After a year that has flown by, it’s time to kick back and enjoy ourselves. There’s only one way to celebrate Thanksgiving, aside from stuffing yourselves, is listening to Matt and I reflect on the more nuanced aspects of the 1989 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the lastest Purple Stuff Podcast! We’ve covered several of these parades in previous years, but we agree that this one may be the best yet.
If you are into pure ridiculousness, this broadcast is right up your alley. Highlights include ALF, Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers, the Marvel Superheroes, and the New Kids on the Block. As if that wasn’t enough, we’ve got even more surprises for you, including a couple of commercial break spotlights.
Whether you are an occassional listener of the podcast or a die-hard, this is a must-listen to episode. I hope you enjoy the show and thank you for all of your support and kind words throughout the year. Happy Thanksgiving!
It’s astounding how quickly this year has flew by. That’s both good and bad because who wants this crappy year to drag on any longer than it has to, but at the same time, where the hell does time go? We’re already approaching 2021 and that blows my mind. For now though, it’s time for our annual Yuletide celebration on The Purple Stuff Podcast! Hopefully, a moose mug of egg nog and this episode will help you travel to that marshmallow world where all the BS of life vanishes for an hour.
We have arrived at our 6th installment of our annual Christmas Songs show! These are some of the most fun episodes for us and we hope you enjoy this one as much as you have in the past. Both Matt from DinoDrac and I love having Christmas songs on during the holidays and we compile songs that we think should have the spotlight each year. In our new installment, we’ve got quite an array of tunes including The Power Rangers and Kurt Russell! You read that correctly 🙂 There’s also a couple of tracks I highly doubt you will be hearing anyone else talk about this season so stay tuned for those as well.
Enjoy the episode and let us know what you think. A huge thank you goes out to you if you are reading this and always listening to the podcast, it’s so very much appreciated. On a personal note, I truly appreciate you supporting Sludge Central as well, i.e the occassional videos, the less frequent posts, the Sammi Curr swag and other product releases here and there. It’s beyond awesome of you! I wish you Happy Holidays and a kickass new year that is exponentially better than the current one!
It’s so hard to believe that the holidays are here are already. This year has obviously been abysmal for so many reasons, so The Purple Stuff Podcast is here to at least give you some good holiday feels. We’ve covered Thanksgiving Parades of the past on the show before, but this time we opted to go a little more modern. 2001 seemed like a perfect choice. The Tri State area was still in mourning after 9/11, NYC especially. What made this parade significant, was not only that it marked the 75th anniversary of the parade itself, but also the fact that the show went on despite the devastation that occurred in September. The idea was to come together with the American spirit at a difficult time and try to enjoy this annual tradition.
I watch the parade every year. As a person who isn’t the most hardcore Thanksgiving fan, the parade is a must for me, in fact, it’s not Thanksgiving without it. I could easily do without Turkey and Sweet Potatoes, but not without the parade. In the long lineage of the Macy’s Parade, this is one of the standouts, a show filled with a ton of uplifting, positive vibes.
In this episode, Matt from Dino Drac and I feast on a few of our favorite moments from the parade. It’s a given that these choices are probably not what you’d expect, well, aside from WWE, that’s an obvious selection. We’re also discussing Usher, Kenny G, Tim Curry and Pikachu!
Listen on your favorite podcast app, or click the link above. Thanks so much for all of your support throughout the years, it’s very much appreciated. We wouldn’t be able to do the show without you!
I feel ridiculous typing here every so often that the time flies by so fast. Whenever I actually do post, it certainly feels like we’re in light speed. Can you believe that this is the 5th installment of The Purple Stuff Podcast’s Christmas Songs show? It’s the holiday season and everyone is bracing themselves for that high level of family interaction, those often awkward gift situations, and way more food that any normal human being should be ingesting. All I can say is thank God for Tequila 🙂
Naturally, I’m half joking. I do enjoy the most wonderful time of the year, although with each year that passes, the holidays aren’t the holidays without the TUNES! To me, music makes the holidays. You’re well familiar with my love for Halloween music hence the annual Spooky Songs shows that Dinosaur Dracula and I do. Think about it though, can you really picture a wonderful December day close to the 25th where you’re in an ugly Christmas sweater sipping egg nog from a Marty Moose mug and you DON’T have imaginary eight notes and quarter notes from Christmas songs subtly dancing on air around the room?
This year we delve even deeper into our playlists. We’re presenting 10 songs that deserve some airplay on your bluetooth speaker this year. You’ll hear everything from Glow Worm Wackyness to Home Alone 2 hilarity on this episode. There’s no better week to listen to our Christmas songs show than right now!
Thank you for listening to the podcast and coming to this website. We truly appreciate your support! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family! We look forward to more fun in 2020. Also, a very special thank you to all of our PATRONIES! You guys are the absolute best! *If you are interested in supporting the show you can get a monthly bonus show at Patreon.com/PurpleStuff
Christmas Wonderland at Maple Leaf Farms, Route 9 South, Manalapan, NJ
Finding quirky and offbeat stuff to do for Halloween seems to be super easy for me. Christmas on the other hand, there doesn’t seem to be nearly as much going on. It’s ironic to think about because Christmas is such a mega holiday in terms of spending and venturing out to holiday themed events with the fam. As you may have guessed, I’m not really one for the typical nonsense. For example, I ice skated once in my life and although I didn’t bust my ass, I felt like any second I could plummet into the darkest regions of hell. It was not fun. Sliding around in circles on ice, while balancing on a thin, sharp blade is not my idea of fun, especially in the cold. Going to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is always an annual “must” for locals, but I’ve been there, done that a million times. Nowadays it’s even more of a hassle because the vicinity around the tree is so crowded with tourists, and as crotchety as that makes me sound, it’s even worse than you could imagine. I get claustrophobic in crowds and it isn’t just there, Manhattan in general during the holidays that gets overwhelmingly packed with people. So not my jam.
I had way more fun lounging on the couch sipping Diet Cranberry Ginger Ale and watching The Christmas Chronicles on Netflix than I could ever have battling holiday traffic and crowds. Ugh, such nonsense! If I sound like Scrooge, then I can’t argue. Recently, an esteemed colleague at work affirmed this very sentiment for me. She told me that during the holidays she goes away to Florida to her summer home (must be nice!) and for the entire stretch of the season she relaxes with her husband and they literally don’t do a damn thing except snack and watch movies on the couch. She went even deeper to declare that is what the holidays are all about for her. Not to beat a dead horse, but I recently learned that my co-host on The Purple Stuff Podcast, Matt from Dino Drac, feels the exact same way.
While I always consider myself a champion of vegetating on the couch whenever possible, conversely I may be a bigger proponent of devising elaborately stacked plans of themed things to do. What can I say? Points of interest pique my interest and Clark Griswold has always been one of my idols. Maximizing the fun is one of my main objectives in life.
I didn’t want to piss this holiday season away without some actual merry making. After a lot of useless Googling, it felt like finding a unique, Christmassy thing to do in Jersey was becoming hopeless. But, right around the moment when I was about to give up, we drove passed Maple Leaf Farms on the way home one night. I noticed a sign that said “Christmas Wonderland,” as I swung an abrupt General Lee style turn into the parking lot. The building’s exterior is similar to any other run of the mill country store, except for being adorned with an over-sized, inflatable Santa Claus. The best part about this is that I had no idea what to expect inside. Would it be a bunch of crafts, wooden soldier centerpieces, and cinnamon sticks OR would we be delighted by a decked out display of endearing decor? That sentence was Heavy on the D.
Watch the video to see what I discovered inside the Christmas Wonderland. If you don’t have 5 minutes to spare, it was a sight to behold and totally lived up to its namesake! This traditional walk through, accompanied by a laid back Christmas playlist running throughout the space, is comprised of animatronics that the proprietor has rescued from old store window displays, malls, and various other means. He restored them superficially as well as their electronic components inside that made them seem magically alive in their heyday. It’s like he is a human droid factory. After speaking with him about his undying attention to detail and his commitment to the Christmas spirit, his goal was creating a vintage Christmas vibe and he succeeded, and then some.
My nostalgia needle was off the charts in this place. In a world of Nintendo Switch and Occulus Rift, these old school animatronic characters may not bowl a lot of you over since our technology expectations are so far beyond them, but these are the kind of novelties that I absolutely love to gaze at. My affection for them can be likened to why I love the old Telco Motionettes. Those were like the home versions of these little dudes! Inside the Wonderland, the snowmen move in slow motion, Goofy’s arm goes up and down, and there’s even a little tribute to the time Santa conquered those Martians! Snow covered Christmas trees are set up in every corner and adorning the pipe and draped halls leading to each next display were actual Christmas themed product ad posters from the old days bestowing that extra spoonful of authenticity. Just when you think it’s over, the finale leads you to a BIG room with the BIG jolly man himself. That’s right, pictures with Santa are included with your minimal entrance fee.
Experiencing this throwback to simpler times was a much needed little break from the world. Take the family on a little drive to Manalapan, NJ down route 9 for a dose of Christmas cheer before the season is out and see for yourself. There’s a TON of heart and LOADS of Christmas spirit poured into this and making it a success will ensure that it continues every year!
On the NEW episode of the Purple Stuff Podcast, Matt and I talk about HOME ALONE! It’s one of our favorite holiday movies from our youth and we each bring a mixed bag of stuff to pore over. It’s a celebration of the film so if you love it as much as we do, this is for you!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and Matt and I are back with a festive Purple Stuff Podcast episode for you.
Currently, I’d imagine you’re immersed in holiday shopping, getting stuck in copious amounts of traffic, and getting tanked on some kind of Christmasy concoction. As I write this, I’m super behind with my own holiday celebration. My tree is up, but it’s still not trimmed. I’ve only watched Christmas Vacation and Scrooged so far, but I have a pile of Christmas DVDs that I still want to get to before December ends. I’m also hoping my mom or Miss Sexy Armpit makes me my favorite Christmas cookies. Beyond those traditions, the one thing I never fail to keep up with is my Holiday playlist.
Since I have a long commute for work, I get to enjoy the giant Holiday playlist that I’ve created over the years in my iPhone. Listening to these songs everyday through the end of November and all of December made it easy for me to bring some more playlist ideas to you in the latest edition of The Purple Stuff Podcast.
This is our 2nd Christmas songs podcast. If you haven’t heard our previous one, it’s episode 17 in our feed. I know some people are not big fans of Christmas music, but it’s incredibly nostalgic for the both of us and it remains a big part of our seasonal celebrations. So, in this episode, Matt and I offer up some Christmas song suggestions for you. These tracks range from traditional to obscure, but they’re all worth a few minutes of discussion. Whether it’s Whitney Houston or The Whirling Dervishes, we’re delivering an hour of audio cheer.
If you’re not already subscribed, it would be awesome if you did! If you like listening to us, one of the easiest way to support us is to leave us a positive review on iTunes! Thanks for listening and we hope you have an awesome holiday season!
