90: The Wayback #90 | Ali Siddiq

Summary

The Wayback with Ryan Sickler

Episode 90: The Wayback #90 | Ali Siddiq
Date: September 18, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Ryan Sickler welcomes back comedian Ali Siddiq for his second nostalgic journey on "The Wayback." Together, they revisit childhood memories—ranging from unconventional “vacationing” and wild neighborhood games to school dances, the agony and glory of early video games, and fiercely competitive family moments. Packed with humor, vivid recollections, and moments of reflection, this episode is a ride through Ali’s formative years and the joys and absurdities of growing up in the '80s.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Childhood "Vacations" & Family Dynamics

• Ali Siddiq shares that his family didn’t take traditional vacations.
  • Instead, when his mother needed to work or get settled in a new career, he and his sister were sent to live with relatives in different cities, which became their version of a "vacation."
  • Ali: "So that was our vacation." (04:08)
• Frequent moves between family in California, Mississippi (Clarksdale), Chicago, New York, and Louisiana.
  • Enrolled in at least seven elementary schools; never stayed in one place for long.
  • Ali: "No, these for whatever. For life. Like, we not getting...this is a until situation. This is like being locked up for...Yeah, they like, hey, you got 10 years in a day. Like what day? Just whenever we decide." (05:01)
• Memorable childhood injury:
  • As a small child zipped himself in his pants—prompting a hospital visit.
  • Lighter moment: “...is this General Hospital?” (07:17)

School Days & Social Life

• Ali’s revolving door of schools:
  • Never attended a full run (K-5) at one elementary school.
  • Built unique memories in each—his first Halloween in LA, trick-or-treating in Hollywood, and being terrified by a witch at a fancy house (08:13).
• School traditions and crushes:
  • Became a school flag-raiser to spend time with Tammy, his elementary school crush.
  • Ali: "This what made me want to do it. I...I needed that time. I needed that personal time." (14:32)
  • Fondly remembers learning about yellow rice from Tammy.
  • Explains experiencing the Challenger shuttle disaster by lowering the flag to half-mast.
  • Ali: “That was my first time ever having to lower the flag at half staff.” (16:22)
• School dances:
  • Breakdancing was king, driven by ‘80s movies like "Footloose," "Beat Street," "Fame," and Michael Jackson’s influence.
  • Ryan: "I mean, I still remember watching the moonwalk live and just being like, what was that? Was that an alien?" (19:17)

Athletic Aspirations & Middle School Sports

• Football & Basketball:
  • Played middle school football and basketball at Jane Long Middle School (“like Lawrence Taylor…we meant to hurt you”) (08:25).
  • Transferred to Paul Revere Middle School—experienced a more affluent environment (no bars on the windows), free basketball shoes, and themed game entrances (Beastie Boys’ “Paul Revere”) (09:44, 10:12).
• Notable teammate: Edgar Rice, “dunking in middle school,” but had to stop playing after 6pm due to his religious beliefs, costing the team wins (10:22).
• Height disadvantage:
  • Ali was a center in seventh grade, but didn't get taller—forced to transition to guard as others shot up in height.
  • Ali: "I've been five, seven since seventh grade." (12:42)

Neighborhood & Made-Up Games

• Impromptu games with neighborhood kids:
  • "Hot Ball"—throwing any object in the air, running touchdowns surrounded by a mob of tacklers (20:47).
  • Discussions on the game’s many names (East Coast called it "Smear the Queer", Ali’s group would never use that term).
  • "Spread Eagle" and "Butts Up"—rough, sometimes painful wall-ball games with unique (often brutal) punishments for losing (23:12).
  • Ali: "We really wanna hit you in the face or the head." (23:42)

Retro Video Game Culture

• Early gaming exposure:
  • Pinball before Pong, then on to Atari and classic arcade games—Galaga, Donkey Kong, Dig Dug, Track & Field, Pitfall, Double Dribble (24:24-30:12).
  • Ultra-competitive “track and field” controller burnouts, and even family fistfights over turn-taking (26:13; 27:30-28:10).
  • Ryan: "I had a twin brother...We would fist fight each other for that fucking game." (29:16)
• Handheld electronics and calculator nostalgia:
  • Playing with "Little Professor Calculator" and stealing batteries from household objects for more game time (28:58; 29:10).

Lifelong Competitiveness

• Ali describes being highly competitive, especially with his kids:
  • No mercy in family games—from chess to arcade basketball and table hockey (30:44).
  • Ali: "I dunk on my kids. I don't care about [that]. You are the competitor." (31:10)
• Extends to friends and tour crew:
  • Describes dominating everyone at the mall arcade shooting game (33:19).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On “vacations”:
  • “My mom…she would send me and my sister to live with our relatives. So that was our vacation.” — Ali Siddiq (04:08)
• Getting sent away:
  • “This is like being locked up for…Yeah, they like, hey, you got 10 years in a day. Like what day? Just whenever we decide.” — Ali Siddiq (05:01)
• On being the school flag-raiser:
  • “This was the prettiest white girl I’ve ever seen in my life. And she was the flag bearer. And this what made me want to do it. I…Cuz I needed that time. I needed that personal time.” — Ali Siddiq (14:32)
• Challenger disaster memory:
  • “That was my first time ever having to lower the flag at half staff.” — Ali Siddiq (16:22)
• On childhood games:
  • “We just wanted to hurt each other. Cause definitely.” — Ali Siddiq, on how rough backyard games got (21:44)
• Neighborhood sports competitiveness:
  • “We was like Lawrence Taylor…We meant to hurt you.” — Ali Siddiq (08:25)
• On transitioning sports positions:
  • “I've been five, seven since seventh grade.” — Ali Siddiq (12:42)
• Video game memories:
  • “I had a twin brother…we would fist fight each other for that fucking game.” — Ryan Sickler (29:16)
• Parenting philosophy:
  • “I dunk on my kids. I don't care about [that]. You are the competitor.” — Ali Siddiq (31:10)
• Arcade sharpshooter:
  • “All of them have lost to me...I'm very competitive, man.” — Ali Siddiq (33:47–34:13)

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Highlighted Timestamps

• 03:27 – Ali Siddiq returns, intro banter
• 04:08–05:55 – Childhood “vacations” and getting sent to live with relatives
• 07:04 – Childhood “entanglement” injury and General Hospital memory
• 08:13–08:22 – First Halloween in LA, terrified by a witch at a Hollywood house
• 09:23–12:13 – Middle school sports and realities of changing schools
• 13:52–16:57 – School flag-raising, crush on Tammy, Challenger disaster memory
• 17:41–19:10 – School dances, pop culture dance influences, Michael Jackson
• 20:47–24:15 – Neighborhood games: Hot Ball, Spread Eagle, Butts Up
• 24:24–30:40 – Video game history, early systems, competitive moments
• 30:44–34:13 – Family competitiveness in arcade games, shooting prowess
• 34:13–34:37 – Farewells and self-promotion

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Tone & Atmosphere

This episode is infused with warmth, playful nostalgia, and raw honesty—Ali’s storytelling is candid and filled with humor, while Ryan matches him beat-for-beat in sharing vivid, often absurd, childhood recollections. Both host and guest wear their upbringing and competitive spirits on their sleeves, painting a riotous and heartfelt portrait of growing up in a different era.

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Useful for New Listeners

Even if you missed the episode, this summary gives you a clear and engaging sense of the conversation’s highlights, the personalities involved, and the memorable cultural touchstones that shaped Ali Siddiq’s—and a generation’s—childhood.

Transcript

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[Ryan Sickler]

San Diego. I'll be at the Grand Comedy Club Friday, October 3rd. Get your tickets now on my website at Ryan Sickler dot com.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Hey, baby, we gonna be here all day. We're gonna be here all day, baby. I like this kind of party.

[Ryan Sickler]

Welcome back to the Way Back. Everybody. Ryan Sickler here. Thank you for supporting this show. This is one of the shows you gotta watch. This is a produced show where we dive back into people's childhoods, get nostalgic, have fun. I'm very excited to have this guest back here in the Way Back his second time. Ladies and gentlemen, Ali Siddiq. Welcome back to the Way Back.

[Ali Siddiq]

Thank you for bringing me way Back. Make sure y' all go to alisadique.com. look at all the specials. Rugged. My two sons. Go back and watch. Since we going way back, go back and watch the domino effect, which is pretty good, man. Way back where we starting? How back we started?

[Ryan Sickler]

Well, when you came here the first time, we. We got a good one. We, we talked about Underoos, Superman. Yeah. Homemade Halloween costumes. So I wanted to ask you, you, you, if I say before we record, were you a. A vacation family? And if so, did you. Did you drive? Did you fly? Like, what were you guys doing to. To get away from home?

[Ali Siddiq]

We really wasn't vacationing. My mom, when, you know, she's a very responsible mom, when she wasn't able to take care of us and we would. She would just start a new career and, you know, she was going to need money and she was going to just be able to fend for herself. She would send me and my sister to live with our relatives. So that was our vacation.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

So, you know, you just get sent away.

[Ali Siddiq]

Just get sent away. You know, I lived in Mississippi. I lived in Chicago. I lived.

[Ryan Sickler]

Are these for summers or.

[Ali Siddiq]

No, these for whatever. For life. Like, we not getting.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

So I'm starting a new job and it's like, y' all gotta get out of here till I get settled.

[Ali Siddiq]

I gotta go to school. Yeah. I'm on the. To be able to take care of myself. So. Hey, listen, you're going to live with your relatives in California. So. Bye. Pack everything up. Don't leave anything.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is that right?

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, that's true.

[Ryan Sickler]

And how long would you go live with them for?

[Ali Siddiq]

Until it was time to come back. Is this is a until situation. This is like being Locked up for. Yeah, they like, hey, you got. You got 10 years in a day. Like what day? Just whenever we decide.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

And you would go.

[Ryan Sickler]

Where'd you stay out here?

[Ali Siddiq]

Inglewood.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay. And where in Mississippi?

[Ali Siddiq]

Clarksdale.

[Ryan Sickler]

And where else? Did you go anywhere else?

[Ali Siddiq]

Chicago.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Man, you have. You were going all over.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, New York. And then we would come. We would come home because we. I actually don't even have relatives in Houston.

[Ryan Sickler]

What?

[Ali Siddiq]

Crazy. My. Oh. And then I would go live with my dad. And then my dad, he didn't want. He is no summers with him. Just go with your grandma. And she would go to Pinesville, Louisiana, which is like Alexander. So. Yeah, I've stayed a couple places. I've been enrolled in some schools.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, you have.

[Ali Siddiq]

I've been enrolled.

[Ryan Sickler]

How many elementary schools have you been in?

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Have you ever figured that out?

[Ali Siddiq]

I never figured out, but I know it's at least seven.

[Ryan Sickler]

So you never really. You never did a kindergarten or first through fifth in one school?

[Ali Siddiq]

No, I remember this is California is the place. I'm never gonna forget Cali. Cause I have like all my cousins live out here.

[Ryan Sickler]

So who's in Houston? Just your mom and dad at the time then? They don't have any family there.

[Ali Siddiq]

My dad passed. He wasn't even in Houston. He was in Louisiana. He went back home. It was just my mom. I don't know why she stayed.

[Ryan Sickler]

I see.

[Ali Siddiq]

She could have just. She could have bailed too. Cause she's not from there. So the. I zipped my. I was moving too fast and I zipped my pants. I zipped myself up in my pants. And I remember my mom taking me to the hospital.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

You got taken to the hospital for. How old were you?

[Ali Siddiq]

I was like four or five.

[Ryan Sickler]

You zipped your little dick up in your pants.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, man.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Hospital.

[Ryan Sickler]

You're bleeding that bad.

[Ali Siddiq]

But I'm talking about. It's entangled. It is. This is way for the entanglement. It was.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Did you go over?

[Ali Siddiq]

It was crazy town. Like, I'm about to have. I'm about to have a.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

The hospital is crazy.

[Ali Siddiq]

It's crazy. And I remember walking up to the hospital and my mom used to watch this soap opera. And I said. And I asked. I said, is this General Hospital? I want to know. It was crazy time. I think on the episode, the last time I was here, I said that my first Halloween was here in la, so. And we went trick or treating in Hollywood. And they had these huge houses. And when I was smaller, of course, the doors look, you know, bigger. When I was Smaller. And I never forget walking up to this long walkway and this door opened. It had some tall doors and opened really, really slow. And a witch came out. And. And me and my sister damn near ran out of costume. It was like. I think I left my little piece of costume.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Superman's towels.

[Ali Siddiq]

So I'm out.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Oh, shit.

[Ali Siddiq]

So, no, no. No vacations. Just sent away.

[Ryan Sickler]

All right? Sent away. And are you playing sports as a kid?

[Ali Siddiq]

Oh, definitely played sports. So I played football at Jane Long Middle School. I was the right inside linebacker, the left inside linebacker. White guy named Chris. We were the best. We was like Lawrence Taylor. Yeah, yeah. Way before Lawrence Taylor. You know what I'm saying? We was crazy people. It's like we was on coke. Cause we meant to hurt you. And then I'm small, so once the line go down, you really can't see me. I was like an assassin. Like Atwater. I wanted to. And Chris used to hype me up, like, yo, we gotta send somebody to the emergency room. And like, we was kids.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Kids.

[Ali Siddiq]

We was kids. And I don't know why. We was like this. Coach. Coach Granier had us out. We was. We was vibing little kids. I was my number number 21. And I. I was sick. Then I played basketball at Jane Long. Then I got transferred. Bam. Jane Long.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

That's it.

[Ali Siddiq]

On Bel Air Boulevard. Jane Long Middle School.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

You ain't lying.

[Ali Siddiq]

So now this. Now look at this school, right? Look at this school. So then I get transferred to Paul Revere Middle School, which is definitely a. On Brad Forrest.

[Ryan Sickler]

Now, why are you being transferred?

[Ali Siddiq]

Cause we moved.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay? Not cause of discipline.

[Ali Siddiq]

Reason. No, no, no. This is a different. This is a different school. This school. Yeah. Swing on around. You see no bars in front of it. Very nice. Well to do. Neighborhood, not gated. Not prison, like. And so at this school, we had more money at the school. So they would give you the basketball shoes that you going to play.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Oh, really?

[Ali Siddiq]

And so, watch this. We would come out to the Beastie Boys. Paul Revere.

[Ryan Sickler]

Nice.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, we come out. We come out and we had this dude named Edgar Rice that was dunking in middle school. He was dunking in middle school. He was crazy, right? But we lost every game, and we was a good team. Let me tell you why we lost every game. Because Edgar was like a Jehovah Witness or something. He couldn't play after 6 o'. Clock. So we.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Hold on. Your All Star couldn't even play after six, man.

[Ali Siddiq]

We running up the score on y'. All. And it's like the other teams, like just wait. Yeah, second half, he won't be in.

[Ryan Sickler]

There calling a bunch of time out.

[Ali Siddiq]

We got two more courts. I'm talking as soon as six.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

And then second half, he ain't gonna be in there.

[Ali Siddiq]

What's the crazy thing is he wouldn't even leave the school. His dad would be sitting in the stands with him. Like, he just couldn't play. He could watch, like. But what, what is the point?

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Seriously?

[Ali Siddiq]

Yo, man, I'm throwing alley oops, first half. Then all of a sudden, no, he's gone. He's gone. It was Edgar Rice Dunkin in middle.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

School for the first half.

[Ali Siddiq]

And man, I'm talking about, man, we would get dominant. And this also let me know that just because you did something don't mean that you'll always be at a high level. So our coach used to play for the Atlanta Hawks.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah. But now he's.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

He's right here.

[Ali Siddiq]

He's right there. He's like 6, 7, played for the Atlanta Hogs. He's like, yo, when did you play? Like, right, like with who? Bill Russell?

[Co-host or Sidekick]

I was about to say who You? Bill Hustle?

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, man, it was crazy.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

So, yeah, Pistol Pete.

[Ali Siddiq]

Parville and my.

[Ryan Sickler]

But you said on the honeydew, you mentioned you were good at basketball.

[Ali Siddiq]

Huh? Definitely was good.

[Ryan Sickler]

What was it? Was it height that was a problem.

[Ali Siddiq]

Or you know what's crazy in the seventh?

[Ryan Sickler]

Cause they got Spud Web Mugsy Bows.

[Ali Siddiq]

In the seventh grade. I was a five. I was a center.

[Ryan Sickler]

Were you really?

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, in seventh grade. Then eighth grade. It's like everybody went to sleep and grew up. And I've been five, seven from. Since seventh grade.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

And you went from center to guard?

[Ali Siddiq]

I went point guard, shooting guard, point guard, overnight over one summer. Everybody shot up right when I. When I was in elementary.

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[Ali Siddiq]

What? Fourth, fifth grade. It was I became the guy who, you know, you go get the flag. You put the flag up in the morning, then listen, when you said that.

[Ryan Sickler]

I totally forgot about that kid. I remember once you said I was like, oh, yeah, there was always a kid in high school or whatever that would go out, raise the flag up every. Forgot about that.

[Ali Siddiq]

Get out. You get out of class. How'd you get it 15 minutes early?

[Ryan Sickler]

How'd you knew you. How'd you know you could do that?

[Ali Siddiq]

No how I know I wanted to do it.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, really?

[Ali Siddiq]

One of the hottest women in the game at the time. She was from Tampa, Florida. Her name was Tammy.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

This was the prettiest Tammy from Tampa.

[Ali Siddiq]

This was the prettiest white woman. She wasn't even a woman at the time. This was the prettiest white girl I've ever seen in my life. And she was the flag bearer. And this what made me want to do it. I. Cuz I needed that time. I needed that personal time.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, so you weren't replacing her? You were joining.

[Ali Siddiq]

I was joining. Cuz you need two people to fold the flag. Yeah. And I.

[Ryan Sickler]

And what happened to the other person? You ran them off.

[Ali Siddiq]

It was just me and Tammy when we. We got picked in the fourth grade.

[Ryan Sickler]

I'm saying, how'd you even know about this?

[Ali Siddiq]

She was doing it. She had did it in the third grade.

[Ryan Sickler]

And you saw her doing.

[Ali Siddiq]

And I saw it.

[Ryan Sickler]

I'm like, yo, okay. You're like, I want to be part of this.

[Ali Siddiq]

So fourth grade. I don't even think that person was there. They pick people, new people every year. And we did it for two years in a row. And I was like, boy, she is a hot something to make me out of the house.

[Ryan Sickler]

So tell me about it. What do you do? You go out in the morning and you unfold the flag.

[Ali Siddiq]

Unfold the flag talk. This is who taught me about yellow rice. I never even knew it was yellow rice. She was like, no, in Tampa, we eat yellow rice. I was like, I eat yellow rice with you, but yellow rice is fantastic. It is fantastic.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, man, it's way better than white rice.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

It's way better than white rice.

[Ali Siddiq]

Brown rice and black rice is really good. Yellow rice is amazing. It is. It definitely. And I. I learned that just folding the flag.

[Ryan Sickler]

And which middle school is this? Paul Revere.

[Ali Siddiq]

No, Cut. Did not. This elementary. It's cutting. Ham Cunningham Elementary.

[Ryan Sickler]

Where's the flag? Oh, right here.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yep.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is that same place it was when you went there?

[Ali Siddiq]

Rebuilt this school. Because I. I know for facts. That driveway wasn't. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

So you two go out together in the morning.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And then what do you. Also you. You raise the flag.

[Ali Siddiq]

Raise the flag and lower the flag.

[Ryan Sickler]

And then once it's up. What happens is that when they do the Pledge of Allegiance.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Okay.

[Ali Siddiq]

You know, I. That was my first time ever having to lower the flag at half staff.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. Why? What happened then?

[Ali Siddiq]

The. The challenge.

[Ryan Sickler]

Shuttle.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, Shuttle. Shuttle blew up.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Ali Siddiq]

And this crazy. We watched that live.

[Ryan Sickler]

We did, too.

[Ali Siddiq]

On a roll in.

[Ryan Sickler]

I mean, all our age. Yep. We did, too. I was in Homec. I'll never forget. We were. That shit blew up. And they were like, gonna make pizza bagels.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

We were like, what?

[Ryan Sickler]

We watched it in front of everybody.

[Ali Siddiq]

No, I was blew up. And then the teachers tried. Ms. Luckett tried to cut the TV off. Like, we didn't see it. It was like, let's go to something else. Like. No, it just happened.

[Ryan Sickler]

That was even more disturbing for them, too. Cause one of the. Krista McCall was a teacher. That was real personal.

[Ali Siddiq]

I think that's why we was watching it.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

[Ali Siddiq]

And boom. That was crazy.

[Ryan Sickler]

So now are you guys doing the American and the Texas flag?

[Ali Siddiq]

It wasn't the Texas flag. We just doing American flag back then.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, you didn't even do the state flag. You know what? We didn't either. We just did the American flag. You're right.

[Ali Siddiq]

With no state. And they had it, but we didn't do anything with it. So.

[Ryan Sickler]

Did you ever ask her out? You ever work up the courage?

[Ali Siddiq]

She got transferred right in the middle of the fifth grade. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And who came in and took her place?

[Ali Siddiq]

Some weird dude that I never talked to.

[Ryan Sickler]

I asked you about before. We recorded about school dances and stuff. Tell me about those for you guys.

[Ali Siddiq]

Oh, that was straight.

[Ryan Sickler]

Your sound way different than ours.

[Ali Siddiq]

Straight break dancing.

[Ryan Sickler]

Everybody.

[Ali Siddiq]

Everybody. Even if you couldn't do it. So it's popping, breakdancing. It was. You know, I think Footloose was a big movie back then. So it was like one of those type of things, you know?

[Ryan Sickler]

Well, you had breaking two electric boogaloos.

[Ali Siddiq]

Beat street.

[Ryan Sickler]

Beat street. You had Footloose. It was a lot of dirty dancing There Was a lot of dance movies. Flash dance was big. Everybody was dancing back then.

[Ali Siddiq]

Damn show big. This one girls was wearing.

[Ryan Sickler]

Staying alive was a little earlier than us, but still it was this thing.

[Ali Siddiq]

Most of our stuff because of fame.

[Ryan Sickler]

You're right.

[Ali Siddiq]

Fame was big. Now you just couldn't come just like Leroy. But you damn sure had to move. Debbie Allen, you know, Debbie Allen's from Houston. So we.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Kirsten, look up, look up Leroy from fame areas.

[Ali Siddiq]

They go. Debbie Allen from Houston.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yup, I remember Debbie Allen. Felicia's sister.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, Felicia Rashad. Yeah. This is what you can't. You couldn't.

[Ryan Sickler]

He was the one you couldn't come as.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, you can't come as Leroy. And Leroy had all the girls, but for some reason him outfits was awful. You know, being Michael Jackson was huge then.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Ali Siddiq]

So anything Mike was doing. Anything Michael. Anything Mike was doing was fantastic.

[Ryan Sickler]

I mean, I still remember watching the moonwalk live and just being like, what was that? Was that an alien? I mean, what year was that? 83.

[Ali Siddiq]

83?

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, it was 1083. Yep.

[Ali Siddiq]

I mean it was crazy.

[Ryan Sickler]

So you guys are break dancing and stuff. I know we talked about last episode. Parachute pants, all that stuff too.

[Ali Siddiq]

Those pants were not. We just wearing leaves.

[Ryan Sickler]

Whatever.

[Ali Siddiq]

Before Levi's, it was just.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, jeans called Lee Lee's leave. Then they tried to come back and had that little Buddy Lee. Remember Buddy Lee?

[Ali Siddiq]

Oh, man.

[Ryan Sickler]

They tried to bring le back. Le. I had Coca Cola jeans.

[Ali Siddiq]

Oh, for sure. You had a Coca Cola shirt and some Levi's. You was off the chain.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. Did you ever drink any of the. I mean, we were broke, so we'd get the 90. We get like the 15 cent ones. Just say soda.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And a 3 liter. Did you ever have a 3 liter?

[Ali Siddiq]

We rather drink that. Yeah, I did have a 3.3liter.3liter goes flat after three opens.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

It really does. I don't know what the science is behind it, but a 2 liter.

[Ali Siddiq]

It is flavored water.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

3 liter goes flat so fast.

[Ali Siddiq]

Fresh cup of 3 liter soda.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

The first sip out of one is it. Dude, you're right. That is the truth.

[Ali Siddiq]

Damn, a three lady was awful.

[Ryan Sickler]

Tell me about hot ball. This is one of the games you play in your neighborhood, something you guys created. I love games like this.

[Ali Siddiq]

Hotball starts when you have a bully in the neighborhood that really can't play football, but he is his ball. And so you have an uneven amount of people. So you had nine people, Right. So now y' all just get in a circle and throw the ball up in the air and catch it. And you have to run a touchdown or somebody tackle you. Now you run a touchdown, then you got to go back to the other touchdown. But it's eight people trying to tackle you, so. And in hot ball, you don't necessarily have to have a football. You can have a tennis ball, anything to throw up an air that one person can. You can have a ball of foil.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Yeah.

[Ali Siddiq]

And you just throw it up. You can just throw it up. And you. I think we just wanted to hurt each other. Cause definitely.

[Ryan Sickler]

Do you know what we played? You know what we called that game growing up?

[Ali Siddiq]

What?

[Ryan Sickler]

Smear the Queer.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

You never played Smear the Queer?

[Ali Siddiq]

No, because we. We wasn't playing with you if you was queer. We was like, no, go.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Here's the thing. We've talked about this, man.

[Ryan Sickler]

I've brought it up. People used to play.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

It's.

[Ryan Sickler]

So we called it Smear the Queer. And the same game you're talking about, we take a football or baseball, whatever, throw it up in the air. Person that catches it now is the queer. And you got to run until you get tackled. Then you throw it up. The next person gets it. We didn't have. This is something that was taught to us, you know, from the older kid. We didn't know what the hell a queer was back then. You know, we were just like. We would go knock on your door, can Ali come out and play? Smear to queer.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

I think about all the time now. The parents are looking. What spirit of queer.

[Ryan Sickler]

And then I would remember, like, it would be getting dark, and we'd be out there. My dad's like, y' all gotta come in. I'm like, dad, I'm the queer now.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

What are you talking about? I'm just out there backyard Barry Sanders and shit, where the queer. Look it up. Kirsten, smear the queer.

[Ryan Sickler]

I promise you, this was a game, no quarterback.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

This is it right here. Every person for himself.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's it. Where are you from? What was this game called? You all called it Hot Ball. We called it Smear the Queer.

[Ali Siddiq]

Did y' all play Spread Eagle?

[Ryan Sickler]

No. No.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

What's that one? What's Spread Eagle?

[Ali Siddiq]

Spread Eagle. When you throw a ball up against a wall and you can only catch it with one hand, but if you don't catch the ball, you have to run and touch the wall. And if somebody hit you with the ball, then you. If you miss, you got. You gotta run and touch the wall. If somebody hits you, then you gotta be up against the wall with your back turned or Forward. Depends on how you playing.

[Ryan Sickler]

And everybody gets a throw.

[Ali Siddiq]

No, one person. The person hits. You get a chance to throw the ball at you and try to bust you in your face.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

In your face.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yes. We really wanna hit you in the face of the head.

[Ryan Sickler]

We would play. And you know what's funny, because it's softer generation now. We would play this game called Bottoms Up.

[Ali Siddiq]

Red Eagle.

[Ryan Sickler]

Butts up.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Just about to tell you. We're just about to play Butts up.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's.

[Ali Siddiq]

We called it murder too.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Okay.

[Ryan Sickler]

We played butts up. We play like, whatever, soccer or something. And the losing team would have to line up on the wall, all their asses bent over. And then everybody would get to kick balls in their direction. You're. You're taking them in the hamstrings and like, God. And it's close. They're cranking on you hard.

[Ali Siddiq]

Like, God.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

God.

[Ryan Sickler]

Just coming home. Welts. Tell me about video games for you growing up. What's. What's your. What's the first one? Did you have pinball?

[Ali Siddiq]

Pinball.

[Ryan Sickler]

Did you ever have the. What was the first one? It was like breakout. Pong. It was called Pong. That's what it was. Yeah, that's it right there on tv. See in the middle? That. That's what that. I think we just preceded Atari.

[Ali Siddiq]

Oh, no, we didn't have that big control up.

[Ryan Sickler]

Hell, no.

[Ali Siddiq]

No. This was way.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, this. I think this came out first. Pong. Oh, wow. It was an Atari. It was developed by Atari. I didn't know that. So. Yeah, well, you had a. You had pinball first.

[Ali Siddiq]

You're playing pinball first. That. That gets you addicted. And then. Then you go to video games.

[Ryan Sickler]

We're at the roller rink playing Dig Dug and Galaxy.

[Ali Siddiq]

Donkey. I'm still calling Galaxy. Like, I'm still. I'm one of the best Galaxy players in the world.

[Ryan Sickler]

Are you really?

[Ali Siddiq]

For sure?

[Ryan Sickler]

You know, it's funny. I just went to this thing for my daughter's gymnastics competition. We had to stay in San Diego at this place called Town and Country. And they had a Galaxy in there. And that's what I did. I went in and set the high score all night on it, man. This kid was like, you could do two planes. I'm like, yeah, bro.

[Ali Siddiq]

You don't know about two planes. And I set a high score on Galaxy or 1942. Anytime you ever played 1942.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is that the plane one.

[Ali Siddiq]

The plane, yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

God, man. I'm telling you, when you said it. I dare.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

I had completely pushed this game out of my memory. Yeah, Commando was one.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, Commando. Commando seems similar to that, right? Definitely a good game.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, Commando was.

[Ali Siddiq]

Commando was.

[Ryan Sickler]

God, I forgot what that looked like. Look at that. What were you good at? Like right now? If you had what was on Coleco Vision ours big one was Donkey Kong. We love Colecovision. Pitfall. Pitfall. So we used to have this one game on here, Ali. It was track and field, so we used to.

[Ali Siddiq]

Oh, track and field.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, remember?

[Ali Siddiq]

Oh, yes.

[Ryan Sickler]

And you'd have to rub the controller to make the thing run, man. We used to get blisters on our hand like this. So we all, we started getting our back gloves. We'd have a back glove. We'd all be like, ah, trading off.

[Ali Siddiq]

This is what I learned about playing video games now. So I'm playing 1942 and my forearm is on fire. Like I'm like, ah, I'm not gonna be able to make it. Yeah, Now I'm hitting it with the inside of my hand but I'm like, I am dying right now.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh man. I'll never forget my friend. This guy lived a couple houses off from. His name is Jeff Wagner and took the guitari controller back in the day. And once it, once it got loose, you know that, yeah, the controller came off with just a little plastic stick in there. Just to be funny. He took the controller and he suction cupped that to his head and he just left it on there while we're playing.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

He took that off the. Had a hickey on his head for like five days. He. He had to wear three band aids. He wouldn't go to school to cover that, man.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, there's pitfall right there. So there was another one too. We had like a. As they progressed, I don't know what was after Sega Genesis. I Forget like the 20 said, whatever.

[Ali Siddiq]

It'S another one, right.

[Ryan Sickler]

But there was a pitfall that was a modern one where if you swung right you could drop down into something and it would take you into the old game. So it have like this layer underneath of it where you're running through the old school game while you're playing the newer one. It was pretty badass, dude. We would have fist fights. We had fit. We had to take the game away. I went to to work one night, shout out to UPS Baltimore hub, Primary one Joe Avenue. When I came back at three in the morning we had a party. And when I came back I was ready to go. I'm ready to put. Everybody's gone. There's like two people left. I Said, what happened? He said, oh man. Greg and Sheila got into a fistfight over NCAA basketball.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

I said, what are you talking about?

[Ryan Sickler]

That was a good one though with the o' Bannon brothers and where you could hit those, throw bad. I mean we're talking about 20 some year old men fist fighting over these games. Oh, I'll tell you another one in television, Intellivision, that might have been the one. Now this one in television had like a small, had a pad with like a disc in it that their controllers suck. It's gold, black thing down here. This is it. See like the disc. A friend of ours had that and we didn't like that one. We, we had Atari and Colecovision. Coleco was great. And, and Nintendo the first. Nintendo was great too. But you know, we would play these handheld games right here. This is basketball right here. That was basketball. It was just red dots.

[Ali Siddiq]

That's the first cell phone, basically. Yeah, you're right, man. We took.

[Ryan Sickler]

Did you ever play with this? You remember this?

[Ali Siddiq]

Yes.

[Ryan Sickler]

Little Professor Calculator.

[Ali Siddiq]

Little Professor Calculator, man. Oh, these, these are great. These are great games. Especially this. If you, if you had this, that.

[Ryan Sickler]

Football in there, this one, that one right there.

[Ali Siddiq]

You play this until you start stealing batteries out of other things in the house.

[Ryan Sickler]

I have a twin brother, so I would, we would fist fight each other for that fucking game. We weren't getting two of them. They were expensive. We were fist fighting for that. And, and it was, you know, then you, then it was play again. Do you remember Double Dribble? Do you remember that one? This is one of my greatest video game wins ever. I go out to a friend's house one day.

[Ali Siddiq]

This is a great game.

[Ryan Sickler]

And I come home and my brother, we, we agreed to take our grass cutting money and go buy the double dribble. So he had gone out to get it during the day with my dad or whatever. I come home from a friend's house and he's already been playing all day. I walk in, he slides a controller. Offense. A is this. B is this.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Because remember it's two buttons. Defense. A is this. B is this.

[Ryan Sickler]

I said, great. We get right down to it. I'm down by two, I throw up a three here, hitting the buzzer, win this. He been playing all day. I just walked in that, I hit it one, man. I still, to this day, I still like remember that.

[Ali Siddiq]

Held the ball right before they.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Yeah, that's right, man.

[Ryan Sickler]

And this was like, this was innovative because this game, when you would dunk it would Cut to a screen image of something else, and we were like, ah, it was like three different dunk images they would have. There. There's one right there. So it'd be like three of these different ones that would come up if you jammed on. Here they are.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Yeah. You see that? Talk shit in somebody's face.

[Ali Siddiq]

Swear you Daryl Dawkins. Do you.

[Ryan Sickler]

Are you competitive with your kids now?

[Ali Siddiq]

Very competitive.

[Ryan Sickler]

Like, you play a game. You said chess was something. You guys play chess.

[Ali Siddiq]

But we if the. The basketball game. Any basketball game. Like, we go to, like, a main event or Dave and buses. Oh, I don't take no type of pity on them. And we playing table hockey. I don't care about you. You are the competitor. Like, I dunk on my kids. I don't care about.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

I just put this video up not.

[Ryan Sickler]

That long ago, but I got a. I was at Comedy on State in Madison, one of the best clubs in the country, and they got the prettiest green room in the biz.

[Ali Siddiq]

I've been there.

[Ryan Sickler]

You know what I'm talking about?

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah, I was in there. Thank you. On State. Y' all been there.

[Ryan Sickler]

It's crazy.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

You could live there.

[Ryan Sickler]

And it's got a. A mini basketball hoop now. We used to have the Nerf one back in the day. And my brother and I would kill each other in the corner. Just put it up on the closet and just. Dang, you know, you're not dribbling. He's got a Nerf ball he's dunking on each other. Well, this one was a, you know, metal. Little metal rim breakaway they had with a Plexiglas backboard. So I got one from my place and I put it up. And my STEPSON'S now he's six. Six. And my. His sister, my daughter is. She's 10. And I said, listen, this isn't gonna see it coming, but you're gonna help me dunk on his ass. So we put the rim up and we got this window where we look out, and we all. She and I argue. Like, I'm like this. It looks like a person out there, but it's really probably a coat rack or something. So I said, what we're gonna do is make him stand right here and say, you gotta stand right here. And we have an argument. It's a coat rack or it's a person. What do you think that is? And he's just standing there looking.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

And I just came up from hyzing. That's what you get for not coming to visit your sister forever. He's like, God damn it. I said, that's what you get. But I had to push off his back to get up there. Like, he's tall as.

[Ali Siddiq]

You know what's crazy? My mom would put us on punishment, and this. How innovative we were. We would take a coat hanger, a wide coat hanger, put it in a circle, and close it inside the closet door and take a sock and just shoot all day. And so she would come in, she was like, no socks and no hangers, and you having too much fun on punishment. I'm like, but if me and my cousin, they're playing. Oh, this is a breakaway rim, for sure. We dunking on each other with socks. It was insane.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

Killing each other.

[Ali Siddiq]

Insane.

[Ryan Sickler]

Dude, I know you gotta get outta here. Congratulations. Your daughter just got first place in the car.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yeah. Thank you. Before we go, my whole team, Dre included, Marcus, John, Brewton, all of them have lost to me in the. You know, you go to the mall, it's a shooting game, and they got. Where they got all the stuff up, and they can get your ar and you shoot all the little. The little things that's on the rack. All of them have lost to me.

[Co-host or Sidekick]

I'm a sharpshooter.

[Ali Siddiq]

Dre, you've never. You've won before. Yeah, he's never won. Like, all of them have lost.

[Ryan Sickler]

Why are you such a good shoot?

[Ali Siddiq]

Because I can shoot.

[Ryan Sickler]

You have BB guns and stuff.

[Ali Siddiq]

Growing up, all of that.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, you did?

[Ali Siddiq]

And then I would shoot. I would shoot all of mine down. And then I just. There's to. Just to help them out. All of them have. I'm. I'm very competitive, man.

[Ryan Sickler]

It's a great time, dude. Thank you for doing this.

[Ali Siddiq]

Thank you.

[Ryan Sickler]

Congrats on your daughter. Promote, and we'll get you out of here.

[Ali Siddiq]

Yo, make sure y' all go to Ali's dot com. You can go to Ali Sadiq comedy on YouTube. Look at all of my stuff. Click on and grab you some tickets for one of the dates, man. We. We got, like, 34 of them. Make sure y' all grab y' all some tickets. 34 more theaters.

[Ryan Sickler]

Congrats.

[Ali Siddiq]

Thank you, bro.

[Ryan Sickler]

As always, Ryan Sickler on all your social media. We'll talk to y' all next week. Naming.