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

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

52:31

The Best Christmas Music

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/12/21

Mele Kalikimaka, Slackers!This week is all about Christmas music. Not "carols" or hymns, honest to goodness rock, pop, metal and even some big band Christmas music! I give my top 10 Christmas albums and the standout tracks on each record. While some songs are decades old classics, others are new or soon to be classics. What are some of your favorite Christmas albums? I will post a new Christmas Playlist later this week with all of my selections!Subscribe today!

35:52

Die Hard IS a Christmas Movie

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/12/14

Yippee-Ki-Yay, Slackers! Is it or isn't it? That's the million dollar question. In my humble opinion, "Die Hard" is absolutely a Christmas movie! The setting, themes, and overall story arc...all the ingredients are there for a Christmas movie. It's a little Hallmark, a little "Home Alone", with lots and lots of explosions and generally chaotic action fare. What's not to love? But "Die Hard" isn't the only Christmas themed action flick. A recent Mel Gibson vehicle has made its way into my holiday

44:55

Christmas Catalogs & Toys We Loved

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/12/07

Ho, ho, ho, Slackers! As the Christmas season is upon us, I harken back to days of old and the Sears Wish Book. Perhaps it was the JC Penney Christmas Catalog. Remember taking hours to carefully consider those items that you wished would end up under the tree? Cabbage Patch Kids, Transformers, Big Wheels...at one point or another those were THE hot gifts of the year. What did you circle in those catalogs? Was there ever a gift that your really wanted and never received? Was there one gift that you

63:16

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/11/30

From Looney Tunes to the Super Friends, who didn’t love the weekly ritual of getting up early on Saturday mornings for a few hours of animated goodness?! Perhaps paired with a bowl of sugary cereal, or maybe even a full breakfast over at Grandma’s?On this episode I share some of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons from childhood, as well as some related memories, like remembering exactly where the tv was located everywhere you lived (we moved a lot), or the sights and smells of the house when you

51:01

The Case For Weezer

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/11/23

It's Turkey Time, Slackers!There is a band that gets tons of negative reactions from the so-called purists of power pop, pop-punk, alternative pop, whatever term you want to use…but I'm talking about Weezer! They are frequently used as an example of either “selling out” or just being too “polished and commercial”. My experience with Weezer is a little different because I spent some time in the Boston indie rock scene of the 90s. With a classic debut album, Weezer became darlings of MTV and

54:31

Whatever Wednesday

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/11/16

It’s “Whatever Wednesday”, Slackers! What is “Whatever Wednesday”, you ask? It’s an episode dedicated to whatever I am thinking about this week and wherever that my lead.Some topics that I touch on this week: Billy Corgan, the National Wrestling Alliance, Butch Vig, Steve Albini, grunge, indie record labels, Jawbreaker, Sam Black Church, the Afghan Whigs, and other nonsensical ramblings.- [ ] Subscribe today!

46:47

I Want My (Dial) MTV

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/11/09

It’s what we all wanted, Slackers! We wanted our MTV! And from the 80s through the early 90s, the M stood for music.My favorite era of MTV was the “Dial MTV” era. From 1986 through 1991, this was our chance to vote for our favorite music videos of the day. This was appointment viewing, with the iconic, head banging VJ, Adam Curry as our host.There were so many bands that would become my favorites that I saw for the first time on "Dial MTV". Poison. Stryper. Warrant. A lot of the "hair bands" did

44:36

Women Who ROCK

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/11/02

What is up, Slackers?! While it has often been said that rock music has been a male dominated industry, there have been so many amazing women who have broken through the glass (rock?) ceiling. On this episode I discuss some of my favorites, with the simple parameters of:1. The music needed to have been composed in my lifetime OR 2. Created by actual Gen X artists. As it turns out, some of the GREAT female voices of all time come from our generation, and frankly, I’m not surprised. But rest assured,

54:56

The Halloween Episode

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/10/26

Happy Halloween, Slackers!For the first Halloween episode of the pod, I make my case for Gen X being the first real slasher movie generation and delve into the motivations of the great slasher movie villains of the 80s & 90s. I mean, they can’t all be purely evil, right? Right?Plus, I shout out all of the great horror movies of the 90s, where many of the writers and cast members were firmly Gen X. In particular the “teen” movies of the 90s and early 2000’s, with titles like “Scream”, “I Know What

67:00

The King of Pop

Stuck In The Middle - A Gen X Podcast ·

2022/10/19

Cause this is Thriller, Slackers!I was thinking about MTV and classic videos, plus it being so close to Halloween, and "Thriller" came to mind. But I realized that as much as the video for "Thriller" is legendary, the man behind the music was beyond being a legend...he was an icon. He was the "King of Pop". While he was a troubled (possibly dangerous) man and artist, Michael Jackson left a major mark on the music world. Starting at the age of 6, MJ had a four decade career, culminating in his

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