Slimed!

An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age

By: Mathew Klickstein

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Before the recent reboots, reunions and renaissance of Classic Nickelodeon nostalgia swept through the popular imagination, there was SLIMED! An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age ... the book that started it all. With hundreds of exclusive interviews and have-to-listen-to-'em-to-believe-'em stories you won't find anywhere else, SLIMED! is the first-ever full chronicle of Classic Nick ... told by those who made it all happen!

As a beloved guide to the topsy-turvy and warts-and-all tale of how Nickelodeon became the First Kids' Network, SLIMED! continues five years into its publication to entertain and educate both newbies and superfans of Old School Nick alike, while remaining an essential resource for academics and critics covering this unique era of children's programming that became a cornerstone of cherished memories for at least two generations.

Nickelodeon nostalgia has become a cottage industry unto itself: countless podcasts, blogs, documentaries, social media communities, conventions, reunions and the recent spate of reboot shows and feature film adaptations. But a little less than a decade ago, the best a dyed-in-the-wool Nick Kid could hope for when it came to coverage of the so-called "Golden Age" (1983 - 1995) of the Nickelodeon network was the infrequent listicle, op-ed or even rarer interview with an actual Old School Nick denizen.

Pop culture historian Mathew Klickstein changed all of that when he forged ahead to track down and interview more than 250 Classic Nick stars, show creators, crew members and network execs, many of whom had not yet made their way back to the public stage as they have since the book's initial release and large-scale NYC launch event/Nick reunion in late 2013.

• Find out what the elusive and controversial John Kricfalusi, creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, has to say about his highly-publicized and contentious expulsion from the network during his series' first season.
• Learn why some of the biggest names in indie film, underground comedy and punk rock turned out for guest spots on the proto-hipster The Adventures of Pete & Pete, through interviews with the likes of Janeane Garofalo and New York Dolls' frontman David Johansen.
• And speaking of stars - discover, through anecdotes by Nickelodeon casting directors, how future giants like Kirsten Dunst and Ryan Gosling...nearly became perennial members of Are You Afraid of the Dark?'s Midnight Society.

SLIMED! is the oral history that gives listeners all of this and so much more about what it was like for the actors of your favorite shows to grow up on-camera in front of the entire nation, what they've been up to since you heard from them last (including those who have long left show business) and, of course, plenty of juicy behind-the-scenes tidbits about the triumphant creation and sometimes unfortunate missteps of such early Nick shows as: Clarissa Explains It All, Salute Your Shorts, Rugrats, Doug, Nick Arcade and uber-early series such as Pinwheel, Out of Control and, of course, You Can't Do That on Television.

©2013 Mathew Klickstein (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Recorded by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

If you grew up on Nickelodeon as a kid...

...it's worth a listen. The only real issue I had was being able to differentiate between each of the actors and show creators. I felt that the narrator didn't do much to change his voice to distinguish between each of them. Very interesting behind-the-scenes stories are shared here.

Interesting topic- impossible to follow

I really, really wanted this to be better. This is the golden era of my childhood, but this "book" is impossible to follow. It's just a bunch of random snippets slapped together.

This audiobook is the reason I got Audible.

Where does Slimed! rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I preordered this because I read something about this book on amazon. I'm only 2 and a half hours in and I'm just basking in this book. I love that there are still many hours to go because that means there's so much more information about Nickelodeon's most incredible era. I've always loved the golden age of Nickelodeon and this book includes actual comments from interviews with people that were apart of these shows whether they were behind the camera or in front of the camera. More light needs to be brought to the golden age of Nickelodeon because there truly has been nothing else like it since. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that is interested in this era of TV genius. I'll probably cry when it's over not even going to lie.

Any additional comments?

Incredible.

Almost What I Was Hoping For

I loved the idea of the book and the author clearly put the work in to track down and talk to as many people as he possibly could. The topics that were covered definitely had interesting and enjoyable moments and it was nice to spend some time back in the glory days of Nickelodeon. That said I often felt myself focused on the things that were barely spoken of more than what was. Clarissa, Rugrats, Double Dare, and Hey Dude, as well as a few other shows are given lots of attention and detail but as an era defined as the “golden era” by the title, there are so many topics that are glaringly omitted. Legends of the Hidden Temple, Rockos Modern Life, Ahh Real Monsters, SpongeBob SquarePants, Guts, Figure it Out, Kenan and Kel, The Amanda Show and so on. I understand there has to be a cut off somewhere but talking about the golden age of Nickelodeon while barely acknowledging some of these shows is a strange choice to me.

As other reviewers have said it’s also difficult to keep track of who is who, and what is going on. This also isn’t helped by the chapters being divided more by theme than show or person. It often jumps back and forth between shows without always making it clear which show is being referenced and it often feels like you’re jumping back and forth between multiple topics at once without any warning or clear divide.

If you’re reading the book this isn’t as difficult as there’s a large section in the back devoted to explaining who is who and an index but that doesn’t help audiobook listeners much, in fact it makes the last few chapters almost unnecessary as far as listening goes, though there were a couple of interesting factoids there.

All in all I would say that the book is best for a very specific audience and should be read rather than listened to, though this is through no fault of the narrator.

TLDR: A flawed but enjoyable telling of a narrowly defined time at Nickelodeon. I’m glad I read it but would be picky about who I recommend it to.

Perfect For 90's Nick Fans!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

While I enjoyed the book, I would only recommend this to my friends who watched a lot of late 80's/early 90's Nickelodeon. Anyone who doesn't know these shows well will have a hard time following who all the people are.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Slimed!?

This history of Pete & Pete was awesome! I did not like the show as a kid, but the cast and crew's stories made me realize what an interesting show it was. The writers and musicians added to that conversation, too. I ended up watching a bunch of episodes of the show and realized I love it as an adult.

Any additional comments?

The book is just a collection of quotes from interviews with 80s and 90s Nick people. This was hard to listen to at first, but I went to YouTube and watched a few shows (even the opening credits would help) and put people with shows. The author does try to group the quotes thematically, so when many people are talking about a topic, they are probably from the same show. Be aware of this going in, but realize that the stories told her are definitely worth it! Also, the whole last 50 minutes is a run down of who everyone is and what their roles were on their respective shows.

Like riding a time machine to my childhood.

As someone who grew up on Nickelodeon, this book is amazing! The only tough thing people may have a problem with is knowing who these people are if they aren't familar with names from these shows. However, I think mostly, you figure out what each person is referencing about from what they say. I loved this book! As a Nick kid, I can say this is a must listen for anyone who grew up on it. Or anyone who is interested in the golden era of Nickelodeon.

not a history at all

don't be fooled, this isn't a history, it's just snipping of interviews from people who worked with Nickelodeon, and in no particular order. not worth it

This is a disjointed interview, not a book

There was no story to this book at all. It is just a bunch of quotes from people mashed together in a nonsensical way. I had no idea who any of the people were. They don't explain who they played on the shows. It just gives an actor's name and then they say something about a show they were on (and they don't even say what show that is for the most part). It was all very confusing. It is read by the same person, so it sounds like every quote is from the same person. It was just a mess. If all of these quotes were put together into a story of some sort, it may have been a good book. But, this is far from good.

Couldn't get past chapter 3

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

It wasn't what I expected - I didn't listen past chapter 3 b/c it wasn't keeping my attention. He gave each cast member's view on different topics but I didn't follow the series enough to know the cast members- I was looking more for a story.

Fragmented Topics

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Having the book divided into eras would have made for a more cohesive listening experience. Also more perspective and more about the company post 1993 would have been interesting.

Has Slimed! turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, and I'd be interested in a book that truly documents nickelodeon instead of collects quotes concerning it.

What three words best describe Nick Podehl’s voice?

Fine, Average, Good.