December 1988 Pop Culture: Tom Waits, Jason Bateman & R.E.M.’s Green

October 12, 2021

Time to unwrap another holiday-season podcast, this time about the pop culture topics of the December 1988 issue! What Now serves up smog, some Sassy superfan sisters, a book giveaway, what the stars want for the holidays, and “grotty”! Reviews include R.E.M.’s Green (featuring a legendary gaffe by our fearless leader Jane), Mystic Pizza, Clara’s Heart, Bon Jovi’s New Jersey, and Tom Waits’s Big Time, which we talk about…a lot. One To Watch is certified A-lister — well, okay, B — Christian Slater! And the feature profiles go deep on R.E.M. — more Green content — and a truck-racing Jason Bateman seconds before he gave up the sport forever. Take off your fuzzy earmuffs and listen!

Visual Aids

Episode Rundown

These times are for the original edit of the episode and may shift due to dynamic ad inserts.

00:00:00 It Is December 1988 00:04:19 What Now 00:15:34 Watch It: Clara's Heart 00:17:34 Watch It: The Beast 00:20:10 Watch It: Mystic Pizza 00:21:28 Listen Up: R.E.M. 00:24:47 Listen Up: Tom Waits 00:31:57 Listen Up: Bon Jovi 00:35:49 Listen Up: Anthrax 00:39:09 One To Watch: Christian Slater 00:42:59 Feature: How To Make An R.E.M. Record 00:46:24 Feature: A Boy And His Truck 00:51:23 Goodbye For Now