PODCAST

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast

Jason Ek

Welcome to Stuck in the Middle - the podcast about the music, movies, and culture of Generation X.

society & culture music history

All Episodes

61:57

The Brat Pack

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/05/10

"Could You Describe The Ruckus, Slackers?”Emilio Estevez. Anthony Michael Hall. Andrew McCarthy. Judd Nelson. Molly Ringwald. Ally Sheedy. Rob Lowe. Demi Moore.You know them - you love them - they are the Brat Pack! Starting with 1983’s The Outsiders, these 6 young actors were cast side by side in many of the movies our generation hold dear. For nearly 10 years, they were considered the “go to” actors for projects across all genres of film. While their movie careers may have tapered off in the 90’s,

48:23

Just Another Whatever Wednesday

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/05/03

Alright, alright, alright, Slackers.This week is another "Whatever Wednesday"™ - just a series of rants, rambles, and ridiculousness.I take a look at the terrible state of GenX social media, talk about the recent weirdness surrounding Matthew McConaughey, and the difference between "one hit" wonders and "some hit" wonders.If you haven't already, subscribe today!

72:47

Metallica Is Back (but never really left)

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/04/26

Lux Æterna, Slackers!With the recent release of their new record 72 Seasons, Metallica has returned to form. While some would say that they have remained consistent album after album, for me, anything after Load never truly captured my attention. Sure, some tracks here and there caught my ear, but with the new album, I am fully reinvested in one of my favorite bands.Most surprising is the amazing vocal strength of one Mr. James Hetfield - his voice is stronger than ever - and although often

47:34

My Top Ten Sitcom Theme Songs

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/04/19

Wouldn't you like to get away, Slackers?This week combines my love of music and my love of 70's & 80's sitcoms - my top ten favorite sitcom theme songs!From Three's Company to Cheers, the theme songs were often as iconic as the shows themselves. In most cases, you really did get a feel for what the show was about just by the music that was chosen to accompany the opening credits. Sure, there was at least one "theme doctor" with multiple songs on the list, but even that was part of the appeal -

66:29

Keanu Reeves - A Not Quite Gen X Icon

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/04/12

Whoa, Slackers!After some terrible technical diffiulties, I had to make a last minute topic replacement. I thought that since John Wick 4 is currently in theaters, what better topic than Baba Yaga himself - Keanu Reeves.Born in 1964, Keanu is technically a Boomer, but let's be honest, he is so close to the cutoff and his movies all just scream Gen X. From The River's Edge to John Wick, his filmography is comprised of film after film that share all of the sensibilities that we all seem to

40:37

SCREAM - The Gen X Horror Franchise

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/04/05

What’s your favorite scary movie, Slackers?Wes Craven has brought some of the finest horror movies of all time to the big screen. Starting with the Nightmare on Elm Street series, Mr. Craven was casting actors that were on the cusp or were early Gen Xers.When a script by a young screenwriter named Kevin Williamson (born 1965) made its way to Mr. Craven, an iconic horror franchise was born. This time, the casting was a who’s who of young Gen X actors on their way to becoming big stars of stage, film,

54:33

Brandon Lee 1965-1993

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/03/29

It can’t rain all the time, Slackers.It's hard to believe that it has been 30 years since we lost Brandon Lee at the ridiculously young age of 28 - while filming the movie that would ultimately cement his legacy.As a third generation performer, Lee had the looks, charisma, and the acting chops (he was a Strasberg alum), to become a massive superstar.After a number of Hong Kong produced films, and TV movies, Lee started to make a name for himself in Hollywood with a role opposite action icon Dolph

58:31

1993 - Top Music & Movie Charts

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/03/22

Back to basics, Slackers!This week I get back to how this podcast started…diving in to the top music and movie charts for a given (Gen X) year. This time it's all about 1993. Hard to believe that it has been 30 years since such classic songs as “Nuthin’ But A G Thang” and “I Will Always Love You” were riding high on the charts. It was also the year when some “hair bands” were able to shed that image so they could forge ahead in the post-grunge rock landscape.And why was there a “Whoot“ and a

63:13

Episode #52 - It's The One Year Anniversary Show!

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/03/15

What is up, Slackers!Episode 52. It's been an entire year of me babbling on and on about random topics from our generation - Generation X! This week is a little different.For the one year anniversary of the show, I thought I would talk about some things I have never talked about on the podcast - things that inspired to me create this thing in the first place but I didn't cover in episode #1. In fact, some of the things I get into I have only shared with close friends and family. Frankly, some of it

54:35

Gen X Fashion Was...Interesting

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/03/08

Time to bust out your acid washed jeans, Slackers!With the recent resurgence of retro "styles", I decided to take a trip down memory lane and discuss what can only be desribed as a heinous time in "fashion". From the half shirts and high socks of the 70s, the Coca-Cola rugbys, Eastlands & Swatch Watches of the 80s, to the excessively baggy pants and ringer tees of the 90s, Generation X has lived through some rough trends.What has really caught me by surprise is how my kids are actually wearing

75:26

The Events That Shaped Gen X (According To Me)

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/03/01

Every wonder why we are the way that we are, Slackers? Each generation is shaped by the "big events" that impact the culture of the time. In this episode, I give my top 5 most significant events that I think have caused us to have a certain sense of cynicism, mixed in with this weirdly optimistic outlook on life. I can't really put my finger on it, other than to say it makes perfect sense why we have perfected gallows humor!From the assassination attempts of world leaders, to space travel disasters,

61:29

OZZY! End of an Era

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/02/22

It's the Prince of Darkness, Slackers!Ozzy Osbourne is undoubtedly a legend. From Sabbath, to solo superstar, to a reality TV star, he has done it all. Unfortunately, due to nagging injuries to his spine, Ozzy recently announced that his touring days are over. As someone who always wanted to see Ozzy live but never did, I wanted to take a look back on his career.While my knowledge of deep cuts from all of his studio albums is limited, I think that like many others, Ozzy has just been a part of the

53:36

The Best (and Worst) Halftime Shows

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/02/15

Are you ready for some football, Slackers?! Or should I say, are you ready for some halftime shows!?This week’s episode is hot on the heels of Super Bowl LVIII, where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles. The halftime show this year was none other than Rihanna. This got me thinking about some of my favorite (and least favorite) halftime shows of all time.The early years of the Big Game most often featured marching bands from around the country. By the time the 80s rolled round,

50:35

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees 2023

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/02/08

The nominations are in, Slackers!This week I discuss the nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The HOF has refined their criteria to explain some of the less "rockin'" inductees from recent years. Perhaps it is time to change the name from the Rock and Roll to the Music Hall of Fame?This year's list draws from hip hop, R&B, rock, metal, country and pop. All can legitimately be considered worthy entrants, so it is definitely no longer a "rock only" HOF.It is cool to see

54:57

Sitcoms That Ran From The 70s Into The 80s

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/02/01

What'chu talkin' 'bout, Slackers?!Some of my earliest memories of prime time TV are of the good old American sitcom. But there were some classic sitcoms that had long enough runs to cross over the decade line - from the 70s into the 80s.All in the Family. The Jeffersons. Three's Company. Diff'rent Strokes. And so many more. Happy Days first hit the air the year was I was born, yet Richie and Fonzie were also a big part of my adolescence.Many of these shows had long, long runs. Was it because they

55:26

Billboard Mainstream vs. Alternative Rock Charts - 1990

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/01/25

Rock & Roll, Slackers!We all know that rock music changed in 1991 - 1992. Grunge was this weird mix of rock, punk, and alternative music. So what was happening in mainstream rock and alternative music before the Grunge explosion?I pulled up the rock and alternative charts of 1990. I don't what I was expecting...maybe lots of hair bands on one and weirdo underground stuff on the other? Surprisingly, that was not exactly the case. Some bands made both lists, while others were certainly placed in

125:51

Record Rumble II - Faith No More's "The Real Thing"...

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/01/18

Are you ready to rumble, Slackers?! What happens when you take two classic albums from a legendary band and pit them against each other in a duel for the ages? The only way to find out was for me to bring on one of my oldest and dearest friends, Nicole Parente-Lopez, for the second “Record Rumble”!Nicole is one of the biggest Faith No More fans I know (other than me!), and we have seen them live too many times to count…I am so happy she agreed to be a part of this Rumble!Rightly or wrongly credited

41:27

Rock Magazines

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/01/13

Hey, Slackers! A seemingly forgotten medium is the good old magazine. Sure, you can still find them on shelves, but what about those rock and metal mags of the 80’s and 90’s?! While everyone knows Rolling Stone, that was far from the only game in town. For the metal heads there was Metal Edge or RIP. There were the general music mags like SPIN and CREEM. What they all had in common was an unabashed love for music and the men and women who played it.The days of print are far behind us, but there was

54:09

After School Cartoons

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2023/01/04

By the Power of Grayskull, Slackers!From “Masters of the Universe” to “G.I. Joe”, after school cartoons were as important to our childhood experience as the Saturday morning ones. The main difference is the after school cartoons were essentially commercials for the associated toy lines. “Transformers”, “Thundercats”, and many others, followed a simple but effective formula: release the cartoons, comics, and toy lines simultaneously. Strangely, these toy branded shows often begat a much more

37:19

Remembering Dick Clark

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/12/28

Happy (almost) New Year, Slackers!For much of our lives, "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" was THE show to watch on New Year's Eve. As we are 10 years removed from his passing, I wanted to take some time to remember Dick Clark.From 1945 through 2007, Dick Clark was on the air - first on radio, then on television for almost 50 years! With notable shows like "$100,000 Pyramid", "TV's Bloopers and Practial Jokes", and the 35 years of "New Year's Rockin' Eve, (only eclipsed by the remarkable 37 year

200 results

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Voices of Life

APG Mannheim

Promo Estereo Podcast

Promo Estereo

Talking Timelines Podcast

Talkingtimelines

גיקונומי

ראם שרמן ודורון ניר

Drømmefanger

Drømmefanger