Pop Culture Preservation Society

Join us for this two-part episode dedicated to the songs of 1981, a year in our music history that marked one particular change that would shift everything for years to come (ahem MTV). In this first installment, we take a deep dive into the 24th annual Grammy Awards; every Grammys broadcast is like a fully contained time capsule of the year in music -- who presented, who performed, who was nomina...

Friends don’t let friends miss this episode! Today we’re taking a hard look at the PSAs from our childhoods that warned (scared) us of all the dangers known to man. Putting out your campfire? Check. Not being a litterbug? Check. Not chugging the poison under the kitchen sink? Check. Making you feel guilty if your friends drive after drinking? Check check and CHECK. And not only are we remembering...

In the late 70s through the 80s, three soaps dominated primetime television: Dallas , Knots Landing , and Dynasty . These primetime dramas enraptured audiences and dominated the ratings with their opulent lifestyles, deliciously scandalous affairs, cliffhanger endings, and most notably, gargantuan shoulder pads. And today we’re diving into the glamour and scandal of each of these over-the-top show...

Today we’re celebrating those old-school network TV promos that aired for the new TV seasons (think choreographed dance productions, lots of quick cuts of your favorite television stars, and catchy jingles) as well as giving you a teaser of the fun conversations we are having over the next couple of months in Season 15. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Carolyn surprised Kristin and Michelle with a cust...

Happy New Year! 🎊🥂 We're dropping a BRAND NEW EPISODE today wrapping up our 2024 ... and, as usual, going waaay off topic (honestly, we are often each other's therapists 😜)! What was our favorite PCPS moment? Which host became a new mother in 2024?!? And where can YOU meet up with us in 2025?? Enter The Brady Brunch Sweepstakes  here Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on  Insta...

In last year's episode about Dance Fever, we came across an artifact that deserved much closer inspection -- and that was The Dance Fever Christmas Special. It was so craptacular that we promised our listeners that we'd give this gem its own episode come holiday time. AND THAT TIME IS NOW!!! (cue angels singing to a disco beat!). Much of our research involved Googling "worst Christmas...

Heatmiser, Snowmiser, Charlie Brown, the Grinch, Rudolph, Frosty, Garfield (??) — the list of the friends that brought us immeasurable JOY each holiday season was long, wasn’t it? And we’re counting down all YOUR favorites in this fun episode! Which show surprised us by how far down the list it came in? Which holiday specials are the favorites of Shaun Cassidy, Melissa Gilbert, and Barry Williams?...

Fifty years ago GenX experienced its first taste of "appointment tv" when Tuesday nights meant "Happy Days." Join as we revisit "These Happy Days Are Yours and Mine." In this all-new introduction, we chat about what we've lost in the era of streaming television and the sense of unity and belonging created by watching the same shows at the same time. Happy Days was one o...

Join us for this encore presentation of our ode to the handwritten letter and you'll get an all new intro conversation about an important anniversary: Hello Kitty just turned 50 years old. 😮 Not even kidding! And that little Gen X icon has a surprising connection to the letters of our youth. We might also digress into a rant about the state of modern day Christmas cards. Heads up: we have OPI...

We’re celebrating our 200th EPISODE by revisiting all the traumas from the TV movies of our GenX youth (naturally). But before we get to our meaty conversation devoted to this very special art form that was low on budget but high on love triangles, deadly diseases, dying parents, killer bees, and so, so many hostages, we’re bringing you an all NEW opening conversation where we contemplate (yet aga...

In honor of Land of The Lost’s 50th anniversary, were jumping back in that yellow raft with our friend Wesley Eure (who played Will Marshall on the iconic Saturday morning show) with an encore of our 2023 conversation PLUS a new intro about bare-breasted puppetry (you’ll just need to listen). Then join us as Wesley blows our minds with information about the Saturday morning staple that we didn’t k...

It's encore season and today we're giving you a second helping of our fun conversation about our GenX school lunches with our good friend @thechefsmartypants, Erica Wides! We have an ALL NEW opening conversation about what Erica has been up to since this episode aired (um, hello TODAY SHOW 🤩)! Chef Smartypants Academy on YouTube Follow Chef Smartypants on Instagram Sign up for the Chef Sm...

It’s another Town Hall with us, your PCPS hosts, answering some of your burning questions, like “which Three’s Company character are you” (we just love your questions!). We’re also updating you on some other PCPS housekeeping items, and Michelle is sharing some difficult, personal news and how this podcast is, yet again, providing comfort. Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on  Instagram...

It’s true! We recently visited THE famous Brady Bunch house on Dilling Street in North Hollywood, CA … and we’re still pinching ourselves! Hear our story of how our visit came to be, the journey this house has taken since 1969 (and yes, of course we give props to the incredible HGTV renovation!) and our enthusiastic reactions to being in THE SAME SPACES AS THE BRADYS (well, sort of). Also hear fro...

Today we’re saying goodbye to one of the most memorable events of the Gen X era: the finale of M*A*S*H, which marked the end of one of television history’s most popular and innovative shows. We’re breaking down the poignant finale storylines and saying farewell, one tearful goodbye at a time. Which one of us completely missed the finale on Feb. 28, 1983 and then had such FOMO she pretended she had...

Join us today for a continuation of our discussion about the most beloved ancient relic that ultimately belonged to just one generation (hint: it was us): and that is the mixtape, a DIY medium exchanged between friends and lovers that was, on its surface, a way to share music but was actually a thinly veiled communication device intended to express our feelings to another person. There is one very...

In today's episode, we’ll be saving an art form that belongs almost solely to Gen Xers – the friendship bracelet of the 80s and 90s, the analog version of posting and sharing – we’re talking about the making and gifting of mixtapes. Born in the 1980s and peaking in the mid 1990s, the mixtape truly belongs to Gen Xers. Boomers were adults and Millennials were babies when mixtapes emerged as a D...

Join us for a trip down memory lane as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of some of our favorite tv shows of all time. From Little House on the Prairie to Hong Kong Phooey, 1974 provided some of the most iconic tv shows for Generation X. This episode is dedicated to exploring the cultural impact and enduring legacy of these shows as well as some fun rabbit hole facts. Learn what tv show made Presi...

If you could name one magazine from your Gen X youth that captured your heart, it would likely be Tiger Beat. This photo-filled lovefest is where our first crushes bloomed and prospered, helping us cover our walls and possibly even teaching us to kiss (ask Michelle about those "kissable" photos). And today's episode features an interview with one of the people responsible for curating...

After discussing the unforgettable characters, scenes and lines (so many quotable lines!) from Fast Times at Ridgemont High in our last episode, it's time to go deeper --with a discussion of the unforgettable music that cemented it as a teen classic. But what many disappointed 80s teens learned was that some of the music that sent you directly to the mall record store after the movie was NOT i...

Fast Times at Ridgemont High , we learned it, knew it, lived it. It’s an iconic and unforgettable film for — dare we say? — our entire generation. And this week we dove deep in that pool (yes, that pool) to talk all about it. Is it fair that Fast Times is included in the same category as Porky's and other exploitation movies? What scenes and lines of dialogue are burned into our brains (and yo...

Welcome to Season 13!!! We're kicking it off with a Gen X Back-to-School memory-palooza! We're talking Trapper Keepers, lunchboxes, Critter Sitters, Fair Isle sweaters, designer jeans and so much more. Fashion designer, Liz Lange, joins us for this super fun trip down memory lane. Listen to Liz Lange's podcast, The Just Enough Family, on Apple podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen...

Those memories we have of our favorite picture books live in vivid color in our minds. In this new opening to one the most popular PCPS episodes,"Where The Wild Things Are," Carolyn, Kristin and Michelle share why those memories don't just have to live in your minds. Learn what fun ways they surround themselves with those iconic books from their childhoods. So snuggle up close as we sh...

There's a new reason to celebrate the awesomeness of "Free To Be Generation" and we're chatting all about it in today's new opening. Kristin shares some exciting news which just might involve a PCPS roadtrip and meetup. Listen for all the scoop. Free To Be ... You and Me was our generation's manifesto, played in every household and every classroom across the nation until we...

Buckle up, friends, and get ready for a wild ride as Michelle and Carolyn share a play-by-play of the most epic evening with Donny Osmond. From the "meet cute" to the tears to the moment someone asked them for their autograph, it's all here. You don't want to miss it. Did Michelle get to sing "The Umbrella Song" with Donny? Listen to find out and then keep listening to the...