The Nightly – "RAWR" Means I Love You in Dinosaur

Host(s): Mat Bragg and KP
Date: December 28, 2025

Overview

This feel-good Nightly episode is a pop culture nostalgia trip designed to spark cozy, late-night conversation and relaxation. In a blend of gentle humor and laid-back banter, Mat and KP revisit emblematic millennial moments: the rise of X Games-style skate culture (“RAWR” and MySpace-era memes) and the infamous Brit Awards incident where Jarvis Cocker mooned Michael Jackson. The episode clues listeners in on Internet slang origins, music trivia, and stories that defined youth and rebellion of the ‘90s and ‘00s.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Book Titles as Life Metaphors (02:05–04:52)

• KP's choice: "Oh, The Places You’ll Flow" (a riff on Dr. Seuss) – describes spending the day responding to texts, trying new bodega drinks, and “going with the flow.”
• Mat’s choice: "All the Light We Cannot See" – inspired by struggling to repair home electrical issues, leading to unintended slapstick moments.
  • Mat: “I’ve made a mess of it and weirdly I sort of let that go and totally undeterred by that failure, the outside light had broken… wired that up... left the front door, it triggered the sensor and nearly blew the porch out.” (04:10)

The Pop Culture Time Machine (05:11–17:19)

KP’s Pick: The Height of the X Games (05:41–11:04)

• X Games Origins & Tony Hawk’s 900

  • KP recalls being on the edge of skateboarding culture, how “Tony Hawk was the golden boy… in 1999, he landed the world’s first 900…nobody was doing it” (06:24)
  • Generational progress described: Kids now emulate Hawk’s 900 trick in “four days.”
    • KP: “What took him, you know, years and years is now that he showed people it could be done…it gets so much easier for all the generations after.” (07:06)
  • X Games described as “cool guy Olympics,” advocating for its cultural impact.

• 90s Skate Fashion & Emo Culture

  • Nostalgia for baggy jeans, DC and Osiris shoes, Converse, and scribbling “My Chemical Romance” lyrics on sneakers.
  • KP explains meme culture origin:
    • “‘Rawr,’ which means ‘I love you in dinosaur’ – it used to just be like… now a cringy little thing you would say.” (10:03, 10:16)
    • Emphasis on Internet, MySpace, and MSN Messenger: “People had that all over their room, MSM messenger and their Bebo pictures…” (10:47)

Mat’s Pick: 1996 Brit Awards – Jarvis Cocker Moons Michael Jackson (11:15–17:08)

• The Event:

  • Mat recounts how Cocker (front man of Pulp) disrupted Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” performance, objecting to its “messianic” tone.
    • Mat: “He just saw the Michael Jackson thing and thought, ‘that’s over the top. We need to kind of bring that down a notch.’” (14:07)
  • Bizarre legal aftermath: Bob Mortimer (comedian & former solicitor) defended Cocker against Jackson’s team.
    • Mat: “Bob Mortimer just sort of burst in and kind of said, right, I’ll deal with it.” (16:51)

• Mythbusting – Did Cocker Really Moon MJ?

  • KP fact-checks: “He didn’t even show his naked bum. He just seemed to show his pants in a bit of a fart adjacent motion, you know?” (15:38)

• Legacy and Modern Perspective:

  • Pulp’s reputation remains intact; they recently toured arenas and played Glastonbury.
  • Reflection on how the shocking nature of the event has faded: “I think that moment in this current day and age would not even be like newsworthy… I think back then awards shows were such a big, big deal.” (17:19)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the tagline for the show:

  • KP: “Yeah, you can listen to this and go to sleep. Wow.” (01:54)

• Pop-punk/emo meme nostalgia:

  • KP: “You’d write ‘Rawr,’ which means I Love You in Dinosaur, of course.” (10:03)
  • Mat: “Is that what that is? I’ve wondered about that for what must be going on 20 years now.” (10:07)

• About the 1996 Brit Awards incident:

  • Mat: “At the time… Michael Jackson was the biggest pop star in the world. So it was like a huge, like, controversy.” (11:29)
  • KP: “He didn’t even show his naked bum. He just seemed to show his pants in a bit of a fart adjacent motion, you know?” (15:38)

• On the aftermath of pranks:

  • KP: “I think as comedians, sometimes bits don’t land and life becomes dark.” (15:03)
  • Mat: “Yeah, that’s the sort of the line that you walk, isn’t it?” (15:16)

Key Timestamps

• 00:24–01:29 – Intro, favorite episode selection, “RAWR” and “Mooning MJ” preview
• 02:05–04:52 – Life metaphors via book titles, Mat’s electrical DIY woes
• 05:11–11:04 – Pop culture time machine: KP’s X Games/Tony Hawk/emo era nostalgia, origin of “RAWR”
• 11:15–17:19 – Pop culture time machine: Mat’s recount of Brit Awards ’96, Jarvis Cocker vs. Michael Jackson and aftermath

Tone and Vibe

• Language: Conversational, self-deprecating, gently ironic, intimate
• Mood: Cozy, low-stakes, playful, affectionate toward youthful cringes and pop culture oddities

This episode is a warm, witty exploration of formative music and meme moments for millennials—mixing curiosity, affectionate ridicule, and the comfort of remembering a shared past. An ideal listen for winding down, laughing at what once mortified us, and finding “RAWR” means you’re in good company.