Stuck in the '80s Podcast

Being No. 2 can be a strange place in music history. You're successful enough to become part of the cultural conversation, earn plenty of radio airplay and sell a mountain of records. But somehow, despite doing almost everything right, you never quite make it to the very top of the charts. That's the inspiration behind "Just Missed the Biscuit," Stuck in the ’80s' ongoing series celebrating songs...

If there was ever a band that perfectly captured the spirit of mid-1980s pop culture, it might be Wang Chung. Their music was everywhere. On the radio. On MTV. In movie theaters. At school dances. And eventually at every wedding reception where someone decided it was time for the entire room to "Wang Chung tonight." This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, Steve sits down with Jack Hues for a w...

If you're a music fan in the United Kingdom, there are few traditions more beloved than the race for the Christmas No. 1 single. For decades, artists have battled for the honor of sitting atop the charts during the holiday season, creating a uniquely British cultural event that combines pop music, nostalgia and Christmas spirit. Meanwhile, here in America, we somehow missed out on all the fun. Tha...

Every family has holiday traditions. Some people decorate the tree. Some bake cookies. Some argue over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. And then there are those of us who spend every December quoting National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, Steve and Brad revisit one of the most beloved comedies of the MTV era and tackle a few important questions. Is...

Few actors have built a career quite like Nicolas Cage. Over the course of four decades, he's been a teen heartthrob, action hero, Oscar winner, indie-film icon and walking internet meme — sometimes all at the same time. Yet somehow, despite all the twists and turns, he remains one of the most compelling performers in Hollywood. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, Steve and Brad welcome au...

If you're counting down the days until embarkation, this episode is for you. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, Steve welcomes Joey Fairchild from The 80s Cruise for a special bonus episode packed with news, updates and behind-the-scenes details about the upcoming 2024 voyage. For longtime cruisers, one of the most anticipated parts of every sailing is learning the details of the theme ni...

Few bands defined the softer, emotional side of early 1980s radio quite like Air Supply. With soaring ballads, unforgettable melodies and the unmistakable voice of Russell Hitchcock, the duo became one of the biggest hitmakers of the FM-radio era thanks to songs like All Out of Love, Every Woman in the World and Making Love Out of Nothing at All. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s Podcast , Russel...

The 1980s were a golden age for Australian music. From arena rock and synth-pop to new wave and MTV-ready radio hits, Australian artists helped shape the sound of the decade in ways that still resonate with Gen X music fans today. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s Podcast , Spearsy gets a firsthand look at that era with special guest David Sterry of Real Life, the group behind iconic songs like S...

Behind every beloved television series are writers navigating deadlines, creative battles, network pressure and the unpredictable machinery of Hollywood. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s Podcast , Spearsy welcomes acclaimed television writer Patty Lin to discuss her revealing memoir End Credits: How I Broke Up With Hollywood and her remarkable career writing for some of the most influential tele...

Few television channels have ever changed pop culture as dramatically as MTV. When the network launched in 1981, it didn’t just revolutionize the music industry — it completely transformed the way an entire generation experienced music, fashion, celebrity culture and television itself. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s Podcast , Steve and Brad revisit a special live conversation recorded aboard t...

Few bands captured the sound of arena-ready Southern rock in the 1980s quite like 38 Special. Blending guitar-driven energy, massive singalong choruses and polished FM-radio production, the band became one of the defining rock acts of the MTV era with songs like Hold On Loosely, Caught Up in You, Rockin' into the Night and Second Chance. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s Podcast , Spearsy welcome...

Think about how many movie quotes you use in an average day. Maybe it's a line from a favorite comedy. Maybe it's something from an action movie. Maybe it's one of those quotes that's become so deeply embedded in popular culture that you've forgotten it originated in a film at all. Now imagine building an entire book around those unforgettable moments. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, S...

For years, Stuck in the ’80s listeners have enjoyed "Close But No Cigar," our series dedicated to songs that climbed to No. 2 on the U.S. charts but never managed to capture the top spot. But here's the thing: Britain has an even stranger, richer and sometimes more surprising chart history. So naturally, it was time for a new series. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, Steve and Brad debut...

For more than four decades, The Church has occupied a unique corner of rock music — blending dreamlike melodies, cryptic lyrics and atmospheric guitars into a sound that helped shape alternative and psychedelic rock long before either genre fully entered the mainstream. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s Podcast , Spearsy sits down with singer, bassist and songwriter Steve Kilbey for a wide-rangin...

Everyone remembers the hits. The songs that dominated MTV. The tracks that lived on the radio all summer. The singles that became part of the permanent soundtrack of the 1980s. But sometimes the best songs were hiding one or two tracks deeper on the album. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, Steve and Brad jump into their musical time machine and return to the summer of 1983, exploring som...

There are certain summers that seem larger than life. The music sounded better. The movies felt bigger. Every day seemed packed with possibility. For many Gen Xers, the summer of 1986 occupies a special place in memory. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, Spearsy welcomes author Skye McDonald to discuss her new novel, The Not So Nice Girl, a romance story set during that unforgettable seas...

Some concert films capture a performance. Others capture a moment. And then there's Stop Making Sense, a film so inventive and electrifying that four decades later it's still widely considered the greatest concert movie ever made. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, Spearsy welcomes guest co-host Doug Arthur to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stop Making Sense and discuss its triumphant...

Some performers make us laugh. Some create memorable characters. And every once in a while, someone creates an entire world. That was the gift of Paul Reubens. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, Steve and Brad remember the life and career of the beloved actor and comedian following news of his passing. More importantly, they celebrate the imagination, creativity and joy he shared with aud...

If you grew up in the 1980s, chances are you've imagined it at least once. A summer where everything changed. A summer where you became a different version of yourself. More confident. More adventurous. Maybe even cooler. A summer where the right song came on the radio at exactly the right moment and suddenly your entire life seemed full of possibility. That's the heart of Once in a Lifetime, the...

Everybody's talking about AI these days. Artificial intelligence is writing articles, generating images, answering questions and inspiring both excitement and panic depending on who you ask. But here's the thing: for Gen X, none of this feels entirely new. We've been thinking about AI since the 1980s. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, Steve and Brad revisit the decade's most memorable ar...

Sometimes a documentary reminds you how much you loved an artist. And sometimes it reminds you that you loved them even more than you realized. That's exactly what happened when Spearsy, Brad and Jen with One N sat down to watch WHAM!, Netflix's affectionate and entertaining look back at the career of Wham!. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, the gang reviews the documentary and discovers...

For science-fiction fans, movie geeks and Gen X pop culture obsessives, few years loom larger than 1982. It was a moment when Hollywood unleashed an astonishing run of ambitious genre films that would influence generations of filmmakers, writers and fans. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s Podcast , Spearsy welcomes writer and producer Mark A. Altman to discuss the new CW documentary 1982: Greates...

Every great series eventually reaches its finale. And this week, one of the longest-running and most beloved music features in Stuck in the ’80s history takes its final bow. Steve welcomes back Chuck Coverly and B-Rad for the concluding chapter of Close But No Cigar , our ongoing celebration of songs that climbed all the way to No. 2 on the charts but never managed to claim the top spot. For years...

If there's one thing 1980s movies taught us, it's that being a dad was complicated. Some fathers offered wisdom and guidance. Others communicated almost entirely through yelling. Many seemed completely baffled by their own children. And yet somehow, despite all their flaws, a surprising number of them genuinely cared. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, we're bringing back a favorite episo...

If the 1980s taught us anything, it's this: When life gets complicated, the solution is often to settle things with a dance number. Need to escape your small town? Dance. Need to impress your friends? Dance. Need to win a competition, overcome adversity or discover your true self? Definitely dance. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s podcast, we're revisiting a fan-favorite episode from the summer...