GenX Journeys

This month, the GenX Book Club heads back to New York City in 1977, a city of punk rock, poetry, underground art, the blackout, Son of Sam, and a little club on the Bowery called CBGB.

Paul Stroessner Jr. and Suzanne Mattaboni are joined by author Gabriel Rotello to discuss his novel The CBGB Conspiracy, a historical murder mystery that mixes fictional characters with real people, places, and events from one of the wildest and most creative periods in New York City history.

Gabriel didn't just research this world. He lived in it. He arrived in New York in the 1970s, played music during the early CBGB era, and later became a journalist, activist, author, and documentary filmmaker.

The conversation quickly moves beyond the mystery itself and into the New York that inspired it. Gabriel shares memories of the downtown music and art scene, the real history woven throughout the novel, the Everard Baths fire, the Anderson Theater and CBGB's attempted expansion, and the remarkable collection of artists, musicians, writers, and outsiders who found one another in a city that was simultaneously falling apart and exploding with creativity.

Suzanne brings her own memories of New York and the New Wave era, while Paul digs into Gabriel's experience of turning history into fiction and why writing the novel was so much fun.

And at one point, Gabriel shares a piece of CBGB history that he says nobody else knows about.

They also discuss Steven Sprouse, William S. Burroughs, Holly Woodlawn, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, the transformation of New York nightlife, and whether the conditions that created that extraordinary downtown culture could ever happen again.

This is a spoiler-free conversation, so you can listen even if The CBGB Conspiracy is still sitting on your TBR pile.

Because sometimes a great book isn't the end of the conversation.

It's where the stories begin.

Connect with Gabriel Rotello:GabrielRotello.com

The CBGB Conspiracy can be found at Amazon and anywhere else where books are sold.

📖 Suzanne Mattaboni (Author of Once in a Lifetime) 🔹 Get her book anywhere books are sold, including Kindle Unlimited and onceinalifetimenovel.com 🔹 Visit her at suzannemattaboni.com 🔹 Follow Suzanne:

• 📷 Instagram: @suzannemattaboni80s
• 🐦 X: @suzmattaboni
• 📘 Facebook: Suzanne Mattaboni

🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM) 🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes 🔹 Get your daily dose of '80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

💡 Whether you're a die-hard '80s fan, a nostalgia lover, or just someone who enjoys a great book club discussion, this episode is packed with fun, wisdom, and plenty of throwback vibes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow/subscribe on your favorite podcast app and leave a review.

In Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Linda Varisco, we continue her remarkable story where Part 1 left off.

After being sentenced to federal prison for a crime that began with a devastating scam, Linda shares what life was really like behind prison walls. From self-surrender and prison routines to unexpected friendships, creative survival, and finding purpose in the most difficult circumstances, she offers an honest and deeply human look at incarceration.

You'll hear stories about:

• Adjusting to life in a federal prison camp
• Using her chiropractic skills to help fellow inmates
• Teaching Pilates and building community
• Writing the first draft of her memoir by hand
• Finding hope through creativity, books, and service
• Learning to forgive and move forward
• The challenges of rebuilding life after prison

More than a story about incarceration, this is a conversation about resilience, reinvention, and refusing to let your worst chapter define the rest of your life.

If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, be sure to start there to hear the events that led to Linda's prison sentence and the remarkable journey that brought her to this point.

About Dr. Linda Varisco

Dr. Linda Varisco is a chiropractor, bestselling author, speaker, and survivor whose life has been marked by extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows. She is the author of The Girl with the Million Dollar Smile trilogy, where she shares her incredible journey of love, loss, betrayal, federal prison, and ultimately, hope.

https://lindavarisco.com

TikTok: @thelifeofmrpeaches

🎙 GenX Journeys is where Generation X comes to embrace the past, own the present, and build an epic future.

Follow, subscribe, and share wherever you listen to podcasts.

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

What happens when the life you've carefully built begins to unravel?

In this powerful first installment of a two-part conversation, Paul sits down with Dr. Linda Varisco, bestselling author of The Girl with the Million Dollar Smile, to explore a journey marked by heartbreak, betrayal, resilience, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Linda shares her early life on Long Island, the path that led her to a successful chiropractic career, and the personal and professional challenges that slowly transformed everything she thought she knew. Along the way, she opens up about marriage, family, loss, difficult decisions, and the betrayals that changed the course of her life.

More than anything, this is a story about resilience. Even in life's darkest moments, hope has a way of finding us.

This is Part 1 of Linda's remarkable journey. In Part 2, Linda shares her experiences with the federal investigation, life in prison, and the extraordinary path to rebuilding her life.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Growing up on Long Island
• Building a successful chiropractic practice
• Marriage, family, and unexpected heartbreak
• Trust, betrayal, and life-changing decisions
• Finding strength when everything begins to fall apart
• Why resilience is a choice we make every day

If Linda's story resonates with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs the reminder that our toughest chapters don't have to define our future.

https://lindavarisco.com

TikTok: @thelifeofmrpeaches

🎙 GenX Journeys is where Generation X comes to embrace the past, own the present, and build an epic future.

Follow, subscribe, and share wherever you listen to podcasts.

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

Every family has stories. Some are passed down from generation to generation, while others are nearly lost to time.

In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul Stroessner and Suzanne Mattaboni welcome author Lara Brenckle Malmont to share the remarkable true story that inspired her debut novel, Three Rivers Home. What began as childhood curiosity about a grandfather she never met turned into a twenty-year journey through family records, newspaper archives, courthouse documents, and long-forgotten letters.

Along the way, Lara discovered a little-known chapter of Pittsburgh history involving children who were "farmed out" through Allegheny County's early foster care system—while also uncovering a deeper understanding of resilience, family, and the stories that shape us.

The conversation also explores growing up Gen X, the books that inspired a generation of readers and writers, the influence of journalism, preserving family history before it's lost, and why asking questions may be one of the greatest gifts we can pass on.

Whether you're fascinated by genealogy, historical fiction, or simply love hearing meaningful conversations, this episode is a reminder that every family has a story worth discovering.

• Growing up Gen X in and around Pittsburgh
• How childhood curiosity became a 20-year research project
• The true story behind Three Rivers Home
• Forgotten history and Pittsburgh's early foster care system
• Journalism, storytelling, and historical fiction
• The books that shaped a generation of Gen X readers
• Why preserving family stories matters more than ever

Lara Brenckle Malmont is a Pittsburgh native, journalist, and author of Three Rivers Home. Her writing explores the people, places, and stories that define home. Her debut novel is inspired by the true story of her paternal grandfather's childhood in early twentieth-century Pittsburgh and the forgotten history surrounding Allegheny County's dependent children.

larabrencklemalmont.com

Get Three Rivers Home on Amazon

Facebook

Instagram (@lara_brenckle_malmont)

LinkedIn: larabrenckle

TikTok: @larabrencklemalmont

X: @larabrenckle

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who loves great stories and meaningful conversations.

Because every journey begins with a question... and sometimes the answers change everything.

Who in your family has a story you've never asked about? Maybe it's time to start asking.

📖 Suzanne Mattaboni (Author of Once in a Lifetime) 🔹 Get her book anywhere books are sold, including Kindle Unlimited and onceinalifetimenovel.com 🔹 Visit her at suzannemattaboni.com 🔹 Follow Suzanne:

• 📷 Instagram: @suzannemattaboni80s
• 🐦 X: @suzmattaboni
• 📘 Facebook: Suzanne Mattaboni

🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM) 🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes 🔹 Get your daily dose of '80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

What if the songs that shaped your life could also help you heal?

In this episode of GenX Book Club, Paul Stroessner and Suzanne Mattaboni welcome author Steve Matsumoto to discuss his heartfelt debut novel, The Last Mixtape.

Set against the backdrop of the 1990s, The Last Mixtape follows first-grade teacher James Nakamura as he struggles to navigate life after the loss of his sister. Through grief, friendship, romance, and the music that defined a generation, Steve explores how memories can both haunt us and help us move forward.

Together, we discuss:

• The real-life experiences that inspired the novel
• Why mixtapes were so much more than playlists
• Balancing humor with grief
• Writing authentic male vulnerability
• Becoming an author later in life
• Why physical music still holds a special place for Gen X
• The emotional power of nostalgia without relying on nostalgia alone

We also share plenty of memories about cassette tapes, vinyl records, CDs, discovering music before streaming, and the uniquely Gen X experience of communicating through songs.

Whether you've experienced loss, love discovering new authors, or simply remember spending hours crafting the perfect mixtape, this conversation is filled with heart, humor, and plenty of 90s memories.

About Steve Matsumoto

Steve Matsumoto is the author of The Last Mixtape, a coming-of-age novel inspired by personal experiences with grief, family, and the music that shaped a generation. He lives in Southern California and is currently working on the next novel featuring James Nakamura.

https://www.stevematsumoto.com/

📖 Suzanne Mattaboni (Author of Once in a Lifetime) 🔹 Get her book anywhere books are sold, including Kindle Unlimited and onceinalifetimenovel.com 🔹 Visit her at suzannemattaboni.com 🔹 Follow Suzanne:

• 📷 Instagram: @suzannemattaboni80s
• 🐦 X: @suzmattaboni
• 📘 Facebook: Suzanne Mattaboni

🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM) 🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes 🔹 Get your daily dose of '80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

💡 Whether you're a die-hard '80s fan, a nostalgia lover, or just someone who enjoys a great book club discussion, this episode is packed with fun, wisdom, and plenty of throwback vibes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow/subscribe on your favorite podcast app and leave a review.

What if the dream you had at five years old was still waiting for you?

In this inspiring episode of GenX Journeys, Paul welcomes Stacie Jones, founder of AB & J Travel Agency, certified travel advisor, entrepreneur, stroke survivor, Guinness World Record holder, and someone who proves it's never too late to reinvent your life.

As a little girl growing up in the 1970s, Stacie dreamed of seeing the world. Life took her in a different direction, leading her into a successful corporate career. But after suffering multiple strokes in 2022, she was forced to slow down and re-evaluate everything.

Instead of giving up, she returned to the dream she'd carried since childhood.

Today, Stacie helps others create unforgettable travel experiences while living the life she always imagined. Along the way, she shares why travel is about far more than vacations. It's about healing, perspective, renewal, and finding your way back to yourself.

Paul and Stacie also take a nostalgic trip through Gen X memories, including favorite TV shows, music, childhood crushes, and plenty of laughs that every Gen Xer will appreciate.

• Growing up Gen X in the 1970s and '80s
• The childhood dream that never disappeared
• Life after surviving multiple strokes
• Leaving corporate America to build a dream business
• Why travel can transform your perspective
• Common misconceptions about using a travel advisor
• Affordable bucket-list travel
• Favorite travel destinations (including Sedona and Vietnam)
• Dream trips still on the horizon
• Gen X nostalgia: Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, Buck Rogers, Duran Duran, Men at Work, The Muppets, and much more

Whether you're dreaming about traveling, changing careers, or rediscovering the person you always wanted to become, this conversation is a reminder that it's never too late to begin again.

Facebook: Stacie N. Jones AB & J Travel Agency Phone: (513) 991-2717

🎙 GenX Journeys is where Generation X comes to embrace the past, own the present, and build an epic future.

Follow, subscribe, and share wherever you listen to podcasts.

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

What if you could step back into the neighborhoods, friendships, and moments that shaped your life?

In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul welcomes author Mike Di Leo to discuss his remarkable book, There Are Places I Remember. More than a collection of short stories, the book is a tapestry of interconnected memories spanning the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and beyond. Through themes of family, friendship, music, loss, nostalgia, and the passage of time, Mike captures experiences that resonate with Gen X and anyone who has ever looked back on the places and people who shaped them.

Mike shares how the book evolved from an abandoned novel into forty interconnected stories, written during his daily train commute into New York City. The conversation explores growing up on Long Island, the changing nature of memory, revisiting childhood neighborhoods, the impact of 9/11, the universal pull of nostalgia, and why certain moments stay with us forever.

Whether you're a fan of storytelling, history, music, sports, or simply reflecting on life's journey, this episode is a heartfelt exploration of where we've been and how those experiences continue to shape who we are.

• Mike's journey from project manager to published author
• How There Are Places I Remember came to life
• Writing an entire book on an iPhone during train commutes
• The challenge and joy of connecting forty separate stories into one cohesive experience
• Why nostalgia plays such a powerful role in our lives
• Growing up in the suburbs during the 1970s and 1980s
• Revisiting childhood neighborhoods and seeing them through adult eyes
• Mike's firsthand experience during the events of September 11, 2001
• The changing nature of culture from Gen X to today
• Baseball fandom, the Yankees-Mets rivalry, and sports nostalgia
• The Beatles, James Bond, and the cultural touchstones that shaped a generation
• What Mike is working on next

Mike Di Leo is an independent author from Long Island, New York. His latest book, There Are Places I Remember, is a unique collection of interconnected stories that span decades and explore memory, family, friendship, and the moments that define our lives. He is also the author of Images of Broken Light and The Spy Who Thrilled Us: A Guide to the Best of Cinematic James Bond.

Website: MichaelDiLeoAuthor.com

Books available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

What do an arrow through the head, a white suit, a banjo, and two wild and crazy guys have in common?

Steve Martin.

In this episode of the GenX Book Club, Paul Stroessner, Suzanne Mattaboni, and Del Roehling take a nostalgic look back at Steve Martin's memoir Born Standing Up, a fascinating behind-the-scenes story of one of comedy's most innovative performers.

The conversation explores Martin's journey from working in the magic shops of Disneyland to becoming one of the biggest stand-up comedians in America. Along the way, we discuss the discipline, persistence, and creativity that fueled his rise, as well as the personal struggles that shaped him.

We also revisit some of Steve Martin's most iconic moments, including:

📚 The origins of the arrow-through-the-head routine 🎭 The development of his unique style of comedy 🎤 His groundbreaking stand-up performances of the 1970s 📺 Saturday Night Live and the "Wild and Crazy Guys" era 🎵 King Tut, Let's Get Small, and comedy albums as Gen X cultural touchstones 🎬 Favorite Steve Martin films including The Jerk, Three Amigos, Father of the Bride, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Parenthood, and more

More than a celebrity memoir, Born Standing Up is a masterclass in perseverance, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

Whether you grew up quoting Steve Martin's routines or are discovering his story for the first time, this episode celebrates a comedy legend whose influence continues to be felt across generations.

📖 Suzanne Mattaboni (Author of Once in a Lifetime) 🔹 Get her book anywhere books are sold, including Kindle Unlimited and onceinalifetimenovel.com 🔹 Visit her at suzannemattaboni.com 🔹 Follow Suzanne:

• 📷 Instagram: @suzannemattaboni80s
• 🐦 X: @suzmattaboni
• 📘 Facebook: Suzanne Mattaboni

🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM) 🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes 🔹 Get your daily dose of '80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

💡 Whether you're a die-hard '80s fan, a nostalgia lover, or just someone who enjoys a great book club discussion, this episode is packed with fun, wisdom, and plenty of throwback vibes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow/subscribe on your favorite podcast app and leave a review.

What happens when the thing you love most is suddenly taken away?

In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul sits down with singer-songwriter Greg Amici to explore a story of resilience, reinvention, and returning to a passion that never truly left.

After building momentum with his band Big Honey in New York City's music scene, Greg's journey took an unexpected turn when a vocal cord injury forced him away from music. What followed was a 16-year detour through screenwriting, acting, graduate school, and caring for aging parents before he finally found his way back to songwriting and recording.

Greg shares: • Growing up in New Jersey and discovering music through classic rock • The rise and sudden end of his band Big Honey • How a vocal injury changed the course of his life • His years pursuing screenwriting and acting in Los Angeles • The moment that reignited his passion for music • Creating his acclaimed album Tragicomic • The challenges and opportunities of making music in the streaming era • Why it's never too late to reconnect with something you love

Along the way, Greg opens up about criticism, creativity, family, aging, perseverance, and what he's learned at 64 that his 24-year-old self could never have understood.

Whether you're a musician, writer, runner, entrepreneur, or anyone who has ever put a dream on hold, this conversation is a reminder that some passions don't disappear. They simply wait for us to return.

Connect with Greg Amici: Website: https://gregamici.com YouTube: @gregamicimusic

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM

In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul welcomes Marine Corps combat veteran and author Keith Cole for a deeply honest conversation about trauma, burnout, faith, resilience, and recovery.

Keith shares his journey from growing up wanting to become a Methodist minister to serving as a machine gunner in Vietnam, where he was wounded three times in combat. After returning home, he carried decades of emotional weight in silence while building a successful career as a CPA, raising his younger siblings after the loss of his mother, and pushing himself beyond exhaustion.

Eventually, burnout caught up with him.

Keith opens up about the sleepless nights, emotional turmoil, drinking, and the breaking point that led him to cry out to God for help — a moment that ultimately inspired his book, Burnout: God's Recovery Plan.

Together, Paul and Keith discuss:

• Vietnam combat experiences and trauma
• The emotional toll of notifying families of fallen Marines
• Why so many people suffer silently
• Burnout in veterans, professionals, caregivers, and everyday life
• The importance of asking for help
• Faith, discipline, and healing
• Creating healthy routines and boundaries
• Keith's PRAISER recovery framework and workbook

This conversation is especially powerful for anyone feeling emotionally exhausted, overwhelmed, stuck, or burned out from carrying too much for too long.

Keith's story is a reminder that recovery is possible - and that asking for help is not weakness, but strength.

Connect with Keith Cole: Website: recoverybyfaith.com

Book: Burnout: God's Recovery Plan

🌎 Website: GenXJourneys.net 📩 Email: [email protected] 📺 YouTube: @GenXJourneys 📷 Instagram: @GenXJourneys 🐦 Twitter/X: @Returntothe80s 📘 Facebook: GenX Journeys 🎥 TikTok: @GenXJourneys

🎧 Subscribe to the GenX Journeys Podcast on: ✅ Apple Podcasts ✅ Spotify ✅ iHeartRadio ✅ Podbean ✅ PlayerFM