Episode Description: Welcome back to the basement, man cave dwellers. AverageTrav and Foodie Mike C are cracking open some Shiner Bock , White Russians and taking a hilarious rollercoaster ride back to the neon days and vintage games that made our childhoods legendary.

From surviving 90s snow days without the internet to the crazy resurgence of VHS and vinyl, we're talking about the tactile nostalgia that Gen Z is suddenly obsessed with. We're also joined by Lamarc from ThrowbackBuys.com  to uncover the secrets of the nostalgia marketplace and the massive growth in retro commerce.

Plus, The guys drop a massive hot take: The Big Lebowski is actually terrible. We hit our recurring segments, figure out what the hell ”phantom tax” means, and build a shameless Mount Rushmore of our favorite 90s TV crushes.

Episode Highlights:

• The Core Ritual: We kick things off with a German classic, Shiner Bock, and some expert food pairing commentary.

• Retro Rewind: The insane history and hype behind the 1990 Nintendo World Championships, the evolution of FPS games with Star Wars: Dark Forces, and the badass era of WWF's Stone Cold Steve Austin.

• Nostalgia Market Secrets: The wild world of rare game flips, including the $200k gold NES cartridge, and how vinyl revenue hit 1.4 billion in 2025.

• What Are These Damn Kids Saying?: Trav and Mike try to decode Gen Z slang like ”bussin',” ”ganking,” ”primo,” and the dreaded ”phantom tax” vs. ”dad tax”.

• What's on Mike's Mind: An obscure movie review where Mike explains why the Dude does not abide.

• The Mount Rushmore: We draft our ultimate list of 90s TV babes.

Chapters & Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Introduction, Hot Takes, and Welcome to the Nostalgia Road Trip

• 02:45 – Tech Talk: Mfish Cables https://go.sjv.io/c/6156147/3406166/44846

• 05:39 – Cultural Commentary: Food and Ethnicity in Restaurants

• 08:43 – Snow Days, Icy Socks, and 90s Survival

• 15:30 – Retro Gaming: The 1990 Nintendo World Championships

• 22:17 – Wrestling History: The Evolution of Stone Cold Steve Austin

• 22:18 – LeMarc with Throwbackbuys.com Joins to talk about his Nostalgia Marketplace and show us some of the stuff that is for sale. 

• 58:05 – Slang Quiz: Phantom Tax and Bussin’

• 01:00:52 – T-Shirt Drops and Swag  

• 01:03:04 – Beer Talk: Shiner Bock and Food Pairings

• 01:06:02 – Movie Review: The Dude Does Not Abide (The Big Lebowski)

• 01:10:34 – Breaking Bad and El Camino Discussion

• 01:14:44 – Controversial Jokes and Humor

• 01:15:25 – Mount Rushmore of 90s TV Babes

Resources & Links:

• Throwback Buys – Your new favorite nostalgia marketplace: https://throwbackbuys.com

• ThrowbackBuys on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/throwback.buys/

• Cartridge and Quest T-Shirt Shop – Wear your childhood on your sleeve: https://cartridgeandquest.com

• Star Wars: Dark Forces Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Dark_Forces

• El Camino on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81001245

Connect with Us:

• Instgram:https://www.instagram.com/cartridgeandquest_90s_podcast/

Keep it rad, and peace.