Gen X Men Pod

Death is never easy. Funerals are never fun. But showing up to pay your respects and then being asked to help carry the casket? That’s an entirely different experience.Bill went to a funeral and somehow ended up as a pallbearer. He was honored to do it — but a little heads-up probably would have been appreciated.The guys also break down the latest retro comeback: pinball. The flippers. The glass. The lights. Lining your quarters up on the machine to claim the next game. Honestly, it still beats sitting at home getting screamed at by a 13-year-old kid from Germany because you aren’t helping the squad reach its goals.It’s a wild ride this week, from pallbearer to pinball — but what else would you expect from the Gen X Men Pod?Let us know in the comments: what’s the strangest or most unexpected thing you’ve ever experienced at a funeral?#genxers #genxpodcast #pinball

It’s Halloween — still one of the best holidays on the calendar. Did you carry a pillowcase or one of those plastic pumpkins to collect your candy?While stores are already gearing up for Christmas — much to the boys’ dismay — Bill and Gary look back at a true Gen X Halloween: surviving those sweaty plastic masks, the old Halloween candy scares, and the question everyone remembers… did anyone actually get their candy X-rayed?They also revisit one of the strangest TV moments of the 1970s: KISS appearing on the Paul “Center Square” Lynde Halloween Special alongside Florence Henderson. And no Halloween episode would be complete without some vintage safety advice from the Hot Rod himself, Rowdy Roddy Piper.Plastic masks. Pillowcases full of candy. KISS on network TV. The ’70s and ’80s were fantastic.At the end of the episode, Bill lays out his strategy for winning The Traitors — and why he’d probably go down in a blaze of glory, but definitely wouldn’t cry about it.Drop a like, subscribe, and help spread the word!#halloween #genx #kiss #roddypiper

In 2001 the iPod changed how we carried around our music. How we consumed our music--.99 a song on iTunes--and honestly how our music sounded.Yes it is portable. Yes everything is on your phone now. But it doesn't sound better. When CD's came along, the industry was asking listeners to sacrifice portable for playable. The CD is just the digital rendering. 1's and 0's making up the song.Gen X grew up listening to scratchy records and stretched tapes. But if your family had a great set up or you knew someone who did, there is nothing better than the vinyl recording of your favorite album. It's why the trend today is going back to vinyl. Heck, even a good tape can sound better than a digital download or a CD. Sure, the equipment costs are way more, but if you have the cash and you love your music...nothing better!Bill and Gary break it all down. The iPod changing things, the set ups that make music sound the best. It's become the age old question.Vinyl vs Digital.#genx #ipod #vinyl #digitalmusic #needleontherecord #genxpodcast

The future is here. Gary talks about having AI write a love song for his wife. Bill laments AI (replay) being over used in sports (Hockey offsides nearly a minute after it happens?!). And both guys look at what the future may be like. Bring on the headsets and the interactive talks with Thomas Jefferson in 1776. Will people 40 years from now be able to tell AI from human work? Would you read a book that AI creates based on the writings of other authors? Think about an AI sequel to some of your favorite books. Or will AI let you actually EXPERIENCE the book from "inside". Being able to walk through the scene as you read. Feeling or seeing what the main character or any character is going through.It's coming, but will you be into it?#AI #GenX #instantreplay #aimusic #aibook

Ditka passed away at 86 the night we recorded this, so we give a look back at the icon. Super Bowl winning player, assistant coach and of course head coach of "Da Bears". Ditka became a cultural icon and SNL with George Wendt (RIP NORM!) Chris Farley and others all discussion "Da Bears" will live on. Loved Ditka.

Gary is dealing with all the "leaf peepers" invading Maine and most of them are not Gen X. Let's just say older generations enjoying the fall foliage.

We look back at Fox turning 40---and how they changed TV with their line up. I also turn Gary onto the NBC show "The Traitors" and reveal how I would play, and ultimately probably lose, the game.

We're glad to be back. Into our 2nd year, so it's season 2 Episode 1! Spread the word for us wont you?

Gary went to Vegas (eventually) and hit the slots, the sphere and a bunch of really good restaurants. Even a celebrity sighting as well! Get the whole recap and why his son needs to start at a lower level blackjack room before he works his way up to the Vegas tables.It wasn't all roses though. A flight delay had them sitting overnight in Charlotte, which is never a good thing.Also, how is Sydney Sweeney setting back female athletes...when she isn't even a female athlete? Make it make sense.#80s #genx #vegas #vegasslotmachines #vegassphere

That’s right, friends — Gary is taking his son to Las Vegas for his 21st birthday, so the guys talk about turning 21, the idea of a father-son Vegas trip, why Bill has never really been a “Vegas guy,” and whether Gary’s son can actually count cards like he claims. There’s also plenty of talk about blackjack, casinos, and what makes a Vegas trip memorable in the first place.In the second half of the episode, the guys look back at one wild week in 1991 rock music when everything seemed to change. Guns N’ Roses released Use Your Illusion I & II, and just one week later Nirvana dropped Nevermind. It felt like the end of the ’80s — the optimism, excess and “we can do anything” attitude suddenly giving way to grunge, angst and a completely different sound and style.And on a happier note, happy birthday to fellow Gen Xer Doug E. Fresh!#genx #vegas #21stbirthday #nirvana #gunsnroses

The Gex X Men are joined by special guest Susan Morissette, the founder of Heart of American Quilt, a 9-11 tribute started from a small town in Central Maine. No big corporation behind it, no giant PR program. Just one mom of 4 from Maine deciding to find a small way to support after the events of 9-11. The Quilt ended up getting panels from around the world and today if you were to assemble it, the quilt would cover over an acre of land. Incredible storyCheck out http://www.heartofamericaquilt.org/ for more details on how you can donate.And sending our most heartfelt thoughts to all those who lost loved ones on 9-11-01. We all need to do our best to pass down the incredible stories--like this one--so that the future generations will Never Forget.#genx #neverforget #911 #heartofamericaquilt

The Gen X Men celebrate the beginning of ESPN and stay out late to watch those west coast games. Or Aussie Rules Football. Or Strongman competitions. If it had a scoreboard, we were watching back in those early ESPN days.Now it's all just talking heads and yelling. Speaking of yelling...everyone yelled at Rachel "Ray Gun" after her Olympic performance in Paris back in '24. And Netflix made a special. Gary watched it...because Gary will watch anything. His review is in the 2nd half of the show.Thanks for checking us out. Like and subscribe and spread the word!#Raygun #netflixoriginal #genx #espn #aussierules

Ah, the good old days. Flipping open the Sunday paper, pulling out Parade Magazine and finding gold in the back pages: Columbia House Records and Tapes.Twelve of your favorite albums for one penny. CDs, cassettes, vinyl, even 8-tracks over the years. Sure, you had to buy a few more at full price—but to a Gen X teenager, that first package showing up at the door felt like Christmas.Bill and Gary look back at the glory days of Columbia House, the fine print nobody read, and the postcard you absolutely had to remember to send back before the next “selection” showed up on your bill.Then the guys jump around the musical time machine: Debbie Gibson’s Out of the Blue turns another year older, Belinda Carlisle is somehow 68, and we say a fond farewell to ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard, who passed away this week at 77.It’s a jam-packed musical edition of Gen-X Men—just remember to mail back the postcard before they charge you for this month’s selection.#GenX #GenXMen #ColumbiaHouse #80sMusic #90sMusic #DebbieGibson #BelindaCarlisle #ZZTop #MusicNostalgia