1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: It's the summer of nineteen ninety one, the peak of 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: the monoculture. Everyone is watching and listening to, or at 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: least aware of the same TV shows, movies, and music. 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: The Internet hasn't had its way with us yet. A 5 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: song comes out that summer from the R and B 6 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: group Boys to Men. It's called Motown Philly. In the 7 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:21,919 Speaker 1: music video, we meet Boys to Men and the other 8 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 1: groups in the East Coast family, another bad creation, bell 9 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: Biv Devou, and then two minutes and thirty eight seconds 10 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: into the video, we meet another group, five young guys 11 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:35,160 Speaker 1: in matching white button down shirts, each with his own 12 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: unique necktie, their name and lights above them Sudden Impact. 13 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: They point at the camera. They point at you, like, 14 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: are you ready for sudden Impact? I was a young 15 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: guy in the Midwest at the time, glued to MTV, 16 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: dreaming of a life in the entertainment industry. I was 17 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: ready for sudden impact. The world was ready for sudden impact. 18 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 2: Botow Philly just came out. They're on NTV for the 19 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 2: first time, and the first question is who's those white 20 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 2: guys in the video? 21 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: You know, like he's already promoting an act that doesn't 22 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: exist yet. 23 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 2: Here It is. You're going to love this. This is 24 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 2: my universe. These are this is my record label. Enjoy, 25 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 2: thank you or pardon me, You're welcome. 26 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: I couldn't wait to see what Sudden Impact was going 27 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: to do next. What they did next was disappear. I'm 28 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: Dave Holmes, and as a former MTVVJ and professional pop 29 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,919 Speaker 1: culture obsessive, I've been thinking about Sudden Impact for thirty years. 30 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: I always wanted to know what happened, so I decided 31 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: to find out. And let me tell you. What happened 32 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: was a lot. 33 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:45,759 Speaker 2: We actually got signed to Motown off of a poster 34 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 2: without them even hearing any music. Music. Probably saved his 35 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 2: butt from going to jail. 36 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: Wow, we could really make it. 37 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 2: We could do this, We could do that. It ain't right, man, 38 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 2: keep playing god with me. Let me fucking go. If 39 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 2: you don't plan on doing something, let us fucking go. 40 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: Two grown meg just broke up, like two heterosexual males 41 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: just broke up. 42 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 2: Am I still holding on to that hope? Like, oh, 43 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:10,240 Speaker 2: I can't wait to see this. I still have that 44 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:13,559 Speaker 2: because I don't like thinking that it's over for anybody. 45 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: I always suspected there was a story behind Sudden Impact. 46 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: I had no idea. I'm going to track these guys 47 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: down one by one and I'm going to find out 48 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: what happened. And I'm going to try to answer the 49 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: most bewildering question of them all, why can't I stop 50 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,919 Speaker 1: thinking about them? This is a podcast about big swings, 51 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 1: about high hopes, about what happens when your best laid 52 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: plans go sideways. It's about the nineties and what we 53 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:43,080 Speaker 1: left there. This is Waiting for Impact, a Dave Holmes 54 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: passion project. Be sure to listen to the show's premiere 55 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: on Tuesday, October twelfth ONNT exactly Right. New episodes drop 56 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: every Tuesday. Subscribe now on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 57 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: you like to listen.