GenX Stories

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It's spooky season, and the Gen X Stories podcast crew is digging into horror movies and every creepy sub-genre. The ones we grew up with. The ones we're watching now. And, honestly, WHY DO WE DO THIS to ourselves?

Oh, and our guest is the producer of the Final Destination movies (and married to one of us). You'll have to listen to find out how deep his horror knowledge goes.

With Halloween creeping closer, we get into what it takes to make a killer horror movie, which ones have us watching through our fingers, and what the hell a "final girl" is.

Tune in before Halloween. Just don't do it in the dark. We're looking out for you…

Episode links

• Best Horror movies of the 80s\
• Craig Perry, Movie Producer
• All 6 ‘Final Destination’ Movies in Order: Chronological & By Release Date
• The Psychology of Horror Movies
• Man died when being sucked into MRI machine wearing metal chain
• The Top 17+ Horror Subgenres Explained
• The Swarm Movie
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movie
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies book
• Shaun of the Dead Movie
• The 35 Best Horror Comedy Movies, Ranked By Fans
• The Final Girl Guide: 7 Iconic Examples + Tips on Playing Horror’s Heroic Archetype
• The 10 best final girls in horror movie history, ranked
• How Have Cell Phones Changed The Horror Genre?
• Screamfest International Horror Film Festival.
• Cellar Door Movie
• The 15 Most Famous MacGuffin Examples in Movies, Explained

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Apparently GenX Women are "Queenagers" now. Oh HELL, no. This week on the podcast we take a crowbar to the label and everything behind it: corporate age discrimination, tokenism vs diversity, Hollywood's woman issue & how they are dealing with it, and the media's habit of "discovering" women over 50 who've been here the whole time. Plus meet our (not-so) new guest co-host who you will be hearing a lot more from. For the love of Pat Benatar, don't even think of skipping this one.

Episode links

• What is a ‘Queenager’?
• Halle Berry on Drew Barrymore Show
• Anne Hathaway and Tom Cruise’s new movie
• Female film & tv producers
• Hello Sunshine
• Reese Witherspoon's Speech at Glamour's 2015 Women of the Year Awards
• Reese Witherspoon’s Book club
• Nicole Kidman Has Now Worked With 27 Women Directors in 8 Years; She Urges ‘Financial Mentors’ to Invest in Unknown Female Filmmakers and ‘Take a Risk’
• Women Over 50 on TV: Don’t Call Us Golden Girls
• Is Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman’s agelessness the real trick of Practical Magic 2?
• Women over 50 in music
• Whoopi Goldberg & All women sports network
• Geena Davis Institute
• Erykah Badu’s Queenager era
• 50 Women over 50

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Since we last saw you, a lot has happened: AARP published us in their magazine. Everyone listened to our drunk episode (ouch). Court and Chris's kids went off to college. Lori mastered the lazy river. And Eve broke some plates (creatively, of course).

Oh - we also have a brand new merch store you’re gonna go nuts over (yes, seriously).

So what could possibly follow all that in our first episode back? 80s trivia, with questions from Lori and our Facebook group. Duh.

Get your "ding" ready, 'cause season eight starts right now. Brace yourself.

Episode links

• Our NEW store!
• Our drunk episode
• AARP’s The Girlfriend online article featuring us
• AARP Print Mag page
• Eve’s mobility scooter
• What is the rapture?
• Eve’s Chicken Mosaic
• Mosaic tools
• The 80’s trivia game Lori used
• Season 2 episode where Chris shares his love for Mary Tyler Moore

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The crew is all here for a completely unscripted, barely coherent, deeply sincere Season 7 wrap-up. And yes, we're getting drunk. (Well, maybe not all of us.) Expect the usual but even better: meandering tangents, unsolicited hot takes, deeply felt assertions on stuffed animals and confessions about drunk scooting. Oh, and potential equipment damage. Pour yourself something tasty & press play. You know how this goes.

Episode links

• S7 Ep:Kiss, Marry… Wait, What Are the Rules Again?
• S7 Ep: The One Where Gen X (sorta) raises Gen Z
• S7 Ep: The soundtrack of 1983
• S7 Ep: Trick or Trauma? GenX Childhood “fears”
• S7 Ep: Burying more than our feelings: the time capsule episode
• Forest Lawn Cemetery
• Our First Episode together
• When Chris said he loved Mary Tyler Moore
• S7 Ep: The Episode when we decided we were Vagtastic
• S7 Ep: The episode we had to pivot to the sex talk

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Creativity peaking in your 50s more than your 20s? Yup, that tracks. This episode digs into what that actually looks like and it's got nothing to do with taking a pottery class or learning how to square dance. (again.).

You know that we rarely do guests on the show BUT when a fellow Gen Xer (Laura LeBleu) channels her creativity into a gorgeous, 90+ page, three-times-a-year print magazine - for us, by us - we make an exception. While we're a little divided on its controversial name - Geezer - we're totally sure of this. Creativity in every form is a way to "kick ass in our second half". Tune in today. Or not. Whatever.

PS - we even have a discount code for YOU! GXS15 gets you 15% off a Geezer subscription here: https://www.geezermagazine.com/subscribe

Episode links

• At What Age Does Creativity Peak?
• Creativity peaks in your 20s and 50s
• Indulging in the Arts Is Proving to Have Major Health Benefits. Could Creativity be a Hidden Longevity Hack?
• Creative Reinvention in 50s and Beyond
• Jane Pratt Substack

Geezer Magazine Info

• Geezer Magazine
• Geezer Substack
• Geezer IG

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Congratulations, you've found the one podcast episode that finally settles whether extraterrestrial life exists. Spoiler: we don't know either.

Thanks to Lori, we're talking aliens this week - the pop culture kind, the Cold War paranoia kind, and the-cops-told-Eve's-mom-in '58-it-was-a-weather-balloon-but-it-was-definitely-not kind. From Close Encounters to Alien to ET to Project Hail Mary to things on the moon in Roman times, we have ALOT of thoughts. New episode. Stuff to hear. You know what to do.

Episode links

• Aliens and UFOs still fascinate. ‘Project Hail Mary,’ ‘Disclosure Day’ are proof
• How Steven Spielberg Pitched Project Hail Mary's Close Encounters Easter Egg
• Alien.gov mystery grows after White House says 'Stay tuned'
• Neil Dregrasse Typson’s point of view
• NASA and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
• What Really Happened at Roswell?
• What is Area 51 and what goes on there?
• Why So Many Aliens in Pop Culture Look Familiar
• How pop culture has shaped our understanding of aliens
• The most memorable pop culture aliens and extraterrestrials
• The 40+ Most Famous Alien Characters of All Time

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Ever wondered what happens when an entire cruise ship full of Gen Xers decide to relive the greatest decade? Wonder no more.

In this week's episode, we're taking you aboard the 80s Cruise - where the fanny packs are unironic, the hair is big, and the hits just keep on coming.

We're talking live concerts, old-school heartthrobs, neon everything, and a crowd that still knows every single word to every single song. Whether you're a die-hard cruise lover or someone who swore they'd never set foot on a ship, this episode may have you reconsidering your stance fast.

Plus we have a kick ass guest sitting in with us who just came back from her second 80s cruise and is already signed up for her third (and planning for her 4th so she can offically “graduate”.)

So is the 80’s cruise totally rad or totally bogus? Listen now and you can be the judge.

Episode links

• 80’s cruise official website
• Best Moments of the 2025 80’s cruise
• The 80s Cruise: Why A Music Theme Cruise is the Best Party at Sea
• Videos from the 80’s cruise
• Instagram for #The80scruise

Reada Kessler info

• Instagram
• Threads
• Facebook
• WTOP Radio
• WTOP Profile
• Telling the traffic story with Reada Kessler

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Before Google Drive, Gen X processed artifacts the way we handled most everything else: by burying it and hoping future people would care. Yup, you guessed it - this episode is all about time capsules — a concept so ironically Gen X it practically comes with a side of Twinkie and the sense of impending doom. From bicentennial school projects we definitely forgot about, to NASA flinging a gold record into deep space like 'here, aliens, have some Chuck Berry,' to Nickelodeon's pop culture treasure trove sitting somewhere underground until 2042, get comfy. We have a ton to talk about. Tune in like, NOW.

Episode links

• A Brief History of Time (Capsules)
• Time in a Box
• Blasts from the Past: 7 Cool Historical Time Capsules
• 30 Interesting And Cool Historical Time Capsules
• Time capsules are more popular than ever, as Americans take history into their own hands
• How to create a time capsule
• Andy Warhol’s Time Capsules
• For America’s 250th Year, a Time Capsule to Stay Buried for 250 More
• How engineers designed the America250 time capsule to last a quarter millennia

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From Lorde going full existential on Tears for Fears to Johnny Cash making Nine Inch Nails cry to Luke Combs taking us for a ride, it's time for some real GenX talk about cover songs.

This week we're going deep on interpretations of the music we grew up on. and duuude. We have opinions. Beacause what do you mean the songs we love were ALREADY covers?

Be a fly on the wall as the podcast gang debates what makes a cover work (or spectacularly fail), while trying to figure out if these songs are tributes, travesties or nostalgia with a new coat of paint.

Episode links

• All songs referenced in this episode
• Do Cover Bands Pay Royalties: Bringing the Truth to Light!
• QUIZ: Is This ‘80s Song An Original Or A Cover?
• Classic ’80s Songs You Didn’t Know Were Covers
• Tracy Chapman & Luke Combs at the Grammys
• Dolly Parton hearing Whitney Houstom singing “I will always love you”
• The Best '80s Music Covers You'll Play on Repeat
• Top 20 80s cover versions
• 10 alternative artists who gave iconic '80s classics a modern update
• The Top 10 best metal covers of 80s pop songs

Other Playlists

• Indie covers of 80’s songs
• Best 80’s covers

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Forget everything you thought you knew about "aging communties." The Gen X Stories crew is talking the next step in housing (and it's not your parents' retirement home.) From rethought 55+ communities with actual cocktail bars, co-housing, walkable villages, and yes, converted malls, it turns out our options are way more interesting than a room in a “facility”.

Lori, Courtney, Eve (and a guest she'worked with 30 years ago at AOL!) break down how Gen X is rewriting the rules of where we live next. Less isolation, more fun, and the best music. Obviously.

Episode links

• Five People in Their 60s, 70s, and 80s Share How They Plan to Age at Home
• Is a 55+ Community Right for You?
• The Villages in FL
• Sex in the village? Why do residents in The Villages put loofahs on their vehicles?
• Leisure World in MD
• Old Malls Are New Homes To Senior Living Communities
• Co-living for women
• 25 Senior Discounts You Probably Don't Know About, But Should

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The Gen X Stories podcast crew gets brutally honest about our sex ed through school classes, books & movies, the AIDS crisis, Dr Ruth and parents who never had “The Talk” with us. You may recognize the funny (and often uncomfortable) experiences that followed, including feeling like needing a federal clearance to buy condoms. PLUS we get into being open about it all with our own kids now. It’s awkward. It’s cathartic. It might make you text your therapist. But hey — at least we can finally talk about it. (although maybe not with our moms...)

Episode links

• Why the Sex Talk with Kids Is a Myth (And What Works Better)
• History of Sex Education in the US
• How AIDS Changed the History of Sex Education
• The History Behind Judy Blume’s Most Controversial Novel, Forever
• When Dr. Ruth Doled Out ‘80s-Era Sex Advice
• Risky Busness Movie Train Scene
• “Where Did I Come From?” book
• “What’s Happening to me?” book- Girls edition
• “What’s Happening to me?” book- Boys edition
• “This is so awkwzrd: modern puberty explained” book

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Old toys. Concert shirts. Boxes we haven’t opened in decades. In this episode, the podcast crew riffs on the chaos of the keepsakes we have (or wish we still did !) while trying to figure out what the topic is. It's funny. It's messy. And it's completely Gen X. If you've ever wanted your Walkman back, you gotta listen to this one.

Episode links

• 8 Rare Vintage Tech Products Worth Thousands That Might Be Hiding In Your Attic
• For some toy sellers, packing shelves with nostalgia pays off
• 14 Nostalgic 80s and 90s Toys That Are Shockingly Valuable Today
• Find Your Next Great Read Right in Your Own Neighborhood
• Love Is In the Details — The Madame Alexander Story
• 14 of the Most Valuable LEGO Sets You Might Have at Home\
• Lincoln Logs history

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In this episode of Gen X Stories, Eve and Courtney go full Stranger Things, unpacking the 80s DNA, the Stephen King–meets–E.T. references, and why this show hit Gen X right in the childhood. From killer needle drops to character arcs that grew up with us, they explore how the Duffer Brothers built a cross-generational phenomenon. BUT major spoilers ahead, so consider yourself warned.

Episode links

• 'Stranger Things' holds a mirror to the '80s – and today
• Decoding Stranger Things 5’s Most Notable Pop-Culture Nods
• “Stranger Things” and the frustrations of Gen X’s ’80s nostalgia habit
• A Review of Stranger Things from a Genuine Gen X Kid
• Stranger Things 5: Let’s Unravel the Secrets of the Upside Down
• Stranger Things Finally Explained How The Upside Down Works, And The Duffers Told Us How They Decided Who Would Figure It Out
• ‘Stranger Things 5’ Finally Reveals the Truth About the Upside Down
• NPR: Meet the musical mind behind the nostalgically '80s sound of 'Stranger Things'
• Running Up That Hill: an ‘80s hit makes millions in royalties thanks to Stranger Things
• 8 best musicl moments on ‘Stranger Things’
• Every Song in Every Season of Stranger Things
• Journey’s “Separate Ways” remix featured on ‘Stranger Things” season 4
• How Steve Perry Surprised ‘Stranger Things’ Remix Artists
• Spotify Official Playlist
• How ‘Stranger Things’ Scored Two Prince Songs for Season Finale

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Let’s go back to 1983, the year albums made us who we are. Thanks to a tip from our Facebook group, each GenX Stories host picked a favorite record from this legendary year and dove headfirst into its greatness. Nostalgia? Check. Hot takes? Double check. Accidental sing-alongs? We’ll neither confirm nor deny. The only thing left to do: press play and learn tidbits you never knew about the epic music that basically raised us.

Episode links

• Best 1983 Albums: 67 Excellent Records
• The Highest Rated Albums of 1983
• The story of 1983 in music
• ‘Colour By Numbers’: How Culture Club Painted A Pop Masterpiece
• Culture Club: Get to know the band behind 'Karma Chameleon'
• Classic Album: The Police – Synchronicity
• Why The Police’s 'Synchronicity' — Their Final, Fraught Masterpiece — Still Resonates After 40 Years
• Under the Volcano Movie
• ‘Under the Volcano’ Review: Rockers Recall the Remote Island Where Luxurious ’80s Record-Making Had Its Last Stand
• How Debut Album ‘Murmur’ Spread The Word About R.E.M.
• 5 Surprising Facts About R.E.M.’s “Murmur”
• The Murmur Trestle
• Classic Album: Madonna – Madonna
• Madonna’s first hit ‘Holiday’ almost never happened
• Lucky Star Video
• About the Lucky Star video
• Eve’s Madonna Sketch
• Eve’s Madonna Photo w/mom
• Madonna’s Eponymous Debut Album ‘Madonna’

OUR ALBUMS

• Lori: Colour By Numbers, Culture Club
• Courtney: Synchronicity, The Police
• Chris: Murmur, R.E.M
• Eve: Madonna, Madonna

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Buckle up, kids (or don’t cuz we survived the ’80s without 'em). This week, the Gen X Stories crew cannonballs into a conversation sparked by a Facebook community member’s mysterious question (which we’re absolutely not telling you until you hit play, because marketing). Expect kick-ass personal stories ripped straight out of an ’80s movie montage and of course, the perfect soundtrack.

Episode links

• Topic from Season 6 , ep 12 - Ask us anything
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• If You Leave - OMD
• Pool Hopping
• 23 Smells That Instantly Transport Us Back to Childhood: Hawiian Tropic
• Phil’s Beach in Wauconda and here
• Visitors flock to Wauconda beach made famous by ‘Blues Brothers’ for first time in decades
• April 25 is the 'perfect date': Here's what to know about Miss Congeniality Day
• The Bizarre Way Sammy Davis Jr. Lost His Left Eye
• Honda Prelude
• Pretty In Pink Soundtrack
• The Long-Misinterpreted Meaning Behind “Blister in the Sun” by Violent Femmes
• 12 Things Every Teen Did After School in the 1980s That Felt Like Freedom
• Gen Z Is Choosing Not to Drive
• Teens aren’t getting their driver’s licenses – and the experts are completely wrong about why
• Straight outta the delivery room, into a robotaxi
• “Three on the tree”

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No plan. No outline. No research. Just three Gen X women armed with mystery topics, unfiltered hot takes, and a few moments we’ll probably deny later. With zero adult supervision (or, even Chris), we wandered straight into NSFW territory and didn’t bother turning back.

Seriously, be prepared for a little too much honesty that might’ve crossed the line a couple of times. (but in a good way).

Episode links

• Taylor Swift’s ‘Wood’ Lyrics Are a Not-So-Subtle Ode to Travis Kelce’s...‘Manhood’
• Reconnecting with friends
• Bouvier and Cavapoo Dogs
• Why GenX Doesn’t GIve a Fuck

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The movies turning 40 in 2025 are aging like fine wine (or like us, depending on the lighting). Between the first Blockbuster store opening to the massive number of films appearing in theatres that year, let’s face it - 1985 ruined us for anything else. From The Breakfast Club to Back to the Future to Brazil to Cocoon the whole podcast crew is revisiting the classic 80's films we loved (and duh, still do). Some may call it a cinematic midlife crisis, but we call it awesome. So pass the popcorn (and the ibuprofen).

Episode links

• 10 Classic Movies Celebrating A Major Anniversary In 2025
• Movies Turning 40 In 2025
• 1985 in film
• First Blockbuster store opens
• The Dawn of Unlimited Entertainment: How Blockbuster Changed Viewers
• The Rise and Fall of Blockbuster: A Look Back at VHS Rental Culture
• I remember doing the Time Warp: The 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' turns 50

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Instead of haunted houses, we had real-life fears - like Pop Rocks (with Coke), the Bermuda Triangle, and that one creepy white van parked down the street. This Halloween on the podcast, we’re unwrapping all the “tricks” that scared the hell out of us as Gen X kids, and realizing that while some fears fade, ours just got funnier. Plus we hear what freaked out our FB community growing up so trust us - you don’t wanna miss this one. 🎃👻

Episode links

• GenX “Perils” Meme
• 10 things that irrationally scared the hell out of a lot of Gen X when they were kids
• 11 Things That Terrified Gen X As Kids That Turned Out To Be No Big Deal
• Most Ridiculous Things That Scared Gen X Kids

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Ever wonder what happens when a Gen X guardian tries to keep up with their Gen Z ward? Spoiler: it’s hilarious. This episode features co-host Chris’s teenager - who, against all odds, gives us actual hope for her generation. Between vintage sarcasm, justifying lateness, and a shared love of ‘80s music (and epic eye-rolls), their relationship proves Gen X and Gen Z might have more in common than we’d ever admit. Bonus points if you can count how many times she pointedly says “Christopher!”

Episode links

• Gen Z Vs. Gen X: 12 Key Differences You Need to Know in Everyday Life
• 11 Reasons Gen Z Thinks Gen X Had The Saddest Childhoods
• Gen Z Is Calling Gen X The "Karen Generation"
• College Admissions: Why My Mom Had It Way Easier in the 80’s

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Remember applying to colleges without a single YouTube tutorial in sight, lofting your own dorm bed without approval, and taking "never doing this again" 8am classes? Yeah, we do too, and we’re not holding back.

If you (barely) survived your own college years in the ‘80s and ‘90s, this one’s for you. Hear us flail through questionable life choices (and the lifelong friends who got us through them) and how we're prepping our Gen Z spawn for their own college daze.

Episode links

• This Is What Dorms Looked Like In The 80s And We Survived
• 23 Crazy Things Everyone Did In College In The ’80s
• 15 Things 1980s College Students Did That Would Baffle Kids Today

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