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The Nostalgia Test Podcast

The Nostalgia Test Podcast

By: Dan Dissinger & Manny Coelho
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 Put your pop-culture past to the ultimate test--THE NOSTALGIA TEST! with 🎙longtime friends Dan, Manny, & Billy 🙋‍♂️🤦‍♂️🙆‍♂️Copyright 2020 All rights reserved. Art Politics & Government
Episodes
  • 151. The Goonies (1985) w/ Meghan P. Nolan

    151. The Goonies (1985) w/ Meghan P. Nolan
    Jun 17 2025
    Dan, Manny, & Billy invite friend & fan of the pod Meghan P. Nolan to put the 1985 action/adventure comedy The Goonies to the ultimate test—THE NOSTALGIA TEST! “I had this epiphany while I was watching it this time where I was like, ‘Holy shit! Like Goonies are just like a bunch of nerds, they're all just sitting around playing D&D, Mikey is the dungeon master, and this is their quest.” -Meghan P. Nolan Around 2 years ago, Meghan sent us a suggestion to put The Goonies to the ultimate test and because Dan is super lazy it took him this long to get her on the pod. This episode is off the rails from the start filled with classic Nostalgia Test drops and a live Zoom audience of one, (haha! it’s a start) Courtney from the Fiction Fixation Podcast who added some hilarious ideas while Billy dealt with his North Carolina internet service. The gang talks about “Goonies” comes from their town name The Goon Docks, what did the parents of these kids do to get all their houses foreclosed on, why was Troy and his flunkies hanging around a wishing well, are the Fratellis really Italian, and who was resetting One Eyed Willie’s booby traps in the 1600s. They also analyze all the amazing characters, unpack the stereotypes, plot holes, and put Cindy Lauper’s song to a quick Nostalgia Test. Most importantly, they talk about the real heroes of this movie Rosalita and Sloth. This episode is what The Nostalgia Test is all about, laughter, hot takes, and a bunch of hypothetical scenarios for what a Goonies sequel or TV series might look like. This is a must-listen for any fan of 80s classics. Email us (thenostalgiatest@gmail.com) your thoughts, opinions, and questions about this episode or anything else nostalgic on your mind and we'll read it for next time on the pod! APPROXIMATE RUN OF SHOW: 00:00 Introduction to the Nostalgia Test Podcast 00:45 Welcoming the Hosts and Guest 01:15 Discussing The Goonies and Nostalgia 02:10 The Goonies' Cultural Impact 04:08 Analyzing Characters and Stereotypes 10:07 Plot Holes and Funny Observations 15:47 The Goonies' Opening Scene and PG Rating 26:51 Music and Product Placement in The Goonies 30:41 Kids' Reactions to The Goonies 31:36 Comparing The Goonies to Other 80s Movies 33:35 Modern Movie Music and Final Thoughts 36:06 Revisiting 'The Goonies': Childhood Memories and Cable TV 37:03 Tree Climbing Adventures and Childhood Mischief 38:24 The Goonies' Treasure Hunt Begins 39:03 Decoding the Pirate Map and Family Dynamics 40:27 The Goonies' Quest: Booby Traps and Town Secrets 42:19 Character Dynamics and 80s Stereotypes 50:14 The Fratelli Family: Villains or Victims? 52:21 Sloth: The Unlikely Hero 56:21 The Goonies' Final Adventure: Treasure and Triumph 01:10:35 Nostalgic Jail Cell Memories 01:11:02 The Idiot Mob in Astoria 01:11:42 Chunk's Hilarious Car Encounter 01:12:22 Goonies Theme Park and Escape Room Ideas 01:14:21 Mikey's Iconic Speech 01:16:02 Speculating on the Goonies Sequel 01:22:25 The Goonies' Legacy and Trivia 01:34:56 Final Thoughts and Nostalgia Test Meghan P. Nolan, MFA, MA, PhD, is an Associate Professor of English and Chair of the Honors program at State University of New York, Rockland. She is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She is a multi-genre writer, who focuses on(Neo-)Victorian and Modern literature/ crime writing and fragmented perceptions of self-hood through academic works, fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Her book The Crossroads of Crime Writing: Unseen Structures and Uncertain Spaces was published by Anthem Press (March 2024). She is the author of the poetry collection, Stratification (2008) and her poems have been in many literary journals over the years. Recently, her works have been on public display as a part of the “Writing on the Walls” exhibits at the Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art (HVMOCA) and she regularly performs her poetry and monologues as a part of productions by both Studio Theater in Exile and Tutti Bravi respectively. Her works have appeared in Approaches to Teaching the Works of Fernando Pessoa (2025), Mean Streets (2021), Persona Studies (2021 and 2015), Transnational Crime Fiction: Mobility, Borders, and Detection (2020), Exquisite Corpse: Studio Art-Based Writing in the Academy (2019), The 100 Greatest Detectives (2018), and Thread (2017). For more info visit mpnolan.com. Order Meghan's book The Crossroads of Crime Writing: Unseen Structures and Uncertain Spaces at Barnes & Nobel & Amazon Book The Nostalgia Test Podcast Bring The Nostalgia Test Podcast's high energy fun and comedy on your podcast, to host your themed parties & special events! The Nostalgia Test Podcast will create an unforgettable Nostalgic experience for any occasion because we are the party! We are the most dedicated guests! We bring it 100% of the time! Email us at thenostalgiatest@gmail.com or fill out the form at this link. LET'S GET NOSTALGIC! ...
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    1 hr and 48 mins
  • 150. Nostalgic 90s Commercials: Nerf, Super Soakers, Peeing Dolls, OH MY!

    150. Nostalgic 90s Commercials: Nerf, Super Soakers, Peeing Dolls, OH MY!
    Jun 5 2025

    Put your Nostalgia helmet on and join Dan & Manny on a dangerous journey to put some 90s Commercials to the ultimate test—THE NOSTALGIA TEST!

    “I'm surprised we survived. Like, what we were putting in our bodies, what they were allowing us to play with. It's amazing that we even got this far” -Dan

    Before Billy joined the chaos, Dan & Manny embarked on a weird walk down memory lane with these super odd 90s commercials. They try to figure out why anyone would by their kid a doll that pees, if Nerf is just human dog toys, why were water guns to big and crazy, and how did anyone go to Action Park. Plus, Dan tells a ridiculous story about his dad, the time he went to Action Park, and Manny slowly loses his mind. This is one of those weirdo episodes you’ll want to watch so you can see all the commercials they’re talking about. So, grab your Super Soakers, polish those Nerf Vortexes, grab your favorite Kid Cuisine and get ready for a Nostalgia Test like you’ve never seen and heard before.

    Email us (thenostalgiatest@gmail.com) your thoughts, opinions, and questions about this episode or anything else nostalgic on your mind and we'll read it for next time on the pod!

    WATCH EP.150 ON YOUTUBE!

    APPROXIMATE RUN OF SHOW:

    00:00 Introduction to the Nostalgia Test Podcast

    01:23 Discussing 90s Commercials and Their Impact

    04:02 Nerf Turbo Screamer Football Commercial Review

    11:43 Magic Potty Baby Commercial Review

    16:38 Polly Pocket Commercial Review

    19:39 Super Soaker Ooze Blaster Commercial Review

    23:26 Action Park Commercial Review

    27:12 Water Park Woes and Action Park Memories

    27:37 The Perils of Action Park

    32:17 Nostalgic Water Gun Commercials

    39:54 Kid Cuisine and Childhood Meals

    45:20 Sunny Delight and Gushers

    53:45 Reflecting on 90s Commercials and Toys

    Book The Nostalgia Test Podcast Bring The Nostalgia Test Podcast's high energy fun and comedy on your podcast, to host your themed parties & special events! The Nostalgia Test Podcast will create an unforgettable Nostalgic experience for any occasion because we are the party! We are the most dedicated guests! We bring it 100% of the time! Email us at thenostalgiatest@gmail.com or fill out the form at this link.

    LET'S GET NOSTALGIC!

    Keep up with all things The Nostalgia Test Podcast on Instagram | Substack | Discord | TikTok | Bluesky | YouTube | Facebook

    The intro and outro music ('Neon Attack 80s') is by Emanmusic.

    The Lithology Brewing ad music ("Red, White, Black, & Blue") is by PEG and the Rejected
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    59 mins
  • 149.🐋Free Willy (1993)

    149.🐋Free Willy (1993)
    May 28 2025

    Dan, Manny, & Billy put the 1993 action/drama Free Willy to the ultimate test--THE NOSTALGIA TEST!

    “[They abused a whale] to make a movie about whale awareness [...] You fucking basically murdered [a whale] in the making of [Free Willy].” -Billy

    Okay everyone, this was a weird journey back for us because no one knew what to expect from Free Willy. We didn’t remember it was two hours long. We didn’t remember about Jesse’s friend Perry. We sure didn’t remember Mykelti Williamson being saddled with another clueless white person? And that’s just the tip of this nostalgic iceberg because we go on a Metalocalypse tangent, how Orcas were attacking sailboats, adopting a manatee in elementary school, and we expose the unfortunate story behind Kiko, the Orca in Free Willy.

    Email us (thenostalgiatest@gmail.com) your thoughts, opinions, and questions about this episode or anything else nostalgic on your mind and we'll read it for next time on the pod!

    APPROXIMATE RUN OF SHOW:

    00:00 Introduction to the Nostalgia Test Podcast

    00:18 Iconic Quotes and Characters from Free Willy

    01:03 Reflecting on 90s Movie Culture

    01:38 Free Willy: The Plot and Performances

    02:54 The Cast and Their Other Works

    05:28 Memories of Watching Free Willy as Kids

    07:01 The Harsh Realities of Captivity

    10:49 The Bond Between Jesse and Willy

    16:20 The Climax: Freeing Willy

    34:00 The Ethics of Animal Training and Captivity

    38:13 Critique of the Characters' Jobs and Skills

    38:28 The Absurdity of Recording Dolphins and Whales

    39:13 Plot Holes and Lack of Security

    40:25 The Plan to Free Willie

    43:03 The Ridiculous Escape Plan

    54:46 The Fate of Kiko, the Real-Life Willie

    01:05:21 Final Thoughts and Nostalgia Test

    Book The Nostalgia Test Podcast Bring The Nostalgia Test Podcast's high energy fun and comedy on your podcast, to host your themed parties & special events! The Nostalgia Test Podcast will create an unforgettable Nostalgic experience for any occasion because we are the party! We are the most dedicated guests! We bring it 100% of the time! Email us at thenostalgiatest@gmail.com or fill out the form at this link.

    LET'S GET NOSTALGIC!

    Keep up with all things The Nostalgia Test Podcast on Instagram | Substack | Discord | TikTok | Bluesky | YouTube | Facebook

    The intro and outro music ('Neon Attack 80s') is by Emanmusic.

    The Lithology Brewing ad music ("Red, White, Black, & Blue") is by PEG and the Rejected
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 20 mins

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