Two Designers Walk Into a Bar
Pop culture inspires some serious fun. Join hosts Todd Coats and Elliot Strunk, two creatively curious pals living between the bookends of grand museums and dive bars, the sweet spot where highbrow and lowbrow become drinking buddies. They talk influential work and uncover stories of how the familiar became iconic. Think Behind the Music for the stuff we love. ----- Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/ for images, links, episode extras and more. ----- Two Designers Walk Into a Bar is part of the Evergreen Podcasts network.
Episodes
April 24, 2024 • 44 mins
There are some products so iconic that you know what they are as soon as you lay your eyes on them. The color, the shape or some other distinctive brand feature says, “Accept no substitute. There is no equal.” Pour yourself a drink on the rocks, kick back against the bar and listen as we uncork the stories of the bottles from Coca-Cola and Absolut Vodka.
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April 10, 2024 • 34 mins
Episode 76: The ‘80s: New Wave Gets Fashionable
Video may have killed the radio star, but it poured gasoline on the spark of New Wave. As MTV exploded, youth culture moved to center stage and companies making wearables were more than happy to cater to changing tastes. In this episode we focus on Vans and Swatch, a couple of iconic fashion accessories found on the wrists and feet of Gen X.
As we wrap-up our season on New Wave, let u...
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April 1, 2024 • 2 mins
Todd Coats and Elliot Strunk, the creators behind the hit design and pop culture show Two Designers Walk Into a Bar, announced last week at the PodFest Expo Upfronts the release of their newest investigative true-crime series, Design Crimes: Comic Sans, Who’s Laughing Now?, set to drop on April 15, 2024.
The five-part show, hosted by Strunk and Coats, will explore the history of Comic Sans and Vincent Connare, the infamous typefac...
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March 27, 2024 • 46 mins
If New Wave was a style and attitude, television was how it was delivered to the masses. In this episode, we talk about two important touchstones during one of pop culture’s signature eras: the launch of MTV and the debut of Miami Vice.
It's all pastel wonder and neon glow in our latest episode as New Wave meets the boob tube. Turn on, tune in and enjoy.
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March 13, 2024 • 38 mins
Bold colors. Funky haircuts. The Cold War and the Cola Wars. Video games and MTV. Japanese electronics and European fashion. Iconic music and movies...
If New Wave was a style and attitude, then music was the delivery device. In this episode we discuss the political climate, creative activity and DIY attitudes that led to the formation and rise of one of pop culture’s signature eras.
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February 28, 2024 • 7 mins
February 28: This week marks a quirky moment in pop culture (and soft drink) history. Michael Jackson's hair caught fire back in 1984 while shooting an ad for Pepsi, which was, to put it mildly, a production challenge. In this mini-episode we talk about the origins of the original Pepsi Challenge and a foolproof way to make small children cry. Drink. It. Up.
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February 21, 2024 • 8 mins
February 21: This week marks the anniversary of an event that was made famous by one of the world’s most iconic photos: the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima. We talk about how the photo came to be and why it's still instantly recognizable today.
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https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-...
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February 14, 2024 • 9 mins
February 14: This week marks the anniversary of an accident. Not a normal accident. A blimp accident. The USS Macon, one of the two largest helium-filled airships ever created, crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and sank. This reminds us of one of our favorite company icons floating over a stadium near you: The Goodyear Blimp. Float on.
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February 7, 2024 • 6 mins
February 7: Logos and graphics are an important part of sports. This week marks the moment back in 1988 when Michael Jordan made his signature slam dunk from the free throw line, inspiring the Air Jordan brand and, more specifically, the Jumpman logo. But there are logos we love that don’t have the same iconic status. Here's the explosive story behind one of our hard working favorites that hasn’t gotten its rightful due.
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January 31, 2024 • 8 mins
January 31: Way back in 1973, KISS played their first show at the Popcorn Club in Queens. Now, it's no secret that Todd is a member of the KISS Army, so we felt highlighting their coming out party was appropriate for this week's mini-episode where we talk about the artwork for their landmark album “Rock ‘n Roll Over."
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January 24, 2024 • 11 mins
January 24: This week marks an important pop culture moment when Bob Dylan arrived in New York in 1961 after dropping out of college, playing a show at Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village. His performance reminds us of the Beats, one of our favorite eras. We take a few minutes to jump into our origin story about that movement and its impact on post-WWII American culture.
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January 17, 2024 • 9 mins
January 17: It's only appropriate that we talk sports this week. Why? This was when the first Super Bowl was played in L.A. back in 1967, with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10. Speaking of Wisconsin athletics, the first thing that comes to mind four us is the Famous Racing Sausages from Milwaukee! If you haven't listened to this episode yet, it's time to ketchup.
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January 10, 2024 • 9 mins
January 10: Remember when the iPhone was first announced? Well, it happened this week back in 2007. Now, the iPhone is one of the world’s most successful products. Most tech never hits that milestone. Some comes before its time, and sometimes it goes sideways and gets creepy. Here’s an excerpt from one of our episodes about a tech product with lofty aspirations that didn’t quite make the cut: Google Glass.
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January 3, 2024 • 8 mins
January 3: This week, way back in 1979, the double-album soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever reached sales of 25 million worldwide, making it the then best-selling LP in history. To honor this milestone, it’s only appropriate we highlight one of our episodes that celebrated a temple of the disco scene: Studio 54. Beautiful people, bumping tunes and an anything goes atmosphere with Andy Warhol as part of the mix. You’re abou...
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December 20, 2023 • 41 mins
In this episode, rubber is the name of the game as we discuss two products that held the promise of endless hours of entertainment and were found in the pages of comic books for, literally, decades. It’s the visual humor of the rubber chicken versus the sonic disturbance of the whoopee cushion. Dig some quarters out of your piggy bank. We’re all about to learn a thing or two…
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December 6, 2023 • 47 mins
In this episode, we discuss two products that held the promise of self improvement and were found in the pages of comic books for, literally, decades. It’s Charles Atlas and his Dynamic Tension versus the Art Instruction Schools. Sneak one of your dad’s beers from the garage. We’re all about to learn a thing or two…
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November 22, 2023 • 47 mins
In this episode, we discuss two educational products that were found in the pages of comic books for, literally, decades. It’s Sea Monkeys versus the Ant Farm. Buckle up. We’re all about to learn a thing or two…
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https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-62-ant-farm-vs-sea-monkeys
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November 8, 2023 • 46 mins
Andy Warhol once said, “The key of the success of Studio 54 is that it's a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor.” We begin this episode with Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager on the evening of April 26, 1977 as they open the doors to Studio 54, smack-dab in the middle of the glitter and grime in and around Midtown Manhattan. We discuss Warhol moving from being the darling of academic art nerds to mainstream provo...
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October 25, 2023 • 38 mins
In this episode we continue with the second half of our conversation about Warhol’s anti-films. We talk about lonesome cowboys, sexploitation, screen tests, and how the Factory scene was ripped off for a much more mainstream Oscar-winning movie — which didn’t make Andy very happy. We then wrap-up discussing films influenced by his approach.
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October 11, 2023 • 36 mins
The Factory scene produced all sorts of art, including films. We start with Warhol’s anti-film Sleep and dive into underground movies from the period and The Factory’s influence on them. We then shift gears to discuss how that approach popped-up in later “low-fi” movies like John Waters’ Pink Flamingos.
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