From Michael to Mayhem

1986: The Greatest Summer Movie Year Ever?

Top Gun. Ferris Bueller. Aliens. Back to School. Just some of the movies that dominated the summer of 1986. The best summer Gen X had as far as hit after hit? It's up there for sure. Gary is also taking over code enforcement in his small town, so if you want anything built, you better "grease the skids" if you know what we mean. The Amish are on notice!The guys also wonder when the explosion of "a graduate lives there" yard signs around graduation. Everyone (basically) graduates, so what's the big deal? And you need a sign to tell everyone about it? June is also the anniversary of the "Happy Meal" and Gary has a few thoughts since McDonald's came in and put an end to one of his favorite other fast food joints in his childhood. RIP to Burger Chef! That's all for this week. Drop us a note and let us know how many of those summer movies from 1986 are still in your top rotation. And was it one of the Best. Movie. Summers. Ever? Like and subscribe and help us spread the word.

Episode 36: Gong Gone Wild and THAT Newlywed Answered that Never Aired

Those of us of a certain age remember how wild and wacky 1970's TV could get. Chuck Barris hosting "The Gong Show", Bob Eubanks and "The Newlywed Game." Both created by Barris and both left their marks in the TV history books.This week on the show, Bill and Gary take a look at those two shows with some infamous clips. Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman) appearing on The Gong Show (one of his many appearances actually) and giving us a first glimpse at what would become the legendary "Pee Wee Dance". Jaye P Morgan's flashing the studio audience during a "Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine" segment (IYKYK). And it wouldn't be a discussion about The Gong Show without the "Popsicle Twins". An appearance that only aired in the Eastern Time Zone because the NBC censors...well....see for yourself. The Newlywed game was just as unpredictable and we drop a couple of clips. A poor young blond woman who has no idea what rural or urban mean, but she's pretty sure her husband went to the doctor for it. And we toss in THE Newlywed game clip. It's even more raw that the urban legend. And school was let out 50 years ago (when we taped this) for Lee High School in Austin, Texas. Our first sighting of Matthew McConaughey in "Dazed and Confused". It's a great example of how Gen X (even though these would have been late Boomers...oldest Gen X would have been 11 in 1976 and NOT going to Moon Tower parties) would have to find out about parties, meet us and the like. Bill had his own little mini Mason reunion at a recent emmet swimming show. And the more things change, the more they stay the same, just with a little less moshing in the pit these days. (the band sounded great by the way).As Chuckie Baby would say on the Gong Show "The boys were back with more STUFF". Sometimes they feel like the podcast is really just The Gong Show, you just never know where anything is going! Do us a favor, like...subscribe...spread the word. And drop a comment below. More Gong Show fan or Newlywed game? #gongshow #newlywed #70snostalgia #80snostalgia #dazedandconfused #genx #genxpodcast

Episode 35: Bringing back the Hut...and my teacher did WHAT?!?

Oh boy, the #80snostalgia runs deep in this week's episode. Pizza Hut is coming back in a big way bringing back the red and white checkered table cloths, those amazing red cups and the SALAD BAR! The guys can't wait to drop a few quarters into the Ms Pac Man table top or play any of the classic 80's hits on the jukebox (look it up Gen Z) while waiting for their pan pizza to cook. But only if the Hut goes back to their original recipe. Pizza Hut lunch runs were a staple for Bill in high school because his after lunch government teacher was....well....drinking on the job. This takes the guys down a long and winding road of drinking teachers, flirting teachers, odd teacher behavior and car pools in the flat bed?!? You wont want to miss the crazy stories of Gary staying over (with other kids) not once, but TWICE at teacher's houses. Would never happen today!#drunkteacher #genxpodcast #pizzahut #genx #teacher

The EMT goes to the ER...not how the day was planned

Well this was a surprise! Co-host Gary ended up in the hospital this week but at the last second was saved from being gutted open like a fish! It's the harrowing adventure of an EMT ending up on the other side of a emergency room visit, a transfer of hospitals and ultimately good news. But what does it say of the hospitals and health care in the US? Especially in smaller cities and towns like Belfast? The boys break down the behind the scenes look at how Gary's 48 hour hospital stay went and how it was eerily similar to Bill's surgery 5 years ago. Also...are we just going to pretend certain entities are just trying to scare us into another virus summer? The guys are NOT having the fear mongering over the latest virus. (And they explain why they will never do cruises!)Thankful Gary is still with us...and glad those CT scans can sometimes fix issues on their own!#ERvisit #genxpodcast #genx #ctscan #hantavirus #cruise #hospital

Episode 33: PR Pro gives Russini, Vrabel advice

Episode 33 goes under the hood of a PR nightmare as crisis communications expert Jonathan Grella joins the Gen X Men to break down the growing Mike Vrabel–Dianna Russini story and why the PR handling has become such a major talking point online.How do stories like this spiral?What should teams, media personalities, and public figures actually do when controversy hits?And in the social media age…is it even possible to control the narrative anymore?Jonathan Grella has advised Fortune 500 companies, government leaders, and major organizations during high-pressure moments, and he gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how modern crisis management really works.We also dive into:🏈 The role of sports media in modern controversies📱 How Twitter/X changes the speed of PR disasters🎙️ Why “no comment” can sometimes make things WORSE📰 The difference between reporting, rumor, and narrative-building👀 What the public gets wrong about crisis communicationsWe also hit on the JP Morgan fake lawsuit and how the Eric Swalwell story was a DC one just waiting to explode...and if there are more coming. And Gary saw George Thorogood and the Destroyers and gives his review of the 76 year rocker and what's is next on Gary's throw back concert schedule.Drop us a comment below on how YOU would have handled the Vrabel-Russini situation. And do you think their spouses end up seeing this thing through? Like and subscribe and spread the word for us!