KnockBack, Episode 51: Malls in the '80s and '90s
Added 2019-01-31 17:00:03 +0000 UTCThe 21st century has brought with it the slow-but-steady demise of malls across the United States (and elsewhere, of course). But in the post-World War II era, when families started sprouting up in the suburbs in huge numbers, malls weren't only centers of commerce, but centers of pre-Internet socializing, too. So today, let's chat about the mall during the latter end of its triumphant era, in the '80s and '90s. The stores we loved and hated. The people we met. The food courts. And, of course, the toy stores, game shops, and all of the other nerdy things we relied upon a great deal before the advent of Always Online.
Comments
😂😂😂
AndyofCT
2019-02-07 22:40:25 +0000 UTCRomero's OG from 1978 is great. Zombies with a social commentary message. Zack Snyder did a remake in 2004, which is pretty good too. Not too Zack Snyderish at all. The first Dead Rising game is hugely inspired by this movie.
TrackyMatts
2019-02-07 21:37:09 +0000 UTCNot sure I've ever even seen it.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-07 21:32:46 +0000 UTCHaters gonna hate.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-07 21:32:33 +0000 UTCThat's a good point.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-07 21:32:23 +0000 UTCSurprised Colin didn't mention the brilliant Romero zombie movie 'Dawn of the Dead'. An ode to malls and consumerism.
TrackyMatts
2019-02-07 18:50:41 +0000 UTCI could not stand Bickford's. My dad always wanted to go there because they put coupons in the Sunday Hartford Courant...but hell no... Bickford's was always just shitty Denny's to me.
AndyofCT
2019-02-07 17:34:50 +0000 UTCIn some ways the internet usurped the mall. Not just in the Amazon way but in the way young teens and adults experienced novelty. The mall opened my eyes to ideas, quirks and perversions that exists past (but within) the suburban bible
Dan Kolber
2019-02-07 05:44:31 +0000 UTCFair enough.
Marcus Brown
2019-02-06 21:35:06 +0000 UTCGeze Louise.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:50:43 +0000 UTCRemember forever the story of the chips and cheese.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:50:34 +0000 UTCYou don't eat a pound of cheddar cheese every three days like I do?
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:50:24 +0000 UTCSure it is!
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:50:12 +0000 UTCI can't believe I didn't know that one.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:50:06 +0000 UTCThanks for listening!
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:49:57 +0000 UTCThey all kinda just blur together.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:49:44 +0000 UTCI hate shopping, too. Thank god for the Sacred Symbols sponsorships I've recently gotten for StitchFix and Mack Weldon and the like, 'cause I get to try things out for free and it's the only new clothes I get. LOL.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:49:34 +0000 UTCDude, it's amazing.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:48:58 +0000 UTCThanks ma! <3
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:48:52 +0000 UTCOne of the best shows ever!
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:48:44 +0000 UTCYou're not alone, I suspect.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:48:37 +0000 UTCI just remember spending every cent I had at the mall, all the time, without any thought for my finances.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:48:07 +0000 UTCIt's sad that times are changing, but man, I love Amazon.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:47:41 +0000 UTCI remember that game coming out when I was at IGN. I don't think it ever even came to PS3.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-06 20:47:23 +0000 UTCFunny mall memory: A buddy of mine had a plush rooster that he shoved down his pants and had the head sticking out of his fly. He walked around the mall all day asking girls if they wanted to pet his cock. Horrible, but still funny.
Jason Stafford
2019-02-06 14:24:47 +0000 UTCI thought the chip thing was normal as shit until Colin told the terrifying story of what he does with the cheese after he makes the nachos
John Lynch
2019-02-04 17:29:20 +0000 UTCUp until the twist in the chips and cheese story, I do the same thing, but splash hot sauce on top of it all. 5+ times a week. Cheese is the best food.
bk200jj
2019-02-04 12:07:07 +0000 UTCPepsi is not alright!
Tyson Williams
2019-02-04 08:49:04 +0000 UTCLmao at Dagan’s story about being “Danny” at one point meeting a girl at the mall. If that relationship had worked he’d be Danny to this day
Josh in Tampa
2019-02-03 20:58:50 +0000 UTCSince the nearest real mall was 50+ miles away from where I grew up I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one. Ended up being a lot of fun! When food came up I thought of trips to Sbarro and then Dagan mentions it! Also thought the discussion on spending time with kids in other districts was cool. Made me a bit jealous as where I grew there weren’t any other bigger districts near by. Great stuff as always!
Nick DeBoer
2019-02-03 14:55:26 +0000 UTCThe gymnastics was Jurassic Park 2 The Lost World and that's the best one! 3 was the plane crash one. Great episode, this was fun.
Marcus Brown
2019-02-03 00:44:43 +0000 UTCReally enjoyed this ep, as someone who grew up in the countryside in England (literally in Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz (he went to same school as me and so filmed it there)...Therefore as a kid I dreamed of a place like the mall as depicted in all those US tv and films. It all seemed so exotic and exciting... Now a days I live in Birmingham (UK) and can't stand shopping usually leaving wife to shop as I chill in a little pinball place that serves hot tea and specialist beers. For me shops hold no interest for we with nothing outside of retro gaming I ever fancy buying.. most of the time is spent at charity shops and finding good vinyl albums... hmm as I dissect myself.. i clearly never left the 80s or 90s 😂😂
Paul Driscoll
2019-02-02 13:59:26 +0000 UTCMarsha Mellow, amazing name! She must have really loved that guy to take that name on!
Craig Pelat
2019-02-02 13:04:07 +0000 UTC‘Tommy’, you and ‘Danny’ did a great job! Fun memories. ❤️❤️
BettyAnn Moriarty
2019-02-01 18:52:29 +0000 UTC👏🏻
BettyAnn Moriarty
2019-02-01 18:51:22 +0000 UTC😂 😉
BettyAnn Moriarty
2019-02-01 18:51:03 +0000 UTCYou had ‘business cards’!? Ingenious. Sorry it didn’t work out too well... 😞
BettyAnn Moriarty
2019-02-01 18:49:14 +0000 UTCP.s just watched all of dawton abbey as well in the last couple of months and it was awesome :-)
Matthew Perry
2019-02-01 17:25:59 +0000 UTCIn the spirit of admitting to stuff that I'm embarrassed about ..... I also have watched all of the Gilmore girls !!! :-)
Matthew Perry
2019-02-01 17:21:20 +0000 UTCI like how many times Colin was done talking about Malls and Dagans like nope!
Owen
2019-02-01 17:03:08 +0000 UTCSo Owens never been much of a common name, and when I was a freshmen there was this cool kid that was a junior, really popular guy and he thought my name was Nolan. Always talked to me and everything “hey Nolan!” So I just never corrected him. - one day someone’s like “why are you calling him Nolan” - “Nolan cmon... your name is Nolan right?” — so Dagan I understand just not bothering.
Owen
2019-02-01 16:19:22 +0000 UTCLoving this episode more than I thought I would. Wasn’t a big mall person but definitely had some good memories there. And can relate to Dagan with the different phases of my life being in the mall. For sure the girls part. Now late in my life (I’m not as old as Dagan but ....jk lol) I go with my fiancé. We have fun shopping and I don’t see it dying just yet. Here in Jersey at least. Keep up the good work guys !
Anthony Longo
2019-02-01 14:53:26 +0000 UTCGreat episode guys. I was definitely a mall rat of the late 90s with such greats as: Sam goody, suncoast, kB (which I even worked at), and of course the arcade. Instead of malls being built every year, it feels like we have a new amazon distribution center. I don’t know which is a worse symbol for American consumerism.
Chris B
2019-02-01 14:05:39 +0000 UTCI remember when I was in high school and I had Water Polo tournaments away in Roseville, we always made it a tradition to go to the giant mall that was there and my mom and I would go get Mongolian BBQ at the food court. I also remember going to a GameStop there and saw a game that was literally called “Black College Football” for the Xbox 360. Lol. Good times.
Will Hahn
2019-02-01 03:46:53 +0000 UTCGermans settled much of Pennsylvania.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-01 01:47:57 +0000 UTCNo doubt.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-01 01:47:37 +0000 UTCYou get it.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-01 01:47:29 +0000 UTCEnjoy!
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-01 01:47:17 +0000 UTCThank you so much! We appreciate that.
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-01 01:47:12 +0000 UTCIt'll be here when you're ready (unless an EMP goes off first).
Colin Moriarty
2019-02-01 01:46:45 +0000 UTCWhen I first heard of that place I always wanted to go in their dressed as a 19th century Prussian soldier and yell at the people in German. What is the etymology of it being named that?
Erik Peterson
2019-02-01 01:07:31 +0000 UTC😐😂
BettyAnn Moriarty
2019-02-01 00:17:00 +0000 UTCNever do it Dagan! Stay away from King of Prussia mall. It's everything that you fear it is...
Fred Bence
2019-01-31 21:29:16 +0000 UTC"No one's a bigger 70 year-old woman than Colin Moriarty." Quote of the episode. Haha. Also after hearing you describe your nacho habits, Colin, I can't help but come to the conclusion that you are indeed a fucking psychopath...
Alex Gates
2019-01-31 21:22:23 +0000 UTC🤔
BettyAnn Moriarty
2019-01-31 18:55:09 +0000 UTCI do the nacho thing also with Lucerne cheese or sargento if its been a good month. I will actually add more cheese, mid meal to keep the cheese:chip ratio as even as possible. I'm also lactose intolerant so there you go!
Andrew Mendoza
2019-01-31 18:23:47 +0000 UTCHERE IT IS!!! My original campaign failed, but like any good initiative it didn't die, just needed to wait till the next election😁!! So hype!!
Jeshua Anderson
2019-01-31 17:26:57 +0000 UTCKnockback topics have been on FIRE lately!!! This one will bring back some great memories for me. :)
Lou & Rei Loper
2019-01-31 17:16:19 +0000 UTCHow significant was the change between the 80s and 90s mall culture
Peter Mark
2019-01-31 17:04:18 +0000 UTCAwesome, I'm so excited for this one. I spent a lot of time in Malls here in Southern California as a kid in the 90's, I'm behind an episode but I'll get to it soon.
Michael Candelaria
2019-01-31 17:02:39 +0000 UTC
