Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast

In the year 2000. In the year 2000! On this week’s episode, we explore…the future. Or really the present. But from the past. Or something like that. Throughout the 60s, 70s, & 80s, TV and movies tried to give us a glimpse into the future. While some things they got right, many things were way off base. The Jetsons , and later Blade Runner , promised us flying cars! We don’t have flying cars fo...

Extra, extra, read all about it, Slackers! Does anyone read newspapers anymore? I don’t, but news is still an (important?) thing, and this week I take a look at Gen X in the news. Just this week there have been articles from Business Insider, the New York Times, Forbes , and the most prestigious of them all, HuffPost . Some of the business related articles delve into attitudes in the workplace reg...

Time to get those lighters in the air, Slackers! From the late 80’s into the early 90’s, there was no shortage of amazing live music. The “hair” bands of the time were hitting on all cylinders, with live shows rivaling anything that came before or since. With the bands from the Sunset Strip already used to the competitive nature of the music industry, opening acts would try to outperform the headl...

What's in a name, Slackers? Apparently, when it comes to a certain period of the Gen X timeline, names are little more than passing trends! How else can you explain the sudden rise - then fall - of names like Jason, Eric, Jennifer, and Amy! How about Heather or Christopher?! I was one of MANY Jasons in my graduating class, with easily as many Jennifers. And names like Heather became part of the le...

Let’s get physical, Slackers! Did you ever use a Thigh Master ? Maybe participate in some Tae Bo ? Did your mom or grandma ever rock a pair of Air Shorts ? This week I dig in to the fitness trends by year - starting of course with 1965. Some of these so called “fads” have actually become legitimately accepted aspects of health & fitness - treadmills, stationary bikes, inversion tables - all st...

Are you ready for some football, Slackers?! Given that professional football has been a thing since the late 1800s, it crazy to think that the “Big Game” has only been around in OUR LIFETIME. Starting with the NFL/AFL merger in 1967, there was finally a true world championship - but even then it wasn’t until the third season that the term (don’t sue me) "Super Bowl" was used. I don’t know why this...

You like fast cars, Slackers? Perhaps a 1976 Ford Gran Torino? What about a 1977 Pontiac Firebird? Maybe even a 1969 Dodge Charger - or would you prefer something more practical, like a 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire? Whatever your preference, the cars (and trucks) of Hollywood in 1970s & 80s were all pretty badass. Starsky & Hutch. The Dukes of Hazzard. Smokey & the Bandit . Even Nation...

Good things come in threes, Slackers! And when it comes to movies, Gen X is all about trilogies! Perhaps it all started with the OG Star Wars , but it didn’t stop there. Indiana Jones. Aliens. Mad Max. Evil Dead . It seemed at the time that every sci-fi/action hit would wrap up in a trilogy. Sadly, the allure of nostalgia & a big box office take has led to second - or even third - trilogies. O...

Merry Christmas, Slackers! Christmas was so much simpler as a kid. All it really took to make you happy was that one big Santa gift. And boy, did the 70’s & 80’s have some great toys! This episode I recount some of my favorite toys from each year - I have a weirdly specific memory when it comes to Christmas - going from 1976 until about 1984. From Remco’s McDonald’s Playland (and figures), to...

Hey, Slackers. No witty one liners this week - just taking some time to honor those Gen Xers that have passed away this year. Athletes, musicians, actors, all notable in some way - but more importantly - they were one of ours. Regardless of the reasons for their passing - addiction, illness, or freak accident - the one thing that is abundantly clear is that they were all far too young. May they al...

Jingle, jingle, jingle, Slackers! 'Tis the season of giving, for the gathering of family & friends, and the hopes of a new year. It’s also time to be super nostalgic for Christmases past & the joy that it once brought to these cold, black Gen X hearts! There was no better way to get ready for the visit of jolly old St. Nick than the TV movies and specials that would be shown all throughout...

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman, Slackers! Superman is undoubtedly an iconic figure. Often dubbed the first superhero, he is a character that is often considered hokey, even outdated. In response to this, many comics and tv/film writers have attempted to redefine The Man of Steel for a modern audience, with mixed results. With the demise of the DC Extended Universe - aka THE SNYDERVERSE -...

Are you easily offended, Slackers? If so, we probably can’t be friends! Have you ever heard someone say, “well, you can’t do that nowadays”? I see this sentiment all the time on social media, usually in regards to some tv show or movie from the 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s. But is this how Gen X feels about things? I have always maintained that Gen X is the least easily offended generation. Our gallows hum...

Happy Turkey Day, Slackers! This episode is a little bit of a mish mosh - kind of like a Thanksgiving buffet! Mostly about the movies - or should I say lack of movies - dedicated to the MAJOR holiday between Halloween & Christmas! Sure there are the tried and true classics - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Home for the Holidays. There odd one offs like Pieces of...

Ready for part two, Slackers? Last week was about the guys - this week I try to determine who is the greatest film actress of Generation X. While we all have our own opinions, the most commonly uses metric for greatness in film is the Academy Award, aka the Oscar. Using only Academy Award nominations in the two key categories - Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress - we should be able to determ...

Who’s the best, Slackers? In the first of a two part series, I try to determine who is the greatest film actor of Generation X. While we all have our own opinions, the most commonly used metric for greatness in film is the Academy Award, aka the Oscar. Using only Academy Award nominations in the two key categories - Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor - we should be able to determine objectively...

Happy All Saints' Day, Slackers! Being from New England, I think it is somewhat ingrained in us that there are things that do go bump in the night. There are many areas throughout the region that are known to have horrors both man made and of the (allegedly) supernatural variety. The Borden family comes to mind. After watching a few of the Conjuring movies, I was reminded of other events in New En...

The season of macabre topics continues, Slackers. The 1970's through the 1990's was considered the "golden age of serial killers". Many point to the Manson Family murders as the end of the "make love, not war" attitude of the 60's, but this was also the tipping point for American youth culture. During this time, dozens of psychopaths, many on the West coast of the US, seemed to have been unleashed...

What's your favorite scary movie, Slackers? It's been said that "you either die a hero, or you live long enought to see yourself become the villain". But can the reverse be true as well? Anyone who has seen enough slasher flicks knows that the main character is almost always the villain - think Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger - and without them, there really is no franchise. I remember the first...

Boo! It's Halloween season once again, Slackers! Remember being a kid and being terrified that maybe someone had packed razor blades in your candy? This time of year is the perfect time to talk about all the crazy urban legends of our youth. From Mikey of Life cereal fame, to tales of folks suddenly missing a kidney, this week celebrates the ridiculousness of urban legends.

Rock on, Slackers! Although nowadays every Disney Channel star gets at least one hit single, in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, actors getting hit records wasn't nearly as common. When this type of thing did happen, it often came from the most unexpected performers. From David Soul (Hutch of Starksy & Hutch fame) and his #1 soft rock hit "Don't Give Up On Us", to Jamie Walter's #1 ballad "How Do You Ta...

Are you ready to be offended, Slackers? Maybe it's just me, but I find that Gen X has a fairly dark sense of humor - and I'm not sure that we are very easily offended. There is no other art form that can push the limits of good taste than stand-up comedy, and boy do we have some of the greats. With absolute legends like Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, and Dave Chappelle being firmly Gen X, the gallows h...

Does anyone read magazines anymore? Magazines used to be a pretty big deal, and even though print is nearly dead in this digital world, TIME magazine continues to survive. Most notably it's annual "Person of the Year" issue. This week we take a look at the "Person" - sometimes multiple people, sometimes "things" - of each year of the 80's. From Ronald Reagan to Mikhail Gorbachev, the Cold War was...

Where's the beef, Slackers?! Have you fallen and now you can't get up? You know what would help? No, not a LifeAlert ...Clap on, clap off, the Clapper ! That's right, this episode is all about catchphrases - from ads, tv shows, movies - anywhere really. As long as they are from the 70s & 80s, that is. Some of these catchphrases are still an everyday part of the lexicon, demonstrating the power...

Back to basics, Slackers! This week is all about the Billboard Hot 100 for 1981. The top song of the year was once described as "haunting", with the rest of the list comprised of country superstars, R&B legends, a posthumous release from a former Beatle , and a fair amount of "yacht rockers". Sheena Easton had what was probably her best year on the charts, while Smokey Robinson was still chart...