Stuck in the ’80s:
The Podcast and the Book
Somewhere along the way, a podcast about ’80s music, movies, TV and memory turned into a 20-year adventure.
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Stuck in the ’80s began in 2005, back when podcasting still felt like a strange little experiment and nobody was quite sure what to make of it. What started as a fun idea became one of the longest-running nostalgia podcasts around, with hundreds of episodes, interviews with artists and pop-culture icons, and a loyal audience of listeners who still care deeply about the decade that shaped them.​​
But the show was never just about ranking songs or arguing over John Hughes movies.
At its best, Stuck in the ’80s has always been about why this stuff stays with us. Why a song can still wreck you in the best possible way. Why an old movie quote can instantly put you back in a mall, a car, a cafeteria, a first kiss, a bad haircut, or the weird little life you were building at 16. The ’80s weren’t just a decade. For a lot of us, they were the moment pop culture became personal.
Over the years, the podcast has featured conversations with artists, actors, VJs and cultural figures who helped define the era. The show has covered everything from MTV and Live Aid to Pretty in Pink, the Challenger disaster, Prince, and the emotional afterlife of growing up in the MTV generation. My guests have included names like Steve Perry, Martha Quinn, Alan Hunter, Mark Goodman, Dennis DeYoung and many more.
What kept the show going all these years wasn’t just nostalgia. It was connection.
Listeners came for the music and movies, sure. But they stayed because the conversations were personal, funny, occasionally ridiculous, and sometimes more emotional than anybody expected. That’s been the secret sauce from the beginning: treat the decade with affection, treat the audience like friends, and leave room for the fact that memory is messy.
About the Book
After nearly two decades behind the mic, I finally wrote the book version of Stuck in the ’80s:
Stuck in the ’80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade. Recent coverage describes it as part memoir and part pop-culture history, which feels about right.
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The book brings together stories from the podcast’s long run, but it’s not just a greatest-hits package. It’s also about what was happening around those interviews: the near misses, the surreal moments, the emotional surprises, and the strange truth that when you spend enough time talking to the people who helped soundtrack your life, you start learning a little more about your own.
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In other words: yes, the book is about the stars and songs and stories of the ’80s. But it’s also about nostalgia itself — why it lasts, why it matters, and why certain voices, lyrics and moments never really leave us.
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If the podcast is like sitting down with friends to talk about the decade, the book is a chance to go a little deeper. More reflection. More backstory. More of the weird and wonderful road that got me here.
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Why It Still Matters
I’ve been asked more than once how a podcast about the ’80s has lasted this long.
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The answer is that it was never really just about the ’80s.
It’s about identity. It’s about memory. It’s about the way pop culture helps us mark time and make sense of who we were. And maybe who we still are. The decade may be in the rearview mirror, but the feelings are still very much alive.
That’s what the podcast has always tried to honor. And that’s what the book does too.
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Start Here
If you’re new to Stuck in the ’80s, there are a few ways in:
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Listen to the podcast for the interviews, debates, memories and occasional emotional damage.
Pick up the book for the bigger story — the one behind the microphone, behind the guests, and behind 20 years of trying to explain why this decade still echoes so loudly.
Or do both. That’s probably the most ’80s answer possible.