Listen To Sassy: Life In The 90s
Episode: May 1991 Pop Culture: John Leguizamo, Balthazar Getty & The Whistle That Only Dogs Hear
Date: September 16, 2025
Hosts: Tara Ariano, David T. Cole (Pamela Ribon is away this episode)
Overview
This episode finds Tara and Dave (with Pam away at an animation convention) taking a nostalgic, sardonic deep-dive into the May 1991 issue of Sassy magazine. Focusing on pop culture highlights, Gen-X magazine quirks, and tales both ridiculous and revealing from the era, they offer a lively blend of commentary on music, movies, media scandals, and the strange career arcs of the 1990s' up-and-comers.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Setting the Scene: May 1991 Recap
- Outrage & Headlines:
- Protests against "Basic Instinct" before filming even started; Penguin Books drama; Evan Handler's dramatic departure from "I Hate Hamlet;" NBC's Tonight Show time change incites local bewilderment.
- Teenage Dilemmas:
- How to spend $300: indie mags, zines, or REM's new album? “Because the way they got to be major corporations was by knowing how to entertain you consistently and thoroughly.” – Tara (01:40)
Sassy Magazine: Stories That Refuse to Die
- Questionable Johnny Depp Anecdote:
- Sassy tried to set up an underage bathing suit model (17) with Johnny Depp, canceled only at the last minute.
- Tara: “Damn Johnny Depp. I hope something terrible happens to you and your career. Ha. He's fine.” (05:51)
- Underage Celebrity Culture:
- Parallels drawn with 1960s media (“Gidget”), old photographers, and the normalization of inappropriate age gaps.
- Tara: “If you want to get with a underage girl, just put a camera around your neck.” (05:13)
News Roundup: The Surreal & Tabloid-Tinged
- Cheerleader Murder Plot Recounted:
- Texas cheerleader's mother tries to hire a hitman; the inspiration for HBO’s “The Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom.”
- Dave jokes: “The survival rate of cheerleaders in the 90s was, like, 87%... For every 100 cheerleaders, you know, 13 aren't making it at home.” (06:34)
- Odd Sassy Factoids:
- Peace sign confusion (“It's unfortunate that the peace sign is the same thing as the V for victory sign says Sassy not knowing their history.") (06:56)
- Retro slang cringe (“Why am I such a total queer ball spaz head?”—a headline highlighting language no longer fit for print) (07:07)
Pop Culture Artifacts & Quizzes
- RCA’s Spokespuppy Naming Contest:
- Sassy readers could name "Chipper," the new RCA puppy (after "Nipper").
- Sequence of “dog” name jokes leads to existential asides on dead mascots and companies. (09:05)
- The Ever-Present ‘Sassiest Boy In America’:
- Exhaustion with a recurring contest winner.
- Tara: “Please. God, won't die. Name another boy because I'm sick of this guy.” (09:45)
Glossary & Language Evolution
- Sassy Glossary Update:
- Definition: "The whistle that only dogs hear" – A girl guys adore for no apparent reason to other girls. Hosts critique the term’s cattiness.
- Tara: “Let these girls live. They probably are fine. And you're being a... There, I said it.” (11:56)
- ACLU’s “Foxy Director”:
- Sassy swoons over Ira Glasser, then-director of the ACLU. Hosts find this focus on looks both hilarious and weirdly specific.
- Dave: “I think, the world's first cute ACLU director.” (13:05)
Music Reviews: Sassy’s 1991 Picks
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REM – "Out of Time":
- Jane gives it 5 dots, “not just a hit. Major hit.”
- Tara: “This was the best period of REM.” (15:08)
- Dave and Tara debate album chronology and the meaning of “losing my religion”.
- Dave: “Losing my religion is like losing your... It’s just, I’ve had enough of this shit.” (14:42)
-
Marshall Crenshaw – “Life Too Short”:
- Dave riffs on Crenshaw’s name: “Marshall Crenshaw is the ultimate Hollywood character name for some sort of like, disgraced or retired or coming back from retirement for one last job. Military figure.” (16:47)
- Neither host moved by the music itself—too “easy listening” for Sassy’s demographic.
-
Gloria Estefan – "Into the Light":
- Karen, Sassy reviewer, is unrelentingly harsh despite Estefan’s real-life tragedies.
- Tara: “That’s really, real bad.” (19:48)
- They reflect on the infamous tour bus crash.
Movies: Reviews & Cultural Judgment
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"The Doors" (Oliver Stone):
- Both hosts have avoided the movie entirely.
- Dave: “If you like the Doors, we can’t be friends.” (22:18)
- Tara prefers "JFK" as the Oliver Stone watchable.
-
"Paris is Burning":
- Universal endorsement—Karen redeems herself after her Estefan review.
- Tara: “If you've never seen it, you should. It's on HBO Max. It's a very breezy watch and you'll learn a lot.” (23:28)
Rising Stars: One to Watch
- John Leguizamo:
- Sassy pegged him as a rising star; hosts admire his longevity (“one to watch” success story).
- Run through his vast IMDb: From Broadway’s "Mambo Mouth," "Spawn" (as the clown Violator), "Carlito’s Way," "Moulin Rouge," to "Encanto."
- Quick digression on Dean Cain (“moron for joining ICE”) and John’s social activism. (25:10 – 25:46)
- Favorite roles discussed: Tara—Toulouse Lautrec in Moulin Rouge; Dave—Carlito’s Way.
Feature: Balthazar Getty – The Not-Quite Teen Idol
- Post-Lord of the Flies, pre-TV fame, Balthazar is profiled.
- Details his famous family's scandals (“his father is Paul Getty who was kidnapped in Italy in the 70s” (28:11)).
- Discussed as part of a recurring Sassy magazine theme: the fleeting nature of “teen idoldom.”
- ID confusion: “Is this Balthazar Getty or is this Liev Schreiber?” (29:21)
- Recent projects: Twin Peaks: The Return, Megalopolis, and random TV/movies.
- Favorite Getty project? No consensus, but both agree he had a quirky, high-profile youth.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Sassy’s odd candidness:
- Dave: “Sassy magazine turned into an underage trafficking operation so slowly, nobody noticed.” (04:11)
- On 90s appropriateness:
- Tara: “I've been watching Gidget, Dave... there are multiple episodes about her getting crushes on boys that are way too old, including one where the guy is 24... and she is canonically 15 and a half.” (05:13)
- On music reviews:
- Tara: “Jane’s first line is, I just can’t be objective about the greatest band in the world. And she’s not. But even giving her that pass, this is a great album.” (15:08)
- On critics’ cruelty:
- Tara (on Estefan review): “Put it in your draft... that’s really, real bad.” (19:48)
- On John Leguizamo’s staying power:
- Dave: “He is also the shooter in ‘Regarding Henry,’ which is after this, like, a couple of months...” (25:49)
- Tara: “If we don’t talk about Bruno.” (26:36)
- On Door fans:
- Dave: “If you like the Doors, we can’t be friends.” (22:18)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- May 1991/setting the mood: 01:14–02:54
- Sassy's questionable celebrity setups: 03:07–05:51
- 90s tabloid & news roundup: 05:51–06:49
- Weird Sassy glossary & ACLU crush: 11:01–13:34
- REM/album reviews: 14:03–15:49
- Gloria Estefan review: 18:41–19:48
- Movie reviews: 21:31–22:56
- Paris Is Burning: 23:02–23:30
- John Leguizamo: 24:01–27:47
- Balthazar Getty: 28:11–31:17
Tone and Style
Snarky, deeply referential, and breezily critical, Dave and Tara maintain the magazine’s proto-blogger spirit—calling out Sassy's wilder blind spots, laughing at dated norms, and celebrating little cultural moments that shaped Gen-X pop sensibility.
Hosts routinely riff on each other's jokes, build layered callbacks, and pile on self-aware meta-commentary about 90s celebrity, media, and the Sassy magazine lens itself.
Final Thoughts
For listeners: This episode is essential for Gen-X pop culture nostalgia, cultural critique, and unfiltered magazine-era retrospection. It weaves in today’s perspective—cringing at the casual sexism, laughing at ancient slang, and reflecting on how some 90s predictions played out for stars like Leguizamo and Getty.
If you ever wondered what it was like to “live Sassy,” this episode hands you the receipts—snark, scandals, song picks, and all.