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 (25)
1. How I Spent My Summer IV (Ben Vs. Laserdisc Audio & Turntable Tune-up)
Aired 6 July 2017 • 28 min
12 inches of Archivian goodness!
2. Record Ripoffs Vol. 7 (Revenge of the 70's!)
Aired 20 July 2017 • 36 min
What’cha doin’ on your rump? Hopefully, you’re watching this episode!
3. Elvis Has(n't) Left The Building (Elvisploitation)
Aired 3 August 2017 • 35 min
A King-sized episode for a King-sized anniversary. Of course, we can't play any actual Elvis, so let's look at some of the cash-ins based around the man.
4. Tape Baking (A Quasi-Documentary on Sticky-Shed Syndrome)
Aired 17 August 2017 • 34 min
A cooking show—Archive style.
5. LaserKaraoke Vol. 5 (+ assorted VHS & VCD Karaoke)
Aired 31 August 2017 • 42 min
New from Sing Alone Video!
6. Playtape & Aroma Disc (or, The Anti-Audiophile Files)
Aired 14 September 2017 • 27 min
I was burning incense on not-quite vinyl (while listening to Playtapes) before you were. Take that, hipsters.
7. As Seen On TV! (Mail-Order & Infomercial-Style Commercials)
Aired 28 September 2017 • 27 min
This offer will expire without notice! Order now!
8. Ben's Palm PDA's (& Camera "Spy" Glasses)
Aired 12 October 2017 • 28 min
A double (if not triple) dose of failure. You know you love it.
9. "Telecine" Film Transfer (A Nightmare In Celluloid) (Halloween Special 2017)
Aired 26 October 2017 • 31 min
The scariest (in the existentialist sense, at least) Archive Halloween to date!
10. VHS Vault Vol. 12 (Child Safety Videos)
Aired 9 November 2017 • 29 min
Let’s reminisce about the great bully/child abductor epidemic of the ‘90’s.
11. The Max Headroom Incident Revisited (30 Years On)
Aired 22 November 2017 • 21 min
The Archive returns to its deepest roots (largely because it was convenient).
12. Dynagroove & Friends (Vinyl Oddities)
Aired 7 December 2017 • 28 min
Oddity Archive® Vinyl: Now 50% lighter and with 50% more foreign debris!
13. Christmas Special 2017 (Ben's Christmas Clunkers)
Aired 21 December 2017 • 38 min
Broken equipment, bad records and loopy videos—in other words, your standard Archive Christmas.
14. Phoney Nostalgia
Aired 4 January 2018 • 21 min
No fees! No contracts! No service! Dial 1-800 ARCHIVE and save 0%!
15. Ben's Random Audiocassette Haul #2
Aired 18 January 2018 • 39 min
More hissy (and at times, indecipherable) goodness from the deepest, darkest depths of the Archive.
16. Ben's Music "Career", Vol. 1 (The Outsider years, Pt. 1)
Aired 1 February 2018 • 39 min
Bring your earplugs! And, no, this isn’t false modesty—these recordings are pretty harsh (in every meaning of the word).
17. Dolby Noise Reduction (The Hard Way)
Aired 15 February 2018 • 19 min
This is what happens when Benny-boy’s control-freak tendencies get the best of him. Honestly, it’s not too terrible. Shame the product is mediocre.
18. Laserdisc, Vinyl & Cassette Computer Programs
Aired 1 March 2018 • 22 min
The Archive sets sail for the United Kingdom in search of some unusual computer storage and sharing methods—we weren’t disappointed.
19. VHS Vault Vol. 13 (Movin' Out)
Aired 15 March 2018 • 27 min
No Billy Joel songs were harmed in the making of this episode.
20. Silent-Era Talking Pictures
Aired 29 March 2018 • 22 min
These talking pictures will never catch on…come to think of it, these didn’t.
21. Vinyl Potpourri
Aired 12 April 2018 • 27 min
Funny how a little kiddie music, a little commercialism and a heaping helping of Easy Listening stewed in someone’s garage for 40+ years equals such a lovely sonic bouquet.
22. Loudness Wars
Aired 26 April 2018 • 23 min
Finally! An Archive episode with true A E S T H E T I C S!
23. Ben Vs. The Reel-To-Reel (Round 2)
Aired 10 May 2018 • 22 min
…because the first reel-to-reel worked so well.
24. Local Flavor (Part 1: Nostalgia)
Aired 24 May 2018 • 30 min
The Archive is getting ready to leave Beautiful Downtown Aurora. Better look at some of our local stuff before we go.
25. Local Flavor (Part 2: Anti-Nostalgia)
Aired 7 June 2018 • 33 min
Let’s close our Beautiful Downtown Aurora years without any tears (maybe).