Pop Culture Preservation Society

On the eve of the release her second novel, The Scott Fenwick Diaries, we’re talking with someone we know who knows a LOT about the importance of all types of crushing as well being incredibly insightful about all THE FEELINGS that come along with them, our very own Kristin Nilsen! (Seriously, she was (and still is) all of us at age 12!) The Scott Fenwick Diaries is more than just a middle-grade novel about a first crush, it’s ALL ...

Today we’re saving the 1979 sleeper hit, “A Little Romance,” the quiet little movie that captured tweenage hearts, gave millions of kids their first crush on a newcomer named Diane Lane, and made us all want to ride in a gondola under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice … at sunset … and have an innocent kiss with our first crush. How did we miss this movie? Did you? Listen as we give every second of it our long overdue accolades and dis...

Join us for one of our favorite conversations as we revisit the generation-defining year of 1976. In our all new introduction, we discuss Bicentennial fashion (red, white and blue Sears Tuffskins, anyone?) and all the fun patriotic collectibles. Lots of laughs.

Our country’s Bicentennial hit differently for us GenX kids. For us it was all about pet rocks, Dorothy Hamill, Nadia’s Theme, “I’m Just A Bill,” The Bionic Woman, Charlie’s ...

Billy, Joey, & Delta Dawn go to the Copacabana: Story Songs of the 1970s: Join us today for the preservation of songs about car crashes, train accidents, shipwrecks, deadbeat dads, jail time, basic heartbreak and lots and lots of murder -- in an episode dedicated to the story songs of the 1970s. From Joey and Billy to Daddy and the sheriff, not to mention a hundred yellow ribbons and the Harper Valley PTA, people have been tell...

Linger with us as we sing our hearts out to the songs that turned out to be not just beloved but also universal. Whether it was Girl Scout camp, Boy Scout camp, Bluebirds or Brownies, Camp Fire Girls, Bible camp, theater camp or Jewish day camp (whew!) we all seemed to be singing from the same mimeographed songbook around the campfire. We sang about ants, bears, bunnies, hot dogs, Fords, country roads, barges (why???) and we all wi...

Today we're saving that very special chapter of small-screen history — the shows you wished you could binge-watch but couldn't binge-watch because that wasn't possible — the TV miniseries. Whether it was the epic battles of Shōgun, the sweeping drama and historical significance of Roots, the misguided and controversial romance of The Thorn Birds, or the deliciously trashy and captivating stories of the romance novel ada...

Forget organized sports leagues and structured activities. Today's episode celebrates the original "unplugged" generation: Gen X! We're taking a deep dive into the impromptu, self-governed world of neighborhood games that defined our childhoods. From the chalk artistry of Hopscotch to the frantic dashes of Kick The Can, these weren't just games; they were life lessons in strategy, teamwork, and knowing when to r...

Today we’ll be saving the precious messages inscribed into our school yearbooks that no one ever imagined would be read aloud PUBLICLY 40 years later. But that's exactly what we did -- welcome to Gen X Yearbook Reader’s Theater! (Sorry, Debbie). There may not be anything that signals the end of the school year more than the distribution of yearbooks. And the signing frenzy that follows..And so – we all spent significant time wi...

Get ready to kick off Season 16 as we flash back to the glorious chaos of Field Day! We're diving headfirst into the GenX end-of-year tradition that either filled you with the thrill of victory (and a coveted ribbon!) or the dread of impending physical exertion. We'll reminisce about the agony and the ecstasy of the tug-of-war (remember that glorious rope burn?), the awkward coordination of the three-legged race, and the su...

Tune in today as the topics of our Season 16 episodes are REVEALED! Consider this your TV Guide preview issue for the new season of The Pop Culture Preservation Society, full of pithy promos, clever hooks, and even a Season 16 theme song. Before the big reveal, Carolyn warms up the crowd with a walk through an actual TV Guide Preview Issue from 1979 (does anyone else remember Out of the Blue starring Olivia Barash? Or is it just Kr...

After a new opening conversation where we give a tribute to an non-M-named icon of our era, Linda Lavin, we are thrilled and honored to be talking to the trailblazing woman who wrote for some of the most iconic shows of the 70s and 80s, Susan Silver. Join us as Susan, the first female writer for The Mary Tyler Moore Show who opened the door for over 20 female writers after her, regales us with her start in the business, shares some...

Today we’re saving our GenX prom, that "Night To Remember,” the one we wanted to have just "One More Night" to experience "Always and Forever” — the dresses, the themes, the music, and all of OUR memories … and YOURS! Who drank so much water that day to be able to fit into her dress that she had to pee all night? Whose prom was basically a mini-wedding ceremony? Who had a serious wardrobe malfunction in the car? And...

Which Sesame Street skits have been living in your head for the past 50 or so years? Rubber Duckie? Mahna Mahna? Ladybug Picnic? Grover screaming “FAAAAAR?” There are SO many classic, memorable skits we’ll never be able to get out of our brains — and we’re not complaining! Join us for an encore of one of our HAPPIEST episodes as we count down YOUR Top 10 (or 14) favorites! Which shockingly appears low on the list? Which was the #1 ...

We're back with an encore presentation of our tribute to Sesame Street with the added bonus of a surprisingly serious conversation inspired by a New York Times article about the demise of creative jobs for Gen Xers. If you went into a creative field as a young adult in the 90s, you have likely seen a tsunami of change in your industry, sometimes to the point of extinction. Once again, Gen Xers have to adapt and change and perse...

Come with me, take my hand, and we'll ruuuuuuunnnnnn..... to Amherst, Massachusets for a gathering of PCPS listeners at the first-ever Free to Be You and Me museum exhibit and singalong at the Eric Carle Museum of Picturebook Art. It was .... how shall we say... EPIC? People have feelings about what could be the most important album for anyone born between the years 1965 and 1980. There was crying. Lots of it. PCPS listeners me...

The movie adaptation of Judy Blume's Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret came out two years ago this month and it's just starting to hit streaming services -- so we're bringing you an encore presentation of our episode reviewing/gushing over the movie. In addition to that, our new opening conversation includes an invitation to come see us IN PERSON for a book club discussion about Margaret at Anderson's Booksh...

Free To Be ... You and Me was our generation's manifesto, played in every household and every classroom across the nation until we all knew that it was all right to cry, and mommies are people, and Atalanta didn't have to get married if she didn't want to. Join us for a deep dive on the album's origin story and take our hands, come along as we r-u-u-u-u-u-n-n-n-n with our own thoughts and feelings about our favorite...

No better way to prep for our upcoming visit to the Eric Carle Museum for Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts than to revisit one of our favorite episodes, "Where The Wild Books Are." Join us for an all new opening conversation where we share what we're most excited to see at the museum as well as our dismay over some Eric Carle books that have been banned.

Snuggle up close as we share our memories of our favorite...

Today we’re chatting about a handful of our most Hūsker Dū-inducing social media posts that have gotten the most attention from all of you. What was it about those little SeaWees mermaids that made you like and share by the 1000s? Or what about the brother boy detectives that made us all way more interested in solving crime? Why does Shakey’s Pizza give so many of you ALL THE FEELS? And let’s not forget the love for that granola-lo...