About this season
The Oddity Archive is a web series that revolves around the "cultural dustbin", especially as it pertains to media. The Archive also functions as an actual archive of sorts, with a modest collection of off-air Betamax and VHS recordings (about 400 total as of June, 2014). There's also a decent collection of ephemeral video, "ripoff" and "drugstore" LP's/cassettes/8-tracks, as well as (working) obsolete technology.
Episodes (22)
1. How I Spent My Summer VIII (Ben Vs. The Sony AV-3600 Videocorder)
Aired 22 July 2021 • 45 min
...because cassettes are for poseurs.
2. Record Ripoffs Vol. 11 ('80's Hits: Woodgrain & Neon)
Aired 12 August 2021 • 34 min
Some of the most grody tunes we’ve ever covered fer sure, fer sure.
3. USA Networkisms (A Willfully Premature Eulogy)
Aired 26 August 2021 • 26 min
Let us take an all-night flight to remember why USA once was “America’s Favorite Cable Network”…
4. Random CD's
Aired 16 September 2021 • 35 min
Whatdaya do when you’ve had your fill of analog media? Start hittin’ the ones and zeros…
5. Silent Treatment (A Celebration of Silent Movie Day)
Aired 29 September 2021 • 41 min
Benny-boy celebrates the first annual Silent Movie Day by…talking at great length about the silents. Nobody ever accused him of being sharp…
6. Dodgy Demo DVD's
Aired 14 October 2021 • 26 min
As of this posting, we’re right on the edge of the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the DVD. Guess it’s finally ripe for Archivedom…
7. Benny M.'s TV Party (Halloween Special 2021)
Aired 28 October 2021 • 22 min
“Benny & The Bot”…coming this fall to KLAK…whether Ben likes it or not. NOTE: Just consider this a 20-minute art film.
8. Bad '80's Syndicated Sitcoms
Aired 11 November 2021 • 19 min
Benny the Script Doctor makes a housecall regarding some bad sitcoms.
9. OA's Greatest Commercials
Aired 25 November 2021 • 32 min
10 ads (or series thereof) selected by viewers. Any turkeys in this Thanksgiving episode are purely coincidental.
10. FBI Film Raids & Betamax Blues
Aired 9 December 2021 • 24 min
Ah, the good, old days. Back when owning a 16mm film or recording something off the TV could get you a visit from the Feds. Good times…
11. Christmas Special 2021 (A Good Ol' Archive Christmas)
Aired 23 December 2021 • 42 min
Archivisms roasting on an open fire…
12. PCM Audio on Videotape (Betamax, VHS & U-Matic)
Aired 13 January 2022 • 26 min
Hey buddy, wanna hear my (horribly impractical) mixtape?
13. Overplayed Commercials (1960's - 2001)
Aired 27 January 2022 • 31 min
100% pure, shameless, unfettered nostalgia, courtesy of the Oddity Archive®
14. Valentine's Day Special 2022 (It's A Love Thing)
Aired 10 February 2022 • 34 min
Learn all about the fine art of meeting Ben!
15. Vinyl Potpourri Vol. 3 (Gimmick Records)
Aired 24 February 2022 • 31 min
Vinyl Potpourri is back! It’s a (1,885 second) miracle!
16. Prehistoric UHF (Early UHF TV in the U.S.)
Aired 10 March 2022 • 24 min
A solid-state tuner is recommended for the viewing of this OA episode…in some way we haven’t figured out yet.
17. Cult VHS Distributors Vol. 2 (Sinister Cinema & Vestron Video)
Aired 24 March 2022 • 27 min
Another (belated) salute to the bottom of the Mom-and-Pop video rental store barrel!
18. VHS Vault Vol. 19 (Business Scams)
Aired 7 April 2022 • 26 min
It’s time for the New $25,000 Pyramid…scheme.
19. Radio Stunting
Aired 21 April 2022 • 34 min
Times are changing and KLAK-AM needs to keep up. As such, let’s look at some gimmicks (stunts) used by other radio stations to plug their new formats…
20. Ben Vs. The Massey-Ferguson Tapes
Aired 5 May 2022 • 35 min
Taking a leisurely, country stroll through the (cowpie-laden) great audiovisual pasture…
21. Early MP3 Players (Diamond Rio & RCA Lyra 2)
Aired 26 May 2022 • 35 min
Oddity Archive®: Now available in 64kbps mp3!
22. CX Audio Noise Reduction (The Hard Way)
Aired 9 June 2022 • 30 min
Four months, three countries, two-hundred-plus dollars all in the name of…meh. Or, what Dolby was to cassette, CX was (supposed to be) for vinyl.