Meet Me at Foxwoods

with Brian Blackmore 🎰

Sep 22, 2022

Brian Blackmore is featured on this week's episode of Nicstalgia. We discuss inspo behind his popular Music Executive character on TikTok, the nepo babies and ‘odd visual experience’ that was LMFAO, and setting the record straight between pumpkin spice vs. apple pie seasoning.

We answer important questions like, when is the time to break out Mariah Carey’s Christmas CD? (After Thanksgiving, so I can use it as the star on my tree!!) and why is Michael Bublé always filled with joy? (Because he is rich from Christmas song royalties!!!)

We explore the phenomenon that is Weird Al (can’t wait for the movie) because he made it okay to be well, weird. We tend to judge our past selves for how successful we were at ‘fitting in’ with others, but tbh we were just meant to stand out in the first place.

Brian is my first guest from the lovely state of Connecticut, so we talk about concert venues, “tag sales”, amusement parks (forgot to mention that I did karaoke to “Say My Name” at Quassy in 2001 but it’s worth noting), Starbucks vs. Dunkin (actually Perkatory) and the most important jingle of ALL TIME.

Watch/listen: YouTube • Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Website

🛼 Haven’t You Heard?!

My fav things from the internet rn:
860 or 203? Red Sox or Yankees? Patriots or Giants? Dunkin’ or Starbucks? There is one thing that everyone in Connecticut can agree on: “The Wonder of It All” from 90s-00s Foxwoods Resort & Casino commercials is the best jingle of all time. I don’t care what I have to do, I will get dual Italian-Canadian citizen and best lounge singer of our generation, Michael Bublé, to sing it.

I have mentioned Kitty Bartholomew on the podcast before, as she is my hairspo as my highly-concentrated, face-framing streak of grey hair continues to grow and thrive. She had her own decorating show, You’re Home, on HGTV in the 90s and 00s. Found this clip from an episode from ~2002 where she paints animal prints on furniture with Anita Rosenberg, who had just published her book, The Art of Painted Furniture. You gotta love it.

Speaking of hair – ever since I cut my hair super short, it has been wavy in a way that I’m not used to. My friend said I look like I’m from the Italian Riviera, which closely aligns with my personal brand and is the look I am always going for, but as it turns out, there is a scientific explanation!!! (By that, I mean there were TikToks about it.) Benvenuto to the Italian Bob!!! Now the question is if my 90s-00s middle part will make way for my 10s side part. Only time will tell. (Also, if you were looking for a sign to cut your hair…this is it 😇)

Ahhhh, one of my favorite kind of articles….callbacks to the early internet. Please tell me that you remember StumbleUpon??!! It was like an iPod shuffle but for the internet. You’d select your interests and it would bring you to a random independent website. I think this is how I found Sporcle back in the day. (Hence why I can name and locate all of the countries of the world on a map. Big flex!!) This article reflects on StumbleUpon’s 20th anniversary and notes why its ethos is still important today – even in a very different kind of internet.

⏮ Let’s Go Back….Back to the Beginning

A time capsule of this week:

In 1996, the Spice Girls’ debut album, SPICE, came out. And my life changed forever. No further comment!!!

In 1997, sitcom Dharma and Greg premiered. It’s about a kooky, free-spirited girl and traditional, straight-laced guy serendipitously reuniting after seeing each other on the subway as children years earlier. They get married immediately, to the chagrin of their parents. The very first scene is where young Dharma is reciting the astrological signs to her hippie parents, which was a great way to kick things off.

In 2001, Mariah Carey’s movie Glitter was released, with unfair and undue criticism. The movie was fine for my middle school standards, but the soundtrack was great. Love WILL lead the way!! T*mmy M*ttola thought this would be the nail in the coffin of Mariah’s career, but like a phoenix from the ashes, she rose, and gave us Charmbracelet and The Emancipation of Mimi. There’s nothing this woman cannot do.

💿 Hey Mr. DJ, put a [playlist] on

Playlist of the week:
Grab your self tanner, NAKED eye palette, and bottle of Burnett's (just kidding, please don’t for your own health and safety), it’s the turn of the decade! Regardless of how old you were or what you were doing from 2008-2012, this playlist will take you RIGHT back to the time when Lady Gaga and Katy Perry just came onto the scene and when Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne were the holy hip hop trinity.

This was also the time when aforementioned LMFAO came onto the scene because they performed the Jersey Shore theme song. We all were constantly bombarded by their 2011 ubiquitous party anthem, aptly titled “Party Rock Anthem”. No one made it out unscathed!! Anyway, not saying all of these songs aged well, but I hope you enjoy. What I wouldn’t give to hear Rihanna’s “We Found Love” for the first time again…

🏆 Nicstalgia Trivia

One-hit wonder power pop band Tommy Tutone is known for its 1981 hit that started a fad of people calling this phone number asking for Jenny. Funny enough, it is strikingly similar to my friend’s phone number 👀. What was the name of the song?

Find the answer in this week’s episode of Nicstalgia!

Last Week’s Answer
On this week’s podcast, Kate and I talked about going to chain restaurants with your friends as a universal high school experience.

Until this week, I had no idea that Fribble® milkshakes, Cone Head™ sundaes, and my favorite, the Monster Mash Sundae®, were exclusive to the East Coast!! (She’s from Chicago and I’m from New England.)

What’s the name of this diner/ice cream parlor-inspired American chain restaurant?

Friendly’s. My dish of choice was the Signature Chicken Entree Salad because it had tortilla chips in it LOL.

Watch last week’s episode, You’re The Mary Kate to My Ashley with Kate Steinberg, on YouTube!