Free Nights And Weekends
GenX stories from the 1980's Oklahoma suburbs.
Episodes
66 episodes
Tornados, Tigers & Backyard Meteorologists (The Other Tornado Episode)
This week on the Free Nights & Weekends Podcast, Scott welcomes the guys from Fried Okla for a full-speed ride straight into Oklahoma tornado culture. 🌪️From growing up terrified of Gary England’s “HOOK ECHO” warnings to standing out...
When Sitcoms Got All Preachy (Part II)
Well, Scott calls Charlotte Rae "Martha" knowing full well that Martha Raye was Mel's mom on Alice. But on part II of the Free Nights and Weekends Podcast, Scott and co-host, Jason power through it and dive deeper into… the...
When Sitcoms Got All Preachy
This week on the Free Nights and Weekends Podcast, Scott and co-host, Jason crack open one of the strangest traditions in television history… the “very special episode.”You remember them. One week you’re watching jokes an...
Life Moves Pretty Fast: Remembering Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
From the perfectly executed fake sick day to a citywide parade takeover, Ferris didn’t just skip school… he rewrote the rules. But beneath the sunglasses and smooth-talking confidence is the real story: Cameron, a borrowed Ferrari, and a day th...
Be Kind, Rewind: VCR Memories, Video Stores & 80s Movie Nights
Before streaming, before DVR… there was the VCR. In this episode of Free Nights and Weekends, Scott and Jason dive into the golden age of VHS—when families dropped $800 on a machine nobody knew how to program, video store shelves were ...
The Amityville Bore: Bored Again
Remember the movie that freaked out a generation? We thought we did too. This week, Scott and Marc revisit The Amityville Horror. While it’s not a technically “great” movie, it’s not technically scary or entertaining either. What a mess. <...
That’s Not What “You Gotta Take Your Shot” Means, Junior
What do you get when you mix Jodie Foster, a presidential assassination attempt, a TV show that won’t go away, and a weird attempt at pitching woo?This week on Free Nights and Weekends, we ...
Vinyl’s Billion-Dollar Comeback | Why We Miss the Hassle
Vinyl records are back… and somehow worth a billion dollars again.In this episode of Free Nights and Weekends, we drop the needle on the surprising comeback of vinyl—now officially a billion-dollar industry for the first time si...
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! 80's Local Commercial Greatness!
Before influencers, before polished ad campaigns… there were local commercials. Loud. Weird. Unhinged.This week on Free Nights and Weekends, we’re diving headfirst into the glorious, low-budget chaos of hometown TV ads ...
Cereal, Cartoons, and the Saturday Morning Rituals
Remember when Saturday mornings were almost sacred? In this episode, Eddie and I dive back into the golden age of cartoons, where cereal bowls were bottomless, and the lineup defined your weekend. From the shows we loved to the weird ones that ...
You (Still) Gotta Walk Before You Can Whine About It For 40 Years
Picture it: a dusty Oklahoma road, where oil wells nod approvingly and cows side-eye your blisters. Join Scott and Eddie as we flashback to a time when the entire school district—from burly seniors to tiny second-graders—embarked on a several-m...
Calculator BOOBS to Chatbots | Gen X and the AI Craze
This week, Scott and Marc tackle the latest cultural panic: artificial intelligence.On this very special episode, Arnold Drummond doesn't get diddled at the bike shop but big stuff is still happening. But before you stockpile canned good...
The Book Box
Before Amazon wish lists and two-day shipping, there was a thin paper flyer, a crumpled order form, and a check your mom wrote with mild suspicion. The Scholastic Book Club wasn’t just about books. It was about waiting. About forgetting you eve...
...Escaped The Surly Bonds Of Science Class To Go Run Laps In Gym
In the 1980s, history didn’t arrive on your phone. It arrived on a rolling television cart that wheeled into your classroom and got parked next to the chalkboard like a sacred object.On the day the Space Shuttle launch was shown live in ...
The Star Trek Dude Was A Liar. Probably
We were going to be chased into quicksand by Bigfoot during an earthquake! And Spock was there learching around to narrate our demise. Marc joins us this week as we look back at these GenX myths and some closer to home.
Great Selection of "Reabok" Shoes! Again
Somewhere between the Diamond Ballroom and the North Canadian River in OKC lies Mecca for a 12 year old boy. The double space before the beginning of each sentence here lets you in that a guy who remembers ET in the theaters is typing thi...
Live at the Myriad! Well… “Live”; Milli Vanilli Is Sort Of Up For A Grammy Again, Again!
This week on *Free Nights and Weekends*, we get ready for The Grammys! We welcome in longtime friend and veteran musician Rick Toops — and the two dive headfirst into one of the wildest pop-culture stories of the late ’80s: the rise, fall, and ...
Stick Your Hand All The Way Up There! The Sesame Street Episode! The rerun we don’t even deserve!
See he was a bird and he was big, get it? That’s important. In this episode, we dig through the tucked away memories of Sesame Street, touch on the future of *America’s 4,230th favorite podcast about growing up in the 405. *estimate...
Stick A Fork In It! FNAW’s 2025 Recap!
And that’s a wrap on 2025! From Sesame Street to Toys ‘R’ Us treasure hunts to the white-knuckle thrill of Driver’s Ed, VBS, and an eighth grade year that was really hard to believe are included too! We relived it all.Quick links
Christmas Reboot!
A look back at the Christmas specials we grew up with and a heartwarming tale of an Ohio Christmas. Featuring a familiar voice and Scott schooling a Buckeye stater about the greatness of the BC Clark jingle. Merry Christmas!
5¢ always seemed like a deal. A Second Look At A Classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas has been airing for 60 years, and we all agree it’s a classic. What we don’t agree on is how a cartoon with no visible adults, a depressed eight-year-old, and a dog eating what looks suspiciously like a pile of femur b...
Inside the Cathedral of 80s Childhood: Toys “R” Us
This week on Free Nights and Weekends, we step back inside the cathedral of 80s childhood: Toys “R” Us. If you grew up in that era, this wasn’t just a store — it was the place where your pulse spiked, your hopes soared, and your parents quietly...
Live at the Myriad! Well… “Live”; Milli Vanilli Is Sort Of Up For A Grammy Again
This week on *Free Nights and Weekends*, Scott is joined by longtime friend and veteran musician Rick Toops — and the two dive headfirst into one of the wildest pop-culture stories of the late ’80s: the rise, fall, and unexpected comeback of Mi...
Thanksgiving Leftovers: The Fuel of War
This week on the Free Nights and Weekends Podcast, Scott dives straight into the retail mayhem of a true Gen-X Black Friday — back when parents fought strangers for Cabbage Patch Kids, Atari games were stacked like sandbags, and leftover...
The Dog, The Thumb, and The Yellow Envelope
Scott takes a solo dive into 1980s photography: Fotomat drive-up kiosks, disposable cameras, one-hour photo labs, and the unforgettable feeling of opening a yellow envelope filled with freshly developed prints. From mystery film rolls to the fa...
