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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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