Guess The Song From The 1980s - Episode 144

The 1980s. Image: CC BY 2.0

So this episode follows on from our 1990s music one. If you remember the top 40 of the US and UK in the 1980s (Or are just a fan of 80s music) then this is episode for you. We also apologise for the audio quality in this episode, it was only discovered during editing and we went back and forth as to whether we should re-record it but ultimately decided not to. From now on, we will track down the cause of this and make sure our next episode is very good quality!


What's your favourite song from the 1980s?

Living In America: Living Your Best Life

Image: Etsy

If you live in the USA, you should be living your best life, right? What is the origin of that phrase anyway? 'Living Your Best Life'. We only get one, don't we? Unless these people who say this know something the rest of us don't.

Some people aren't living their best life, however. Spare a thought for them who are living a truly miserable existence. But maybe it's not so bad on the outside. Maybe people see their life and think "It's not so bad" but they don't know what's going on inside their head. Maybe it's a case of they have to deal with it themselves? Get themselves out of whatever rut it is they are in.

We can only speculate.

I hope your month hasn't been too trying and you are still keeping calm and carrying on.

Prom Night USA vs UK - Episode 143

A typical American prom night, taken in 1990. Image: Joe Shlabotnik, CC BY 2.0

Prom. What does the name mean to you? If you're an American High School-goer, or went to one, then it might be the biggest night of your school life. The end to your high school life.

If you live in the UK, however, Prom is a relatively new thing to hit the British High School system. When I was in school, the first year our school had ever had a prom in its history was the year I left. I didn't go though. Erica went to two proms and you usually only go to one! (She was very popular!)

Did you go to your prom? Tell us your memories!

Never Have I Ever... - Episode 142

Still from Friends episode: The One With All The Cheesecakes.

Okay, We're seeing a bunch of quarantine games going around so we put out a story on Instagram where we asked followers to play 'Never Have I Ever...' with us and we'd do an episode with our answers and, lo and behold, here is that very episode for you all to enjoy and hear what our answers are!

Did you play along? How drunk did you get? haha

Outlander Characters (Part 2) - Episode 141

Seems even Claire has had enough of us talking about Outlander!

Okay everybody, here is the second part of our Outlander talk and we promise those who are sick of hearing about it, we won't talk about it anymore. Or at least for a while anyway! In this episode, we talk more about Roger Mac (as Jamie has taken to calling him, because how many Rogers does he know??) and also how we think Jamie, Claire and Brianna's characters have developed up to this point.

Do you agree with us? What's your opinion on all things Outlander!

Dallas - Episode 140

Dallas. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Dallas. Dollars to donuts (Yes, I want donuts!) you're either humming the theme to that 80s soap opera or thinking about the JFK Assassination. (You can let us know which it is!)

Yes, this episode we talk about all things Dallas, since we've been there. My first trip to Dallas was in 2008, which was my first time ever in the United States. You expect it to look a certain way because of how it's portrayed on film and TV and to some it may just be another generic city, with nothing that stands out.

When you think of Dallas, what's the first thing you think of?

Discussing Outlander Characters + Character Development - Episode 139

Roger MacKenzie (Richard Rankin) in Outlander Season 5.

Outlander is back with season 5 and it couldn't have come at a better time with pretty much the entire planet under orders to stay at home. In this episode, we're discussing the characters and their development over the course of the show and which ones we like and which ones we are getting annoyed with (Hint: It's Roger.)


This is part one of a two part series. Who are your favourite and least favourite characters on Outlander?

Children's TV - Episode 138

Children's Television of the 1980s/1990s

Remember the 80s and 90s? It's okay if you don't because we do and we're here to tell you about how fantastic Children's telly was back then! Things like Zzap! Wizadora, Fun House, Pee Wee's Playhouse, Mr. Rogers, Reading Rainbow, Pinwheel and The Sooty Show were the best shows ever and apparently someone called Neil Buchanan was a fixture of British TV of the 90s.

What were your favourite kids TV shows??

Trivia Time - Episode 137

Could Erica be one of the BBC's famous Eggheads? Image: Tea &A Butty

You know you love it when I quiz Erica on things. This time I'm quizzing her on the UK and smooshing her scrunchie, which she really uses to gain knowledge like that guy who cheated on Who Wants to be A Millionaire years ago. How will Erica fare on this quiz? Well, have a listen to find out.

Did you play along? How many did you get right?

Speaking Gaelic - Episode 136

Welcome to Scotland in English and Gaelic. Image: Amanda Slater

Gaelic is a language used predominantly in Scotland and Ireland and it's use in Outlander has led to a renewed interest in the language worldwide. I decided to quiz Erica and see if she could guess the English translations of these Scottish Gaelic words! Having lived in the Scottish Highlands, I'd heard a little Gaelic spoken but in this post-Culloden society, it's spoken very rarely in Scotland and a census shows it's heading into being a dead language which is a shame as Gaelic is a beautiful language that personifies what it is to being Scottish.


Have you ever heard Gaelic?

 

Living In America: Is It Like In The Movies?

Image: Wikimedia Commons

America for many Brits seems like a wondrous place. Thanks to a lot of movies and television, we've grown up with this perception that they all ride around on horses in Texas and are cowboys, they all eat Chinese food from little white boxes, all the taxis are yellow and checkered, all the school buses are yellow and everyone has guns.

Well. I'm here to tell you that it's all true. Every last bit of it. All the stereotypes. Just kidding. April Fools and all that. Though that would have been something if everyone had believed me.

No, the only thing that's fully true about those perceptions are that they do all eat Chinese take out food from little white boxes (Well, the rice anyway) and all school buses ARE yellow.

But no, the rest of it is not. The most important of these is the gun stereotype. Yes, some people do have guns but they're not walking around with them on the hip ready for a quick draw. The people you see at those gun conventions walking around with assault rifles, those conventions are usually held at secret locations in the desert because the people are paranoid that they'll be persecuted for their love of firearms. Which, in truth, they very well may be.

So, to sum it up, America is not like it is in the movies, except for the good bits. Whatever those good bits are, they're up to you to decide.