Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast

17/07/2024

It's been a somber week, Slackers. The world has seemingly gone crazy, and we lost a true Gen X Icon - Shannen Doherty. Her career is filled with movies and T

13/07/2024

This week’s episode is all about strange band names. Some are outright stupid, some are clever, some are funny, but that hasn’t stopped them from becoming hugely popular.

Tell me some of your favorite weird, strange, or stupid band names.

10/07/2024

What's in a band name, Slackers? Isn't amazing how some bands can have the absolutely stupidest name and go on to sell millions of records? I mean, who thought

05/07/2024

Have you watched the “Brats” documentary, yet?

If not, you should check it out. It’s got a little bit of everything.

Nostalgia? ✅
Behind the scenes stories? ✅
Humor? ✅
A surprisingly cathartic journey towards one’s acceptance of the past? ✅

Andrew McCarthy has crafted an enjoyable and often moving film as he attempts to reconcile his own life and career as a member of the infamous “Brat Pack”.

I give my own thoughts and observations, with minimal spoilers, on this week’s episode.

Link in bio.

03/07/2024

The past can be a difficult thing to face, and in the documentary “BRATS”, Andrew McCarthy tackles his past head on. Through interviews with other members

29/06/2024

Sure 1991 might have been the year that changed the musical landscape, but 1994 introduced plenty of new bands to the mainstream.

Green Day released “Dookie”. The Offspring had “Smash”. And Weezer debuted with the “Blue Album”.

Already established bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam had huge records, while Nine Inch Nails had an absolutely monster record with “The Downward Spiral”.

Plus, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, and Tom Petty returned to the charts.

Not to forgotten, RoadRunner Records had a great lineup with Black Train Jack, Dog Eat Dog, and Life of Agony.

All this and more on this week’s episode. Link in bio!

26/06/2024

It’s been 30 years, Slackers! After watching a studio performance by WEEZER, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their amazing debut record, I looked into

19/06/2024

Hey, Slackers!

No new episode this week - vacation time with the family!

I’ll be back next week with a new episode of the podcast.

18/06/2024

If you remember two dial, rabbit eared, tube televisions, often no bigger than 20”, then this is an episode for you!

After Saturday morning cartoons were over, you might go play outside for a while, then come back inside for lunch - and if you grew up in the Northeast, you would turn on the “Creature Double Feature”. This could be a Japanese kaiju flick, a classic universal horror movie, or some crazy Roger Corman creation.

At some point in the 80’s you also had the “Martial Arts” or “Kung Fu” Theater. This was a showcase of awesome, often modestly budgeted, Chinese martial arts movies. Over the top gore, ridiculous English overdubbing, and some of the coolest moves and weapons a 10 year old kid could imagine.

Did you know that the character Pai Mei from “Kill Bill” is actually a character from the Shaolin series of films from the late 70’s and 80’s?

I loved these movies as a kid!

Link in bio

12/06/2024

Time to adjust the old rabbit ears, Slackers! This week is dedicated to the old ultra high frequency television channels of our youth. Kids these days have no

08/06/2024

This week’s episode is dedicated to late night tv and their hosts throughout the years.

With infighting among hosts and networks, the amount of drama that has unfolded with late night tv is kind of crazy. Succession plans, huge payoffs, and even some permanently damaged friendships, all make for some compelling stories.

Who is your favorite host of all time?

Links in bio.

05/06/2024

Here’s Johnny, Slackers! Starting all the way back in 1954 with the Steve Allen led “The Tonight Show”, there has been a steady succession of late night

02/06/2024

29/05/2024

Hey, Slackers! This is one of those, “I couldn’t decide on a topic” episodes - so why not take a look at the latest posts on r/GenX? If there is a social

27/05/2024

After a listener brought up the Bon Jovi documentary “Thank you, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story”, this week’s episode is all about the boys from New Jersey.

I don’t know about you, but I think Bon Jovi had an amazing three album stretch with “Slippery When Wet”, “New Jersey” & “Keep The Faith”.

And unlike many bands of the era, they were able so survive the grunge explosion, remaining an arena and even stadium level act.

Link in bio

22/05/2024

Raise your hands, Slackers! After being prompted by a listener to check out Thank you, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, this week I give my thoughts on this lege

19/05/2024

On this week’s episode we listen to - that’s right, listen to - some classic product jingles from the 70s & 80s. It is astounding how some of these are “bangers” when they exist solely to sell products.

And that Nestle “Sweet Dreams” is a masterpiece!

Link in bio!

15/05/2024

I don't wanna grow up, Slackers! This week is dedicated to the some of the best jingles from the 70s & 80s. I don't know about you, but I consider jingle w

13/05/2024

In advance of the upcoming film “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”, this week’s episode is all about the MAD MAX franchise.

Personally, I think George Miller is a genius. I mean, Max wasn’t even the main character of “Fury Road” and it still felt like a Mad Max movie. WITHOUT Mel Gibson. Sure, props to Tom Hardy, but this is why George Miller deserves such praise - few directors could have pulled that off!

Are you looking forward to “Furiosa”?

Link in bio.

08/05/2024

Witness me, Slackers! This week is a petal to the metal episode. No chit chat, no personal anecdotes from the week, nada - just straight out the gate just like

05/05/2024

On this week’s episode I delve into the advancements in technology just in our lifetimes. With the oldest Gen Xers turning 59 this year, think about how far technology has advanced in that time.

The Moon Landing. Microprocessors. Video Games. Home Computers. And that’s just through the 70’s!

Fast forward about 20 years and we have the internet, cell phones, games consoles like the XBox & PlayStation, GPS everywhere - that is a lot of innovation in a very short time.

Given the pace at which technology progresses, aren’t the HAL 9000 and Skynet simply inevitable outcomes at this point?!

What do you think?

Link in bio!

26/04/2024

Nostalgia sells, Slackers!

The current slate of Summer concert tours is a who’s who of 80’s & 90’s artists.

This week I give a run down of who’s touring, with artists from every genre.

Hip Hop? How about Ice Cube? Cypress Hill?

Metal? Sure. There is Metallica, Pantera, Tool, even Limp Bizkit.

Pop is covered with one tour all by itself - New Kids On The Block with Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

So, check out the episode and tell me, what concerts do you plan on seeing this summer?

Link in bio

13/04/2024

The fight for freedom of speech was at the forefront of the news way back in 1985. On one side was the Parent’s Music Resource Center (PMRC) led by Tipper Gore. On the other side was Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Frank Zappa, and strangely enough, John Denver.

The debates made for interesting fodder for the media and ultimately resulted in the sticker system we know today - Parental Advisory: Explicit Content.

Some have said this led to increased album sales for these allegedly lewd recordings - while others have said the sticker was simply a tool to allow parents to make informed decisions about what their kids were listening to.

This week’s episode delves into the history and the fallout of the debate.

Link in bio

06/04/2024

Taking it back to 1987, Slackers!

This week we take a look at the Billboard Hot 100 & the Nielsen ratings for ‘87.

The music charts reflect a nice mix of established superstars with future legends making their first big impact on Billboard.

The TV ratings are very sitcom heavy, with NBC’s relentless Thursday night prime time block. It’s actually an impressive run that lasted through the 2000’s.

Link in bio.

31/03/2024

There is always that one day that actually FEELS like Spring has arrived. Today was that day. For me that means putting on this album, rolling down the windows, opening the sunroof, & blasting the music.

24 Hour Revenge Therapy by Jawbreaker has been my “spring” record for over 20 years. Do you have a record that you associate with spring time?

29/03/2024

The “Return of the Whatever Wednesday” means I couldn’t settle on a single topic - so I just unleashed “whatever” was on my mind.

Funny Gen X clickbait, superstars being arrested, and a ton of 40 year anniversaries - 1984 is 40 years ago!! How did that happen!?

And did you know that there were 4 prime time soaps occupying the top 10 in 1984?

24/03/2024

This week’s episode is all about reality tv.

Remember shows like “That’s Incredible!” and “Real People”?

These were the reality tv shows of the 70’s & 80’s, long before shows like “The Real World” and “Survivor” became the norm in the 90’s.

Just think, there would be no “Real World vs. Road Rules” without the “Battle of the Network Stars”.

13/03/2024

The 90's was an interesting decade for music. Sure there was the grunge explosion, and with it the re-emergence of punk, but there were so many bands that occupied their own unique space in the music scene. On this week’s episode I’ll review my three favorite underrated bands, one of whom wasn.....

10/03/2024

Did you know about “Marv the sarcastic chat bot” option in ChatGPT? I didn’t, so I asked some questions about Gen X and the responses all had that snarkiness we Gen Xers tend to enjoy.

I also talk about health, wellness, and offering help to a family I know that is in need.

Check it out, wherever you get your podcasts.

Link in bio.