Pop Culture Preservation Society

Welcome to the inaugural meeting of the PCPS's MTV Book Club -- where we drink wine and analyze plots, characters and literary devices used in our favorite music videos from the MTV era. Music videos were a brand new art form in the early 80s so there were no classics to emulate, no standardized techniques, and definitely no criticism deeper than WICKED or TOTALLY TUBULAR. Though we may not have noticed at the time, a lot of those early videos were head scratchers; why is the drum kit on a pile of trash? What's that bear doing? And why are they wearing trench coats? Whether they were random thoughts strung together or well-plotted storylines, sometimes it felt like the inmates were running the asylum. Join us as we walk through our beloved mini-music-movies scene by scene and ask "huh?"Shop Amanda McGee's nostalgic art here. Remember to include the discount code "PCPS" at checkout for your COMPLIMENTARY mini-print.Purchase the GenX Journal from Spotgirl Design hereShop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This weekend, Carolyn, Kristin and Michelle celebrated five years of The Pop Culture Preservation Society with an action-packed weekend that ended with a Shaun Cassidy concert. When it comes to the PCPS, it seems like all things either start or end with Shaun Cassidy. Fresh off of airplanes and exhausted from extroverting for days, we sat down in front of our mics to share the details with you while they're still fresh; the TV appearance, the live episode recording, meeting listeners in the wild, and the cherry on top ... sharing Shaun Cassidy's latest concert performance with a group of local listeners. Unscripted, unedited, and unprepared, we present you with our thoughts and feelings about our anniversary celebration as they come to us.Shop Amanda McGee's nostalgic art here. Remember to include the discount code "PCPS" at checkout for your COMPLIMENTARY mini-print.Purchase the GenX Journal from Spotgirl Design hereShop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

They were only 30 seconds long, but somehow they’ve lived in our brains for 40 years. In this episode, we dive into the unforgettable (and occasionally regrettable) commercial jingles of our GenX childhood. From “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” to “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz,” we’re unpacking the tunes that made us sing, shop, and sometimes cry.Find out which jingle makes Carolyn very anxious (spoiler: it involves a meat product), and which one got Kristin in trouble back in the day. Join us as we hum, cringe, and celebrate the musical marketing magic of the 70s and 80s—where every brand had a beat, and every beat sold something.Purchase the GenX Journal from Spotgirl Design hereShop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

1975 was a HUGE year for pop culture, and today having a BIG 50TH BIRTHDAY PARTY for many of the things we watched, played with, read, listened to, and went to the movies to see in that banner year. Wonder Woman, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time, Starsky & Hutch, Captain & Tennille, Glen Campbell, JAWS, The Apple Dumpling Gang, Ramona The Brave, Tuck Everlasting, Whack-A-Mole, the Egg McMuffin, Big Red Gum — and SO MUCH MORE! It’s a 50th birthday party like no other, right here at the PCPS!Purchase the Spotgirl Design GenX Journal hereCheck out all the goodies from Spotgirl Design hereShop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Grab your plastic pumpkin bucket and come along with us as we visit our Halloweens of the past. From our own costume memories (why were we all dressed as hobos and gypsies in the 1970s??) plus some of YOURS (snips of wig hair Elmer’s Glued to the face, and mohair Princess Leia buns FTW) to sticking our hands in bowls of peeled grapes and cold spaghetti, GenX Halloween was just better, wasn’t it?Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Today we'll be saving the book that just won't quit, the 1970's classic that keeps coming back in every new generation, with new covers, new editions, and multiple movie adaptations. Lois Duncan's I Know What You Did Last Summer is one of the first books written for teens about teens and it ruled The Scholastic Bookfair all through the 70s, 80s and 90s. It hooked readers (and future movie-goers) with an enticing premise about four friends who accidentally kill a young boy on his bike and try to keep it secret. But what happens when that classic story from the 1970’s is updated for 21st century readers? Ummm…we might have some opinions.Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

After last week's discussion of our twentysomething obsession with Thirtysomething, we sit down with one of the show's most memorable stars. Mel Harris played the inimitable Hope Steadman from 1987 to 1991 and created a character who stirred up feelings of domestic bliss and feminist angst in equal measure; for Gen X women, Hope Steadman was a lovely blueprint mixed with a cautionary tale and we watched her every move when designing our own lives. Mel Harris played that role in tandem with her own Thirtysomething life, bringing an authenticity that spoke keenly to millions of viewers. Join us as she reminisces about her relationships with her cast mates, her most memorable episodes, the responses from viewers like us while also giving us a little intel on the possibility of a Thirtysomething SEQUEL in the works!Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Many of us GenXers may have only been twentysomething, but we couldn’t get enough of thirtysomething! Join us as we share our BIG feelings about the show that made us all want to be part of that group of friends who were like big brothers and sisters to us, teaching us how to navigate an adult life we might not have been ready for, but sure had our eyes on. What was it about this show that wasn’t even about our generation but spoke SO loudly to it?!? We’ll try to figure it out! Plus, find out which host thinks she’s an Ellyn, who’s pre-husband was in advertising so was basically Michael, and which host thought she and her college boyfriend (now husband) looked so much like a younger-version of Hope and Michael she had pictures of them next to each other on her bulletin board. MAKE SURE TO LISTEN TO THE END OF THE EPISODE to find out a HUGE surprise re: next week’s episode!Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Saturday Night Fever is an emblem of the 1970s. The white suit, the finger in the air, the lighted dance floor, and the sound of The Bee Gees swallowed every corner of our culture and will forever define that moment in time. The book FEVER: The Complete History of Saturday Night Fever by Margo Donahue examines every aspect of the making of this cultural juggernaut and gives us SO much to talk about -- from the transformation of its young star and the Deney Terrio controversy to the conflicting feelings we Gen Xers felt when we grew up and watched it with our adult eyes. We hash it all out for you with this new book at our fingertips; who needs the internet when you've got FEVER?Purchase FEVER: The Complete History of Saturday Night Fever hereShop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comPublicAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In our final can of PCPS Light before S17 starts next week (!!) we're giving you our latest recs by letting you know what we've been reading, watching, and listening to. Come for the recs, stay for Carolyn's song.Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Do you know who wrote the theme song to “The Waltons?” Or where Ann Romano was moving her family in “One Day at a Time?” Find out if Carolyn and Kristin do as Michelle tests their pop-culture knowledge with quizzes from our favorite throwback magazine and website, REMIND. (Shouting the correct answers at your listening device encouraged. Shouting at Carolyn and Kristin not.)Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

EPISODE 241 A full- calorie PCPS Light where we ditch the timer to talk real life: the tragedy at Annunciation (in Kristin’s backyard), Carolyn’s HUGE life news and exciting new chapter, and a magician Michelle met in Aspen who was friends with John Denver. (Magician + friends with John Denver = Michelle's head exploding.) Join us as we go from tears to laughter … because isn’t that what real life is full of?To help support victims of the Annunciation tragedy, you can donate here.Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Join us for a light and refreshing shakedown of everything on our minds this week. Kristin found not just Darth Vader but also Amish ladies in the Wisconsin Dells. But she couldn't remember how to get off the pommel horse (pro tip: ask Kurt Thomas). And somehow that led to a personal and enthusiastic conversation about the new no-make-up Pamela Anderson on the red carpet. Perhaps she was a role model all along? We know -- it doesn't make any sense. But when you listen, we promise you'll be nodding your head right along with us!For information on sponsoring episodes of the Pop Culture Preservation Society with targeted ads, please reach out to us at hello@poppreserservationists.comShop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Join us for another refreshingly light episode celebrating (quickly) the new documentary about the shark movie that created the word ‘blockbuster.’ Jaws@50 gave us all the behind-the-scenes info we love; Steven Spielberg’s lasting trauma post-filming, the Martha’s Vineyard locals who got to star in one of the biggest movies of all time, and that damn mechanical shark (tears out hair)! There are so many stories to share and they will all lead you to a repeat viewing of this now-classic movie of summer.For information on sponsoring episodes of the Pop Culture Preservation Society with targeted ads, please reach out to us at hello@poppreserservationists.comShop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome to the first can … er, episode … of our six-pack of PCPS Light episodes: all NEW light and refreshing conversations we’re bringing you while we work on Season 17 (can you taste the hint of lemon?)! Today’s short & sweet episode covers some of our recent viral-ish social media posts (with some impassioned reader’s theatre readings of some of our favorite comments from YOU), plus Monica Lewinsky? Yes, Monica Lewinsky. Listen now for our first UNresearched, UNscripted, and UNapologetic half-hour episode!For information on sponsoring episodes of the Pop Culture Preservation Society with targeted ads, please reach out to us at hello@poppreserservationists.comShop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.Subscribe to our YouTube channel hereFollow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTokSupport the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation hereSubscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" hereSend us an email at hello@poppreservationists.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands