In My Footsteps: A Gen-X Nostalgia Podcast

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The anniversary of an influential horror film. Some unbelievable stories from an unbelievable amusement park. The best horror movies made for little money.

Episode 264 kicks off Spooky Season proper with some haunting GenX nostalgia.

It starts with the story of Action Park, an amusement and water park where coming out unscathed was a bonus. For decades, visitors entered the grounds in New Jersey looking for a fun day creating memories. Some got what they paid for, while many left with injuries, and some even lost their lives, earning it nicknames like Traction Park. How was this park allowed to stay open? 

45 years ago a group of friends with little money but a lot of talent and drive created a horror film that changed the industry. The Evil Dead lacked a big budget but made up for it in story, creativity, and gore by the bucket. We look back at how the film came to be, why it was so popular, and its legacy and influence. 

Not every movie can have tens of millions of dollars at its disposal. Some films have to make do with a far smaller budget. In this week's Top 5, we look at some of the best low-budget horror movies. These were made for less than one million dollars (at the time). 

There is also a brand-new This Week in History and Time Capsule looking at the life and career of animator Mike Judge, creator of Beavis & Butthead and King of the Hill.

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

• Buy My New Book, In Their Footsteps!
• Searching For the Lady of the Dunes True Crime Book
• Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
• Emma's Musings - Substack
• DJ Williams Music
• KeeKee's Cape Cod Kitchen
• MSFTS Community
• Kingfisher Hotels Cape Cod
• Christopher Setterlund.com
• Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
• Subscribe on YouTube!
• Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
• CJSetterlundPhotos on Etsy
• Class Action Park.com

Listen to Episode 263 here

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A pair of beloved Super Mario Bros. sequels. The premiere of Saturday Night Live. Some famous people singing backup on other famous songs. 

Episode 263 kicks off the month of October with a lot of fun GenX nostalgia and pop culture.

We begin with a double dose of video game classics. Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3 are so connected that it felt wrong to not talk about both. One was experimental while the other became one of the best-selling games ever for the NES. Both of them were highly influential on games that came after. Get ready for a speedrun through the world of Mario.

Saturday Night Live should not have succeeded the way it did. Unknown comedians, unknown writers, creating a show seen as filler for what were reruns of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Yet, more than five decades later, the show is looked at as the launch pad of dozens of famous stars and is one of the most important television shows ever. We will look at how it all began.

In an oddly specific Top 5, we will look at famous singers who also sang backup on other famous songs. Some of these are common knowledge, but others you might not have heard about. Get ready to create a new Spotify playlist.

There is also a brand-new This Week in History and Time Capsule looking back at the Broadway debut of the musical Cats.

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

• Buy My New Book, In Their Footsteps!
• Searching For the Lady of the Dunes True Crime Book
• Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
• Emma's Musings - Substack
• DJ Williams Music
• KeeKee's Cape Cod Kitchen
• MSFTS Community
• Kingfisher Hotels Cape Cod
• Christopher Setterlund.com
• Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
• Subscribe on YouTube!
• Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
• CJSetterlundPhotos on Etsy

Listen to Episode 262 here

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Celebrating 40 years of Double Dare. Some of the worst after-school specials ever. A collection of weird and wild 1980s PC games.

Episode 262 ends the month of September with all shades of GenX nostalgia and pop culture.

On your mark, get set, go! The show sprints from the start with a look back forty years at the debut of Nickelodeon's sloppy fun game show Double Dare. Every 80s kid who watched the show either wanted to be on it or wanted to find ways to replicate it in our own lives. Slime, physical challenges, flags, and loads of memories are here.

ABC's After School Specials were a big part of the lives of 70s and 80s kids. It's where we learned about how to deal with bullying, drugs, peer pressure, and more. On this week's show, we will go to the bottom of the barrel to find some of the worst episodes from the beloved series. This includes a future A-list actor diving out of a window.

Not every video game can change the industry. For every Oregon Trail that defined the 1980s, there were also plenty of weird and just plain terrible PC games. This week we look at the Top 5 weird PC games from the 1980s, including one based on a C-level one-hit wonder band. 

This week, we also have a brand-new This Week in History and Time Capsule looking back at the debut of the Ford Model T.

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

• Buy My New Book, In Their Footsteps!
• Searching For the Lady of the Dunes True Crime Book
• Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
• DJ Williams Music
• KeeKee's Cape Cod Kitchen
• MSFTS Community
• Kingfisher Hotels Cape Cod
• Christopher Setterlund.com
• Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
• Subscribe on YouTube!
• Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
• CJSetterlundPhotos on Etsy
• Retro Games.cz

Listen to Episode 261 here

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The simultaneous success and failure of the US Festival. Pee-Wee's Playhouse hits the Big 4-0. Some famous fictional bands.

Episode 261 welcomes fall with a show featuring varying shades of GenX nostalgia.

It all begins with what could have been the next big evolution in music festivals. The US Festival had some of the biggest names in music and technology in the early 1980s. In many ways it was a resounding success, but financially it was an abject failure. What happened? We will look into the whole story.

This week's secret word is forty, as in forty years. Pee-Wee's Playhouse entertained and, yes, educated 1980s kids. From the mind of Paul Reubens, this mashup of many different types of entertainment took Saturdays in the 80s by storm. We celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pee-Wee's Playhouse this week.

The Top 5 is real, but none of the musical acts featured in it are. We are going to look at some of the most famous fictional bands ever. Fun fact: three of these bands scored number one hits.

This week, we also have a brand-new This Week In History and Time Capsule looking back at when the fictional cartoon band The Archies scored a #1 hit song.

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

• Buy My New Book, In Their Footsteps!
• Searching For the Lady of the Dunes True Crime Book
• Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
• DJ Williams Music
• KeeKee's Cape Cod Kitchen
• MSFTS Community
• Kingfisher Hotels Cape Cod
• Christopher Setterlund.com
• Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
• Subscribe on YouTube!
• Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
• CJSetterlundPhotos on Etsy
• Pee-Wee Park

Listen to Episode 260 here

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The debut of The Muppet Show. Some of the music fails of the 1970s. A school bus that acts like a dog?

Summer is ending, but the Gen-X nostalgia continues with Episode 260.

We start off with a look back to the debut of the original Muppet Show, which occurred 50 years ago this month. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, and so many more classic characters burst onto television sets and became cultural icons. This segment gives an overview and is only the beginning of the Muppet content.

A school bus that acts like a dog? What sort of acid trip created that idea? Who knows. What we do know is that this is the main plot behind the odd 1970s educational short film The Big Yellow Fellow. We will review this insanity and see if there are any valuable lessons to be learned. 

The 1970s had some amazing music. From Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd, all four Beatles' solo work, and more. This week's Top 5 will have none of them. Instead, we will look at some of the biggest musical fails of the 1970s. Lots of bad music and bad choices abound.

There is also a brand new This Week In History and Time Capsule looking back at the life and career of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur 30 years after his death.

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

• Buy My New Book, In Their Footsteps!
• Searching For the Lady of the Dunes True Crime Book
• Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
• DJ Williams Music
• KeeKee's Cape Cod Kitchen
• MSFTS Community
• Kingfisher Hotels Cape Cod
• Christopher Setterlund.com
• Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
• Subscribe on YouTube!
• Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
• CJSetterlundPhotos on Etsy
• 9/11 25 Years Later

Listen to Mixtape #5 here

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Happy Labor Day! When this episode premieres, I will be on location producing my first feature film, The Cabin. Thank you to everyone who donated to the fundraiser and helped to get this project made!

Being on location means that in place of a new podcast episode, you get Mixtape #5

All of the Blink and You'll Miss It retro segments are here in chronological order.

They contain foods, toys, television shows, miscellaneous products, and more that were here and gone in a relative flash. If you weren't around when they came out, you might have no memory of them ever existing. 

You will laugh. You will shake your head. Maybe you'll go scouring your basement to see if you have any of the items mentioned, as they might fetch a few bucks on eBay.

Enjoy some memories in mixtape form on the podcast. Happy Labor Day weekend, and thank you again for all of the support for the podcast and my other creative ventures!

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

• Buy My New Book, In Their Footsteps!
• Searching For the Lady of the Dunes True Crime Book
• Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
• DJ Williams Music
• KeeKee's Cape Cod Kitchen
• MSFTS Community
• Kingfisher Hotels Cape Cod
• Christopher Setterlund.com
• Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
• Subscribe on YouTube!
• Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
• CJSetterlundPhotos on Etsy

Listen to Episode 259 here

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Send us Fan Mail

Back to the Golden Age of toy shopping. 

Welcome to the sixth Hidden Track Podcast!

For this show, we are looking at a pair of classic toy stores that so many Gen Xers frequented in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Child World and Kay-Bee Toys were staples growing up in those bygone decades. Walking the aisles, trying out some of the toys, and likely left a mess in our wake. It was the best of times. However, times can and do change. Today, both of these stores are mere relics of the past, consigned to the clearance bin of history. We will look at them both, good, bad, and everything in between.

These are short-form shows, clocking in at roughly 10-15 minutes. They will cover one or two topics, likely ones previously covered on the In My Footsteps Podcast. These are subjects that were part of Top 5s or other list-form segments and deserve a more in-depth look.

Enjoy this podcast snack and make sure to check your attic for anything with the logos on them, as they fetch some cash on eBay!

Support me and the show by becoming a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

• Buy My New Book, In Their Footsteps!
• Searching For the Lady of the Dunes True Crime Book
• Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
• DJ Williams Music
• KeeKee's Cape Cod Kitchen
• MSFTS Community
• Kingfisher Hotels Cape Cod
• Christopher Setterlund.com
• Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
• Subscribe on YouTube!
• Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
• CJSetterlundPhotos on Etsy
• Goodbye Dolly

Listen to Episode 259 here

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Support the show

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In Episode 259 we're going to have all sorts of fun in 1971. We will be diving into all things music, television, movies, and pop culture.

Those were the days. Television in 1971 was a dividing line between the old and the new. Older, safer shows were being shown the door while a new generation of shows changed the landscape of pop culture. All in the Family took the world by storm with Flip Wilson, Marcu Welby, Mary Tyler Moore, and others following along. 

Hot pants and leisure suits dotted the dance floors when looking back at Music in 1971. Popular music began splintering into smaller niches. The Beatles were gone but Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Carole King, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, and others filled the gap.

The Top 5 is filled with weird and funny news stories from 1971. A vibrating piece of clothing? An emergency broadcast false alarm? A famous plane hijacking? You'll hear about all of them and more.

This Week In History and Time Capsule looks at the first transatlantic flight of the Concorde. Stay tuned for some classic 1971 commercials as well!  

Support me and the show, by becoming a member on Patreon. 

Or support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

• Buy My New Book, In Their Footsteps!
• Searching For the Lady of the Dunes True Crime Book
• Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
• DJ Williams Music
• KeeKee's Cape Cod Kitchen
• MSFTS Community
• Kingfisher Hotels Cape Cod
• Christopher Setterlund.com
• Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
• Subscribe on YouTube!
• Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
• CJSetterlundPhotos on Etsy
• Goodbye Dolly

Listen to Episode 258 here

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The 40th anniversary of Stand By Me. Also, the 40th anniversary of Nintendo's Metroid. Some classes that are no longer taught in school.

Episode 258 brings the Gen-X nostalgia in time for going back to school.

40 years ago this week, one of the seminal movies of 1980s kids' lives was released. Stand By Me was based on a Stephen King story and gave many kids of the time the desire to go hike the railroad tracks. We do a deep dive into the film, its importance, and the impact it had on kids at the time, like me.

Also 40 years ago this week, one of the most popular and influential games for the original Nintendo was released. Metroid was heavily influenced by the film Alien but in turn also blazed a trail for future games. Perhaps the perfect game for Gen-X, it taught you to go explore and find your own way. Were you able to defeat Mother Brain? Did you know the main character was female?

It's back to school time. This week's Top 5 ties in perfectly as we look at some classes that are no longer taught in school. Whether totally obsolete or extremely scaled back, these are classes that used to be part of the curriculum but have since faded away.

As always, there is a brand-new This Week in History and Time Capsule, looking back at the life and career of actor River Phoenix.

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

• Buy My New Book, In Their Footsteps!
• Searching For the Lady of the Dunes True Crime Book
• Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
• DJ Williams Music
• KeeKee's Cape Cod Kitchen
• MSFTS Community
• Kingfisher Hotels Cape Cod
• Christopher Setterlund.com
• Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
• Subscribe on YouTube!
• Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
• CJSetterlundPhotos on Etsy
• Retro Games.cz

Listen to Episode 257 here

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The original music festival. The follow-up to the king of video game consoles. Some favorite 1990s celebrity crushes.

Episode 257 has a batch of Gen-X nostalgia, hot and fresh out of the oven like Poppin' Fresh dough.

It starts with a look back at the original, and many say, greatest, music festival. Woodstock occurred this week in history in 1969 and changed not only music but the culture of a generation. However, it ended up being a success pulled from the jaws of failure. A larger-than-expected crowd, food shortages, bad weather, and more could have sunk the event before it happened. Instead, it helped make it one of the most important events in music history.

Now you're playing with power...super power. How do you follow up the most successful video game console ever made? If you are Nintendo, you take your time. 35 years ago this week, the 16-bit Super Nintendo made its debut in America. Sega Genesis had a two-year head start, so how would the SNES fare? Far better than they could have imagined. 

How many of these celebrities adorned the walls of your bedroom? This week's Top 5 is all about the biggest 1990s celebrity crushes. Male, female, actors, musicians, it's all covered here.

Of course, there is a brand-new This Week in History and Time Capsule, featuring the ultimate bad-luck story of a person being struck by two consecutive foul balls at a baseball game.

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

• Buy My New Book, In Their Footsteps!
• Searching For the Lady of the Dunes True Crime Book
• Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
• DJ Williams Music
• KeeKee's Cape Cod Kitchen
• MSFTS Community
• Kingfisher Hotels Cape Cod
• Christopher Setterlund.com
• Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
• Subscribe on YouTube!
• Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
• CJSetterlundPhotos on Etsy
• Retro Games.cz

Listen to Episode 256 here

Support the show