Waiting for Impact

Introducing: Waiting for Impact

In 1991, a boy band called Sudden Impact made a big debut in the music video for Boyz II Men’s “MotownPhilly,” and then... they disappeared. Dave Holmes has been obsessed with this story for decades, and now he’s going to find out what happened. The search for answers will take us into the recording industry of the ‘90s, into Michael Bivins’ East Coast Family, into what life was like before the internet ruined us, into the definition of success and the nature of ambition. And that search may just solve an even bigger mystery: why can’t he stop thinking about this? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1: I’ve Been Thinking About You

Dave Holmes has been obsessed with a pop culture disappearance for decades: what ever happened to Sudden Impact, the boy band who were featured in Boyz II Men’s “Motownphilly” music video and then vanished? Before we dive into the mystery, we’ll need to take a good look at life in 1991, when the music industry was flush, and what it was like to be a pop culture obsessive in a time before the internet. Plus, are we closer to the East Coast Family than we thought? Hosted and Written by Dave Holmes Produced by Hannah Kyle Crichton Recorded, Mixed, and Sound Designed by Andrew Eapen Additional Engineering and Assembly by Analise Nelson Music by Ben Wise Artwork by Garrett Ross Photography by Robyn Von Swank Executive Produced by Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark, Danielle Kramer See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2: Right Here, Right Now

Big dreams require big swings. Dave talks to an unexpected voice about the bold action that changed her life forever. Meanwhile, 1991 Dave Holmes and Karen Kilgariff are leading parallel lives 2,000 miles apart. Dave Coulier is involved. And we are one step closer to finding Sudden Impact. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3: The Promise of a New Day

The search for Sudden Impact continues, as Dave meets another member of the East Coast Family, a young singer who was set up for stardom and found something different instead. Plus, music chart journalist Chris Molanphy gives us the fascinating specifics on exactly how popular culture changed forever in 1991. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4: Top of the World

What’s it like when you reach the kind of super-stardom Sudden Impact was dreaming of, and what happens when it’s all over by the time you’re 21? Dave gets the real deal from a man who lived it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.