Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast

Will Gen X ever truly “arrive”, Slackers? 

With the Boomers basically holding on to power with every bit of strength they have left and the Millennials seemingly leapfrogging us, when do we get into those top power positions? 

While we have not made the impact in the political sphere that I would like, we have several members of our generation seated at the heads of many well known corporations. Unsurprisingly, many of them are in the tech field.

Sure everyone knows Elon Musk, but did you know that Michael Dell (of that Dell) is a Gen Xer? Did you know that the heads of McDonald’s, Microsoft, and Electronic Arts (EA) are all counted among Gen X?

Yet, another Presidential election cycle will come and go with no Gen X representation on the ticket.

Maybe in 2028?!

This is a scandalous episode, Slackers!

While we see a new scandal hit the news seemingly every day, this is nothing new. This week I take a look at the biggest scandals of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s.

There are tawdry affairs, criminal activities, murder, mayhem and much more!

Names like Madonna, Jane Fonda, Roman Polanski, Jerry Seinfeld - and yes, even way back in the 90’s, Sean Combs - they all had their fair share of scandals making the front page news. 

To think that back then “social media” was really the paparazzi, evening news, and the TV tabloids like Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition. Imagine how many things didn’t make the news!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the show. 

Find me on social media - https://linktr.ee/stuckinthemiddleagenxpod

Sure, everyone has heard of Coppola and Scorsese and Spielberg. But those guys are two silent generations and a Boomer!

What about those Gen X filmmakers that have really made an impact on Hollywood? It turns out that there were way more notable directors from our generation than I had originally expected. This is only part one.

Part 1 covers those directors born between 1965 and 1969. You may recognize names like Michael Bay, Wes Anderson, Antoine Fuqua, James Gunn, Zack Snyder, and Denis Villeneuve. Billions of dollars in box office between them, with some more “artistic” projects in their filmographies as well. 

We can also get so caught up the “big name” directors, that it is forgotten how the Pixar films have been - up until very recently - very high quality films, regardless of being animated. So guys like Byron Howard and Andrew Stanton, who have made some of the best of the Pixar flicks, are not household names outside the hardcore animation fans. 

It should come as no surprise that the movies that have most resonated with me in recent years have been Gen X directed. What are some of your favorites?

Let’s take a trip into the past, Slackers.

What was happening in the world, 30, 40, and 50 years ago? Was the world that different of a place?

On this episode, we take a look at the economy, the political climate, top TV shows, music, movies, and general pop culture from 1974, 1984, and 1994. 

While many things are different, the general themes of the day never seem to change all that much. Between election year craziness, dark times with war, terrorism, and crime, it all seems so familiar.

I’m sure the day will come when things will be different, but for now, let’s take a look into the past, and instead of pining for “the good old days”, recognize how humanity is still doing the same old nonsense - same stuff, different decade.

Time to access the memory banks, Slackers.

A few weeks ago we covered one hit wonders, but what about those one season TV shows? Why does a show that was barely on our TV screens have such a strong imprint in our memories?

Regardless of quality, shows like Misfits of Science and Manimal have somehow endured in pop culture. Was it because they were actually terrible, were they any good, or were they just a product of their time? They were probably terrible, but some shows that only got one season definitely deserved at least one more chance. 

Shows like Battlestar Galactica had a much more successful reimagining in the 2000’s - while the Joss Whedon space western, Firefly, was plagued by a bad time slot - although thankfully they got a feature film that served to finish the story.

One thing is certain - many of these one season shows were the career launching points for future stars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Courtney Cox, and Nathan Fillion.

What are some of your favorites?

Who doesn’t love a comeback, Slackers?

Many huge stars of the 80's & 90's had their careers stalled at some point. Some due to substance abuse. Some had legal issues. Others just made poor business decisions. While for many, Hollywood just no longer viewed them as bankable stars.

One example is Winona Ryder. Ms. Ryder was one of the most popular and successful stars of the late 80’s and early 90’s. But after an arrest for shoplifting, her career came to a grinding halt. After year of smaller roles, she one again became a big time star with her role as Joyce on Stranger Things.
 
After amassing huge debts, both with private creditors and the IRS, Nicolas Cage set off to pay these debts off - by taking every single role that came his way. It’s actually really respectable that he just went to work, reputation be damned. But after paying off those debts, Mr. Cage is back to taking a more discerning approach to his roles. So, while he never really went away, he somehow made a comeback within an active career!

These are just two example of Hollywood comebacks - take a listen to hear them all!

All it takes is one, Slackers.

One hit is all a band really needs to leave a lasting impact on music history. More importantly, one hit song can sustain a band for many, many years. 

The so-called “one hit wonders”, have often found lasting success, just from fans wanting to hear “the big one”. Now the main source for this episode didn’t exactly vet their information - shame on me for not vetting their information! Some of the artists mentioned have actually had one, if not several additional hit songs!

Regardless, songs like “Come On Eileen” or “Electric Avenue” are timeless and even Zoomers know these hits.

Join me for this little dive into the one hit wonders of the 1980’s.

And what do you think of the new logo? Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Where did you fit in, Slackers?

Were you a jock? A nerd? A theater kid? Or did you just kind of blend in? Some of us were definitely rockers, with a side of dragger, and some geek mixed in. Maybe you were a drifter? Or maybe, just maybe, you were a punk/goth?

It’s strange to think how little of this was in our control. We liked what we liked, wore what we wore, and hung out with the people that made us feel comfortable - at a time in our lives when many of us were really unsure of where we fit in. At least that’s how it was for me.

Some of those arbitrary designations were pretty spot on when we look back on things. And some of those friendships have stood the test of time. We are truly blessed to have come across people that made our lives better in those weird teenage years - doubly so if we still call them friends all these years later.

Howdy, Slackers!

The Whatever Wednesday has returned. What does that mean, you ask? It means a muddled mass of disparate - but still Gen X related - topics.

We have some less than stellar health news, both my own and of our whole generation, a little retirement talk, a Gen X icon continues being both inspiring and cringey at the same time, we discover which demo rules the box office, and some of the big concerts tours for Summer 2024.

Oh, and some college kid went off on Blink-182 for being…Blink-182.

That’s it. That’s the episode. Just listen to it. You’ll enjoy it.

USA! USA! USA!

One thing about getting older that kind of sucks is not being as excited about things as we did as kids and young adults. I’ll admit, I haven’t watched any of the 2024 Olympics - but as a kid, the 1984 games in Los Angeles was a major event. I can remember where I was that summer and some moments are forever etched in my memory.

I clearly remember the amazing Carl Lewis dominating, Mary Lou Retton becoming “America’s Sweetheart”, Greg Louganis sweeping the diving events, and the men’s basketball team (before pros were eligible) putting forth a squad made up of future hall of famers. Ever hear of Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, or Chris Mullin?

With the USSR counter-boycotting the US’s boycott of the 1980 games, the US team absolutely destroyed the field, with an overall medal count of 174. Second place? Federal Republic of (West) Germany with 59! 

While I wish I still got as hyped as I did when I was 10, it is still pretty cool that all the nations of the world gather once every four years to (mostly) put our differences aside and allow friendly competition through sports.
 
Plus, I share some fun stuff that occurred this weekend and other random musings…