Things That Make Me Go Grrr!
Earlier this year, Will had a great (and therapeutic!) discussion with social media sensation The Real Slim Sherri about all things GenX. During their chat, while expounding upon the topic of general life outlook, Will referred to me as “rosy and optimistic.” While I won’t attempt to deny this (it’s accurate!), I actually see myself […]
No Cavities, No Polyhedral Dice
There are two notable life experiences that I managed to avoid during my first 50 years of life. The first ultimately did come to pass in 2022, just before my 51st birthday. It was brought to my attention by my current dentist, who dejectedly informed me that I had a cavity. It was my first […]
The DJ and the Dancer
Followers of 1980s Now are no doubt aware of Will’s longtime expertise as a DJ, a role he honed over the course of our favorite decade and beyond. I learned of this right along with the podcast’s earliest listeners. (Although Will and I first became acquainted back in 1989, we’ve only just gotten to know […]
Truck Travel
One of the many GenX childhood experiences of mine—which would be frowned upon by the makers of today’s safety standards—involved riding in the back of my father’s pickup truck. Some of my memories of this fun activity are quite vivid, such as when family and friends all vacationing together in a Catskills cabin would pile […]
Not Invisible
If you’re a loyal listener of the 1980s Now, you’re likely unsurprised to learn that a couple of my favorite guests are folks who have immersed themselves in the appreciation and legacy of Duran Duran. In September of 2021 Will and I enjoyed chatting with Annie Zaleski, author of “Rio,” an excellent deep-dive into what […]
Yuletide Tunes Emergency
If you’ve read my most previous blog (*and if you haven’t, go there first!*), you already know a bit about my fondness for Christmas/holiday tunes. I can cheerfully enjoy it alone (and frequently do, as my husband tends towards the Grinch end of the scale when it comes to Christmas music), but as with many […]
A Dist-mas Miracle
Our recent recording of “The Quirkiest 1980s Christmas songs” was an especially fun one for me, as I am a big fan–perhaps even an aficionado!–of Christmas songs. Secular or religious, it doesn’t matter, but I will confess that my fondness for them is especially focused on older tunes from the 50s and 60s, the ones […]
That’s a Big 10-4, Good Buddy!
From the moment I was inspired to make the now much-maligned mixed tape for Will, I intended for him to unwrap it during a recording. Towards the end of the tape’s 10-month creation period, Jon revealed to us that he wished to continue on permanently as a co-host (yay!). As I anticipated the completion of […]
I Ain’t Mixing You At All
Waaaaay back during recording for our October 18, 2021 episode, I learned that Will had never received a mixtape from anyone. I felt a little sad about that, and decided right then and there to remedy that situation. After all, at their core, mixtapes (or as I call them, “mixed tapes”) represent a creative exchange […]
Paging, Dr. Yankovic
On a recent episode, we spoke with Lily Hirsch, author of the excellent book “Weird Al, Seriously.” As is frequently the case for me, I ended up having more notes than we had time for discussing, and so as some of us anticipate the upcoming release of the “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” on the […]