If we get real about the books we read in the Gen X era, there might be one category that helped us the most -- the books we passed around our classrooms and hid under our mattresses because they brazenly talked about all the messiness of growing up (like bodies, babies, boobs and body odor). These were the guidebooks for our own coming of age journey. Join us as we dish about all those paperbacks from library shelves and drugstore spinners, the cautionary tales of drugs and unintended pregnancies, the portrayals of real kids (just like you) struggling with real problems (just like you), from authors like Norma Klein, Paul Zindel, and ANONYMOUS. But no conversation about coming of age is complete without the inclusion of Judy Blume; we top off this episode with an interview with Rachelle Bergstein, author of the new book The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Changed All of Our Childhoods. You might be surprised to find out just how big her contribution was and how much her work reflected a very unique moment in history.

Purchase “The Genius of Judy” at

Books and Books Key West (Judy Blume’s bookstore)

Amazon

Bookshop.org

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Slip into that satin jacket and slide into those Topsiders, because today, after a SUPERSIZED opening about audio books (naturally), the PCPS is taking a very comprehensive look back on the stone-cold, far-out fashions of the 70s and 80s! Velour, terry cloth, satin, and ruffles, the girls will share their favorite hits, misses, and style icons. Who loved Laurie Partridge’s look? Who wanted to be Mallory Keaton? And who — at age 7 — idolized Emily Hartley (Suzanne Pleshette)?!? Long time listeners won’t be surprised.

Join us for a SUPERSIZED edition of one of our most popular episodes, "From Jaws to Dirty Dancing: Summer Movies of the GenX Era" with an all new opening. Learn what year had the highest grossing box office summer and hear how we provide Hollywood with some food for thought when it comes to today's movie making.

We can thank Generation X for many things, but the advent of the summer blockbuster might be one of its best contributions to pop culture history! From Jaws to Dirty Dancing, we’re covering ALL the great movies of the summers of the 70s and 80s (and we do mean ALL of them) by sharing our own memories and those of many of our social media followers. Grab a box of Goobers or Sno-Caps and settle in for this fun conversation about some of the best movies of all time!

Welcome to this emergency episode of The Pop Culture Preservation Society -- smack dab in the middle of our series of summer reruns, supersized with all new conversations. But something happened on June 13th that necessitated this disruption of our summer hiatus. And that is that Andrew McCarthy's documentary BRATS was released -- in which he explores his role in the so-called brat pack and tracked down his brat pack compatriots (some of whom he hadn't seen for more than 30 years) to get their take on the whole phenomenon. Shortly after the doc was released, Carolyn sent an urgent message to Michelle and Kristin saying that people were reaching out to us, wanting our take on the film. Everyone wanted to talk about it. Badly. And so we unpacked our mics and got to work. In this episode, we dissect the article that coined the term Brat Pack and how for us – the members of Generation X – the Brat Pack was historic in the way it spoke to us, acknowledged us, and reflected ourselves back at us; our hopes and dreams, our aspirations, the people we wanted to be or NOT be – while simultaneously validating us with the sheer honesty of their stories and characters. Despite all of that, the documentary sheds light on how the entire Brat Pack phenomenon may have harmed the members of its exclusive club. This documentary is less biography and more psychological thriller in how we look back and see how all of our beloved Brat Packers survived or thrived in the storm. And, as usual, we have a lot to say about that!

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A year later we are supersizing our Shaun Cassidy interview with an opening editorial on this very special, in-depth, and thoughtful conversation. And it is special. Shaun drops nuggets about playing softball with Alice Cooper, clubbing with David Bowie, and riding trikes with little Ronnie Howard before revealing his true feelings about all those twelve-year-olds screaming at his concerts. But Shaun Cassidy's life today is just as compelling; with a flourishing writing career and a recent stage show that allowed him to connect with his fans on a whole new level (for the first time in over forty years!) it’s an episode full of revelations about the teen idol you thought you knew, but we promise you will learn so much more about.

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Today it’s once again YOUR pick for our movie-themed rerun, and we’re making it SUPERSIZED with an all new conversation about a recent podcast episode we loved on John Travolta’s trilogy in the late 70s. (See podcast link below.)

Then join us for the episode we never intended to be a tribute — but sadly became one just five days after recording this extremely personal debate about our generation’s most beloved and enduring character, Rydell High’s Sandy Olsson from the movie Grease. It was during the editing of this recording that we learned that Olivia Newton-John, the woman who brought Sandy to life, had died. And the outpouring of grief that followed sent us back to the studio to record a new introduction to our discussion about Sandy — because we needed to share our feelings and mourn with each other about the passing of the woman who meant so much to us and to the world. Just a heads up: there will be crying.

Listen to Amy Lively's podcast For The Record: The 70s -- The Travolta Trilogy here

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Welcome to this summer rerun of on your FM dial 1983. Just like when you were a kid, and all the TV shows went away for the summertime, and you watched all those shows, and reruns, we're doing the same thing here at the Pop Culture Preservation Society. But this episode is going to be SUPERSIZED! We've added a fun opening conversation where we chat about music writer, Rob Sheffield's, Rolling Stone article..."The 100 Best Songs of 1983, the Year Pop Went Crazy." You'll be as surprised as we were as to some of his song choices.

Then stay and listen to our encore of Episode 106 "On Your FM Dial: 1983." Quite possibly the best year for music in the 80s! We’re on your FM Dial in 1983 talking about (and singing) all our favorites, and pondering just what it was that was responsible for this new and TOTALLY AWESOME music (hello, 2nd British Invasion). Is YOUR favorite 1983 song mentioned? Crimp your hair, throw on some heavy eyeliner and join us in this truly singable episode!

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What do singer-songwriter John Sebastian and hip-hop producer Pete Rock have in common? They were both instrumental in the Pop Culture Preservation Society’s first viral moment. Learn why the “Welcome Back, Kotter” theme song brought thousands of new followers to the PCPS and the surprising demographic of many of those followers. We take a trip down Carolyn’s Rabbit Hole and then revisit Episode 21, “Schlemiel Schlemazel - TV’s Best Theme Songs.”

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Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com