• Cover Wars: Is what's old really new again?
    Mar 25 2026

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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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    40 mins
  • The Middle-Aged Dorm Is Real (And We're Into It)
    Mar 11 2026

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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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    40 mins
  • The Sex Talk We Never Got (Gen X Edition)
    Feb 25 2026

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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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    41 mins
  • Did GenX keep our stuff?
    Feb 11 2026

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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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    45 mins
  • The Gen X Love Affair With ‘Stranger Things’
    Jan 28 2026

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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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    46 mins
  • The soundtrack of 1983
    Dec 24 2025

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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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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • Joyriding Down Memory Lane
    Dec 10 2025

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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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    49 mins
  • We’re Not Fixing This in Post
    Nov 26 2025

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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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    46 mins