverly.  My husband thinks its bad that I have several plastic storage containers full of old drawings, report cards, handmade birthday cards, etc.  I should tell him he should be glad I didn't rent out a storage facility!  I had to laugh when Adam narrates at the beginning of the episode..."new kids on the block--the original boy band."  I think the Osmond Brothers and Jackson 5 might disagree with him on that one!

[bamlou]

Too bad that they can't afford the music rights for the full home video - I'd love to see that as well!

 

This episode was a real winner for me. There was so much of my childhood that I recognized - the sister with the box of NKOTB memorabilia, never publicly admitting how darn catchy and fun New Kids songs could be, a mom who hoards her kids' crappy artwork ...I could go on. But what makes this show work for me is that it doesn't just call out the 80's on its fads and trends, it often uses them to tell really funny and relatable stories so that the jokes go beyond merely being 80's references. I was laughing at Adam and Barry's music video not just because they recreated the dance moves, but also because it showed how clearly obsessed they'd become and how far out of hand their attempt to tease Erica had gotten. I'm digressing, but this episode really got me thinking about what made it work so well.

 

I also loved that random scene of Adam pointing out Barry's weird, witch fingers, and how Barry couldn't see what Adam was talking about (I totally could).

 

And the shot-for shot recreation of Adam F. Goldberg's original home video during the end credits was too perfect.

[Donny Ketchum]

I wonder if real-life Eric was as much a fan as Erica was?

[Irritable]

It's starting to get spooky now how many items of clothing Erica wears that I also wore.  The wide baby pink belt was totally one of my favorites.  Oddly, even though I am of the right age, NKOTB were never even on my radar.  I don't even remember listening to them on the radio, and I am only familiar with Hangin' Tough by some kind of osmosis that occurred over the years.  Maybe by that time I was already into cassingles, which dominated my car radio all the way into somewhere in 1992.  I had a shoebox full of them in the car at all times, and what I really loved about a cassingle was that if you played both sides, you never had to rewind them.  So luxurious!

 

I guess my mom wasn't very sentimental...I am an only child and not a single piece of my macaroni art or hand turkeys made it any farther than the trash can once I brought them home.  But my Def Leppard memorabilia is still in pristine condition, packed away with loving care in my attic, because I wouldn't let anyone else touch it.  To this day, every time I think about throwing my somewhat impressive collection, if I do say so myself, on eBay just to see if anyone bites, I start to feel anxiety.

 

It was fun watching the brothers excitedly working together on something and getting along the whole time.

[monakane]

The Beatles were my boy band, but I could totally relate to Erica's obsession.  The show nailed that tween girl obsession with cute boy bands.  My video love note would have been to Paul.  

 

I loved the video comparison at the end.

[Texasmom1970]

As a mom I felt like Beverly wanting to save everything my children make and their awards. When they were young I started a savings box, it is a huge plastic tote for each. I understand her pain trying to not keep everything!

[readster]

Loved this episode! My mom and my wife's mom were just like Beverly, they didn't throw anything out and yes, we have a framed train that my brother-in-law did when he was 5. He's 45 now and its still in my in-laws home. Great call back to New Kids.

[MelsW]

I loved this episode, probably a little too much since I am a 30-something woman who was a big NKOTB fan in the late 1980s. The whole episode was well done and the video at the end was fantastic.

[Traveller519]

Good lord this was funny. Audible laughter all night, but it really culminated with the Real Life shots at the end. 

 

The Murray and Beverly stuff may have been some of their best together too. It's been my one ongoing gripe with the show that I don't get much chemistry from those characters when they play off one another, though they're each great with the other family members and people they interact with. They played really well off one another in this episode.

 

Murray and the Mi Abuela drawing... damnit show!

[Angeltoes]

Loved Murray bellowing,"Out in the woods like all the other kids!" when Barry asked where he was supposed to hide the magazines he was keeping for a "friend."

[PattyorSelma]

Hilarious episode. I hope all the NKOTB members watched it and got to hear the arguments about who would have been the favorite Kid "IF" the brothers were fans.

[ddiced35]

Hilarious episode. I hope all the NKOTB members watched it and got to hear the arguments about who would have been the favorite Kid "IF" the brothers were fans.

 

 

I am a 30-something former NKOTB fanatic and I, um, follow each of the New Kids on Twitter - each one of them except Joey watched and seemed really excited about the whole thing, they were very gracious. I assume Joey didn't mention it because his show (The McCarthys, which I couldn't watch after about 10 minutes) is on another network.

[dcalley]

Loved Murray bellowing,"Out in the woods like all the other kids!" when Barry asked where he was supposed to hide the magazines he was keeping for a "friend."

This was funny in part because I'd just read Wil Wheaton's conversation with Patton Oswalt (Goldbergs narrator/grownup Adam), who wants to tell kids now to "buy Playboys and go leave them in the woods...it gets them [the kids] out of the house." I don't think hiding something outside ever occurred to me.

[Palomar]

The Beatles were my boy band, but I could totally relate to Erica's obsession.  The show nailed that tween girl obsession with cute boy bands.  My video love note would have been to Paul.

 

 

Yep, the Beatles were my boy band (and first concert) as well....although George was my Beatle.  Can relate on so many levels.  My Mom ended up throwing out my box of Beatle stuff after many warnings.  Not sure I have ever gotten over that.  And, I still have boxes of my kids art as well.  When the boxes fell down when Murray drove into the garage....I could definitely see that happening to me (IF I could even get in the garage!).  This show always makes me laugh.

[ByTor]

There were 2 words spoken by Murray that had me laughing the loudest..."Who's babby?"  Great episode!