Has it been as much of a challenge for you to get into the Christmas spirit this year as it has been for me? Personally, I hadn’t been feeling very festive this season, but I did have a few surges of Christmas cheer so far this month. You may have already read about our trip to Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Great Adventure, but the other night my heart may have grew three sizes when Matt and I recorded our latest Christmas episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast! We couldn’t go the whole month of December without doing a Christmas special. If you’ve already been immersed in multiple viewings of Christmas Vacation, submerged in spiked egg nog, and dragging ass to stores shopping for gifts, then it’s obvious you don’t need a lot of coercion getting into the Christmas spirit, but you’ll enjoy this nonetheless!
Episode 17 features us discussing some of our favorite Christmas tunes. Since music is one of the big things that conjures up memories and helps to create the ambiance in everyday life during the holidays, we’re hoping this podcast can be a companion to your lead up to the big day. Holiday music in general is a very divisive genre, but it’s something that, as many of you know, Matt and I are heavily into. We had fun with the Halloween music episodes we recorded this year, and the same goes for this one. In fact, we’re going to send the podcast file to the North Pole so Santa can listen to it through his earbuds while dropping off gifts around the Tri-State Area.
If you’ve already seen The Force Awakens and you’re at home this evening looking to relax, let us invade your speakers for a short exploration of old Christmas songs. You’re all set if you’re home smells like a Christmas tree and you have a plate full of sugar cookies on your coffee table. The only thing better would be if you broke out your red footed pajamas. Come to think of it, I may have to run out to the store right now and get some egg nog of my own to enjoy.
Some of our picks may not be crowd pleasers, but these are the ones that are some highlights from our personal playlists. We can probably do 7 more episodes just on this subject, but we had to rein it in to keep within a reasonable time frame. It’s not a surprise that we concentrated on the late ’70s and ’80s era, but there were so many good Christmas songs to come out then! If you happen to have some favorite Christmas songs of your own, let us know in the comments! I am always adding to my playlist, so the more obscure the suggestion, the better!
Thank you for listening and reading and Happy Holidays!
The Force Awakens…it’s so close that I can feel the force flowing through me! We’ve waited so long and now it’s only a couple of weeks away. Getting a new Star Wars film is quite a Christmas present, that’s for sure. You’ll need something to keep you occupied until December 18th (or 17th depending on when you’re seeing it!) so Matt and I decided it was our duty as Jedi to bring you a podcast celebrating our love of Star Wars in honor of The Force Awakens. Available now, is our show where we discuss all of our “Force Flashbacks.” There’s Star Wars nostalgia and memories galore, so enjoy it and May the Force Be With YOU!
Growing up in the ’80s, board games were in a huge boom period. A game like Life or Pictionary was required to be available in your home in case any guests wanted to take part in some wacky, competitive diversions. Although Travel Boggle and Tiddly Winks are NOT mentioned in the latest episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast, Matt and I do go back in time digging into our memory banks to discuss some of our own board game memories!
While I love Monopoly and Scrabble as much as the next person, I was more into games like Candy Land and Memory. I was a simple kid and anything to intricate or in-depth was an immediate turn off for me. I liked not being too committed to games that made you read intense directions comprised of IKEA-like diagrams with fonts the size of The Atom. Some games took forever to complete, while others were nonchalantly breezed through, providing just the right amount of mild, temporary entertainment. I prefer the latter.
In the episode, Matt brings up some of his favorite games, including the cult-favorite, Fireball Island. You’ll notice a pattern in Matt’s picks since most of them can double as action figure playsets! My choices weren’t nearly as cohesive with each other, aside from the fact that they all helped to uncover some deep seeded revelations for me, as suppressed animosity from a couple of games rose to the surface. It sounds way more serious than it really is, because I actually just wound up ragging on a few games that used to annoy me. Listen to the show to hear all of our selections!
Thanks for stopping by! I know you have some favorite board games from when you were a kid, so tell us some of them in the comments!
Now that the Halloween Season is over for most, (I refuse to accept that) we are back to bring you another nostalgic podcast this week! Unfortunately, there are no ghosts and goblins to be discussed this week, but to ease the pain, we have some old chips, soda, and ice cream for you as we talk about Snacks That We Want Back!
Yes, Matt from Dinosaur Dracula and I have switched gears into a territory that we both know a lot about: OLD SNACKS. I can’t describe to you how much time I’ve spent in my life pining over discontinued junk food, so this show allows us to discuss some of those that have had me desperately dreaming their comeback for many years. And you sure as hell already know that Matt has spent the majority of his life curating old junk food so this is quite a discussion as you can imagine. We talk about the how the country fell in completely in love with Potato Skins which lead to them being turned into their own chips, Ghostbusters getting it’s own ice cream tie-in, and a certain beloved clear soda that might actually be making a comeback. It’s a kick-ass show that will jog your memory into looking back on some of the crap that you ingested while fermenting on your couch watching TV as a kid.
What are some of your favorite snacks from when you were a kid that aren’t around anymore? Let us know in the comments!
If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast, you can do so at iTunes, Podbean, and Stitcher! If you dig what you hear, please leave some positive feedback for us on iTunes! Thanks for listening and supporting the show! Stay tuned for more here at the Sexy Armpit very soon as I slowly get my ass back into gear!
There was so much stuff. That’s what I’ll remember most about Halloween 2015. That and the fact that “‘ween” and “15” rhyme made this such a memorable season. Of course there was the Sexy Armpit Halloween Special AND this year marked the beginning of The Purple Stuff Podcast. Can we pile on anymore stuff?
Think about it, grocery stores had aisles of limited edition Halloween cereal and candy packed from floor to ceiling! We saw BK’s Halloween Whoppers, Krispy Kreme donuts, Pumpkin Spice Twinkies, and spooky 7-11 cups. What’s crazier is that I didn’t even name half the stuff you probably bought on a whim at Target! Starbucks even jumped into the game with their release of A FRIGGIN’ COUNT FRAPPULA FRAPPUCCINO…wha-what? There was just so much that the sheer amount of Halloween spirit was awe inspiring. It was like Christmas morning for Halloween lovers for like 2 months straight. While in the midst of the season it may have been hard to process all this, but after the fog juice clears, it’s easy to see that Halloween 2015 was completely nuts in all the right ways.
I’m not sure if I’m rationalizing this or not, but think about it: quantity was the underlying theme this year. I’ve already touched on the amount of food and snack gimmicks that we were bestowed with, but what about everything else? In terms of my own little universe, our Halloween Special was an anthology, so you wound up getting THREE mini stories in one episode. It was pretty epic for us. Premiering a couple of weeks after our special was the anthology Tales of Halloween, with more stories crammed into it than I thought was humanly possible. We also saw the arrival of the long anticipated graphic novel Trick ‘r Treat: Days of the Dead which tipped the scales at heavy 144 pages! I’m here to urge you to reflect back and marvel at just how colossal this Halloween really was. I for one am still basking in its glow.
We had so much of the good ol’ BOO and yes, we know about the green POO, but I’m certainly not complaining. Monster Cereals were back in such a big way that they had various types of boxes to collect. You could even build a freaking mansion out of some of them! I still cannot believe that I have a Monster Cereal Mansion in my living room, as Old Man Parker would say, “…it’s indescribably beautiful!”
What’s Halloweenier than a Jack O’ Lantern vomiting Spinach Artichoke Dip for all to enjoy? I took this shot at the Carnival of Shadows Masquerade at Trenton Artworks 10/24/15
This Halloween was awesome. I’m not merely listing all the crap that came out this season, but it’s important to mark this Halloween season as one that felt like it wasn’t a struggle to be a Halloween fan. When every company is slapping their products with limited edition labels and squirting them with pumpkin spice magic and ghost shapes, that is always accepted in my world. And while I’m on the subject of my world, last year for the masquerades I attended, I wore the same costume twice. This year, I somehow managed to conjure up 2 different costumes for the parties I went to. Double the work, but double the fun. Where are those More twins from The Final Chapter?
Here I am as the Kenner Grim Reaper Action Figure from the Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure line which I wore to the Trenton Artworks Carnival of Shadows Masquerade party. As the story typically goes, this costume was on my short list of ideas every Halloween, so it was awesome to finally get to do it. Of course, no one knew who I was supposed to be and I was 100% expecting that. I don’t create these costumes to get a rise out of people, if that was the case there’s so many obvious costume choices in the Spirit Halloween store that I could easily go out and buy. Nothing made me happier than to see friends on social media totally geek out at this. That’s why I enjoy participating in social media, because in my real life nobody sees the cool factor in dressing up as an obscure Kenner action figure. They’re missing out and they can go back to gawking at some HILARIOUS guy who bought the Caitlyn Jenner costume. “Hey Henry, can you believe how creative Todd is in that Caitlyn Jenner costume…oh he’s always the life of the party!”
These Pumpkin decorations hanging from the ceiling really manage to add that extra old school flair to an otherwise lame Halloween party. We made our own fun anyway.
On Halloween night, we played it low key, but still went out to a local establishment for a Halloween party. It wasn’t much of a Halloween party since about 60% of the joint was NOT in costume, unless everyone was dressed in that classic “Miserable, Middle-Aged Drunk” costume. I think Ben Cooper manufactured that at one point. Seriously, a Halloween party is not a Halloween party without the costumes. At least we know where not to go next year. The place had a couple of saving graces though. First, the ’80s cover band was pretty decent and their female lead singer was dressed as Big Bird, so yeah, that was surreal and right up my alley. Then, when I went to find the bathroom, I saw their elaborate Halloween decorations which I spent about 20 minutes Instagramming. No one knew where I was for a while. At one point, a twenty-something girl stopped me, grabbed my arms, stared at me and said to me in a very serious tone, “You are scarier than any of these Halloween decorations.” I chuckled like a big doof and said ‘Thanks, you look pretty scary yourself” which was a joke that I don’t think landed properly since she was in a Cinderella costume. She gave me a dirty look. It was fine nonetheless because, as I was walking into the bathroom, I heard a noise and looked back to see that she stumbled over her own feet, fell into the exit doors, and face-planted on the pavement outside. She was a little tipsy, but don’t worry, her friends were there to assist her. She was A-OK as she awaited her Pumpkin carriage and/or Uber.
On Halloween night I dressed up as Alice Cooper in a straight jacket, which is based off of a portion of his live concert spectacle. Miss Sexy Armpit did a badass job on my wig and makeup too. In comparison to previous costume help that I’ve enlisted her for, this one was pretty easy for her. I got a lot of compliments and it was fun to be Alice for a night, especially since it was another costume that I had been meaning to do for several years. Miss Sexy Armpit was WWE Superstar, and one of my personal favorites, Paige. I even noticed a guy in a Bubba Ray Dudley costume walk in and he and I immediately gravitated to each other because wrestling fans just do that. It’s like, “hey, you’re weird like me! let’s talk about pro-wrestling in public fairly audibly as if it’s a real sanctioned sport!” Later in the night they rolled back over with their new friend STING! It was a who’s who of the WWE.
I recall a few Halloween’s in recent memory where I almost felt guilty for celebrating as hardcore as I do, but this season, all the binging on Halloween was perfectly acceptable. It feels like Halloween is truly getting to a point that it demands more respect as a bonafide holiday. Usually, Halloween gets curb stomped by Christmas way too soon, but not this year. Thanksgiving and Christmas felt like they swooped in at a strangely appropriate time. Is this all just me? Am I officially taking crazy pills? I know I was taking Hallocor in the Halloween Special, so maybe I’m still on a bender? All I know is, I never give up on Halloween, it possesses me all year long.
I hope you enjoyed your Halloween season! Did you dress up in a cool costume? What was your favorite part of Halloween 2015? Leave us a comment! Thank you for reading and celebrating with us!
Happy Halloween! The big day is here and boy has this Halloween season been one hell of a whopper…pun Intended. Another memorable Halloween season has come to a conclusion. I’d like to thank each and every person who has stopped by The Sexy Armpit, watched our Halloween Special 2015, and listened to The Purple Stuff Podcast, you are all awesome and we appreciate your support. Now, I hope you have a kickass Halloween celebration and enjoy the masquerade parties and the trick or treating with your kids! Before we go and wreak havoc around town in our costumes, let me tell you about the special Halloween edition of the podcast and a couple of other pertinent items.
This week on The Purple Stuff Podcast, Matt and I bring you The ABC’s of Halloween! For each letter of the alphabet we try to think of stuff that reminds us of Halloween and horror, so you can listen along and try to think of your own 26 things! Once again, we had fun with it and it will be the perfect audio companion for your Halloween celebration. Check it out on iTunes, Stitcher, and Podbean!
Last weekend, I attended the Trenton Artworks Halloween Party which was a good time. I’ll have a more in-depth recap for you on that this week, so come back for it! Tonight we have another masquerade as well so expect some social media action.
Are you prepared for a Podcast double header? I’m cramming two shows into one post this time around. It’s been quite a busy Halloween season for me so I am a bit behind on posting. With the big day rapidly approaching, I’m trying to savor every last detail of the remainder of October. It’s like making sure you get the last drip of Birch Beer out of that cold frosty mug. Ahh, see, now you want a Birch Beer, don’t you? Me too. Not sure why, but it sounds like a good accompaniment to these perfect Autumn nights.
First up, the latest Purple Stuff Podcast is available and it’s all about our Halloween and Horror guilty pleasures. Matt and I had a blast with this one and it may be one of my favorite episodes yet. I’m sure you can relate to loving some pretty bad movies and having an affinity for other weird stuff like obscure TV specials and melted plastic popcorn decorations, so you will definitely be on board with this episode! Check it out this week before our Halloween show hits and if you can, please leave us positive feedback on iTunes! That would be awesome.
In addition to the PSP, check out the latest edition of The Nerd Lunch Podcast which is available TODAY! I had been guest on the Nerd Lunch Halloween show previously, and then last year, Matt and I were both invited to be guests. Pax and Jeeg asked us back again this year and it’s becoming a cool little Halloween tradition. It was a fun time as we talked about two Rankin Bass specials, Jack O’ Lantern and MadMonster Party. We may not make any new friends after this one, but I felt we told it like it is. Thanks to the Nerd Lunch crew for having us back on!
You have plenty of audio entertainment to listen to as we usher in Halloween and we hope you enjoy it. Make sure you get your costumes ready and make a pile of your favorite horror films because we are coming down to the wire. I can feel the excitement already! Halloween is upon us!
Public Service Announcement: Halloween is so close that it’s imperative you take advantage of the remainder of October! Make every bit of it count! Submerge yourself in as many spooky things as you can! Watch some new horror movies, finish up your Halloween costume, and listen to the latest episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast!
Matt and I are back to bring you episode 11 of The Purple Stuff, a sequel to our Spooky Songs episode. We each supply a bunch of songs from our Halloween Playlists to bullshit about. There’s a lot of good tracks in this one including a few surprises! Be sure to check it out, and if you are so inclined, please leave us some feedback on iTunes! You can also check out The Purple Stuff Podcast on Stitcher, and Podbean!
Also, if you haven’t checked out The Sexy Armpit Halloween Special 2015, there’s still time for a viewing before November 1st when all it’s magic gets completely sucked out! It’s a perfect intro to your horror marathons this month! Thanks for reading, listening, and watching!
With torrential rainstorms and flooding hitting the Tri-State Area for the past couple of days, it’s been perfect October weather. There’s a chill in the air, actually, more like I had to put the heat on type weather! It’s also the busiest I’ll be all year long. Before you start listening to the latest episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast, I’ll give you an update about what’s going at Sexy Armpit Headquarters.
I’m still in the middle of editing the Halloween Special and we are looking to premiere it very soon. Within the next week or so, you will see me plugging it all over the place once it’s on YouTube. If you haven’t seen our previous Halloween Specials, give them a watch! They are fun and spooky and they are made with the passion for Halloween. If you could give the videos a thumbs up that would be even better! Your support is always appreciated! I can’t say that the specials all connect, but there is one or two elements that have been weaved through all of them and if you’ve seen them all then you know exactly what I mean. There’s little nods and payoffs here and there. For the most part though, they are an amalgamation of my love affair with movies and TV shows. They are a collage of references and memories that all takes place in some kind of weird alternate universe that I live in. I hope you’ll check them out! http://www.youtube.com/thesexyarmpit
Back to the matter at hand! This week, The Purple Stuff Podcast presents its own version of a game show! Fact or Fiction is the name of the game as Matt from Dinosaur Dracula and I face off against each other in a battle to determine which of our statements are truth and which ones are complete bullshit. The stakes are high, so give it a listen to see who will be victorious! Thanks for listening! And remember…we are so damn close to Halloween so make sure you are filling up your nights with pumpkin candles, horror movies, and stuffing your face with Halloween food tie-ins!
Things are super busy here at The Sexy Armpit! It’s our favorite time of the year and we are in the midst of filming our 2015 Halloween Special as well as recording our weekly Purple Stuff Podcast. Thanks to all of you who have listened, it’s so awesome to know that you are enjoying it! Many friends have asked if we are going to continue doing the podcast after the Halloween season, and the answer is YES because it seems you are all digging it!
Last week, Matt and I announced that we wanted your questions for our next episode which is now available. It’s time for some CREEPY Q & A’s! We received so many perfect questions and had a tough time narrowing them down to fit into one show, so if you don’t hear yours, it may pop up in a future ‘cast! We had a great time with this because it allowed us to hit on all our favorite topics ranging from our early memories of Halloween to shitty candy…and of course, Horror movie franchises! Hope you enjoy it! Let us know what you think here in the comments, on Twitter, or at our Facebook page!
Also, a reminder to check out the Halloween Countdown at Dinosaur Dracula. There’s so many awesome articles and this is only the beginning! Personally, I’m looking forward to more video reviews from the elusive Madd Matt!
