S03.E10: Home And Away

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Let's get back to talking about the visual aids!

[Qoass]

 

And in case you are wondering what the 'end of the night' song usually was...You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC. I'm still trying to figure that one out.

 

If people danced to that, it was probably a good way to sort out who needed a designated driver...

[desertflower]

When I was in high school a friend of a friend gave me a ride to school a few times and insisted on blasting the Electric Slide song on her stupid car stereo. I was so embarrassed to be seen getting out of a car playing that. After a few mornings of this I opted to walk, despite how cold it was. It cemented my hatred for the song for years to come, and when I got married we forbade the DJ to play it at our reception.

And I never had real Doc Martens because they were too expensive for me. I did get a knock off pair (shoes, not boots) that I wore to Lollapalooza in '92, and they rubbed on my heels so bad I was bleeding at the end of the night.

Wow, this discussion really brought up some memories of my youth!

[gesundheit]

Knowing that an expected spin-off got nixed and they still got rid of adorable Nikki makes me even angrier! 

 

I was more of a vintage-dress-and-combat-boots girl myself, the docs always looked so... rigid? I don't know. 

 

I am in this very generation and have literally never once been at an event where someone does the electric slide. I feel like my life is a lie.

 

I'll never understand why they thought it looked great to make Donna's hair look so much like it was painful.

[vendredi3]

I used to frequent a karaoke bar shortly after the movie "The Replacements" came out. Almost every weekend, someone would sing "I Will Survive," and an electric slide would inevitably ensue. It was kinda fun, in a drunk dorky way.

 

[Racj82]

It's weird to me that Shannen used to bash her own dancing skills when in reality, she was like the best dancer on the show that isn't BAG.

[radishcake]

Dave & Sarah - Loved your newspaper digression and YES to all the ego. You will also understand the horror of all my editors at my tendency to cut myself accidentally with an exacto and bleed on copy. After the 3rd issue that went to press with a picture of my blood on it, I was relegated to other tasks during mock up. Also I had to explain why it was called "cut & paste" to my 11 year old the other day. "No LITERALLY we cut it with a KNIFE and then had to use actual GLUE to paste it all together". Her look of pity was hilarious.

[radishcake]

"Of all the 90s fashion hashed out here, the frothy party dress paired with Doc Martens boots is the look that puzzles me most."

I'm not sure I am ready to let it go, 20 years later.

 

*high five* Frankly me either - says the lady who just bought two pairs of docs with tops that fold down and have plaid on the inside.

[Panda Bear]

I listened to the podcast before checking out the visual aids and I couldn't imagine what "ramen hair" might look like, but seeing Tori's hair now... yep, ramen hair is a perfect description!

[itainttippithebird]

 

And I never had real Doc Martens because they were too expensive for me. I did get a knock off pair (shoes, not boots) that I wore to Lollapalooza in '92, and they rubbed on my heels so bad I was bleeding at the end of the night.

 

Me too - I had some sad Payless knockoffs, and by the time I amassed enough cash, they were going out of style so it didn't seem like a sound investment. I regretted this (often out loud) for a good two decades. When the 90s came back in a few years ago, I thought, "well, this is short lived, I won't invest in a pair..." but then by last year, when it was really hitting its stride, I fiiiinally bought a pair! 14 year old me was stoked. I wore them all last winter but now they seem to be rapidly going out of style AGAIN, just as I finally got them! I plan to hang on to them for another 20 years and BE READY when the time comes - I'll be the 55 year old professor in Docs and a floral print dress sometime near 2036 and FINALLY HAVE THE LAST LAUGH (in that my students will no doubt be laughing at me).

Edited January 29, 2016 by itainttippithebird

[gpgurl50]

Good for Jordan calling out Brandon. I'm beginning to wonder if this podcast is the beginnings of a I Hate Brandon book? Dare we dream?

I have to say, I also loved the newspaper talk from Dave and Sarah.

[bilgistic]

They were rigid, but bear in mind they were originally a work boot, with great support and made to take a beating. The one pair I had in college I wore working retail on my feet all day, and I could tell a vast difference between how my feet and legs felt when I wore the Docs versus wearing random other shoes or boots. And I was a spry 21-year-old.

I had to work to pay for the boots that I wore to work.

[Rebecca]

"Obsoletely Fabulous With Dave And Sarah"

 

This needs to be a thing!!!

[Rebecca]

I knew this episode was "whack" when it aired. Brandon sucks.

 

Shannen's mom must've lost a bunch of weight because I Googled and she's not even obese let alone "grossly overweight" in any pic I saw but I didn't search very hard. This excerpt was pretty sad..more "bitch" stories soon hopefully, I do like her though.

(Sorry about the code showing...I just put spaces where the code is no the actual code. I don't know what occurred.)

Edited January 30, 2016 by Lisin
Fixed the code showing up thing... I think it's an iPad problem maybe?

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Am wearing a pair of burgundy Docs right now, the pull-on bootie with the elastic on the side. I sized up to a men's 8 so I could wear my fluffiest socks with them, and they are ridiculously clodhoppery, but I regret nothing. So so comfortable.

 

This has been "Breaking Boot" with your host High Arches Hannigan.

[AndySmith]

Yes that's all fine but are you wearing the appropriate choker? ;)

 

Truth be told, I don't think Docs ever went out of style, they just weren't the must have footwear anymore, they were just something you wore when you needed/wanted to. It isn't like platform flip flops in the late 90s which went away (and aren't those making or have made a comeback?).

[itainttippithebird]

Ooooh, those pull-on kind are cah-uuute, Sarah D. Bunting!

 

Andy Smith - yeah, maybe not out of style as in unfashionable, just not really of the moment. I feel like when I wear mine it looks way too on-the-nose 90s - I have the super traditional black 8 eye boots and the only thing I really have to wear with them are dresses, so it just reads almost costume-y, to my (paranoid?) mind...

 

Anyway, who cares, y'all have emboldened me to embrace the Docs. At least SOMETHING good came out of this garbage pile of an episode...

 

(I didn't think anything could be worse than this ep, but then I watched the It's A Wonderful Life rip-off coming up and died of second hand mortification.)

[Lisin]

I have a picture somewhere from like 1993 of me all dressed up in flower a dress, 10 eye Docs and a choker, with my hair up in a super tight bun (in a scrunchie obvs) dark, dark, dark lipstick (of course) and black tights... where was I going? To the fucking Kennedy Center to see Phantom of the Opera or Les Mis (can't remember which)  I don't understand how I was allowed to wear those shoes to such a nice place. I'm sure we went out to eat at a nice restaurant too. My parents were way too good to me clearly. 

[Tara Ariano]

I had Doc sandals and I wore them until the 2000s even though my sister called me Frankenstein. I had these ones...

 

 

...except with a strap on the back of the ankle. But I always wanted these ones:

 

 

...and Googling for the above has informed me that Doc sandals are still pretty cute. WANT:

 

[bilgistic]

I think I need that first pair. The cat's vet bill says otherwise.

[Surrealist]

And I never had real Doc Martens because they were too expensive for me. I did get a knock off pair (shoes, not boots) that I wore to Lollapalooza in '92, and they rubbed on my heels so bad I was bleeding at the end of the night.

Real Doc Martens did the same to my feet. I bought a pair for work (we were allowed to wear those, instead of Oxfords) because I had heard how awesome and comfortable the shoes are. I ended up returning them a few weeks after purchase. I was given a full refund, but I never bought another pair after that experience. My boss gave me the OK to wear my black velvet Vans, which were supremely comfortable shoes.

[bilgistic]

I think the key was to wear thick socks, in my experience. Because of that, they needed to be a little roomy.

[FozzyBear]

Because Nikki, Sue, and Herbert were supposed to be part of a spin-off show, sort of a "New Class of Beverly Hills" show (not the actual title), continuing life at West Bev while Brandon and the others went off to college. However, the idea gets dropped and the 3 of them disappear one by one as the season goes on. Conventional wisdom says the execs were gun shy since Melrose Place, the first spin-off, wasn't doing so well in the ratings during it's first season (which was airing concurrently with this season of 90210). However, by the time Melrose Place began picking up in the ratings, the producers seemed to have lost interest in the idea.

In any case, as much as I liked Nikki, she and the others had a short shelf life anyway, since even if they didn't get rid of them throughout the season, they'd only be on for this season and wouldn't have had a place on the show in season 4, AKA, Off to College!

Interesting. I never heard that. I always wondered if TPTB also toyed with an Andrea at Yale spin off. The show had her going to Yale for a long time and Jordan Bonner was going too. Then they came up with a stupid reason for her to stay in the last 2 or 3 episodes of senior year. I always wondered if they were planning some sort of Felicity type show about Andrea that got dropped.

[txhorns79]

Interesting. I never heard that. I always wondered if TPTB also toyed with an Andrea at Yale spin off. The show had her going to Yale for a long time and Jordan Bonner was going too. Then they came up with a stupid reason for her to stay in the last 2 or 3 episodes of senior year. I always wondered if they were planning some sort of Felicity type show about Andrea that got dropped.

 

With due respect to the Andrea fans, I would have a lot of trouble believing they would ever have considered a spinoff built around her character.  I mean, it's Andrea.   

[SnideAsides]

How peripheral are we talking? Because I'm watching the last season right now, and between the "Gina's parents meet Samantha's lover and Rush; hilarity ensues" and the "Steve and Gina send everyone on a treasure hunt; hilarity and shitty mall lawyer nipple photocopies ensue" episodes alone, there are at least five excellent peripheral characters. Samantha's lover slash "Steve's sister". Gina's possibly-racist dad. Cranky mattress salesman. The silent cop who pulled over Noah and Matt for their blow-up doll. Old Christmas decoration lady who was all "fuck off, replacement Bray-ndons, my girl Donna is WINNING!" I feel like the comedy episodes were much better than the serious/soapy/very special episodes overall.

 

If I'm remembering right, though, you're not too far away from my least favourite 90210 episode ever (so far; there's still 2/3 of a season to go), the one where Dylan falls in love (this week) with a rancher. It's so bad that I kind of can't wait for you to discuss it.

[SoupThrower]

With due respect to the Andrea fans, I would have a lot of trouble believing they would ever have considered a spinoff built around her character.  I mean, it's Andrea.   

 

To be fair Season 5 felt like she was spun off. I mean I think in Dylan's intervention it was like "You hurt those that you love" and Andrea was like "That's why you never came to see Hannah."

 

:|

 

And then the whole Brandon running for Vice President and Andrea is like just before the speech "He didn't ask how was I" like just before his speech without the other guy. 

Edited February 1, 2016 by SoupThrower

[MissEwa]

If I'm remembering right, though, you're not too far away from my least favourite 90210 episode ever (so far; there's still 2/3 of a season to go), the one where Dylan falls in love (this week) with a rancher. It's so bad that I kind of can't wait for you to discuss it.

Anne the weird horse lady? That episode is so, so awful... and I thought it was late in the season too until I checked something on IMDB the other day - it's two weeks away if the current podcast schedule holds (it's Episode 14), so we'll all be cringing together sooner than you thought. Yay? 

[AndySmith]

Yeah, poor Andrea in season 5. She really did feel like she was off on her own show. They really should have never made her character pregnant to begin with. The only times I remember seeing her character genuinely happy is when she goes with Brandon to the Rolling Stones concert and when she whups Brandon and Claire's asses at mock-College Jeapordy.

[Sarah D. Bunting]

And when she's making out with Floofy Ginger in the elevator (played by my mother's hairstylist's nephew) ("thank you, Simone").

[Sarah D. Bunting]

I HATE ANNE SO MUCH, you guys. Get a haircut, stop wearing blankets as vests, don't think you know everything, shut up, and sit on a bee.

[AndySmith]

But...but...doesn't Dylan learn an Important Life Lesson from her about...something?

[Qoass]

I learned that they had the a suspiciously similar story line with James on Twin Peaks.

[Carmen MacCodykins]

lol Floofy Ginger :) Peter and Gil Myers must be related, right?

Exhibit A: Andrea has a crush on/falls in love with both of them.

Exhibit B: they clearly use the same panini press on their hair.

[SnideAsides]

The Simpsons also did a similar episode right about when it started getting shitty, with Lisa falling in love with Special Guest Star Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Even shitty Simpsons was better than Anne.

[MissEwa]

But...but...doesn't Dylan learn an Important Life Lesson from her about...something?

I... think... he learns that... he can't be bought... or that everything can... or... something something money something loneliness something... love?

[Maharincess]

And when she's making out with Floofy Ginger in the elevator (played by my mother's hairstylist's nephew) ("thank you, Simone").

The guy who played Jackie's husband Fred on Roseanne was my best friend's sister's boyfriend in high school.

And my nephew's kindergarten teacher was Pat Benatar's sister in law.

Yeah, nothing to do with 90210 but that's all I got.

I do love the podcasts and reading all of the comments. You're my late night insomnia reading.

[KateeBar]

All I wanted as a teen was to wear flowery baby-doll dresses and Docs, like the kids on 90210. But when you are a pretty chunky teen, those baby-doll dresses look more like maternity wear, and Docs exacerbate the whole cankle situation. I compensated with lots of vests and rayon shirts buttoned all the way up. Because vests really emphasize your waist and give you that hourglass shape. <cough> There's a reason I've destroyed all high school photos. 

 

To this day, I covet Brenda's hair during these peak days. Minus the bump-it.

[DonitsYum]

Dammit, I wanted a mike. I wanted. I WANTED, a mike check. Dammit. Yo.

[Lisin]

To this day, I covet Brenda's hair during these peak days. Minus the bump-it.

 

My friends make fun of me for how obsessed I am with Brenda's hair. I just got bangs cut recently and I'm seriously contemplating taking a picture of her in this era (yes minus the bump-it) to the hairstylist to get the front layers cut in because I still think it looks amazing and I don't care if it's not a "current" hairdo. 

[bilgistic]

I've had the same non-hairstyle since at least college, which was 1993-1997. It's always some variation of long "with long layers for movement". It was long in high school, too. I can't be bothered with an actual style or something that requires styling or blowdrying. I think I burned myself out on doing my own hair after ages nine through 15 when I had it permed and did the poufy bangs thing. I'm not proud.

[KateeBar]

My friends make fun of me for how obsessed I am with Brenda's hair. I just got bangs cut recently and I'm seriously contemplating taking a picture of her in this era (yes minus the bump-it) to the hairstylist to get the front layers cut in because I still think it looks amazing and I don't care if it's not a "current" hairdo.

For my money, that non-current hairstyle is way better than the center parted, ombré, beachy weave waves littering The Bachelor these days. It's so shiny and healthy looking.

[SoupThrower]

There were a lot of misses in Season 3. 

 

But DAVID SILVER SINGING CAN SAVE IT ALL!!! Remember Clare said he was hot on stage. Clare seal of approval 

[AllyB]

On 1/30/2016 at 3:33 PM, Lisin said:

I have a picture somewhere from like 1993 of me all dressed up in flower a dress, 10 eye Docs and a choker, with my hair up in a super tight bun (in a scrunchie obvs) dark, dark, dark lipstick (of course) and black tights... where was I going? To the fucking Kennedy Center to see Phantom of the Opera or Les Mis (can't remember which)  I don't understand how I was allowed to wear those shoes to such a nice place. I'm sure we went out to eat at a nice restaurant too. My parents were way too good to me clearly. 

At one of my aunts weddings in 1992 14 year old me can be seen in all the photos wearing my docs, a purple, kind of figure-skater style dress, a choker and a black velvet (Blossom) hat with the floppy peak pinned up above my face with a big diamonte brooch. And for warmth I had a short black bomber jacket with a really loud vaguely floral pattern in green, yellow, red and the same purple as my dress.

Apart from the jacket I'd totally wear that outfit again if I could fit in it. In my head it's still the absolute epitome of cool. (I know the hat was awful but it gives me such nostalgia. I nearly wept when I saw the 90s ad for Greendale in Community.)

Edited June 9, 2016 by AllyB

[MissEwa]

I've been watching Riverdale and - aside from amusement at the fact that Luke Perry's wrinkles now have their own wrinkles - every time we hear Jughead's narration I can't think of anything Brandon's editorial voiceover in this episode. There's something really similar about the cadence or something. It's distracting and goes without saying that both are awful, awful writing. 

[CeeBeeGee]

On 1/29/2016 at 6:32 AM, lottiedottie said:

Let's talk about the electric slide...through the 90s, (the entire decade) I worked at a banquet hall where every Friday and Saturday night for ten years I witnessed the electric slide being performed at weddings. Torture. Burned in my brain. At weddings where the guests were mostly white, this was The Song that brought everyone out onto the dance floor and was often played right after dinner. It didn't take long for that to be my cue to go outside for a smoke.

1999-2000 I was a performer on a cruise ship, and besides the actual shows we performed (7 different ones in 10 days) we also had lighter duties (MC-ing shuffleboard, bingo, etc.). One such was the first night (called Embark short for Embarkation Day) where we had to lead the crowds in the bars in the Electric Slide. I had never learned that dance before I took the contract--obviously I was able to learn it immediately but it was so easy it was boring! I used to improvise on it all the time. But I must say, I always thought line dancing was a White People Thing? Why were all the Shaw kids dancing that? Did it become a White People Thing later in the decade?

[Scarlett45]

On 8/22/2020 at 9:59 PM, CeeBeeGee said:

1999-2000 I was a performer on a cruise ship, and besides the actual shows we performed (7 different ones in 10 days) we also had lighter duties (MC-ing shuffleboard, bingo, etc.). One such was the first night (called Embark short for Embarkation Day) where we had to lead the crowds in the bars in the Electric Slide. I had never learned that dance before I took the contract--obviously I was able to learn it immediately but it was so easy it was boring! I used to improvise on it all the time. But I must say, I always thought line dancing was a White People Thing? Why were all the Shaw kids dancing that? Did it become a White People Thing later in the decade?

No line dancing is an every
one thing- just different groups do different dances.

The electric slide is a CLASSIC at all black weddings and family reunions for the last 50yrs, (since the 1970s) we also do a soul train line.  So no I’m not surprised the Shaw kids all knew how to do the electric slide in the 90s. It was the dance of their parents generation. 

[Judi Sunshine]

On 1/28/2016 at 12:14 PM, Tooch said:

In a showdown of "Teen Douchebag Lead Characters," does Brandon beat out Dawson Leery? It's a really tough call for me. At least Dawson never tried to solve racism.

"At least Dawson never tried to solve racism" caught me totally off guard and I laughed so hard!

And thank you to everyone in this thread to more Nikki info! I lovvvvvved Nikki! 

[Judi Sunshine]

On 1/28/2016 at 2:19 PM, Sarah D. Bunting said:

I love buying shit online at all hours and I wouldn't change a thing, but there were certain consumer rites of passage involving The City that have gone the way of the dodo that I'm glad I got to do before things changed.

Yes to all <3 I actually was late for Val's first ep because I had to go to Drama Bookstore from Long Island to get a monologue book and the train was late!