MetaFilter posts tagged with 90s

The shape of jazz gone by

kenko — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:42:53 -0800

NPR's jazz blog A Blog Supreme recently concluded a series in which they asked jazz bloggers to "name five albums you would recommend to somebody looking to get into modern jazz". The results are now up in the category Jazz Now; the intro has the index, including reactions elsewhere. Destination: Out had some pricklier suggestions—see also their best of the 90s list (and their own nominations). Some related reading: An interview with Henry Threadgill. (Some tracks from his new album.) An interview with Tootie Heath. An interview with Julius Hemphill. Evan Parker on John Coltrane.

Get your Saturday morning on

Rhaomi — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:27:21 -0800

Saturday morning cartoons were once a staple of American television, but by the year 2000 they had all but disappeared. Of course, the Internet never forgets. Case in point: Cartoon Network Video -- a free, searchable, ad-supported service that provides hundreds of full-length episodes of classic shows like Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Johnny Bravo, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and The Powerpuff Girls, as well as current offerings and scads of shorter material. Too recent for you? Then give Kids WB Video a whirl -- it does the same thing with the same interface, but for older programs like Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, The Smurfs, Scooby-Doo, Thundercats, and the original Space Ghost. If you're in the mood to learn (and don't mind some live-action), PBS Kids Video has educational fare such as Arthur, Wishbone, and Zoom. And don't forget about Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, The Magic Schoolbus and Schoolhouse Rock! Now if only we had some Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs...

Ignore the fact he also made movies

Christ, what an asshole — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:32:59 -0800

Bean. Episode 01 - Mr. Bean (1 2 3 4) {exam, beach, church} Episode 02 - The Return of Mr. Bean (1 2 3) {busking, department store, restaurant, Queen Elizabeth II} Episode 03 - The Curse of Mr. Bean (1 2 3) {swimming pool, parking garage, park lunch, intersection, movie} Episode 04 - Mr. Bean Goes to Town (1 2 3) {new TV, camera, shoe, picture, magic show, disco} Episode 05 - The Trouble With Mr. Bean (1 2 3) {oversleep, dentist, boat, picnic} Episode 06 - Mr. Bean Rides Again (1 2 3) {bus stop, post office, packing, train, airplane} Episode 07 - Merry Christmas Mr. Bean (1 2 3) {department store, girlfriend, engagement, tree, turkey} Episode 08 - Mr. Bean in Room 426 (1 2 3) {hotel, staircase, sleeplessness} Episode 09 - Mind the Baby Mr. Bean (1 2 3) {fair, baby, stroller} Episode 10 - Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean (1 2 3) {New Year, sales, drive, apartment redesign} Episode 11 - Back to School Mr. Bean (1 2 3) {open school, art, chemistry} Episode 12 - Tee Off Mr. Bean (1 2 3) {launderette, golf} Episode 13 - Goodnight Mr. Bean (1 2 3) {hospital, guard, sleep} Episode 14 - Hair by Mr. Bean (1 2 3) {barber, games, dog show, railway station} Bonus: Mr. Bean's Wedding, Mr. Bean on a Blind Date, Torvill and Mr. Bean, Mr. Bean's Red Nose Day, Mr. Bean at the Library

Classic Animation Remixed

Rhaomi — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:50:06 -0800

While Adult Swim is generally regarded as the pioneer of irreverent short-form animation -- especially for 'toons that reimagine past hits -- it wasn't always the king. In fact, the late-night programming block arguably found its birth in a series of short toons and interstitials that ran in the heyday of its daytime alter ego, the venerable Cartoon Network. The brainchild of C.N. Creative Director Michael Ouweleen and Hanna-Barbera chief Fred Seibert, these cartoons reinterpreted the network's properties through stock footage, indie music, and original animation in a wide variety of styles, as well as introducing prototypes of characters that would become some of the most famous in the history of American animation. (warning: monster post inside) PART 1: The Early Days The groundwork for the following projects was arguably laid by two cartoons: The Moxy and Flea Show (the network's first original series) and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Though little is remembered of the short-lived Moxy, which starred mo-capped entertainers Penn Jillette and Bobcat Goldthwait as a 3D animal duo, Space Ghost hit a chord and ran for years in the night block as a cult series -- its bizarre, incoherent "interviews" and repurposed 1960s characters set the stage for Adult Swim in later years. PART 2: Cartoons That Never Made It Crafted by the aforementioned-Ouweleen in the mid-90s, "Cartoons That Never Made It" was a brief series of four "bumps" -- short cartoons that play before commercial breaks or split up longer programs. The four shorts acted as promos for various fictional cartoons, all rejected for obvious reasons. Surprisingly twisted for the network's early, more staid days, the popularity of the bumps inspired Ouweleen to expand his ambitions in projects to come.

Salt n' Slug - Rupert the Grouper - Frothy Dawg - Heidi and the Yodelers

PART 3: The Groovies "Groovies" was the term for a new series of shorts which took the form of music videos. Each one was based on a property in the Cartoon Network stable, from Betty Boop to Dexter's Lab. Old clips and in some cases fresh animation work was mixed with original music from well-known artists like Devo, The Apples in Stereo, and will.i.am, resulting in amusing and surprising tributes that respected the classic animation while showing it in a whole new light.

The Flintstones - "Meet the Flintstones" by Joe Boyd Vigil, "Walk Around in Circles" by Soul Coughing The Jetsons - "24th Century Mecha Mix" by Michael Kohler Quick Draw McGraw - "El Kabong Rides Again" by Calexico Atom Ant - "We Must All Get Ready Now" by Michael Kohler Betty Boop - "Rolling" by Soul Coughing Superfriends - "That Time is Now" by Michael Kohler Porky Pig - "Pork Jam" by Michael Kohler Elmer Fudd - "Wascally Wemix" by Todd Eaton Bugs Bunny/Marvin the Martian - "Mars Forever" by Fantastic Plastic Machine Magilla Gorilla - "Gorilla 4 Sale" by Michael Ungar Yogi Bear - "Yogi Bear" by High School Jim Jabberjaw - "Jabberjaw" by Pain Josie and the Pussycats - "Music Evolution" by Michael Kohler Powerpuff Girls - "Signal in the Sky" by The Apples in Stereo, "Go Monkey Go" by Devo, "Chemical X" by Cherish Courage the Cowardly Dog - "Courage the Cowardly Dog" by They Might Be Giants Ed, Edd n Eddy - "The Incredible Shrinking Day" by Stuart Hill, "My Best Friend Plank" by Steve Patrick Dexter's Laboratory - "Secrets" by will.i.am, "Back to the Lab" by Prince Paul, "Dexter (What's His Name)" by Coolio, "Dee Dee and Dexter" by They Might Be Giants Johnny Bravo - "Hey, Johnny Bravo" by The Reverend Horton Heat

PART 4: The Shorties Following the success of the Groovies, Ouweleen acted a little more adventurously by introducing the Shorties. Shorties were similar to Groovies in that they repurposed older properties broadcast by the network, but they did so in longer-form shorts sans music, and more often with a new visual style. The shorts were often more sarcastic in tone than their inspirations, and acted along with Space Ghost as the sources for later programs like Sealab 2021 and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.

Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks: "Harasscat" Pixie and Dixie sue Mr. Jinx for stalking them. Huckleberry Hound: "Sound Hound" An exasperated Huckleberry tries to silence a noisy soundscape collage. Birdman: "Birdman Coffee Break" Birdman shows Falcon-7 just how trained his companion Avenger is. Superfriends: "Whiners Can Be Losers" The Legion of Doom runs into a few issues at its biweekly meeting. Johnny Quest: "Time is Running Out" Using sound bites and music from the original series, gamepiece versions of Johnny, Hadji, Race, and Bandit fly over a gameboard outrunning their various opponents. Hillbilly Bears: "Miss Understanding" The Hillbilly Bears appear on a Jerry Springer-like show to air out their problems. Quick Draw McGraw: "City E-Scape" Quick Draw and Baba Louie, drawn as real horses, travel to New York City to wipe out crime. Droopy: "Thanks a Latte" Droopy, a coffeehouse barista, haunts a caffeinated businesswolf who refuses to tip. Yogi Bear: "When Animals Nap" Yogi and Boo-Boo try to hibernate despite the efforts of a TV crew working to get footage of a ferocious bear attack. Wally Gator: "Alligator Liberation" A cool 3D plastic doll-like version of Wally Gator is "liberated" from the confines of the city zoo by a group of concerned citizens.

PART 5: World Premiere Toons Known variously over the years as World Premiere Toons, The What a Cartoon! Show, and The Cartoon-Cartoon Show, this program was the magnum opus of Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi and cartooning workhorse Fred Seibert, the original creative director of MTV and Nickelodeon and the one-time president of Hanna-Barbera. Seibert, who would later go on to found Frederator Studios, intended to recreate the atmosphere of the 1950s animation industry by returning creative control to the animators. The cartoons introduced by the show ranged from the quaint to the grotesque, from the traditional to the bizarre. Many were popular enough to become full-fledged series -- these characters, referred to as the "Cartoon-Cartoons", would serve as the network's programming backbone for years to come. First, the one-off shorts that never got picked up by the network. (NOTE: Only some of these videos have made their way online. To save space, I've excluded all the episodes I couldn't track down. If you want to look for yourself, there's a full episode list here. If you manage to find any more, feel free to post 'em here!)

"Help?" - Bruno Bozzetto A cat that pricks his finger while sewing asks for help at the hospital, but the ruthless personnel there offer nothing but pain. "Boid 'n' Woim" - C. Miles Thompson A gangly worm hitchhikes through the California desert with a Bird that secretly wants to eat him. "Kitchen Casanova" - John McIntyre A first-time cook is preparing dinner for his date, but trouble arises when the wind flips the pages from his cookbook. "Rat in a Hot Tin Can" - Jerry Reynolds, Russ Harris A rat and his fly companion try to find a place to stay for the night during winter in the city. "Tales of Worm Paranoia" - Eddie Fitzgerald Johnny is a peaceful and forgiving worm until a human steps on him repeatedly. As a result, he becomes paranoid and angered at the human race, seeking revenge. "Hillbilly Blue" - Butch Hartman Crawdad Eustace is tired of being treated like food and goes with possum pal Mordechai on a cross-country trip to New Orleans to be "served" in royal fashion. "Gramps" - Butch Hartman Gramps tells his grandchildren about his battle against alien invaders, getting corrected by the children repeatedly. "Larry and Steve" - Seth MacFarlane Steve, a homeless dog, is adopted by dimwitted Larry (the only man that can understand what he's saying), and experiences disaster when Larry takes him shopping. A prototype of MacFarlane's later hit show, Family Guy. "Drip Dry Drips" - Jon McClenahan Brothers Louie and Elmo start a laundry business, expecting to earn some cash. They get a request from the president, but accidentally destroy his suit. "No Tip" - Robert Alvarez A delivery boy must deliver a pizza to Antarctica safe and sound and before time runs out, or he won't get a tip. "Awfully Lucky - Robert Alvarez A valuable yet cursed pearl brings both great luck and disaster to its hapless owner. "Buy One, Get One Free" - Charlie Bean A neurotic cat is afraid when a newcomer trashes his abusive owner's apartment. "School Daze" - Robert Alvarez A Wild West outlaw needs to finish the fourth grade, and deal with his obnoxious class rival Little Timmy. "Lost Control" - Zac Moncrief Two zoo animals lose their prized remote control and must travel to the waterworks to retrieve it. "A Clean Getaway" - Meinert Hansen Captain Buzz Cheeply and his robot sidekick Sly must escape a planet whose inhabitants have abnormally sized foreheads but tiny brains, while also finding a place to do their laundry. "Raw Deal in Rome" - Eugene Mattos A superpowered flea named Flick has a strange vendetta against a local performer, a dog named Shake, in an anachronistic Roman setting. "Mr. Monkeyman" - Van Partible Jealous King Raymond stains Jungle Boy's heroic reputation by impersonating him and causing mayhem. "Hard Luck Duck" - William Hanna Hard Luck Duck, after venturing away from Crocodile Harley's watch, is a hungry fox chef's next target. "Bow-wow Buccaneers" - Mike Milo Bloo and his fellow dogs sneak out of their owner's houses at midnight to set on a pirate adventure in the city. "Ignoramooses" - Mike Milo Two moose believe they're going to be adopted by a rich hunter, and wreak havoc in his mansion.

Next up, the more popular shorts -- ones that made it to two or three episodes, but didn't quite make the cut.

Pfish and Chip - Butch Hartman
"Short Pfuse" (clip) - Pfish and Chip (a carefree shark and a short-tempered lynx) attempt to stop their foe, the Mad Bomber. The only problem is that the chief needs to take his nap and demands quiet. "Blammo the Clown" (clip 1, 2) - The bomb squad face an evil clown, with several gag traps. They also find themselves taking care of the chief's teddy bear while he's at the circus with his mother.

Malcolm and Melvin - Ralph Bakshi
"Malcolm and Melvin" - Melvin is an alienated looser, until he meets Malcolm, a trumpetist cockroach. "Babe, He Calls Me" - Melvin's saga continues, as his partnership with Malcolm is compromised by an urban superhero's intrusion. Meanwhile, Melvin's mother aids a criminal after being unable to meet with her son.

Mina and the Count (5 episodes) - Rob Renzetti

Yuckie Duck - Patrick A. Ventura
"Short Orders" (works, slow) - Yuckie Duck works as a cook and waiter in a dirty restaurant, and delivers unappealing orders to the demanding customers. "I'm On My Way" (unavailable) - Yuckie Duck works as a paramedic, but does more harm than good to his patients.

George and Junior - Patrick A. Ventura (based on the 1940s short "Henpecked Hoboes", in turn based on Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men characters)
"Look Out Below" - A bird crashes a light bulb so it doesn't disturb his sleep and sits in the empty socket. Geroge and Junior, the building's janitors/engineers, are sent to fix it. "George and Junior's Christmas Spectacular" - George and Junior are forced to deliver Santa's presents to the kids, as they fail to deliver one of Santa's letters.

Finally, the shorts that became pilots for successful series.

Dexter's Laboratory - Genndy Tartakovsky
"Changes" - Dee-Dee and Dexter battle turning each other into animals, using Dexter's latest invention. "The Big Sister" (unavailable) - Dexter prevents giant Dee-Dee from attacking the city. "Old Man Dexter" - Dexter uses a machine to age himself and be able to watch a late-night movie, but ends up aging far too much. "Dimwit Dexter" - Dexter's brain shuts down after exhaustive activity, and he becomes the neighborhood's laughing stock.

Cow and Chicken - David Feiss
"No Smoking" - Chicken is saved from damnation of smoking by Super Cow, who is his sister, Cow.

Johnny Bravo - Van Partible
"Johnny Bravo" - Johnny Bravo tries to score with a zookeeper girl by capturing a runaway gorilla. "Johnny Bravo and the Amazon Women" - Johnny Bravo is left stranded in an island filled with beautiful tall women, and their bodyguard elephant.

The Powerpuff Girls - Craig McCracken
"Meat Fuzzy Lumkins" - The Powerpuff Girls fight to stop Fuzzy Lumkins' plot to turn everything into meat. "Crime 101" (unavailable) - The girls aid bumbling Amoeba Boys in becoming able criminals.

Courage the Cowardly Dog - John R. Dilworth
"The Chicken From Outer Space" - A fearful dog tries to stop an alien chicken's plans to invade Earth while in his owners' farm. Oscar-nominated.

PART 6: SPECIAL MUSICAL BONUS!! Most, if not all, of the music used in Cartoon Networks various bumps and interstitials -- including much of the music in the Groovies shorts -- can be found on Bluetube.com, the homepage of Michael Kohler, the chief composer of most of these projects. So if you heard some music you liked while browsing these videos, chances are its on his site, free to listen to and without any distracting sound effects. Just click on "WORK" from the main page and scroll through the list of pieces. PART 7: Random Miscellany Two Yogi Bear shorts, "Boo Boo Runs Wild" and "A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith" (unavailable), directed by , creator of Ren & Stimpy. Not connected to any of the above projects, but just as strange. "All-Star Cast" promo Rap promo Cartoon-Cartoon Fridays intro A smorgasbord of classic promos and bumps (Surreal) intro to "Mr. Spim's Cartoon Theater", a weekly special that broadcast obscure animated films Updated versions of same "Acme Hour" bumps: takeoffs on classic Warner Bros. themes that don't really fit anywhere else.
Invisible Paint - Earthquake Pills - Glass Cutter - The Weight - others

Ghostwriter. What a trip.

lunit — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:49:22 -0800

He's a ghost, and he writes to us: Ghost Writer. In 1992, PBS launched a new TV show designed to teach 7-to-10 year-olds to love reading and writing. The show initially featured a team of 5 characters (Rob joined the team a few episodes later, and by the end there were a few additional characters) in Brooklyn, NY solving mysteries. It had cameos by Julia Stiles, Spike Lee, and Samuel L. Jackson and one of the characters even had her own music video. So what happened to it? Well, it's available on VHS, but has not been released on DVD. Don't worry! There's an online petition!

Sexy People

fleetmouse — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:33:30 -0800

girls with large glasses, men with large glasses, school pictures, Sexy People (via)

Um, it's pinball promotional videos from the 1990s. No witty title required.

tittergrrl — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:38:54 -0800

Welcome to the world of pinball promo videos. Need more? Well, CaptainPinball has you covered...

GNARBUCKET

auralcoral — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:00:25 -0800

VBS.TV presents "Epicly Latered"[~80 min, 16 parts, gnarly skateboarding], the story of John Cardiel.

This is serious-- we can make you delirious

dersins — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:17:53 -0800

Retrostatic is a treasure trove of 80's (and 90's) TV commercials--from PSAs of singing pills to the Post cereal Create-A-Villain contest (and so much more). Also, cartoons, with descriptions and opening sequences of everything from Alf Tales to Thundercats.

ITV Chart Show Indie Charts 1989-1994 on Youtube

srboisvert — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:15:32 -0800

ITV Chart Show Indie Charts 1989-1994 on Youtube

stbalbach — Sun, 08 Sep 2002 07:09:42 -0800

A Scranton, PA man is auctioning 250,000 pieces of software mostly games from the 80s and early 90s composed of around 20,000 unique titles (2MB Excel Spreadsheet) for $250,000. He says its the worlds biggest collection and many games are rare and in demand. You will need trucks and warehouse. If anyone can afford to sit on these for a few decades untill the 80s generation gets old and nostalgic it could be the Schoyen of early computer gameing software.

fold_and_mutilate — Fri, 31 May 2002 10:37:28 -0800

"To compile The Top 100 Corporate Criminals of the 1990s, we used the most narrow and conservative of definitions -- corporations that have pled guilty or no contest to crimes and have been criminally fined." Just brimming with fascinating business lore, including "The FBI estimates that 19,000 Americans are murdered every year. Compare this to the 56,000 Americans who die every year on the job or from occupational diseases such as black lung and asbestosis and the tens of thousands of other Americans who fall victim to the silent violence of pollution, contaminated foods, hazardous consumer products...."