Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast

Let’s go crazy, Slackers!

Ah, it's been 40 years since 1984, a year filled with superstars and franchise movies topping the charts. This is definitely one of those oddly Gen X defining years. The early X-ers celebrated their last year as teenagers, while kids like me were just starting to explore music and movies separate from our parents.

The music charts featured numerous songs from hit movie soundtracks, new wave artists, and established superstars. Stars like Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, and Billy Joel were sharing the charts with Prince, Cyndi Lauper, and Madonna. 

Bands really hitting their stride were The Cars, Duran Duran, and Huey Lewis & the News. And so many pop groups making the charts with their biggest hits, often unreplicated in their later careers. 

The box office top 10 was filled with first installments of huge franchises, mixed in with sequels to established series. Plus we have the first hit movie for a sitcom actor that would go on to be one of the biggest stars in the world.

Time to get back to music, Slackers

On this week's episode, I give my top 10 most listened to albums of all time. While there are many other records that I would put among my favorite records if all time, this list is based on listens.

Many of these albums are from my teen years - when I would listen to cassetes until the lettering had worn away or the tape became frayed or tangled - but these are the ones I keep going back to all these years later.

A healthy mix of 80's hair and thrash metal, 90's hardcore & alternative, and mid to late 90's indie rock are all part of the soundtrack of my life. 

I also give some book recommendations - did you all know about Paul G. Tremblay? I didn't and now I am reading all of his stuff.

Anyway - have you subscibed yet? You should do that. Like, right now.

How we doing today, Slackers?!

It's the day after Election Day and we may or may not know who the next President of the United States will be. In the spirit of Election Day, let's take a dive into all the elections that have occurred since 1965. Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden - those have been the winning candidates since Gen X has been alive.

From third party segregationists, lewd scandals, national tragedies, and assassination attempts, the past 60 years have been interesting to say the least. One of the more interesting - if not most controversial - elements of the US Presidential elections, is the electoral college. There have been winners that failed to win the popular vote, while many had massive blowouts, winning both the electoral college and popular vote handily.

So, what happened since this podcast was recorded? Who knows? But regardless of how you vote, remember to love your fellow citizens and may God Bless America.

Happy Halloween, Slackers!

Remember those hard plastic masks, with edges sharp enough to cut you, while completely obstructing your vision and breathing?! Perfect for a nighttime activity like trick or treating!

Were you ever a Princess Leia, ET, Indiana Jones, or Michael Myers? What about Elvis, Michael Jackson, or Madonna?

On this week's episode we break down the most popular costumes of the late 60's through the 90's. It is really a reflection of what was in the news, in the movie theaters, and on the radio. Politicans, movie heroes, pop stars, and strange characters all got some attention on All Hallows' Eve.

Whether the costumes were store bought or homemade, Halloween was (almost) always a fun night. I mean, free candy while dressed in disguise - what more could a kid ask for?

Then many of us have had the opportunity to watch our own kids experience that same sense of excitment while getting dressed up to hit the town to ask strangers for candy.

Always one of my favorite holidays. It's an absolutely crazy concept, but an awful lot of fun in practice.

Spooky SZN continues, Slackers!

This week we break down the “top 36” 80’s horror flicks as ranked by Slashfilm. While I can’t say I agree with the exact order of these movies - and admittedly some I’ve never seen - the top 10 is pretty solid.

The 80’s was peak horror in many ways, with not only slashers, but great tales of hauntings, monster movies, body horror, and worst of all - the evils of man.

Some of the best directors of all time got their start in horror, so the list is full of absolute masters of the genre. Names like Cronenberg, Carpenter, Craven, and Cameron. Let’s not forget Raimi, Romero, and Hooper.

The 80’s brought us Xenomorphs, Freddy, Jason, Pinhead & Chucky. But it was little Carol Anne that really scared us! 

What are your favorite horror films of the 80s?

It's spooky time once again, Slackers!

Although I say it often, I really think that there is a certain sensibility that is convyed by Gen X filmmakers. There is something that I can't exactly put my finger on, but everything from shot selection, dialogue, pacing, and most significantly, the film score, all have an intangible that can only come from growing up in our era.

Perhaps it is due the rise of the slasher genre in our childhoods, but modern horror is definitely influenced by the films of the 70's and 80's, from directors like John Carpenter, Tobe Hoope, Wes Craven, and Sam Raimi (and even films from Spielberg & Lucas). 

Now our peers, fed a steady diet of Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers have become some of the best filmmakers in the horror genre. Who are the best of the best? Check out the episode for my picks!

This is the first of three Halloween themed episodes, so take a listen and please subscribe today!

Do you love 'em or hate 'em, Slackers?!

After decades of having an ambivelent stance on this legendary group, I have recently started to go down The Police rabbit hole. Starting with Stewart Copeland's Drumeo video, I began to go back through the band's history and it's few but mighty records. With a career that lasted only 7 years, the five records that they did record have gone down in history as some of the most diverse and influential records of all time.

While I certainly know all the hits, it has only been with this recent dive into their catalouge that I have been able to discover the complexity of their songs - songs that on the surface seem simple - with this huge voice cutting through it all. Now I know that Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland were dynamic musicians with plenty of backstage drama that both contributed to their success and likely their abrupt exit from the scene. But what better way to end a career than with your biggest album and tour - then have a single reunion tour that becomes one of the biggest tours of all time!

For the early Gen Xers, this was probably one of your favorite bands - I mean if I was turning 13 in 1978, I would have been all about them - but I was just a little too young to have appreciated them at the time. With the benefit of hindsight and some great content available online, I have just begun to explore and appreciate their music and legacy.

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?