Mortified: Angst Written

Imagine being trapped in a trippy, nightmare version of your favorite childhood sitcom. Watch this video long enough and you will start to freak out regardless of sleep deprivation or pharmaceutical influence.



As good a reason as any for kids to say no to drugs.

For a less maddening source of amusement, we hope to see you at the next show.

Labels: Pop Culture

Our favorite memory of the Police Quest video game series was how, right in the middle of a tense action sequence, you had to stop and insert one of eight floppy disks.

While such interruptions were frustrating, they only added to the overall suspense. We still get chills when we hear the theme.

Relive Police Quest here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51724hBKT1s

Labels: Pop Culture

Of the many cultural icons who have shaped Mortified in one way or another, John Hughes certainly ranks high on our influences. If it weren't for his mix of humor and angst, many of us might have a much crappier time in high school.

If looking to honor his memory, we highly encourage you to give your panties to a geek.

In the meantime, enjoy this video tribute assembled by Paul Proulx.


Or for the super nostalgic, just revisit some of his most memorable films.

Labels: Pop Culture

If this video doesn't touch your heart, we're not sure what will.


Mortified Live's houseband in LA, The Mortified After School Orchestra, was recently readying a version of the classic Prince anthem, Baby I'm a Star. So it got us to thinking about other covers of the tune.

And lo and behold, we discovered this buried treasure starring Chunk from The Goonies. What we love most about this clip is how much fun he seems to be having.

For those keeping score, Chunk (aka: Jeff Cohen) did somewhat end up pursuing a career in music. Today, he's a successful entertainment lawyer. And according to the Hollywood Reporter, he's a damn good one. His firm reps lots of big name entertainers including, yep... songwriters, labels and music publishers.

Awesome. We love this clip so much that we'd invite him to see a live show, but we suspect he's a bit too busy these days.

Labels: Pop Culture

Huge thanks to Mortified superfan Lisa who emailed us to say she spotted our first book, Mortified: Real Words, Real People, Real Pathetic, in the pages of the August 2008 InStyle magazine.

Intrigued, we picked up a copy and sure enough, there it was... displayed on the bookshelf of Entourage actress Constance Zimmer.

We hereby nominate Ms. Zimmer as the newest official member of the Mortified BFF Club.

Also spotted on her shelf? Middlesex (a book about a female teenage outcast) and Ulysses (a book about awkward teenage boys).

Anyone detect a recurring theme?

Labels: Pop Culture, Press

Our friend Jason Bitner from Found Magazine has created a fantastic new project, Cassette from My Ex. The site is a collection of personal essays written about mixtapes that people received while in relationships that are now kaput. In addition to reading about the music, you can even hear it streamed on the site in all its historic glory.

How much does Mortified like it? We contributed to it.

Read this recent mixtape essay by Mortified creator Dave Nadelberg featuring a music that includes everyone from The Pixies to The Replacements to New Order to several bands you wish you could forget.

Many other captivating projects have emerged in recent years devoted to mixtapes, too. However, Cassette from My Ex is among our very faves in that pack, focusing more on stories about people than the the music. Worth checking out.

Labels: BFF Club, Pop Culture

Doogie Howser is truly "the Mortified OG". Every day, the young doctor hung up his lab coat, walked into his bedroom and tirelessly poured his heart into his digital daily journal.

If we could put adult Doogie on stage today, we would. If only Mr. Bochco would let him.

In the meantime, here's a peek a little Doog's private thoughts on life and death.

Labels: Flashbacks, Great Moments in Mortified History, Pop Culture

A Pop Culture Peek at Diaries Through the Decades

Fans of Mortified already know that deep within our childhood diaries and notebooks are the secrets to the facts of life.

But lest we forget, many of those same lessons can be found in The Facts of Life. Here's a clip we found that illustrates the dangers of diving into the pages of someone else's life without an invite. A warning to parents: Blaire Warner does utter the phrase "air brained witch."



No Tooties were harmed in the writing of this post.

Labels: Great Moments in Mortified History, Pop Culture

For years, we've collected countless notebook entries, journals and poems from kids who wrote obsessively about... The Cure.

At a recent stage show in LA, those tables turned in the best possible way when Laurence "Lol" Tollhurst, one of the founding members of The Cure (and apparent Mortified superfan), actually joined Mortified on stage.

In addition to sitting in with The Mortified After School Orchestra for the night, Lol also helped performer Kirsten Gronfield bring to life an awkward Cure-inspired song that she wrote at age 15. Lol was a great sport and his latest band Levinhurst is worth checking out.

In related news, The Cure is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Help celebrate this milestone by wearing lots of black eyeliner to work tomorrow.

Labels: Event News, Goth, Pop Culture