Tag: GenX

Siouxsie Sioux and the Unrelenting Banshee Challenge a Creature

Can one artist inspire more artists than most? Is trailblazer an understatement? And can her challenging of convention inspire a Banshee at a record store to confront a young man before he becomes a monstrous creature? If we are talking about Siouxsie Sioux and one of her fans, the answer is yes. Siouxsie Sioux Breaks…
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March 8, 2024
Musical Discovery and the Crime of Gatekeeping

By Jeremy Ritch I’m a later Gen Xer born in 1975, but it still is my generation. For years the later members of this generation tended to feel just as much a part as the older members. That changed a bit when the much larger and closer to my age Millennial generation came to be…
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March 7, 2024
Women’s History Month Made in the 80’s

Could women’s history exist in the decade of decadence? In the midst of the decade of Reagan could women’s issues advance? Does this matter today? Yes. The 1970’s In our Cyndi Lauper article, I said the following about being a woman in the 1970’s. “According to an article in Ms Magazine in 2013 there were many things…
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March 4, 2024
Sixteen Candles Burning With Truth

Did Molly Ringwald matter then? Does she matter now? And could the Dawn of a woman’s truth change me? Yep! Molly Ringwald Then Molly Ringwald was the 80’s. You could not walk by a magazine rack without seeing her on the cover of something. John Hughes may have created the Brat Pack and the movies…
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March 1, 2024
World Start Turning on My Depression

Could the same man who gave us Jessie’s Girl and Doctor Noah Drake make a difference? Is depression an affair of the heart? And have I sometimes been Walking on the Edge of a Suicide Manifesto like a Working Class Dog? Yes. An Unlikely Hero If you do not know who Rick Springfield is, here…
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February 27, 2024
Let’s Go Back to the Mall for a Better World!

Do Gen X and Gen Z long to return to the mall? Does the mall give a sense of space that is important to a civil society, democracy and engagement? Was I a mallrat? Hell yes! Fox Valley Mall Though I live near quite a few indoor malls, Fox Valley mall was my home away…
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February 26, 2024
When Material Girls Make a Rule

Is Madonna a gay icon? Did she express sexuality on her terms? Do these things matter? And did a young man find himself on the Borderline of allyship as he made a new friend? Yes. The Queen of Pop Pushing The Lines Madonna does not need an introduction. She came into the 80s with a…
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February 23, 2024
Launching Now! Gen X Magazine is Here!

The First Issue of Gen X Watch’s Quarterly Magazine is Live and it is totally awesome! What’s Inside the First Issue? Feature Story! Cyndi Lauper Movie Review! Benny and Joon Then and Now! Gay edition (Then we thought gay jokes were okay, now we know better) Album Review! When the Rain Drops by Shiny to…
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February 22, 2024
Holding on to Hope in Cold War Games

Were we on the eve of destruction? Was it a land of confusion fueled by the politics of dancing? When two tribes go to war is the beat and the box office epic? Yes! After a decade of detent thawing the cold war, the 80’s would begin with President Carter halting the SALT II nuclear…
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February 21, 2024
Joan Jett’s Bad Reputation for a New Generation

Can a Sears Christmas Catalog guitar make history? Is a 16 year old Runaway an icon? Is a bad reputation a female anthem? Did a fan of godmother of pop-punk change my life? If we are talking about Joan Fucking Jett, the answer is hell yes! The Sears Wish List That Changed History On a…
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February 16, 2024