Forgotten Friday (on a Wednesday): Brandon jumps the shark; reviews the soundtrack to a kids’ show you’ve never heard of

A couple of weeks ago, I alluded to potentially doing a write up on the soundtrack to The Adventures of Pete and Pete, a largely forgotten series from the early days of Nickelodeon. It’s a random choice. It’s out of left field. But it’s something that’s worth your time for a lot of reasons. 

For background, The Adventures of Pete and Pete is a sitcom that ran on Nickelodeon for 3 seasons in the early 90s. It’s fair to say that a healthy majority of folks in my age range aren’t aware this show exists, certainly not to the extent of actually having watched it or formed an opinion on it. 

What makes the show worth talking about today is that honestly there’s very little that you could compare it to, even 30 years later. The show managed to be almost entirely kid-friendly while simultaneously being extremely surreal and subversive. Guest stars include names as diverse as Iggy Pop (who appeared in several episodes), Blondie’s Debbie Harry, the B52s’ Kate Pierson, REM’s Michael Stipe, LL Cool J, a pre-fame Alicia Keys, and… Patty fucking Hearst.

This show is so counterculture that for decades there has been an urban legend that Hunter S. Thompson filmed a cameo for an episode. An episode of a Nickelodeon show. The rumor stemmed from the name “Hunter Thompson” appearing in the credits of an episode, and rather than thinking “that’s a pretty generic name,” people spent 30 years saying “oh, Pete and Pete? Yeah, of course Hunter S. Thompson was in that.”

Having now sang the praises of this program, I would like to move into the ostensible main topic of discussion for today: the exquisite original soundtrack. All music for the show was performed by Polaris, a band that was commissioned by Nickelodeon specifically to write and perform music for this one show. 

The 12-song soundtrack was released on vinyl in 2015 for Record Store Day, and is fucking immaculate. Opening with “Hey Sandy,” the show’s theme song, the album establishes its credentials as the best bit of jangle rock this side of Johnny Marr. Other standout tracks include “Waiting for October” and “She Is Staggering.”

What’s most impressive is that the songs manage to evoke a sense of nostalgia. I don’t mean this in the sense of “old song triggers memories.” You could hear this music for the first time in your life and be transported back to a past that you didn’t have, in a time when you weren’t born. This is music that sounds to me like it spans decades, with lyrics that capture feelings that seem unique to being young, better than any other attempt at doing so I’ve ever seen outside of Brian Wilson, which is probably one of the highest compliments I can pay a songwriter. 

I love this album. I love this show. It’s obscure, but the plus side is that means you can find full episodes on YouTube. Watch the show. Listen to the album. Give me a reboot with 40 year old Danny Tamberelli. What’s he doing these days anyway?

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Tell us in the comments: did you ever watch this show? Have I unlocked a deeply guarded memory in you? 

- Slone