This is where it all starts. Episode 1 is the very first Bobby and Jason’s Awesome 80s Podcast, recorded in Las Vegas and released July 2, 2016, with the two of us figuring it out in real time. There is no guest and no script, just two lifelong friends who met as teenagers on Dance Party USA deciding to turn thirty years of hanging out into a show.
If you want to know who these guys are before you dig into the rest of the series, start here. We get into how we each landed on the show, why one of us hid behind sunglasses, and how a Philadelphia dance program became the reason we are still sitting across a table from each other today.
What you’ll hear in this episode
- Why we started the podcast in the first place, and our whole approach: just two knuckleheads hanging out, now with microphones. [01:33]
- How Jason got on the show with a club pass, and his very first taping on St. Patrick’s Day 1986, when he got bumped off the risers for not wearing green. [12:34]
- The real reason Bobby wore the sunglasses, and it is not what you think. [05:32]
- Our lip-sync group Marquee, and how we borrowed the name from the London club in a Wham video. [13:33]
- How a live Philadelphia show got syndicated and went national, and the artists who walked through those doors, from Kurtis Blow to Madonna to New Kids on the Block. [16:30]
- Golden-age cable memories: HBO, Prism, the little printed program booklets, and the dad who actually bought a Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am. [17:32]
The sunglasses are the first thing anyone asks Bobby about, and the answer is more tender than the image suggests:
“I put them on only just because I was just very shy, and I felt it was a way to kind of give me a barrier.”
Bobby, [05:32]
Underneath all the jokes, though, the whole reason this podcast exists is the friendship the show gave them. Bobby says it plainly:
“If it wasn’t for the show, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have even known him.”
Bobby, [04:30]
Original 2016 show notes
The 80’s Are Back
Check out the very first episode of “Bobby and Jason’s Awesome 80s Podcast” and see that sometimes things just get better with time.
Catch up on the past couple decades with the guys as they compare experiences of 1980s pop culture. In addition to dance show memories and fun facts.
Strap yourself in because it’s gonna be a wild ride.
” Lets share” – Bobby
“The interesting thing is…everything.” – Jason
FAQ
What is Bobby and Jason’s Awesome 80s Podcast?
It is a weekly show where Bobby Catalano and Jason Pascoe, who met as teenagers on the 80s dance show Dance Party USA, reminisce about the decade they grew up in. Episode 1 is where it begins.
When did Episode 1 air?
It was released July 2, 2016, as the first episode of Season 1.
How did Bobby and Jason know each other?
They met as regulars on the Philadelphia dance show that was later syndicated nationally as Dance Party USA, and they have been friends ever since.
Why did Bobby wear sunglasses on the show?
He explains it here: he was shy, and the sunglasses gave him a barrier and a bit of confidence on camera.
Where can I listen?
Play it right here on the episode page, or find Bobby and Jason’s Awesome 80s Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music.
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