For anyone who grew up glued to MTV in the 90s, Dave Holmes was a familiar face—first as the runner-up in the network’s Wanna Be a VJ contest, then as a host navigating the chaotic, exciting, and often weird world of pop culture. Since then, he’s built a career as a writer (Esquire), podcast host (Homophilia, True Story), and author (Party of One: A Memoir in 21 Songs). But his latest project, Waiting for Impact, might be his most personal yet—a 10-episode deep dive into a pop culture mystery that had been haunting him for decades.
The mystery? A group called Sudden Impact, who made a three-second cameo in the video for Boyz II Men’s Motownphilly in 1991—boldly pointing at the camera as their name appeared in lights—only to seemingly vanish without a trace.
“That moment was burned into my brain,” Holmes says. “I was obsessed with music videos as a kid, and that kind of introduction? That was supposed to mean something. But then… nothing. No album. No hit song. No tour. It was like they never existed. And that stuck with me for years.”
Holmes, ever the pop culture detective, finally decided to do something about it. What started as a quirky curiosity became Waiting for Impact, a podcast that Holmes describes as “true crime, but without the crime.” It’s an investigation into what happened to Sudden Impact—but along the way, it becomes something much deeper.
“It’s a show about expectations,” Holmes explains. “About what happens when your dreams don’t go the way you planned. But also about how those detours can be even more interesting than the original plan.”
As Holmes tracks down the former members of Sudden Impact, he also expands the story to explore the strange, unpredictable world of early-90s pop music. He speaks with Chris Molanphy (Hit Parade) about how a shift in music chart tracking upended the industry overnight. He reconnects with musicians who briefly found the spotlight—like Peter Stuart of Dog’s Eye View and Freedom Williams of C+C Music Factory—to explore what it means to ‘make it.’ And along the way, he grapples with his own past, reflecting on his own journey from MTV host to writer to podcast creator.
“I didn’t set out to make this about me, but you can’t help but see your own path in these stories,” Holmes says. “We all have these moments where we wonder, ‘Did I make it? Did I miss my shot? What happens if I’m not where I thought I’d be by now?’”
And, as it turns out, the story of Sudden Impact doesn’t end where he thought it would. In one of the podcast’s biggest twists, Holmes discovers that after decades of silence, the members of Sudden Impact are speaking again—rekindling old friendships and even stepping back into the studio.
“That wasn’t part of the plan,” Holmes admits. “But it’s a perfect epilogue to the story. They never really went away—they just found other paths. And now they get to revisit this thing that brought them together in the first place.”
With its mix of nostalgia, humor, and genuine heart, Waiting for Impact is more than just a look back at a forgotten boy band. It’s a meditation on what success really means, how careers evolve in ways we never expect, and why the stories we can’t stop thinking about often hold the biggest lessons.
“Pop culture has this way of erasing things,” Holmes says. “We remember the biggest moments, the biggest stars. But the truth is, there were so many artists who almost made it, so many great songs that got lost, so many careers that took a left turn. And those stories? They’re just as important.”
And as for Holmes? He’s already thinking about what comes next.
“There’s another story that’s been rattling around in my head for years,” he teases. “It’s not music-related, but it’s a weird little moment in pop culture history that I’ve always been fascinated by. And after Waiting for Impact, I think I might just have to go find out what really happened.”
In the meantime, Waiting for Impact is available now on all major podcast platforms. Whether you’re a music nerd, a nostalgia junkie, or just someone who loves a good mystery, Holmes’ deep dive into the forgotten corners of pop culture is worth the listen.
Watch the interview above and then check out the podcast below.
