Today we’ll be saving the 70s version of mixtapes with a tribute to the most beloved KTEL record of all time: No, it’s not Full Tilt. It’s not Hot Nights and City Lights . It’s not even 24 Great Truck Drivin’ Songs. It’s Music Express.

KTEL records were compilation albums full of the hit songs of that very moment – and how did we know about them? Because they were advertised incessantly on TV. And they helped create a lexicon of words and phrases that may be best known by Gen Xers: “20 original hits! 20 original stars!” “As seen on TV!” And, most importantly, “But Wait! There’s more!” Packed with twenty current hits from the radio, each KTEL album was like a precursor to the homemade mixtapes that became staples of 80s culture. SO WHAT WAS THE MOST POPULAR KTEL ALBUM?

If we only knew! But if we can judge by the internet, and how often people talk about it, that would be MUSIC EXPRESS, the 1975 album featuring The Captain and Tennille, Elton John, Barry Manilow, Disco Tex and the Sex-o-lettes – “and many more!!!!” Join us as we walk through this album song by song, sharing the vibes and fun facts like only your pop culture preservationists can.

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Be our guests at the GRAND OPENING of our GenX Museum’s first exhibit, “Scratch-n-Sniff: Smells Like GenX,” where we lead you and your nose through rooms and places of your youth, and tickle your olfactory glands with fragrant things like Noxema, Sweet Honesty, mimeographed worksheets, and Bain de Soleil. Sure, you’ll be surrounded in a cloud of cigarette smoke and the tour may take up most of your day, but we’re confident you’ll enjoy your visit. WARNING — there WILL be (slightly graphic) talk (amidst hysterical laughter) of powdering your privates. So.Much.Powder. Please proceed with (very relatable) caution.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support 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 here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Today we’re celebrating what we've learned after five years of creating episodes and social media posts, and meeting our listeners, and reading your comments and messages. That's an education that could not be replicated by many people. And even though we have always claimed to be experts in the pop culture of our Gen X youth, after this five-year intensive educational experience, we can really and truly claim that we know how our generation felt about what they were watching, reading, listening to and playing with when they were children in the 70s and 80s. We are the experts in YOU.

And on November 7, 2025, to celebrate the five year anniversary of the PCPS, we went to the Jason Show -- the daily pop culture talk show viewed by people all around the nation -- and said, we have a list. We call it The Top 10 Gen X Moments of All Time as determined by US after five years of asking questions, and researching episodes, and polling our listeners and followers, -- these are the top ten moments weve found our people really like to talk about. Can you guess what sits in the number one spot? And, big disclaimer, this is highly subjective and we reserve the right to change our minds tomorrow! Don't be surprised if you see Top 10 Gen X Moments Part Deux next season! Please enjoy and don't be crabby if you disagree with our vastly unscientific findings (see DISCLAIMER: PART DEUX above).

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support 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 here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Touring the country for the first time in almost fifty years, 1970s teen idol Shaun Cassidy sits down with us to talk about his past and his present; his life, his career(s), his family, his music and the fans who fill the theaters every show to get up close and personal with their first crush. He’s full of wise words and encouragement culled from a lifetime of stories — from the 45s he collected as a child and Elton John dropping by the house to myths about aging and one’s contributions to the world. We always feel like better people after talking to Shaun Cassidy.

Check out Shaun Cassidy's tour schedule here

Find Shaun's First Crush wines here

Check out the Stars of the Golden Age podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support 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 here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

It’s a sneak peek into our 18th (!!) season, and we’ve got all your pop-culture bases covered. One of the top 5 movie soundtracks of the 80s? Check. Damp mimeographed worksheets, pencil shavings, and a permeation of cigarette smoke? Got it. Spandex leotards, leg warmers, tiny shorts, and the onset of the aerobics craze? Done. A second, thoughtful and in-depth conversation with your first crush? Comin’ in HOT. But wait, there’s more! Listen now for all the GenX pop culture nuggets we’re serving up … starting next week!

Check out the Stars of the Golden Age podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support 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 here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Join us as we discuss and pick apart a New York Times article by John McWhorter highlighting the top ten old TV shows he's sharing with his tween daughters. And thank God for him because if we don't share these old shows with younger people they will literally DISAPPEAR from the knowledge base of people younger than 30 years old. It turns out there's plenty to be learned about comedy styles, social norms, gender politics and more when we sit down to watch a silly sitcom from the 1950s with our kids. Who knew there was so much to talk about?! Not us, that's for sure. Whether it's Lucy and her (very short-lived) job at the candy factory or Sammy Davis Jr kissing Archie Bunker on the cheek, all of it gives us a peek into the world in which these shows were filmed.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support 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 here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Today we’re talking about the iconic Chicago Art Museum scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and how the choice of the song — an instrumental version of The Smith’s Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want — is perhaps what made it so impactful. Fan of Ferris? We think you’ll get a lot out of this conversation, and, like us, come to a new and deeper understanding of not only this memorable scene, but of the character of Cameron as well.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support 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 here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Today’s episode is an encore of episode 220, “The PCPS Sings Along with Free to Be…You and Me (and Marlo)." We’re re-releasing this special episode at a moment when its message feels more necessary than ever.

In the wake of recent events in Minneapolis — a city deeply connected to the heart of PCPS — we’re returning to Free To Be… You and Me, the landmark project created by Marlo Thomas and friends that shaped how so many Gen X kids learned about empathy, fairness, individuality, and what it means to live in community with one another.

This episode isn’t just about nostalgia or sing-alongs (though there are plenty of those). It’s about revisiting the values we were raised on — values reinforced by Sesame Street, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Schoolhouse Rock, and other touchstones that taught us to see the humanity in everyone. At a time when fear and division feel loud, these lessons remind us that kindness, understanding, and connection are not naïve ideas — they are essential ones.

We’re sharing this episode again as an invitation: to remember, to reflect, and to carry these messages forward. Our Weekly Reader newsletter will also include ways you can help, show support, and stand in solidarity with those affected in our community.

The music and the messages of "Free to Be… You and Me" weren’t just songs from our childhood. They are an affirmation of what it means to be human — together.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support 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 here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com