Xennials Ep.8: Music, urban culture & transculturalism in the ‘90s

Xennials Ep.8: Music, urban culture & transculturalism in the ‘90s

In this episode of Xennials, host Charlotte Kan dives into the concept of ‘neural nostalgia’ to explore how the music we listened to as teenagers left an indelible mark on our brains. She welcomes Claude Grunitzky, founder of global media brand Trace, who shares how music helped shaped his life and career. They discuss Claude’s multicultural background, his early influences, and his move from London to New York – from trip-hop to hip-hop. The conversation touches on the globalisation and hybridisation of music in the 90s, from Massive Attack to Afrobeats, and how technology and AI are impacting the music industry today. Recorded June 2024

Xennials Ep. 7 Cool Britannia: How the UK became a global brand in the 90s

In the seventh episode of this 10-part series, Xennials creator & host Charlotte Kan welcomes back Professor James Brooke-Smith, a leading authority on the 90s, as well as teacher of English and Film Studies at the University of Ottawa and author of ‘Accelerate! A History of the 90s’. In this episode, they discuss the highlights of the decade, zeroing in on the UK and its role in the 1990s: Britpop, New Labour and the thriving YBA art scene are just some of the topics covered. Recorded October 2023

Xennials Ep. 06 - Heating up history: The 90s, a missed opportunity for climate change

During this episode of Xennials, host Charlotte Kan explores the pivotal decade of the 1990s with Gernot Wagner, climate economist at Columbia Business School and a fellow xennial. Together, they explore the release of the first IPCC report that sparked a global wakeup call about the escalating dangers of greenhouse gas emissions and the critical steps needed to curb global warming. Gernot reflects on the 1989 Los Angeles Times headline that framed global warming as the decade’s hot issue, a prediction that was frighteningly accurate yet insufficiently heeded. We dive into the highs and lows of the 1990s’ climate initiatives, including the ambitious yet ultimately inadequate Kyoto Protocol. Gernot shares his personal evolution from a precocious teen grappling with the economic impacts of environmental policies to a leading expert navigating the complex interplay between economic growth and environmental sustainability. Recorded March 2024

Episode 5 – Generation X: Unsilencing a rebel generation

In this episode of Xennials, host Charlotte Kan asks award-winning journalist, author and “GenXtraordinaire” Matt Potter to share the forgotten tales of a generation born in the shadow of the baby boomers. In a freewheeling discussion, they unpack the infamous label that was slapped on gen X by Time Magazine back in 1990: Lazy, indecisive, with the attention span of a zapper. Matt offers a compelling counter-narrative, drawing on historical critiques that echo through the ages from the Bible to Socrates. This episode takes a deep dive into the perennial, generational tug-of-war, exploring the loud societal scripts. Don’t miss out on this explosive blend of personal stories, historical insights and the rebellious spirit of the 90s – an era that refused to conform – and rediscover the ’xennial spirit’, where irony meets inquiry, analogue meets digital, solid meets fluid. Recorded March 2024

Episode 4 – Inside the minds of Xennials with NY psychologist Michael Alcee

Michael Alcee, a New York-based psychologist, delves into the nuanced world of Xennials, a generation at the unique crossroads of analog and digital eras with podcast host Charlotte Kan. For him, Xennials, seamlessly synthesize, empathize, and mobilize, drawing strength from the unique fusion of analog nostalgia and digital progressiveness. This generation is characterized by its unique cognitive and emotional flexibility, adeptly navigating between seemingly incompatible worlds, translating, mediating, and bridging divides. Their emotional intelligence combined with tech-savviness results in innovative leadership styles, as seen in leaders like Zelensky and Ardern. Compared to older GenXers, they effortlessly pivot between personal and professional realms, maintaining a personal warmth yet retaining the etiquette of the analogue world.