KnockBack: The Retro and Nostalgia Podcast

Pawnee, Indiana doesn't actually exist, but after watching Parks & Rec on NBC, many of us wish that it did. That's because Pawnee is full of some of the most hilarious, charming, and ridiculous characters in modern TV history, and their antics offered more accessible and often kind-hearted takes when compared to its far more vulgar and out-of-control sister show The Office. What resulted is something truly memorable, a series full of both character and characters...

In what will undoubtedly be an ongoing, years-and-episodes-long saga, we've decided to talk about some of our very favorite songs, a nice complement to Episodes 39 and 56 of KnockBack, which were all about our most beloved albums and concert experiences. Narrowing songs down is a lot harder, of course, but we did our absolute best, coming up with two lists of 10 tracks each that best represent our tastes, our stories, and our respective life journeys...

The original PlayStation completely dominated its generation. So did PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 4. PlayStation 3, on the other hand, fought tooth-and-nail for every single unit its pushed, and its particular battle -- waged against Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii -- ended up being Sony's most perilous corporate period in decades. In fact, PlayStation 3 ended up costing Sony nearly $2 billion in its first year on the market alone...

In middle school and high school, the house party -- or your local equivalent -- was a rite of passage. It's when you got away from the doldrums of secondary academia, socialized with your peers away from the prying ears and curious eyes of teachers and parents, and perhaps even indulged in some age-inappropriate pastimes. Indeed, it's all a tale as old as growing up itself...

Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki brings a fantastical flair to all of his work, but out of Studio Ghibli's entire roster of films, 2001's Spirited Away might be the weirdest and more extraordinary of all. Steeped in Shinto symbolism and vague in its message, Chihiro's misadventure is enchanting in its imagery and sometimes even sudden in its harshness, and it -- like all Ghibli flicks -- is more than deserving of a little KnockBack-style attention...

There's nothing quite like a good mob movie, and when it comes to 1990's Goodfellas, there are few better. Based on a authoritative, journalist-written book drawing from historic experiences and events, and played by a series of actors mimicking their real-world counterparts perfectly, Goodfellas is one of the most quotable and beloved films of any kind in the last few decades. DeNiro. Pesci. Liotta. Sorvino. Brocco...

Like horror, the science fiction genre simply wasn't taken very seriously until well into film history. By the 1970s, though, specific pieces of cinematic sci-fi were beginning to distance themselves from the schlock that dominated decades past, and Alien should certainly be counted amongst the most notable of the group...

For many of us, high school was a bizarre experience, particularly in hindsight. It turns out that much of what we cared a great deal about in our teens doesn't actually matter whatsoever, but when you're there -- in the moment and living that life -- the gravity is all too real. 2007's Superbad -- starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera -- celebrates that reality, from the seeming hopelessness of young romance to the pursuit of all-important booze...

It took a while for PlayStation 3 to really get g…

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