When people think about Elvis Presley's Las Vegas years, they generally think about Elvis' decline - bloated Elvis, drugged up Elvis, and the much ridiculed gaudy white jumpsuited Elvis. But when Elvis started his first of many residencies at the International Hotel on July 31, 1969, he was at his best, and Elvis was the talk of the town. Pete and …

In 1999, the world was preparing for the impending Y2K apocalypse. My memory was that we treated Y2K both with annoyance (my computer's not going to work) and with the slightest undercurrent of anxiety (no one's computer is going to work!!). When you look back at the movies from that same year, that sense of doom and a lack of faith in the world as…

Is there any food more nostalgic than ice cream? It's the one food that just about every kid loves and has special memories of. On this episode of REWIND, we travel back in our Mister Softee Time Machine to an age when supermarket ice cream came in a cardboard box, the most popular flavor was Neapolitan (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry all toget…

In 1998, there was no Survivor, no Big Brother, and no American Idol. But there was The Truman Show, the classic Jim Carrey movie about Truman Banks, the unsuspecting main character who was living in his own 24-hour reality show. Today on REWIND, we go in-depth about this movie and how it anticipated the world we live in today - from the continued …

In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company company, after 99 years of unparalleled success in the soft drink industry, decided to change the formula to its iconic Coke soda pop. Let's just say that it didn't work out so well. This week on REWIND, Pete and Adam discuss this colossal failure and try out some new Coke, which is back on the market with the release…

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and listen to this episode of REWIND all about '80s teen movies, you could miss it. In 1978, 74% of the movie-going audience was between the ages of 12 and 29, fertile ground for the next decade of films geared towards a young demographic. Pete talks with James King, author of the 2019 book The Ultimate His…

Get on board this week's episode of REWIND, where we go 40 leagues deep on a certain smooth style of music from the late 70s and early 80s - none other than Yacht Rock. Put on your captain's hat, as Pete chats with JD Ryznar, the inventor of the term and keeper of the Yacht Rock fire. You want to know more about Yacht Rock? Well, you've come to the…

September marks the 50th anniversary of the last album the Beatles recorded, Abbey Road. While you can debate the albums merits, its massive importance in the rock annals is clear. Renowned Beatles expert Scott Freiman joins Pete for a great discussion about the album that brought us "Something", "Come Together", and "Here Comes The Sun". While Pet…

Seinfeld turns 30 this week!! Makes you feel kind of old, doesn't it? The first episode of "The Seinfeld Chronicles" aired on July 5, 1989 to very little fanfare. Although it took a few years before the show about nothing became something really big. Today on my first episode of Season 2 of REWIND, we'll be talking all things Seinfeld, from the Sou…

Today, college basketball is a multi-billion dollar business - and the Final Four is the 2nd most popular sporting event in America, more popular even than the NBA Finals or the World Series. But in 1968, that wasn’t the case. Before the January 20th, 1968 regular season contest played between the UCLA Bruins and the University of Houston Cougars, …

On this week's episode, Pete and his guests talk all about the big shows of 1988 - The Wonder Years, thirtysomething, The Cosby Show, Cheers, The Golden Girls, and, of course, Jake and the Fatman. With guest, TV veteran Ken Hommel.By Pete Gaffney

This week’s episode takes us back to the movies of 1968. While the British musical Oliver! Won the Best Picture Oscar, there are other movies that have stood the test of time from ‘68 much more favorably, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rosemary’s Baby, and Planet Of The Apes. Pete talks to Deadline’s Pete Hammond all about the these and other gre…

On this episode of REWIND, we go back to the music of 1988, when N.W.A. and Public Enemy were redefining hip-hop, when George Michael's Faith album dominated the charts and when "Don't Worry, Be Happy" was both a hit on the radio and George Bush's official campaign song. Pete's guest is writer and activist Kevin Powell. Pete's 1988 playlist is here…

In 1978, disco reigned supreme, punk and new wave were fighting for their space on the pop charts, and the soundtracks to Saturday Night Fever and Grease occupied the #1 spot on the album chart for 36 weeks. In the end, it was the year of Barry Gibb - you couldn't turn on a radio without hearing a song that he'd had a hand in creating. On this week…

This week on REWIND we look at the great enduring sports images of 1978 - the Yankees coming from 14 games back to beat the Red Sox in a thrilling 1-game playoff, Affirmed beating Alydar to win the Triple Crown, Jimmy Connors’ beating Bjorn Borg at the US Open Finals, which was played for the first time at the National Tennis Center in 1978. Plus t…

This week on REWIND, we're talking about everything from Rain Man to Rambo III, from Who Framed Roger Rabbit to Working Girl, and from Big to Beetlejuice. Pete talks to New York Times Senior Staff Editor Aisha Harris. They discuss the good and bad of the movies of 1988, including Working Girl, Coming To America, and one of her guilty pleasures from…

This week’s episode of Rewind goes way back to a time when Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was the #1 show on television, Star Trek was in its third and final season, and Mr. Rogers had just moved into his Neighborhood - 1968. Pete and TV historian and NBCUniversal Research head Ted Linhart discuss how ‘68 was a turning point in TV, when the broadcast ne…

If you’re getting a little tired of listening to hearing Mariah Carey sing “All I Want for Xmas Is You” for the 100th time in the last two weeks, take a listen to the REWIND Holiday Special, where we get all egg nog drunk on all things related to the holiday season - the movies, TV specials, music, and food that we love for about 30 days at the end…

In this episode of Rewind, we look at both the most memorable movies of 1978 and at how the '70s was a decade of great transition and creativity in film. Pete talks to Richard LaGravenese, Oscar-nominated screenwriter and co-director of the documentary "A Decade Under The Influence", a loving look at '70s movie history. Pete and co-host Adam Victor…

In this episode, we’ll meet Trip Hawkins, gaming pioneer and the creator of John Madden Football (now Madden NFL), which was released in 1988. He’ll tell us how this legendary coach and TV commentator became a video game icon. Plus, Adam and I discuss the bizarre halftime show at the 1988 Super Bowl, Kirk Gibson’s historic World Series home run, an…

This installment of Rewind transports us back to a time when television was much simpler - there were only three TV networks, you had to get off the couch and turn a knob on your TV set to change the channel, and a banal show like "Three's Company" could be nominated for the Best Comedy Emmy Award. Pete and his guest Don Robert, A+E Networks' guru …

In this episode, Pete talks to the great rock writer Anthony DeCurtis about how world events affected the music of 1968 and vice versa. It was a seminal year for music, with new releases by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix, and much more. Pete and Adam discuss some of the other music fighting for the ears of Ame…

Welcome to REWIND, your trip to pop culture's past. This episode introduces you to Pete Gaffney, as he explains this new podcast's reason for being. And join Pete and his co-host Adam Victor, as they try to understand what the hell they're doing talking about Easy Bake Ovens, Laverne & Shirley, and Die Hard. Don't forget to subscribe to the show!…