We had writer and researcher, Vlad Barash on to talk about his childhood TV memories of Soviet Russia. Check out the game he co-wrote with his partner, Lorraine Fryer, Demon Mark: A Russian Saga! We're reversing the order of our episodes this time and taking a deep dive in to the larger context in which next week's feature presentation originally appeared, and it is wild!We started with this collection of Russian ads from the 80s. ***Warning, there are some flashing colors in the first of these ads, so if you are very sensitive to flashing lights and colors, take heed!***These were a total trip. What is happening with that floating light?? And the amount of awkward standing around in both the suits and walkman commercials! Just wow!Next we took a look at an anti drinking PSA that was a live action musical number in the middle of the animated Russian version of Treasure Island. Vlad translated for us, so we know that these bad rock ‘n' roll pirates don't want you to drink! Maybe instead you should try working out!We also watched a couple of more recent things, including this commercial for the candy that Vlad says is evocative of Russian childhood.And this 1997 Pizza Hut commercial with Gorbachev in it! The story behind this commercial is fascinating, and you can read all about it here!Coming up next week: The Hobbit! As produced in Soviet Russia! If you want to watch at home beforehand, here's a handy link with English subtitles. And here is a link to a video without subtitles, but with better visuals. Thanks for listening!If you're having fun listening to us, please tell your friends about us! Subscribe to our newsletter at thisiswhywerelikethis.substack.com for free, or pay $5/month to get access to two bonus paid episodes each month! We're also on Patreon if that's your jam! Rate and review us! follow us on Twitter where we're @thisiswhy_pod! And, of course, you can always drop us a note at at thisiswhywerelikethis@gmail.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thisiswhywerelikethis.substack.com/subscribe