Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast

It's metal thrashing madness, Slackers! Slayer. Megadeth. Metallica. Anthrax. The "Big 4" of American Thrash While I am FAR from an expert, I have always enjoyed some good old school thrash metal. With Anthrax and Megadeth currently on tour, and making NEW music, I wanted to take a little journey through my first exposures to the genre (when I was about 9 years old) and how by 1988, I was a full b...

Are you ready to rumble, Slackers?! What happens when you take two classic albums from a legendary band and pit them against each other in a duel for the ages? The only way to find out was for me to bring Carlos back on the show for the first ever “Record Rumble”! Carlos is one of the biggest Van Halen fans I know, and his fandom never wavered, even after Sammy Hagar replaced David Lee Roth. Me on...

It’s Summertime, Slackers! Although it is rapidly coming to an end, this is a vacation week for me and I was thinking about the sounds of summer. I decided to discuss my own personal top 10 favorite Summer Songs, with a few “honorable mentions”. I initially had some pretty strict rules for inclusion but that was quickly discarded and some newer, looser rules used to make this list. The only hard a...

Hey, Slackers. The news of the passing of Dame Olivia Newton-John reminded me of some of my earliest memories and how she was a HUGE star for basically my entire life! From teen singer, to movie star with Grease and Xanadu, to the massive success of her reinvention album, "Physical", Dame Olivia was a fixture in entertainment throughout the 70's and 80's. She then faced a long term battle with bre...

Last week I mentioned that perhaps INXS “KICK” was in contention for the title of “perfect album”. With no less than four top 10 hits, with at least one other single in the top 40, “KICK” was a juggernaut, and evidence of a band fully coming into their own. Michael Hutchence. Andrew, Jon, & Tim Farriss. Kirk Pengilly. Garry Gary Beers. They were all at their creative peak with this record! Now, I’...

A couple of Georges. Steve. Whitney. Aussie superstars. Rockers from Rockford, Illinois. One-armed drummers. Hair, really high hair. And Elton. Always Elton. What does it all mean?! It means the Hot 100 of 1988! The sheer number of legends (and future legends) on this chart is astounding. What I found so interesting is not only where certain songs or artists fell (or rose) on the chart, but how we...

What’cha gonna do, Slackers!? Growing up in Connecticut meant living in the shadow of Titan Tower, aka the WWF. From Hulk Hogan, to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, wrestling has been part of my consciousness for as long as I can remember. But just like music, I always sought out any alternatives to the mainstream. This is when I discovered wrestling out of Texas, with guys like the Von Erichs and the F...

It's been one week since the last episode, Slackers! And this week is all about what can only be described as one of the MOST GEN X shows you can imagine! After having Mrs. Slacker on the show, a series of serendipities occurred that provided us the opportunity to go to one of my favorite concert venues in all of Boston, the Leader Bank Pavilion, to see the Last Summer On Earth 2022 show. Who's on...

Happy Anniversary to me and the Mrs., Slackers! As we celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary (24 years as a couple), we thought it would be fun to dig in to our very different upbringings, and our often disparate tastes in music. Although, we are both Gen X, the few years difference in age means our main high school soundtracks couldn't be more different. Add in the fact that I am a northeast boy,...

It's the Real Thing, Slackers! This week i gush over my favorite band of all time, with the lead singer that changed my entire perspective on music. Starting in the alternative/punk scene of San Francisco, when the band fired lead singer Chuck Mosley, they hired a 19 year-old kid from the Northern California city of Eureka, who would change the band's fortunes and thrust them into international fa...

Thumb a lift there, Slackers! This week we discuss the band that everyone hates. Or are they really the band that everyone loves? Are they both? Are they neither? I was NOT a big a fan of the mid to late 80’s era of U2. I was a freshman in high school when “Rattle & Hum” was released, a poorly received (and some would say poorly conceived) album and film. After a period of three years off, the ban...

Get to the choppa, Slackers!! After a crazy week the podcast is back! Now dropping on Wednesdays! Schwarzenegger. Stallone. Gibson. Willis. Ford? On this episode I unveil my very loose rankings of the greatest action stars of the 80s & 90s. This isn’t based on box office, Q ratings, or even salaries, just my own criteria, with one really important metric: number of franchises! Anyone can have a bl...

Hey, Slackers! This is a super sized episode of the podcast! Although it is almost hard to believe, it’s been 30 years this month since Carlos and I graduated high school. What better excuse to take a look at the top of the charts for 1991 and 1992, and check out the top movies of those years?! There might also be a guilty pleasure or two (don't judge me)! We compare our own top 10 songs from seni...

May the Force be with you, Slackers! In honor of the new Disney + series "Obi-Wan Kenobi"*, this episode is all about Star Wars, from 1977 until today. Star Wars started out as a very "Gen X" franchise, but now crosses numerous generations. The Obi-Wan series brings up so many emotions but also many questions about the legacy of George Lucas as Disney now holds the keys to that universe. And is Ob...

Yo, Slackers! 1986 is a fun year for movies and music. The Billboard top 100 features such a mix of icons of pop like Prince, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Janet Jackson & Lionel Richie, along with a bunch of very 80’s centric groups hitting the charts. Mr. Mister, Glass Tiger, Pet Shop Boys, & Bananarama. There is also a return to the charts for legends like Steve Winwood and Boston. It’s a real eclecti...

Time to slap on some spandex, Slackers! This week is all about Hair Bands, a.k.a Glam Metal! From Quiet Riot, to Warrant, the 80s and even early 90s were dominated by the bands of the Sunset Strip. But this wasn't just a West Coast, or even just a US phenomenon. It was all about heavy guitars played by dudes with big egos and even bigger hair. With copious amounts of "guyliner" for good measure. I...

Hey, Slackers! Friend of the show Justin Piccirillo is back but this time we are joined by guitarist extraordinaire, Don Horton! The three of us had not been in the same place at the same time in 30 years or so, and I had a chance to catch up with them prior to their performace at the Daffodil Festival 2022 with their band BAD DOG! We talk about our first bands and cast of characters, Don shares t...

'Sup Slackers!? Happy May Day! Carlos is back and we dig in to some of the 90s indie music scene in the Northeast. Connecticut was a Ska powerhouse, with a strong Hardcore scene in tandem with the wider NYHC scene. We talk of the influence of the DC punk rock scene throughout the Mid-Atlantic, with particular props to Ian MacKaye of MINOR THREAT & FUGAZI. We don't forget seminal hardcore band, DC'...

Hey, Slackers! This week I am joined by one of the guys that was often right by my side during the crazy, tumultuous times that came from being a teenager in Meriden, CT in the late 80's & early 90's - Carlos Rivera! Carlos and I chat about his early moves with his family (including a move necessitated by the Son of Sam), and how through some of those experiences, he discovered some great music. I...

Hey, Slackers! On this episode we visit the top of the music and movie charts of 1982. Some iconic artists of blue eyed soul, like Hall & Oates, Huey Lewis & the News, and Michael Macdonald hit the charts, as the original grrrl of rock, Joan Jett make a serious impact. Boston heroes, The J. Geils Band breakthrough, while long time favorites like Elton John keeping making hits, even if these are am...

Hey Slackers! On this episode Justin and I dig into the rich history of Walter Hubbard, the man responsible for Hubbard Park and Castle Craig, chat about one of the bands slighted by Beavis & Butthead (Winger), and more drum talk! We discuss the many drummers of Black Sabbath, the legacy of Neil Peart, Ringo Starr, John Bonham, Ginger Baker, African polyrhythms, and click tracks (are they good, ba...

Justin Piccirillo is back for a second installment. This time we delve into Lollapalooza '93 (the music and some shenanigans), Fishbone (and my less than cordial meeting with Angelo), 24/7 Spyz, more Foreigner talk, a little history lesson about Meriden's annual Daffodil festival, and one of the best guitar solos ever recorded.

On this week’s episode, I am joined by one of my oldest and dearest friends, Justin Piccirillo. Justin is a teacher, artist, musician and author of the book "Hubbard Park". We reminisce about our early interactions at Washington Middle School, including the mutual friend who introduced us (who’s been a regular on Broadway!). We talk playing the 8th grade dance & talent shows, and how our middle sc...

Hey Slackers! In this episode, I take a dip into the sounds of 1979, when rock and disco ruled the charts, I discuss the top hits at the box office, with some nonsensical detours into Sit & Spins, 8-tracks, Betamax, Van Halen, 007, and a VERY different Cosby. Follow the podcast on Twitter and Instagram @stuckpodx & Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Stuck-In-The-Middle-A-Gen-X-Podcast-1041656555611...

Hello Slackers! Welcome to the first episode of the pod, where we set the ground rules, define the Generation, talk about movies, lots of music, serial killers, and general nonsense. Follow the podcast on Twitter and Instagram: @stuckpodx