Everybody has heard about the excess and debauchery for which the 80’s were known, myself included, but never before have I seen it presented in such gritty, shocking, and honest detail. Stephen Pearcy, the former lead singer of the hair metal giants Ratt, puts forth his memoir, Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock, which chronicles the span of his life thus far. He tells of everything from his humble beginnings in Southern California, to dealing with an abusive, drug-addicted father, to developing his love for music, to the drive and persistence that led him to build a band that nearly took over the world, to spiraling downward into his own addiction, and beyond. Anyone who lived through the 80’s, or is a fan of the rock music of the time, is undoubtedly aware of the wanton sex and drug use that went on within the scene’s biggest bands, and Stephen Pearcy is here to tell you that every last bit of it is true.
The Soda Struggle
My torrid love affair with bubbly, sugary soft drinks started early on during my formative years. I don’t have an addictive personality- I never became a smoker, my days of getting carried away with alcohol were mostly left behind after I graduated from college, and I never got bit by the gambling bug. However, soda is one thing that has always had a strong and unreasoning psychological grip on me. My parents, bless their hearts, tried to keep it under control. Once my two younger brothers and I started resisting milk, our parents would allow us to have soda at dinner time, and they tried to limit it to that, particularly our weekly Friday night pizza dinners. Before you question their parenting abilities, remember that it wasn’t their fault. Back in the 60’s, it seemed like just about everyone smoked cigarettes. They surely knew that smoking wasn’t good for them, but they obviously didn’t know just how bad it really was. The same can be said for soda back in the early 90’s. Any adult knew it wasn’t the best thing for their kids, but they couldn’t possibly imagine it would turn out to be the silent killer that is has been recently revealed to be. Soft drinks were easy to come by when I was a kid. My mom would buy 2-liter bottles for just 69 cents. My brothers and I would easily polish off one of those bottles during dinner. Continue reading
Ryan Remembers…Cashback
Back in college, I had a roommate by the name of Dave. We lived together for the final two years of school, and we did little outside of watching movies and television. He remained in New Brunswick with his girlfriend after graduation, in an apartment just off campus at our old stomping grounds of Rutgers. From time to time, I would go up to see him, and we’d spend the day gorging ourselves on the fine cuisine that can be found on Easton Avenue, and watching movies. On one of those occasions, Dave suggested a movie that he had already seen, and told me, “I don’t think you’re going to like this movie.” I scoffed, and he insisted that we watch it anyway.
Hello, Pluto
On Tuesday, the New Horizons spacecraft flew close by Pluto, a whopping nine years after it left Earth. As a kid, I was obsessed with the planets, stars, and the solar system at large, so my inner 9-year-old is beyond excited about this. I think I’m in good company when I say that when just after the New Horizons mission launched in 2006, the International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto was no longer a major planet, but rather a dwarf, my childhood was rocked. The decision was made based on Pluto’s size and mass, which was more accurately calculated upon discovery of the former planet’s moon Charon, as well as that of Eris, another far more massive object found beyond Pluto’s orbit. Continue reading
Ryan Remembers…Kuffs
In 1992, one of my favorite, little-known “buddy cop” movies was released, and it keeps me laughing to this day. Christian Slater plays the title character, George Kuffs, an immature, n’er-do-well screw-up who just got his girlfriend pregnant and is trying to squeeze his older brother for money so he can hit the South American gold rush that he insists is going on. His girlfriend is portrayed by a very young Milla Jovovich, and when I say young, I mean she was 15 during the filming. His brother Brad, (Bruce Boxleitner) is a “patrol special” in San Francisco, where there is no official police force and store owners pay law enforcement officers for protection in their given district. Of course, there is lots of badness going on in the streets- stores are being vandalized, shop owners are being threatened and extorted by thugs, and the people in Brad’s district are losing faith in him. Brad is offered a bribe by a criminal by the name of Kane, who asks him to look the other way while he and his cohorts tear up the town.
5 on Top: Wingmasters
One of my favorite foods in the world is the mighty buffalo wing, and I am always on the lookout for great wings wherever I go to eat. The best wing is meaty, grilled or fried to a crispy perfection, and loaded with a spicy sauce of your choice. The main problem with many joints that simply serve wings as appetizers and don’t specialize in them is that they typically bring out tiny, skimpy wings that are cooked for a few minutes and have already gotten soggy by the time they reach your table. I have had many disappointing wings in my time, but I have learned where to go for a sure-fire hit every time. Here, I will share my five favorite places to go for wings, with those proud chicken-slingers being judged on the size and texture of their wings, as well as taste and choice of sauces. Of the five eateries, three are local places at the Jersey shore, and the other two are chain restaurants. Without further ado, I give you my Top 5 wing havens! Continue reading
Ryan Remembers…Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon
When it comes to horror movies, they are typically divided into two classes – the A-list classics, and the low-budget B-movies and remakes. In 2006, one movie created a class of its own. Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon brought with it a style and charm that is rarely seen in the genre, as the title character lets us into his world. Continue reading
All Roads Lead To Insanity
Welcome to New Jersey, a magical place where you have to pay to drive on the roads, so that they may be eternally under construction. A place where the police circle mall parking lots, scanning license plates at random just to see what they can dig up. One night, you might come out to your car after work at one of those malls to a $130 ticket on your windshield because your registration was expired by three days. New Jersey is the most densely-populated state in the nation, and that mere fact makes the task of driving here one not for the faint-of-heart. Continue reading
Hail To The King, Baby!
Originally published on 10/14/14 at The Nerd In The Box (thenerdinthebox.com)
Some years back, I came across this Duke Nukem action figure from Duke Nukem Forever in the Toys ‘R’ Us in Times Square. Without question, I snatched it up, seeing as Duke Nukem 3D was one of my favorite games of all time. I began to remember the countless hours I spent after school playing that game on my Windows 95 computer (that’s right).
Ghostbusters Anniversary Special: The Toys
Originally published on 9/4/14 at The Nerd In The Box (thenerdinthebox.com)
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ghostbusters, two amazing toy lines were released earlier this year. The first of which was released by the company Funko, a personal favorite of mine. Funko is known for its primary line of Pop vinyl dolls, which are short figures with large heads and smaller bodies, modeled after fictional characters and real celebrities. Funko put out their much anticipated line of Ghostbusters Pop dolls in April, which included Dr. Peter Venkman, Dr. Ray Stanz, Egon Spengler, Slimer, two different oversized versions of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and the Ecto1, (the Ghostbusters’ tricked out hearse, which comes with Winston Zeddemore behind the wheel). Continue reading








