Big News. Big. Huge! + 9 Great Gen X Podcasts
More Whatever Nevermind is coming your way
Hi WNVM-ers,
Cheryl and Fawnia here! We know it’s not our usual Thursday, and that’s because this is not our usual newsletter.
This month, Whatever Nevermind celebrated its one year anniversary. When we started, we honestly had no idea who would “get” what we are doing, or even if we truly understood what the full scope of that was. It turns out that you like it when we write about wedding dress codes, menopause, nostalgic movies/TV, lip balm, and Pedro Pascal (well, duh). We contain multitudes as Gen X-ers, and that goes for WNVM, too.
We have been overwhelmed with the response and your engagement with our writing. We are so grateful to all of our subscribers! So, it’s time for a new era, like a classic, heart-swelling coming of age moment — the Goonies prevailing, Daniel crane-kicking Johnny, or Luke Skywalker harnessing The Force.
Once a month, we’ll publish a bonus newsletter for our paid subscribers. Yes, we’re turning on the paywall, but we’re going to be a lot nicer about it than that newspaper kid in Better Off Dead. The special issue will come in varied formats and speak to the pop culture discourse, news, the world. It will be a little looser, a bit more personal, and offer recommendations, tiny hot takes, reviews, Q&As, and more — but always through the fun and insightful Gen X perspective we’ve established with the main Whatever Nevermind newsletter, which will remain free to read.
To kick off this milestone moment, our inaugural bonus newsletter will be available for everyone for free. We’ve been operating under the PBS1 patronage model and feel especially grateful to paying subscribers who’ve supported us and our hard work reporting and writing. Going forward, paid subscribers can consider the extra monthly newsletter like the Bob Ross tote bag you got in 1988 from a pledge drive. Our subscription is $6/month or $60/year.
Since we’re talking about money, you may have noticed that we’ve started incorporating affiliate shopping links, which allows us to make a commission from the seller. We only recommend things we truly love (or from the experts) and only when it makes sense for the story.
Now, onto the main event: nine favorite Gen X-focused podcasts (or episodes) that are perfect for summer travel and relaxing beach days. As you may have guessed, based on our divergent affinities for medical shows, we have pretty different tastes in pods, which means a wide-ranging list for you. (Cheryl does not like “two people yapping,” while Fawnia mainlines those.) But we both currently obsess over one that is not Smartless or Rob Lowe’s Literally!
Please share your favorite pods in the comments, because we always need more stuff to listen to.
Per usual, you may need to read the entire newsletter in your browser. And, if you’re feeling generous and want to wish us a happy birthday, please give us a heart at the bottom of the post.
When you cannot stop wondering how the hell that ‘90s swing trend happened: Decoder Ring
I like most episodes of this pod, run by Slate and hosted by Willa Paskin. They take an object or historical concept and analyze it for “why it matters.” The episodes are incredibly well-reported and wildly entertaining. A lot have roots in the ‘70s and ‘80s, like the Tupperware episode and one about spring break, whose modern iteration we can blame on MTV. And as a birder, I was riveted by the mystery of a bird and its alleged song that appears in the first Charlie’s Angels movie.
But I definitely recommend “Jump, Jive and Fail: The ‘90s Swing Craze” as a starter episode. I have been fascinated by this pop culture blip ever since I lived through it. Paskin interviews tons of people involved in the scene at the time, including the bands, the LA dancers who inspired the movie Swingers, and the Black and Latino musicians who did it first before it was co-opted into a fad — and used in that very famous Gap commercial. (It inspired me to listen to Squirrel Nut Zippers’ song “Hell,” which I always secretly liked and, well, found out I still do.) -CW (BU grad Fawnia, who loves doing bad Bah-ston accents on drives to her in-laws just downloaded this one. -FSH)
When you really want to reminisce about the bangers of your youth: One Song
My Spotify Wrapped 2024 really should have been dated as 1989 because I’m terrrrrible with new music. Figures that I also cherry pick the ‘80s/‘90s classics episodes of One Song, hosted by writer/producer/DJ Diallo Riddle2 and producer, songwriter, and musicologist LUXXURY. I’m especially fond of their analysis of Bell Biv DeVoe’s 1990 hit “Poison” — and not just because Grammy-nominated guest Tank’s first, and life-changing, concert was the New Edition “Heartbreak” tour (“in record player times,” as he says). That was my first concert, too!
It's such a shared joy to hear when/how the Gen X hosts and their guests connected with each song, learn some music history, revel in nostalgic name drops (Al B. Sure!), and listen to the hosts forensically break down the layers of each track. Just ask me about the snare, kick, and tom drums in Depeche Mode’s 1984 breakout “People are People,” K? (I’m gonna be so much fun/annoying at parties.) I’m currently finishing Warren G’s “Regulate” (1994), with guest Warren G. himself, so I truly understand why I’m still loving and listening to these songs decades later.-FSH (The New Order “Blue Monday” episode was a real revelation to me in how a song comes together. It’s an addictive listen!-CW)
When you want pure ‘70s/’80s childhood nostalgia: Pop Culture Preservation Society
Friends Carolyn Cochrane, Kristin Nilsen, and Michelle Newman are English majors/teachers/writers/authors and also avid “Brady Bunch”-ologists. They dive into a variety of past pop culture trends, like after-school specials, ‘80s prom, and all things Judy Blume. Sometimes they do actual reporting (I really appreciated the background on the roller skating episode) and often they crowd-source stories from their Instagram followers, which tend to be hilarious, like an episode in which people read what classmates wrote in their yearbooks. (They are a great follow on that platform too, and totally triggered me with this post from the Sears Wish Book. It’s the exact satin roller skate jacket my mom refused to buy me because it didn’t have a hood.) If you’re closer to 60 than 50, you’ll appreciate a lot of the ‘70s content, much of which I had totally forgotten about. They even interviewed Shaun Cassidy! They also grapple with how a lot of the stuff from that era aged poorly, like how an obsession with Chachi/Scott Baio in the “Happy Days” era collides with their current disgust with his politics now. -CW
When you may ask, ‘Wait, isn’t this a Boomer podcast?’: Where Everybody Knows Your Name With Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (Sometimes)
So I finished listening to the 2023 Marc Maron interview — in which the now-61-year-old OG podcast host/actor basically says he considers himself Gen X and not a Boomer — and wanted more Danson because I miss him from “The Good Place.” I had Tom Selleck on the brain because of his ‘80s hot-pants on Bowen Yang’s The Wedding Banquet costume moodboard and the return of “Magnum, PI”-ish detective shows, so I hit download on the Tom Selleck re-release. And it was an absolute delight. They talked about a pre-”Cheers” Danson guest-starring (and being vanquished by Selleck) on an early-“Magnum” episode, and even threw it back to how VHS tape rentals kept Three Men and a Baby going with that ghost-child urban legend. (I remember watching a Blockbuster rental with my friends and it DID look like a haunting! I felt chills listening to them talk about it.) My favorite part is when Selleck tells the story of first meeting his wife, which involves an ungodly number of viewings of Cats, the musical, not the movie. So sweet. He does say “dame” a lot, though. -FSH
When you miss magazines: Blow Up: When Liz Tilberis Transformed Bazaar
I vaguely remember hearing about Harper’s Bazaar editor Liz Tilberis dying of ovarian cancer in the ‘90s, but at that point I was mostly reading Elle, Spin, and Shape and working long hours as a nurse. I started getting really interested in fashion and magazines, and especially the industry’s personalities, in the 2000s, culminating in a career change in 2010 as a fashion blogger. This led to my meet-cute with Fawnia at Fashionista, who had also ditched her old career for the blogging trenches. Anyway, I really appreciated this deep dive into the life of Tilberis, told by the people who worked with her, including several ‘90s supermodels. I’m also fascinated by what it was actually like to work at a magazine in the heyday of print. (When I started in digital media in the 2010s, the print editors wanted nothing to do with us, which was disconcerting, because they were mostly all my age.) Plus there’s a bit of Anna Wintour gossip, which, put it directly into my veins! -CW
When you want a suspenseful mystery set in ‘90s Hollywood, and another reason to hate Rob Lowe: Magnificent Jerk
Former Washington Post journalist Maya Lin Sugarman takes us on her journey uncovering the real story of her late uncle, Galen Yuen, who was the screenwriter behind a 1997 action movie, Crazy Six, starring Rob Lowe, Burt Reynolds, and Ice-T. Playing out like a suspenseful mystery, Lin Sugarman reveals if the low-budget action flick was, in fact, based on Yuen’s experiences as a Bay Area gang member — with Lowe playing the white-washed version of him. I was riveted by her painstaking investigation, and really moved by her family story, and Yuen’s struggles to make it in ‘80s/‘90s Hollywood as a Chinese American. I may have cried, but also yelped at each mention of a rare moment of Asian American representation in that era — like Julia Nixon in 1988’s “Noble House,” which I watched with my mom. -FSH
When you want to understand how your fave movies got made: What Went Wrong
Lizzie Bassett (a writer and producer) and Chris Winterbauer (a screenwriter and director) deep dive into movies, both box office disasters and huge hits, to tell an audience of non-Hollywood people how specific movies got made and all the behind-the-scenes drama. It’s given me an appreciation for the inner workings of the industry, but it also offers so much insight into the movies I’ve seen a gazillion times. My favorite episodes are Dirty Dancing, Die Hard, Point Break, The Crow, Ghostbusters, Do the Right Thing, Howard the Duck (a shitshow from start to finish that ruined Lea Thompson’s career), Poltergeist, and…OK, fine they’re all good. I even listen to the episodes about movies I haven’t seen. -CW
When you want to join a support group full of famous people: Here to Make Friends
At this stage in life, it's so hard to find the motivation and the courage to put yourself out there and make new friends. It’s a common lament, like even Hollywood power players feel the same, like hosts Liz Feldman, writer, producer, comedian, and creator of “No Good Deed”and “Dead to Me,” and writer, comedian, and actor Jessi Klein. (Feldman also shared some great insight on Gen X friendships with WNVM!) So the X-er BFFs invite fun (and famous) guests-slash-friends, of all generations, to share their self-deprecating experiences, moving friendship stories, and loads of laughs. Molly Ringwald just stopped by and comes to terms with the much-maligned Pretty in Pink prom dress through today’s fashion lens. More faves: Tig Notaro (so many snort-lols), “Somebody Somewhere” writer/star Bridget Everett, Lisa Kudrow, and Bowen Yang’s best friend, Matt Rogers, too.-FSH
When you want to laugh with someone who truly gets it: Good Hang
I’ve mentioned this previously in news links, but I just love how much host Amy Poehler and her guests are so unapologetically Gen X and relentlessly giggle through some serious deep cuts about growing up, or coming up, in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Like, Paul Rudd goes deep into younger high school classmate Jon Hamm’s Trivial Pursuit prowess, and everything about the Ike Barinholtz episode (I love him). Poehler is a natural at interviewing, and making her guests feel loose and comfortable — like Don’s daughter Dakota Johnson chose Good Hang for her very first podcast appearance (and she’s really fun!). -FSH
Fawnia is right that people yapping about nothing is not my jam when it comes to podcasts, but this is the exception. Poehler is just so engaging, and so fun, and such a good interviewer that it is actually making me want to watch it on YouTube, if only to see her fake food collection. The Seth Meyers episode was hilarious, and the Reneé Rapp ep made me listen to — and like! — her music, merely because Poehler mentioned it had an ‘80s vibe. -CW
We are two Gen X journalists who celebrate people of our generation doing cool things, as well as analyze all the '80s and '90s nostalgia in current pop culture, fashion, and beauty. Read more stories like this one here!
Also check out “Sherman’s Showcase” (streaming on Hulu), which Riddle co-created with Bashir Salahuddin. The musical sketch comedy series — with an underlying sci-fi element, just watch — is a part-love letter to favorite childhood shows like "Solid Gold" and "Soul Train" and super-smart and absurdist high-low comedy, like Toms Sanchez and Sandoval from "Vanderpump Rules" cameo in a Harlem Renaissance sketch. The original songs, from genres rooted in the '80s and '90s, are absolute bangers. (Cheryl would love the yacht-rocking “Marina Del Rey (Let’s Spend the Day)”.
This post is so money baby. It’s so money it doesn’t even know it’s money. 🤌 As one who lived in Los Feliz during the filming and cultural fallout from Swingers, I loved your inclusion of it here.
Like Mr. Maron, I'm a 61-year-old Gen-Xer, and I will die on that hill.