Don't Mess With My Man
with Nikki Pebbles 🍑
Nikki Pebbles is featured on this week's episode of Nicstalgia. Can the conversation about thongs ever really end??? No. Talking ~in depth~ about hiding your bedazzled and embellished Mandee’s, Weathervane, Wet Seal, Rave, and Rave Girl thongs from your mom. Did Nikki have her first kiss at a Harry Potter movie, wearing Jessica Simpson’s edible dessert line? Yes, of course she did. (Lorraine just knew.) Shout out to Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
We talk about AIM away message/bio drama, dating someone in 8th grade and not only not talking to them but actively avoiding them in the hallway, school locker anxiety, and dealing with being cyber-bullied as the first generation of kids on the internet.
We play “Shake It Fast, Watch Yourself” (inspired by the Mystikal song, naturally), where Nikki picks between two songs from my Middle School Dance Spotify playlist. Nikki and I share our favorite high school prom songs and the synchronicities between our childhood selves.
Middle School Dance Playlist on Spotify
Middle School Dance Culture Nicstalgia episode with Nicole & Nikki on YouTube
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🛼 Haven’t You Heard?!
My fav things from the internet rn:
My talented friend and social media maven Issy Di Stefano recently launched ISA GAME, the podcast where you get inside the minds of world-class creators, entrepreneurs, and marketers through wordplay inspired by pop culture and trends in social media, marketing, and business. I LOVE ISA’s POV; Issy’s on the cutting edge of media trends. We also share a mutual love for Barbiecore, Spice Girls, and Lisa Frank. Fun fact, Valentina from her team created the Nicstalgia theme video!!
Obsess made a virtual store for Betches, arguably the most web2 (social media era) brand ever, and it’s cute!! It’s sorta like playing The Sims, except unfortunately I don’t have a cheat code for unlimited money. 🙄 I’m super interested in how web3 changes the landscape of retail (i.e. on-chain authentication of luxury goods), esp after having worked in retail during the transition from web1 to web2. It was WILD. Remember when stores just had websites you could just look at but not shop? It’s so different than the omnichannel fulfillment, fully-functional e-commerce, and social media presence that we have (and take for granted) today.
Worldbuilding, Pt. 2 by Terry Nguyen for Dirt is here!! This piece is about all of my favorite things: world-building, collaboration, cross-platform IP strategy, lore, development of the web3 entertainment sector, and most importantly, BTS. 💜 For the uninitiated, world-building is essentially setting the stage; it connects the audience with a narrative. You see this as the standard in entertainment: Who are the characters? What’s the plot? Who’s the villain? What’s their backstory? How did we get here? (Here’s Worldbuilding, Pt. 1 ICYMI!)
I watched Fleishman Is in Trouble for the following reasons only: Adam Brody, Lizzy Caplan, Claire Danes, and the fact that I accidentally clicked on the overwhelmingly ubiquitous ads on my TV and it started playing. It’s not a bad show, but here are my main issues with the series:
They made Lizzy Caplan’s character reference the FRIENDS cinematic universe. Don’t do my girl Janis Ian dirty after she dated M*tthew P*rry for six years!!
Jesse Eisenberg’s character NEVER would have generated that much genuine interest on a dating app. Even if he’s a doctor. I’m sorry. I saw this show described as “very New York” and this is the most unrealistic part of it IMHO.
They named Adam Brody’s character Seth. Is it a subtle nod to the demographic who loved Seth Cohen on The OC almost 20 years ago? Maybe. Is this overgrown f-boi somehow less annoying than the neurotic, self-absorbed Seth of yesteryear? Actually, yes. (Rewatch now and you’ll go from Team Seth to Team Ryan too.) But he could’ve been named anything else. Even Ryan. That would’ve been funnier.
Anyway….Adam Brody talked to GQ about being Seth(s). “It also truly is an honor and really cool to just like write my name on the wall of pop culture a little bit and be like, yeah…Seth Cohen's old now.”
💿 Hey Mr. DJ, put a [playlist] on
Playlist of the week:
One of my favorite playlists, Middle School Dance, is back!!! Whether or not you were in middle school in or around 2001-2004, you can enjoy this wonderful mix. You can even play “Shake It Fast, Watch Yourself” like we did on the podcast this week or play “Name That Tune” when you’re driving by yourself in the car. Such utility.
It’s almost the end of 2022. (How did that happen??) You know what that means! Who will be your most-played artists of the year? What about your top podcasts? Listen to (or watch) Nicstalgia on Spotify so your 2022 Spotify Wrapped is as fun and nostalgic as all those 2000s playlists you have on repeat. Make sure to subscribe while you’re there so you never miss an ep!
🏆 Nicstalgia Trivia
I’m obsessed with the Grammy-nominated 2001 one-hit wonder “Hit 'Em up Style (Oops!)”, where the singer describes spending all of her cheating ex’s money. She is pictured above counting the profit she made off of selling his possessions at a tag sale. Making lemonade out of lemons, truly. (This is about to be my next performance at karaoke, complete with the scatting.) What is this singer’s name?
Find the answer in this week’s episode of Nicstalgia!
Also bonus fun fact: according to the lyrics, said woman seeking justice goes to the luxury department store Neiman Marcus to max out this trifling man’s credit cards, but according to the music video, she went to Neircus Marman. LOL.
Last Week’s Answer
I am currently going through a physical media renaissance, from my repurposed CD coasters to my newfound CD and DVD collection that I’ve procured from vintage stores and library sales. (Yes I have a DVD player!!!) Discovering these nostalgic items is my new favorite pastime, and vlogging these adventures is my new passion. Which one of the early 2000s CDs above did I recently re-buy?
NOW That’s What I Call Music! Volume 7. The 19 chart-topping hits include all of 2001’s classics, including Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor”, a subpar Neptunes remix of BSB’s “The Call”, Britney’s “Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know”, S Club 7’s “Never Had a Dream Come True”, and JLo’s Christina Milian’s “Play”.
Here is the BTS on the book sale, the 90s-00s CDs I picked up, and the iconique DVDs I snagged as well. Stay tuned on my IG for when I show you my new favorite physical media DIY project!
🧨 Spice Up Your Life
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