This episode is part of an ongoing series on Aging, where Bassey and Mike explore why getting older—especially for Black folks born between 1975 and 1985—feels so profoundly different than it did for generations before.

In this installment of The Idea Of..., they take listeners deep into the noise and nuance of aging in a time where there’s no real blueprint. As immigrant Xennials shaped by an old-world perspective, introduced to the internet through 90s-era chatrooms and ushered into adulthood by the algorithm, they unpack what it means to grow older without a model—to carry cultural memory and grief while living under the constant surveillance of a hyper-connected world.

From parenting regrets to Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s legacy, from Ralph Lauren's Oak Bluffs capsule to generational shame disguised as advocacy—this one covers it all. It’s honest, funny, intimate, and as wide-ranging as life itself.