Entries by Brian Boone

Spooky High is Closing

For more than 200 years, Spooky High has been the preeminent educational facility in this area for young monsters, supernatural entities, and horrifying creatures, all seeking to learn in a safe environment free from the persecutions and distractions of the mainstream world. Our alumni are world-renowned, including the Frankenstein creation, six generations of Blobs, all seven Mummy siblings, and a real zombie who was in the “Thriller” video.

REVIEW: Lava

A pioneer of alternative comedy and star of numerous Generation X cultural touchstones, Janeane Garofalo possessed a voice for the ages. Literally and metaphorically the voice of a generation, her sarcastic, vulnerable, over it, and overwhelmed timbre was so definitive to the ‘90s that a lot of people thought she provided the voice of Daria on Daria. She didn’t, but more than two decades removed from her zeitgeist-defining days, Garofalo finally gives voice to an animated version of her persona in the form of Debora, the protagonist and focus of Lava, a futuristic movie about present-day themes.

Funkytown: 2020

As the ‘80s gave way to the ‘90s, Funkytown crumbled into disrepair, a shell of its former self, remembered only during brief periods of renewed interest in ‘70s culture, such as the Pulp Fiction-fueled comeback of John Travolta and the rise of Jamiroquai.

Anatomy of a Sketch: Derrick Comedy’s “Thomas Jefferson”

In the mid-2000s, when college sketch group videos were suddenly all over the place, Derrick Comedy easily made the best ones. Derrick was a five-person operation originally out of New York University best known for their 2009 cult classic feature Mystery Team, but they also made “Thomas Jefferson,” which is, fun fact, the greatest comedy sketch of all time. Really. 

13 Fun Things You Didn’t Know About Class Reunions

Brush up on the history of this strange custom before you attend yours this summer. When class reunions were first held in the 1870s, life expectancy was so low that they did them six months after graduation, before everybody died of lead poisoning and the gout. Before the U.S. Postal Service was a reliable means […]

Regional Variations on S’mores

There’s no snack more quintessentially summery than s’mores. We’ve all got memories of melting some chocolate and marshmallows between a couple of graham crackers, either on a campfire, at the beach, or in the backyard. But s’mores actually vary greatly from one region to the next. San Francisco. Sourdough graham crackers. Southern California. Instead of […]

11 Things You Never Knew About “The Jetsons”

In 1962, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera pitched a primetime animated sitcom to ABC about a stone-age family called The Rocksons. ABC executives thought it was some kind of joke, because Hanna-Barbera was responsible for the extremely popular series The Flintstones, an animated sitcom about a stone-age family. Hanna and Barbera reworked The Rocksons into […]

How to Keep Your House Cool This Summer

It’s almost summer, so you know what that means: Things are about to get hot. A little too hot, if you know what we mean. That’s your cue to keep things as cool as possible. Here are some ways guaranteed to keep your house extremely and comfortably cool this summer. It’s about time your car […]

A Look Back at Vince McMahon’s XPL: The Xtreme Polo League

Nearly 20 years after its much heralded but ultimately failed single-year run, Vince McMahon of the WWE announced that he’s bringing back the much maligned XPL, or Xtreme Polo League. It was pitched as a more aggressive and exciting polo league, and promised to be much more entertaining and chaotic than the boring old polo […]

The Top 20 Bestselling British Porno Magazines

Keen Jugs Brilliant Fannies Tally Ho, Naked Ladies! Shag Fancy Cockney Teasers Sir “T” Time…and “A” Time Chuffed Tip-Top! ‘Ello Govnah! Queen Welsh ‘Uns Yorkshire Puds The Only Way is Sexxex Ladies With Morals Looser Than That of a Character You’d Find in a Novel By D.H. Lawrence A Pint Full o’ Lady Wanker Starkers? […]

Hey ‘80s and ‘90s Kids, Do You Remember These Defunct Mall Stores?

Cool Kevin’s Single Earrings In the ‘80s there was nothing cooler and more dangerous than a guy who wore a single earring. (For example: George Michael, and Mallory’s boyfriend on Family Ties.) A lot of those guys bought their single earing at Cool Kevin’s Single Earrings, a jewelry shop for dudes who didn’t want to waste money […]

What Abbreviated Band Names are Actually Short For

10cc. Member Lol Creme would always ask band mate Kevin Godley what channel Comedy Central was on their cable system because he was very forgetful. Godley would get so frustrated that he had to tell Crème the answer (channel 10) that he’d scream, “10! CC!” ABBA. While trying to think of a band name one […]

All the New Cable Channels

“Comedy” Central. Reruns of all your classic shows that claim to be comedies but which make you unspeakably sad, such as Transparent, BoJack Horseman, and Alice. The Porn Nostalgia Network. This channel gathers up all the softcore porn you remember watching as a 14-year-old back in the ’90s—scrambled. CNN Classic. Memorable news reports from when […]

Things Everybody is Tired of Hearing a Skeleton Say

“I am made of bones.” “I took an online quiz to see which Bones character I am and I got ‘All of them.’” “Boner alert!” “Ouch, my bones!” “Leave me alone, dogs!” “Is my skull showing?” “I’m not smiling. I just don’t have any skin or flesh to conceal my jaw.” “Does this femur make me look […]