Flushed Away From Memory
While the entertainer that came to be known solely as “Gallagher” made his name smashing watermelons, he was actually a fully developed comedic powerhouse, until he wasn’t. Gallagher’s signature bit overshadowed much of his other work, which was, in reality, about 95% of what he did on stage. On this episode we breakdown how a silly melon smashing jester became the target of harsh criticism who was washed away in the changing tide of the times.
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This week Ryan is joined by Eric D of Methsyndicate to discuss the immensely unfortunate early 2000’s video series “Bumfights.” What began as a shitty skateboard video quickly turned into a global monster. Worse than what was captured on camera for the videos are the many copycats that followed. File this under, really sad and fucked up shit.
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This week we were lucky enough to get Academy Award nominated filmmaker Eddie Schmidt to chat with us. Eddie’s body of work is vast and awesome. We discuss several of the documentaries he produced and directed as well as his time as a writer for the very dumpable show Blind Date. He also gives Ryan a brief history lesson on the middle finger and tells us what it is like to lose at the Oscars.
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Hervé Villechaize was everywhere in the mid 70s. He is most famous for his role as Nick Nack in a James Bond film and as Tattoo in the hit TV show Fantasy Island. Villechaize was born with dwarfism and as an adult stood to be just under four feet. Relentlessly bullied as a child, Hervé was driven to achieve success. Part 1 finds him as the darling of the Paris art scene, as well as the transition to New York as something of a hippie curiosity.
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Crikey Mate! We explore one of the most sincere and life loving dumps yet. Steve Irwin loved animals, the planet, his job and his family. Truly and influential entertainer that brought the wild outback into our living rooms. Gone too soon, we remember the legacy of the Crocodile Hunter.
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This is a double header episode. We bring back our friend Adam Papagan to discuss his career as a tour guide and founder of Cool LA Tours and we also seize the opportunity to test his vast knowledge of the most publicized trial of all time, the OJ Simpson Trial. Ryan and Adam take you step by step through the OJ case in true dumps style.
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We have arrived at the scandalous and shocking conclusion of our Dumps of Love series. In part 2, we tackle the Rock of Love branch of this reality tv sensation. Basically a rock n roll (aka whiter) version of Flavor of Love, this show took rocker clichés to unprecedented absurdity. Leather, leopard print and stripper poles helped introduce Bret Michaels (of Poison infamy) as a bonafide reality tv star . However, as these spin offs continued to rule VH1’s programming, a dark turn would bring this dump to an abrupt halt. The spin off Megan wants a Millionaire ended in the death of a contestant and permanently ended the production of these shows. We did not expect for true crime to enter the picture, but that is exactly why we love Culture Dumps.
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We have reached 50 episodes! For our one year anniversary special we are bringing you a juicy two part dump. The “Of Love” series of reality shows on VH1 shaped the landscape of reality television the early 2000s. These shows were inspired by the success of the “Bachelor” franchise, but took the drama to unprecedented heights. Add in excessive alcohol consumption and you have the perfect train wreck. Some felt this was the best entertainment TV had to offer; while critics saw it as an morally bankrupt sign of society’s demise. There are so many shows to cover so we have broken them down into two branches. This week we cover the show that started it all: Flavor of Love
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Pogs were an absolute sensation in the early 1990’s, but why? The Culture Dumps team examines the cardboard discs and their popularity and discover that POGS were kind of bullshit.
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The Grammy Awards have often dealt with a reputation of being out of touch. To some, they represent a huge institution that is always years behind the trends. The 1988 Grammys featured several new categories to keep up with the turning tide of music. The category “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental” made its debut that year. Metallica was heavily favored to win with their groundbreaking album …And Justice For All. Metallica was arguably the most popular metal band of the late 80s. However, in a complete upset, the winner went to Jethro Tull. Known for their early 70s song “Aqualung,” Tull was not exactly known as an 80s chart topper. This is one of the most controversial moments in Grammy history.
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