Living in the Past Podcast

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In the 1980s, the mullet hairstyle was everywhere. From celebrities to regular folks, the unique style captured the attention of young and old. The bi-level hairdo punctured popular culture and wearers often modified the look to suit their individual personalities. Remember Billy Rae Cyrus’ mullet? Now compare that to Rod Stewarts. Very different in some ways, but the “business up front, party in the back” was what made the style both unique and memorable.

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"Business up front, party in the back!"

That's what the popular 80s hairstyle - the Mullet - was all about. From celebrities to regular folks, from grandmas to elementary school kids, the unique coiffure was everywhere in the 1980s.

Boasting both style and coolness, the mullet-wearer made a definite statement when rocking the 'do. They showed the world that they were tuned in, trendy and most importantly - cool.

Visit Living in the Past on Substack to read a full post on this popular hairstyle, as well as to see images and learn some fun facts about the mullet.

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With a roll of the dice, Gen-Xers dodged a bullet by making all of our mistakes before digital technology existed. Whew! Not having to have our most embarrassing moments “stitched,” shared and ridiculed is a small mercy from the gods.

Read the full post here:

I’m So Glad That Social Media Didn’t Catch My Cringiest Teenage Moments

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With a roll of the dice, Gen-Xers dodged a bullet by making all of our mistakes before digital technology existed. Whew! Not having to have our most embarrassing moments “stitched,” shared and ridiculed is a small mercy from the gods.

Read the full post here:

I’m So Glad That Social Media Didn’t Catch My Cringiest Teenage Moments

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit livinginthepast.substack.com/subscribe

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Before cellphones, texting and digital technology in general, there was a quaint thing called a "phone booth." Conveniently installed on most roads and streets in many cities, both urban and rural, these relics from the past provided a connection to our loved ones, our friends and more.

Phone booths also served many other purposes, not the least of which was a place for Clark Kent to conveniently change into Superman; a place where one could take shelter from an unexpected storm, and a place that one could go to just get away from that irritating person that one just didn't want to see.

With the advent of mobile technology, the decline of the phone booth and the stationary pay phone was to be expected; sadly the phone booth's presence in society is missed in a much hurried time when all calls seem to be made on the go, and perhaps worse - without privacy.

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Those of us who went to elementary school in another time remember the rite of passage that cursive signified.

The lined paper.

The strangely-shaped letters.

The repetitious copying and practicing of said letters until we got it right. The transition from a pencil to a pen, when our teacher thought that we were ready, and that we had mastered to some degree, the ability to write script.

Kids today text, type on laptops and FaceTime. They don't know what they're missing.

Living in the Past is an email newsletter that recalls all things Generation X, the good, the bad and the ugly! Oh - and the hilarious as well. Some installments are free, some are for paid subscribers only. Interested? Sign up here: http://livinginthepast.substack.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: Long before this site, I had a little blog where I posted for 11 years. It was the genesis of Living in the Past on Substack. For many years, I lived in the past over at Multiple Mayhem Mamma. From a Parenting lens, I looked at the "then and now” and even hosted a podcast by the same name: Parenting Then and Now. Every so often I’ll post some of these classics from early days. Enjoy!

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Those of us who went to elementary school in another time remember the rite of passage that cursive signified.

The lined paper.

The strangely-shaped letters.

The repetitious copying and practicing of said letters until we got it right. The transition from a pencil to a pen, when our teacher thought that we were ready, and that we had mastered to some degree, the ability to write script.

Kids today text, type on laptops and FaceTime. They don't know what they're missing.

Living in the Past is an email newsletter that recalls all things Generation X, the good, the bad and the ugly! Oh - and the hilarious as well. Some installments are free, some are for paid subscribers only. Interested? Sign up here: http://livinginthepast.substack.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: Long before this site, I had a little blog where I posted for 11 years. It was the genesis of Living in the Past on Substack. For many years, I lived in the past over at Multiple Mayhem Mamma. From a Parenting lens, I looked at the "then and now” and even hosted a podcast by the same name: Parenting Then and Now. Every so often I’ll post some of these classics from early days. Enjoy!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit livinginthepast.substack.com/subscribe

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Every Gen-Xer who watched TV knows the words to the limited script:

Boy 1: “What’s this stuff?”

Boy 2: “Some cereal. It’’s supposed to be good for you.”

Boy 1: “Are you gonna try it?

Boy 2: “I’m not gonna try it. YOU try it!”

Boy 1: “I’m not gonna try it.”

[enter lightbulb moment/stroke of genius here]

Boy 2: “I know! Let’s get Mikey!”

Boy 1: “He won’t eat it. He hates everything.”

Camera pans to Mikey, who has been given the unwanted bowl of cereal.

Mikey, completely unawares, starts eating and doesn’t stop.

Boy 1: “He likes it!! Hey Mikey!!”

Cue voiceover with a call to action about how Life Cereal is good or you, etc.

Never again could four words in simple succession immediately become the catch-phrase of the era.

You can read the full post here: He Likes It! Hey Mikey!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit livinginthepast.substack.com/subscribe

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Every Gen-Xer who watched TV knows the words to the limited script:

Boy 1: “What’s this stuff?”

Boy 2: “Some cereal. It’’s supposed to be good for you.”

Boy 1: “Are you gonna try it?

Boy 2: “I’m not gonna try it. YOU try it!”

Boy 1: “I’m not gonna try it.”

[enter lightbulb moment/stroke of genius here]

Boy 2: “I know! Let’s get Mikey!”

Boy 1: “He won’t eat it. He hates everything.”

Camera pans to Mikey, who has been given the unwanted bowl of cereal.

Mikey, completely unawares, starts eating and doesn’t stop.

Boy 1: “He likes it!! Hey Mikey!!”

Cue voiceover with a call to action about how Life Cereal is good or you, etc.

Never again could four words in simple succession immediately become the catch-phrase of the era.

You can read the full post here: He Likes It! Hey Mikey!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit livinginthepast.substack.com/subscribe

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This hardline regarding one’s life choices - as important as the choice of a career or life partner, and as insignificant as what was on the menu for brunch (quiche if you had a double-x chromosome) - was one that was not to be crossed. You were on one side or the other. Quiche or steak. Choose your side.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit livinginthepast.substack.com/subscribe

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This hardline regarding one’s life choices - as important as the choice of a career or life partner, and as insignificant as what was on the menu for brunch (quiche if you had a double-x chromosome) - was one that was not to be crossed. You were on one side or the other. Quiche or steak. Choose your side.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit livinginthepast.substack.com/subscribe

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When we look at pictures and videos of people in the past - say the 50s, 60s and 70s - don't you find that they look a lot older than people of the same age now? Why is that? What are the reasons that a 15-year-old in 1972 looks so much older than a teen of the same age today? What the heck is going on?

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When we look at pictures and videos of people in the past - say the 50s, 60s and 70s - don't you find that they look a lot older than people of the same age now? Why is that? What are the reasons that a 15-year-old in 1972 looks so much older than a teen of the same age today? What the heck is going on?

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When did it become safe to fly over the Bermuda Triangle again? For a full decade, fear and hysteria about “The Devil’s Triangle” as it was also known, was at a fever pitch. Then the 1970s ended and the fear of this particular longitude and latitude seemed to end as well. The question is, why?

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When did it become safe to fly over the Bermuda Triangle again? For a full decade, fear and hysteria about “The Devil’s Triangle” as it was also known, was at a fever pitch. Then the 1970s ended and the fear of this particular longitude and latitude seemed to end as well. The question is, why?

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There was a time in the 1970s when you couldn’t live life without the possibility of a naked person gracing your line of sight. Often, it was funny. Other times it wasn’t. Either way, it was always absurd.

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There was a time in the 1970s when you couldn’t live life without the possibility of a naked person gracing your line of sight. Often, it was funny. Other times it wasn’t. Either way, it was always absurd.

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There was a time that no plans were made until the TV Guide was reviewed and consulted. Remember?

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There was a time that no plans were made until the TV Guide was reviewed and consulted. Remember?

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When these dreaded colours appeared on the screen, you knew it was game over. Remember?

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When these dreaded colours appeared on the screen, you knew it was game over. Remember?

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So many keys, so little danger.

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So many keys, so little danger.

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Remember unsafe playground equipment? The danger is what made it fun.

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Remember unsafe playground equipment? The danger is what made it fun.

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“Burn, baby burn!”

And boy, did we ever.

Burn.

On the metal slides.

Back in the day.

Yes - if you grew up in the 60s, 70s and even some of the 80s, you know of which I speak. Playground fare back then included all manner of dangerous “play” things, including slides made of metal and merry-go-round-type contraptions that were engineered to invoke the maximum amount of inner-ear turmoil as possible. Vomiting after spinning quickly in the hot sun wasn’t a thing…until it was.

It was fun, though, right?

In a time of extreme caution (not that that’s a bad thing) us Gen-Xers can look back at an era when slides burned and seat belts were optional.

The humble playground has experienced a metamorphosis in the past few decades. What was once considered standard fare for child’s play now elicits shock and horror at even the mere thought of a play structure that is not ISO 1000 certified.

Metal and sunshine.

Gawd, no!

We can’t have our kids burn on the way down, can we?

Well, we can, but we won’t - at least not in this hyper-aware, helicopter parenting world in which we live.

There was a general philosophy by parents of our generation that “kids will be kids” and, ironically, that a little pain wouldn’t hurt (it did). These experiences - falling off a playground carousel, burning our lower extremities on the way down a shiny metal slide that had been baking in the July sun; these experiences were meant to “toughen up” any kid that was worth her salt.

Pain?

No problem.

Vomiting?

“Just sit this one out for a bit, son - you’ll be fine!”

This vintage carousel looks worn now, but in its heyday, it contributed to many a child’s experiences of vertigo, nausea and general queasiness. It spun us with abandon, faster and faster as our friends accelerated its motion in an effort to, hopefully, make us sick.

Kids enjoy doing these kinds of things, you know?

Back in the day, vintage carousels contributed to many a child’s experiences of vertigo, nausea and general queasiness. Vomiting was a rite of passage.

Of course, there was the much-loved and equally frightening teeter-totter (or “see-saw,” depending on where you grew up).

Fear came in the form of anticipation: you never knew if your partner on the other end of the equipment was going to unexpectedly get off when you were up high, leaving you to crash to the ground, painfully. We all experienced being on the losing side of the equation and, while it hurt, it seared an indelible memory into our collective brains: fear was fun.

Anticipation….

Oh, my aching head!

And speaking of anticipation, one was certainly waiting for the good times to come to an abrupt end while climbing on the monkey bars. Back before “playground hygiene” was a thing, all climbing structures were made of metal - not plastic - and many of them were very, very high. In addition, there was no soft padding, foam or similar to break any potential fall. A fall from such structure could - and did - result in bruises, sometimes sprains and often head injuries. Concussions were probably more rampant than our parents knew during these times. Who talked about Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) back then? Kids did fall, did hurt themselves and did suffer the consequences. That is, many days, weeks or years after the incident occurred. Immediately following the fall, however, they’d often get back in the saddle for another dance with danger. If the child was dazed from the fall and hesitant, there was no shortage of friends encouraging them to ignore their symptoms and to keep climbing.

If - and I say if - the parent(s) were anywhere close by, they’d invariably encourage the kid to get back on the play structure as well.

“You’re fine!,” they’d shout from the sidelines. They may have even been smoking a cigarette. In public. In a playground. Unashamedly. How times have changed.

What all of this reminiscing makes me realize is that us Gen-Xers were strong and resilient. We still are.

What all of this reminiscing makes me realize is that us Gen-Xers were strong and resilient. We still are. Probably because “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” We burned our butts on the way down slides that exuded the heat of hot coals. We spun and spun on crude playground merry-go-rounds, giving our inner ears an extreme workout and nausea a home. In more extreme cases, we vomited. We bashed our heads on the ground after falling from the monkey bars, and we limped away from the teeter totter after being unceremoniously dropped.

With a 21st-century lens, this all sounds quite shocking.

“Where were the parents?!” a younger soul may ask.

“What about the safety protocols?!” yells another.

Neither of these questions were even a thought back during a time when kids would be kids, they’d get hurt and they’d get on with it. They had to. There was no other option.

And here we are. Perhaps a bit more bruised and beaten so many years later. We’re living in a world where the slightest bit of risk is analyzed, deconstructed and in many cases, used as a reason to ixnay the fun.

Because, isn’t that what kids are supposed to have? Fun? And isn’t it the job of grownups to ruin it?

It was fun from kid’s perspective and it may still be. Though it’s probably harder for the adults in the room to make things worse. After all: every possible risk has been examined and eliminated before any child can enter, either said room, the playground or anywhere else.

What a shame.

Memories of yesteryear are now just a playground in my mind.

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When I was young I listened to the radio, waiting for my favourite songs…

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There was a time when we had to dress up to travel by air. It was more work, but maybe, just maybe, it was better?

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Thought this was a distant memory? Think again.

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The more things change, the more they stay the same.

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What’s in a Name?

What’s in a name?

A lot.

So very much.

For instance, did you know that a certain name will guarantee an accurate guess about one’s age for those in the know?

If your name is Jennifer, Lisa or Tammy, hello my fellow Gen-Xer and child of the 70s!

If your name is Ashley, Tiffany or Megan, I bet your mom loved watching the Young and the Restless or, “Y &R” for the soap opera’s super-fans.

And it wasn’t only girls that had a recognizable moniker that screamed “I was born in the 70s/80s!,” either. Boys were subject to the trends of the time as well. The whims of the parents who wanted their sons to be popular resulted in a considerable cohort of kids named Daniel, Ryan and Brandon, to name a few.

In an era of Olivias, Avas and Sophias, being named “Lisa” is a surefire way of saying “I was born between 1968 and 1975” without saying “I was born between 1968 and 1975.” The impact of a name and everything it embodies cannot be ignored. Just ask Roxanne.

Generation Jen

The name “Jennifer” is quintessentially 70s. Those of us who grew up during this era can probably name at least three or four friends with this name. Similarly, “Lisa” was everywhere. I can personally think of six or seven people with this name that I went to grade school with. In high school, there seemed to be even more.

Jennifer, Lisa, Kim…these names evoke memories of elementary school recesses playing Red Rover or Mother May I, and later, high school hallways filled with fashionistas sporting neon leg-warmers and jelly bracelets.

The fact of the matter is that there is so much more that’s in a name than meets the eye - or ear.

For instance, when was the last time you met someone named Martha? Or Edwin? Or Horace?

I Got a Name - Jim Croce

A Cultural Touchstone

In addition to what they convey about the ages of the individuals who carry them, names can be seen as a cultural touchstone; a benchmarked foundation in time that remains with its host long after the trend of the day has passed. Decades, actually. Hence, there are one of many a grandma and grandpa named Millicent and Walter, respectively.

Names can be seen as a cultural touchstone; a benchmarked foundation in time that remains with its host long after the trend of the day has passed.

Remember Farrah Fawcett?

While the name “Farah” (which means “joy”) had been popular in Arabic cultures for centuries, it was only in 1976 that the name became a hit in the Western world. This, because the breakout star of one of the era’s leading TV shows was named Farrah - with two “r”s, no less.

As the object of many men’s dreams and possessing the desired look that millions of women wanted, it was no wonder that the name was one of the most popular in the latter years of the decade. Similarly, the names John, David and Robert led the charge in the same era, indicating parents’ desires that their sons replicated celebrity success as well.

What are the most popular girls’ names from the 70s? Answer the poll at the end of this post

The “Friends” Effect: Courtney Cox (Monica) /Jennifer Aniston (Rachel) /Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe). Photo credit: Getty Images

With the “Friends Effect,” both on-screen and real names of characters on the popular 90’s TV show were trending for much of the decade.

The Celebrity Factor

The draw of celebrity isn’t a new phenomenon, but it’s certainly more of a “thing” in an age where we can behave as if we know the rich and famous personally, thanks to the Internet and social media.

We’re caught up in celebrity goings-on more than ever before. It’s easy, right? We can watch our faves in real time, stalk them on their various social accounts and “like” any post, video or image that they decide to share with us. We feel that we know them and with familiarity comes not only contempt but on the positive side, emulation. We want to be like them however possible and if naming our kids after them might help well hey - why not?

What’s the worse that could happen? Someone may look at them years down the line and accurately judge within a three year period what year they’d been born. If your name is Farrah, you can run but you can’t hide. Same goes for you, Ashleigh. Or Britney. Or Madison.

Mandy - Barry Manilow (By the way: she came and she gave without taking, in case you were wondering)

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When Uber was just a twinkle in the 21st century’s eye, there was a similarly efficient way of getting around. And parents everywhere worried about it.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit livinginthepast.substack.com

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit livinginthepast.substack.com

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Living in the Past Podcast: Recent Episodes

Samantha Kemp-Jackson