ONE MOVIE YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY RENT, BUT (WHAT THE HELL) I’LL SPOIL THE ENDING ANYWAY.

FLATLINERS (1990): Rachel, Joe, and David all use their experiences with death to eventually make amends with their inner-demons. Nelson too is able to overcome the guilt from accidentally killing his childhood friend. Though he has to be dead the longest to do so. FYI…Randy Steckle never dies in the movie. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROCK THE CRADLE OF LOVE

Yep, Billy Idol’s single “Rock the Cradle of Love” from his 4^th album (Charmed Life) turns 21 years old this year. The song rocketed to #2 on the Billboard charts in 1990. And like many other hot singles of the time period, it also doubled as a theme to a movie – The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. 

You remember that one, right? Andrew Dice Clay plays a rock & roll detective. This cinematic Meh-fest also stars Wayne Newton, Lauren Holly, Morris Day, Ed O’ Neil, Robert Englund and a slew of cameos. 

OH AND WE CAN’T FORGET THE VIDEO…

Idol’s video basically centers around an older male socialite trying to resist the urge to fool around with another socialite’s hot younger daughter in his apartment. Ford Fairlane clips are peppered throughout the film. Idol also makes a stunning appearance by moving from painting to Warhol-esque painting in the man’s apartment. 

For the time period, it rocked in the special effects department. So much so that it won the MTV award for best movie video song. 

BTW…Betsy Lynn George plays the girl in the video. 

And yes, she was of age at the time of filming (20 years to be exact). Oh, and check out that classic mac used in the video. I actually owned one. 

Ok, I’ll shutup now so you can take in this dazzling display of 90’s high concept with an infectious beat.

SO HOW DID CASPER DIE?

The classic 1950s Harvey cartoons always seemed to gloss over the subject. However Casper's cause of death was finally offered up in the 1995 big screen adaption starring Christina Ricci. Apparently the friendly ghost was originally a stubborn kid. Casper was sledding on a cold winter's day. His dad told him to come inside. Casper refused, and eventually contracted a fatal case of pneumonia. The end.

JUST KIDDING [RATED R]

BEST PART OF THE 1990s: ENJOYING A BEER WHILE WATCHING A BURLY, HALF NAKED, NORDIC MAN DEADLIFT A CAR.

Being single in the ‘90s (without access to internet dating) meant putting in a lot of time at the bars. Sad to say I NEVER made a love connection. Though I do remember watching a crap-load of TV on mute. Usually the bars would play Mtv videos or highlights from old Jackie Chan movies. If my friends and I were at a sports bar (late at night) we were in for a real visual treat – THE WORLD’S STRONGEST MAN COMPETITION. Events featuring bouncer-like bad-asses competing in memorable contests such as…

TRUCK AIRPLANE PULL: Simply pull a massive mode of transportation 100ft. Easy.

FARMER’S WALK: Competitors race each other while carry uber-heavy stuff (weighing 275 lbs).

LOG THROW: Name says it all.

The best out of the burly bunch had to be Mr. Magnús Ver Magnússon. This Icelander pretty much owned the competition in the 90s. He was the baron of bitch-slapping, walking away with a staggering 4 WSM titles (1991, 1994, 1995 and 1996.)

CLASSIC MAGNUS MADE LIFTS…

882lb squat
605lb bench press
world record tire dead-lift of 981lbs

BEST SONGS TO LISTEN TO IF YOU BROKE UP WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND IN 1990.

by Not All There (NWM Staff Writer)

My apologies to the ladies for only offering songs from a male perspective.

DON’T TREAT ME BAD (Firehouse) 

GET THE FUNK OUT (Extreme)

****THE PERFECT ”JUST ON A BREAK” SONG****

LOVE SONG (Tesla)

****BONUS BOYFRIEND BREAKUP SONG****

THE PROMISE OF A NEW DAY (Paula Abdul)

 

A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR THE COKE MAGiCAN.

by Biz-Boy (NWM Staff Writer)

In the history of Coca-Cola possibly nothing will or ever equal the PR nightmare that the 1985 New Coke formula caused. However, if you were looking for a distant second I’d probably look ahead 5 years later. It was in the form of a 1990 Summer promotion known as Coke Magicans. On paper the idea seemed brilliant-ish. Select cans of Coke would literally contain prizes (cash, concert tickets, etc) inside. When you opened the can the prize would pop out. Of course executing this idea was where the Coke-heads fell way short. The main problem was the prize-popping mechanism didn’t work 100% of the time. That wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that those cans were filled with chlorinated water instead of bubbly, refreshing Coke. Luckily for Coke, these were the pre-“lawsuits on a dime" days, so pretty much the only thing that happened was a slew of consumer complaints. Though that was enough to sink the promotional ship, even with the support of primetime Coke ads featuring the hottest act on the planet – New Kids On The Block.