HeyJaredThe 80s-est
Two lifelong Gen-X friends from a tiny Ohio community set out on a quest to find the totally 80s-est song ever recorded! Joe Wack and Keith Marsteller discuss 80s music, pop culture, celebrities, movies, music videos, and products through the lens of their rural upbringing.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 10
- Latest publication
- Sep 7, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 6, 2026
Latest episodes
S4E29: Raiders Region 5v12(Never/Escape) (opens the original)
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In one corner: The Neverending Story, Wolfgang Petersen’s 1984 fantasy in which a lonely boy named Bastian steals a magical book and begins reading — only to discover he is part of the story itself. In the other corner: Escape from New York, John Carpenter’s 1981 action-thriller in which the island of Manhattan has been converted into a maximum-security prison and Snake Plissken (ex-Special Forces, one eye, a death sentence, and no particular interest in being a hero) is sent in alone to rescue
S4E28 Raiders Region 8v9:(9 to/Party) (opens the original)
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This week, by chance, we had 9 to 5 to review, and the day before we recorded, we lost Dolly Parton. Just when we were prepared to try to reduce our show length, we felt it appropriate to memorialize Dolly, and so, back up the show length goes! On today’s show, we have two films about people…that’s about the only thing they have in common. In one corner: 9 to 5, a 1980 workplace comedy in which three women reach their collective breaking point with their sexist, hypocritical boss, and accidental
S4E27: Raider Region 1v16(Raidin’/Alive) (opens the original)
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Welcome to the Raiders of the Lost Ark Region! Our first matchup is as epic as the blockbuster for which the region is named! In one corner: Raiders of the Lost Ark, the #1 film of 1981, in which Lucas, Spielberg, Williams, Kasdan, and Ford basically crush all other movies with an All-Star Team effort. It’s more 80s as in “era-defining blockbuster” than in reflecting the decade. In the other corner: Staying Alive, the laughably shitty 1983 sequel to Saturday Night Fever , directed by Sylvester S
S4E26: Red Dawn Region 2v15(Karate/Gentleman) (opens the original)
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This week, Joe and I got out of hand on discussion time again (sorry!) as we discuss two films about becoming someone. In one corner: The Karate Kid, the 1984 coming-of-age underdog story in which Daniel LaRusso moves from Newark to California, immediately gets beaten up by karate-trained bullies, and discovers that his apartment building handyman is an Okinawan karate master. In the other corner: An Officer and a Gentleman, a 1982 drama in which Richard Gere enrolls in Navy Officer Candidate Sc
S4E25: Red Dawn Region 7v10 (Pork'/'lins) (opens the original)
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Today’s films are both about things that get catastrophically out of hand. In one corner: Gremlins, the 1984 horror-comedy that was so disturbingly violent for a PG rating that it directly caused the MPAA to create the PG-13 rating. In the other corner: Porky’s, the terribly shitty 1982 sex comedy set in 1954 Florida, that is as boring as it is stupid. There’s no question which movie is better. Which one is MORE 80s? Vote below! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with ot
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