The Beat(en) Generation by The The (1989) When the English rock band The The released The Beat(en) Generation in the summer of 1989, it was a call-to-arms disguised as a pop single. Matt Johnson (b. 1961), the band’s restless frontman, wasn’t singing about the 1950s...
Every once in a while, a film comes along that feels tailor-made for Gen X nostalgia. Band on the Run, now streaming on Amazon, is just that movie. Rooted in Detroit’s gritty, vibrant 1990s music scene, this indie dramedy captures the raw energy of a band chasing its...
Tramps Like UsThe Rise and Fall of My Springsteen YearsThe Rise and Fall of My Springsteen YearsBaby, we were born to run. August 24, 2025The Bruce Springsteen Archives will host “Born to Run” 50th‑anniversary celebration September 4-7, with talks and exhibits...
I discovered Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 countdown when I started driving at age 14. We lived in a small town in Southeast Kansas, which explains why I was running errands in my mom’s Ford Granada without a license. I made every excuse to head to the store during...
In the ambient anxiety of life, it’s rare to encounter someone who is truly ordained by God. Someone whose very presence is a prayer. Monk Abel (also Monkavel or Монах Авель), the Russian Orthodox monk in purple monastic robe and cap, is one of those rare anointed...
My Madaonna Wannabe Days One thing I don't admit to very often is that I have always been a huge Madonna fan. I fell in love with her music after hearing Borderline on the radio in February 1984. I was living in Northeast Oklahoma at the time and crossing the border...
Walkman made its way to American shores in June 1980. Happy Anniversary, Walkman. For an excellent essay on 80s music, aging and lies, check out Ted Anthony's latest article on Medium, We Did Not, In Fact, Build This City on Rock and Roll: Aging, death and the lies of...
...Those drifters days are past me now I've got so much more to think about Deadlines and commitments What to leave in, what to leave out Against the wind I'm still runnin against the wind I'm older now but still runnin against the wind Bob Seeger, Against the Wind,...
Amy Grant has a new Christmas song, friends! (I loved her last one, Another Merry Christmas, so much!) This year, she's teamed up with Matt Maher on his new album, The Advent of Christmas. It was released in October, and the single with Grant is my favorite. It's...
...Our painted old nativity Is fragile like the lives we lead Silently reminding me God is with us Another Merry Christmas. --Amy Grant, Another Merry Christmas, 2016 One day in the early 1980s, my BFF came to school and told me about a new Christian singer she...
This is not the first We Didn't Start the Fire parody I've come across, but it's the first I've seen for Generation X. It was published on YouTube in 2009 and features a guy named Patrick on Karaoke. The original song by Billy Joel spans 40 years of history,...
Take a moment and listen to this beautiful song, When I'm Gone, by Joey Feek. Feek is half of the Joey + Rory bluegrass duo. Feek has cervical cancer and has entered hospice. CNN: Vaccine Too Late for Generation X Virtually all cervical cancer is caused by HPV, which...