Gen X Guide To The Universe

And that's a wrap on season three! From Star Wars to 80s films and now MTV, Heather and Jameson finish up with this delightful season finale.Heather is officially on the Tik Tok, but pissed because someone stole her handle.  Jameson got propane as he is currently running a geratic summer camp at his house.Heather and Jameson reflect on the season, gushing over Guy's legal pad (which belongs in the Smithonsian), sending a heartfelt thanks to all the special guests (including two people who were actually on MTV, Dan Cortese and Room Raiders Mike), and a special shout out to the podcast's number one fan and most prepared guest, Eddie Jones, an award winning Jeopardy star who's not been on Jeopardy (yet). Heather and Jameson discuss future seasons, perhaps conspiracy theories, Saturday morning cartoons, 80s sitcoms, or running an advice column via podcast. Our Gen Experts' summer plans include cycling, fried dough, reading, disc golf, international travel, boating (well, yachting), and new jobs (maybe). Jameson provides a mini lecture on transgendered frogs during the final Listen to this Shit, check it out here: https://tinyurl.com/z9eefvdn. Final Top Countdown features the one and only Britney Spears and “Baby One More Time”. And Heather and Jameson offer up one last Desert Island Top Five before signing off! Please send cake, thanks.

With only two episodes left in this season, Heather and Jameson are here to fix MTV. They are joined by the final guests of the season, Eddie and Guy, who stop by to add a little intellectual flair into the discussion of “where did MTV go wrong?” Eddie clues us in on the venn diagram of Michael Bolton and O.J., Guy still has not found his legal pads, Heather is curious if Julie is caught up on Ex on the Beach, and Jameson is mad about frogs, which tracks. Both Guy and Eddie talk about their days as college radio jockeys, Jameson reads from the TV Guide and lets everyone know what's on MTV today (spoiler: reality shows for hours), and everyone gets to celebrate the new queer prom king at Eddie's high school. Check out the articles about the demise of MTV here: https://tinyurl.com/4fr3va9x and here: https://tinyurl.com/2p86wp5f. Everyone agrees, ditch Teen Mom and bring back Martha Quinn. And happy pride everyone!

This week Heather and Jameson take a break from MTV for this very special bonus episode as Jameson picks a movie, Drop Dead Gorgeous! The Gen Experts are joined by special guest Fin, aka “mybestfriendfin”, who alongside Jameson has this film memorized. If you haven't seen it, Drop Dead Gorgeous is a 1999 mockumentary featuring a beauty pageant in small town Mt. Rose, Minnesota. This film is available for the low low price of $10 on Amazon, as you can't stream this film anywhere. Jameson reminds us why Generation X is hands down the coolest generation of them all with this article: https://tinyurl.com/mr4a2kmk. Desert Island Top Five is a class top five, with some beauty pageant superlatives tossed in. We hope by next season, Fin learns her computer password. Remember, folks, Jesus loves winners.

With only a handful of episodes left, Heather and Jameson round out the season exploring one last element of MTV, the reality-based dating game show “Next”. Next is a blind date show that involves a creepy bus that likely smells like farts, some cash and a heavy dose of sexual assault, sexual harassment, racist comments, sexist comments, fatphobia, making fun of virgins, and a heavy emphasis on toxic heteronormativity. Heather and Jameson give Next two thumbs down, if you were wondering. You can explore more about how Next has not aged well in this Buzzfeed article https://tinyurl.com/3thcjrdp and chuckle at the funniest facts from the bus here in this other Buzzfeed article https://tinyurl.com/2p92yfh4. If you'd like to torture yourself, you can watch Next on Paramount using Jameson's password, just message us. Speaking of torture, Heather and Jameson watch Shakira's video for La Tortura which is quite possibly the world's sexiest video and the opposite of torture. Listen to this Shit features an AMA with a Next bus contestant and Heather offers her book review of the 2022 “Boy with a Bird in his Chest” (eh, you can skip it).

As Heather and Jameson start to wrap up this season of Gen X Guide to the Universe, they continue their historical analysis of MTV with the reality makeover show “Made”, which empowered teens to reach their lofty goals to be cheerleaders, ideal boyfriend, rappers, circus performers, or other crap. Spoiler: if you haven't watched Made, you can skip the show. Jameson is intrigued by the promise of a show that allows people to change their narrative and attain their goals, but again, this show does not deliver. Heather and Jameson read each other's show notes, and learn “hot cross buns” is hard and Ashley is a whiny circus performer who cries a lot. Jameson fills us in on bigfoot facts, since he didn't do his podcast homework. Fun fact: bigfoot smells like 700 pounds of swampy, drain hair. And the plural of bigfoot is bigfoots, not bigfeet.  And to also avoid talking about Made, Heather and Jameson talk about sandwiches.Jameson introduces 99 Problems to Heather, who never heard the song prior to this podcast. And Heather and Jameson share their dream “Made” list (no Jameson, you can't be made taller). And podcast dog Nugget sings with the sirens for us all.

Taking a break from the wonderful world of MTV, Heather and Jameson are again joined by special guest and fellow Gen Xer Matt Farley as they talk about the show Yellowstone, which Heather summarizes as “Western show, Kevin Costner”. Yellowstone follows the Dutton family and their huge ass ranch bordering Yellowstone National Park and an Indian Reservation. You can watch all episodes on Peacock, just reach out to Jameson for his login credentials. Heather maintains this is just a soap opera for boys, but Matt and Jameson just don't care. Everyone agrees: Beth Dutton is the greatest character on the show (and Rip too). Jameson provides us with twenty-seven facts about Yellowstone (you can read them all here: https://tinyurl.com/2p9eyv53). For Listen to this Shit, you can enjoy the best of Beth here: https://tinyurl.com/2vtrvbjd. In other news, Jameson's dad and Pat are back in Connecticut for six long weeks, Heather still thinks her new microphone makes her sound like the host of Delish Dish (“good times”), Matt and Kevin Costner are frat brothers, and everyone agrees Chuck Page is a legend. And remember, if anyone pisses you off, deliver them to the train station.

Back to music on the podcast, for a hot second! Heather and Jameson talk about Behind the Music, the music biography series that launched in 1997 on MTV's sister channel, VH1. The show profiled musical artists that aren't “qualified to be legends” (note: IMDB offered that mean description, not us, we think Ricky Martin is a LEGEND), documenting their personal and professional lives. Jameson refers to this show as “Behind the Dumpster” while Heather gains a new appreciation for Huey Lewis after watching his episode. If you want to watch Behind the Music, reach out for Jameson's Paramount login, and his social security number too. Heather tries out her new microphone and sounds a bit like Delish Dish, and everyone can hear Nugget jingle jangle in the background. Heather explains “share vs. Cher” and Jameson learns Allen is not short for anything. Jameson talks to us all about starting a new sport in 40s and the Gen Experts talk about the music video “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks.

Yet again, Heather and Jameson explore the dark side of MTV (aka reality television) as they watch both The Osbournes and The Newlyweds. Both shows launched in the early 2000s and featured the real domestic lives of typical famous musical artists. Celebrities, they're just like us. Other than talking about Ozzy, Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Jessica and Nick and their daily adventures on MTV, the Gen X podcast dogs are living their best lives as Caroline may or may not need ACL surgery and Nugget learned “rollover”. Next week Heather and Jameson will talk about music, we promise. Also, Des Moines is not a tropical location, in case anyone was wondering.

This week, Heather and Jameson take a break from their historical analysis of MTV to watch current programming, The Hills: New Beginnings. The original cast of The Hills, along with their offspring and friends and other random people (hello, Pam Anderson) reunite in Los Angeles for this heavily scripted reality show. Heather and Jameson are joined by The Hills expert and special guest, Lauren Kras, who just got married this past weekend (congrats, Lauren!!). Lauren basically explains the history of this reality franchise and all she knows about the characters from their origins at Laguna Beach. Jameson offers his review of The Hills: “Rich people bitching about stuff I don't care about” and learns this is not “The Hills Have Eyes”. On Listen to this Shit, Jameson shares a feel good story from our hometown backyard (that's New Haven, folks). Check out the story here: https://tinyurl.com/4bnkmcjr. Everyone watches “Walk This Way” music video by Run DMC and Aerosmith for top countdown. And again, congrats to Lauren and her lucky husband, Dave!

Once again, Heather and Jameson are back on reality TV. Well, talking about reality TV. This week, Heather and Jameson are joined by Broadway baby and third co-host (alongside Eddie), Julie Mirwis, as they all talk about MTV's competition show: The Challenge. Originally known as Road Rules: All Stars, The Challenge started in 1998 and features past members of The Real World, Road Rules and a host of other former reality celebs as they “compete to win money and shit”. There are 505 episodes of this show and Julie has seen each and every one. Julie walks Heather and Jameson through the history of The Challenge, including her favorite players, career players, favorite seasons, favorite moments, and how she lowkey stalked one player since he taught a fitness class in Manhattan and she'd take the class and pretend he wasn't on The Challenge. Jameson tells us the story of a dog who's not an asshole, Smoky, the warrior dog of World War II (read more about her adventures here: https://www.chonday.com/smoky-dog/). Jameson recounts his love of all things Beyonce, while Julie sings Survivor for everyone during Top Countdown. And for Desert Island Top Five, the trio create their own games for The Challenges. And Jameson finally learns the origins of the Ring Around the Rosie.

This week Heather and Jameson take a break from MTV and return back to the best films of the 1980s with this very special bonus episode as they talk Top Gun! The duo are joined by Top Gun aficionado and actual pilot, Matt, who can recite this film line by line, literally.This film features a lot of shower scenes in addition to world class flying and some confusing sex scenes. Oh, and volleyball. Heather has a new idea for Gen X Only Fans with Matt receding Top Gun whilst standing in a shower wearing tighty-whities (thanks, Matt!). Eddie weighs in on Top Gun via text, why is the movie so white and so straight? Why is everyone so sweaty in this film? This episode is long but distinguished (just like my johnson). Heather has Matt and Jameson watch a Kenny Loggins video from the Top Gun soundtrack, but Jameson refuses on the basis of the lyrics. You can watch the trailer for the new Top Gun, Maverick, here: https://tinyurl.com/mt2k2wjr (films comes out next month!).

Heather and Jameson are again joined by guest star and trivia king Eddie Jones (who's essentially the third co-host at this point) as they talk about Pop Up Video this week! Pop Up Video is an actual music program that ran on MTV's sister station, VHI, which focused on the “softer side” of pop music before turning to the dark side of reality television. Heather, Jameson, and Eddie watch a bunch of Pop Up Videos with their delicious “info nuggets”.  Jameson finds a way to connect Spice Girls to that survivalist show he loves. The trio try to figure out which came first, Lisa Loeb or Daria? Eddie offers a Yelp review for various Cameos (we're looking at you, Lance Bass). Jameson shares his magic podcasting tips to grab music from YouTube, follow him for more pirating hacks. Heather appreciates all the info nuggets about nipples in Madonna's music video for Vogue. And the trio offer up their own info nuggets that would play for their music videos. By the way, listeners, you're not losing your mind, March Madness is indeed over.

Grab your spy kit and get out your blacklight, time to talk about Room Raiders!  Jameson and Heather are joined by the unofficial third podcast host Julie and the trio welcome a new special guest, Michael Satow, who was a contestant on the first season of Room Raiders. Michael recounts his awkward adventures as a MTV star as he searched the bedrooms of three potential mates (hello, blacklight!) and his kinda famous moment as everyone recognized him from the show when he hit the mean streets of Boston for college. Heather is still salty over two bad reviews. Jameson fills everyone in on everything we didn't know about Zac Efron (check the article here: https://tinyurl.com/3ammr89m) and suggests everyone watch Zac run wild with Bear Grylls here: https://tinyurl.com/593paww2. And Jameson and Zac Efron are essentially the same person, so ladies, slide on into those DMs. Julie picked the Top Countdown video this week, and everyone gets caught chasing Waterfalls as Julie raps for us. And if anyone sees Pauly Shore, have him call Heather and Jameson, they have a guest spot waiting for him.

Shocker, more reality shows on MTV! Heather and Jameson are joined by expert elder millennial Eddie Jones this week as they discuss MTV Cribs, which took viewers on exclusive tours through the homes of celebrities. Everyone agrees Cribs is boring now as social media provides a constant intrusion in celebrities' lives.  The best of Crib's included Missy Elliot's race car bed, Solange living in the garage, and all the fools who passed off other people's homes and possessions as their own (hey there, Robbie Williams!).Heather can recall the interior of Britney's entire home from memory thanks to Instagram, Eddie asserts social media was founded by children, men and sociopaths (he's not wrong though), and Jameson was practically neighbors with 50 Cent as he lived in the “Greenwich of the North”. Eddie ushers in the first of the Britney videos with “If You Seek Amy”, which is hella Swedish. In other Eddie news, he uses the word “begat” correctly in a sentence and hosted a version of Cribs for his company during the pandemic.

Grab your tanning oil and toss some Boone's Farm in the Igloo cooler, Heather and Jameson are on spring break!  Well, not really, but this week they explore MTV's annual Spring Break coverage beginning in 1986 in Daytona Beach, Florida with a week of live broadcasting for eight hours a day. Eight hours a day, people. Jameson recalls fond memories of riding quads with his grandma on the beach in Florida and Heather is still salty about some podcast reviews. Both Heather and Jameson are disgusted by foam parties and wet t-shirt contests, and rich kids wasting their parents' money on tropical beaches.  Jameson shares the story of a cool new prehistoric crocodile found with a chicken-sized dinosaur in its stomach, read more about this Listen to this Shit here: https://tinyurl.com/373m6n9z. We finally add more to the Venn Diagram of Heather and Jameson in terms of “foods they will try”.  Jameson has Heather watch a wildly entertaining music video by The Beastie Boys. Until next time, Heather can be found at band practice with Julie, just counting the days until “No Adult Supervision” is called to open for John Mayer.

Heather and Jameson take a break from MTV this week for this very special bonus episode as Gen X Guide to the Universe turns TWO! Celebrate Gen X Guide to the Universe's anniversary as our favorite Gen Xperts recall their journey from a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars to some basement in New Jersey with MTV. Jameson misses watching movies while Heather describes the podcast's character as “organized structure rogue”.  The duo reflect fondly on growing up in the 1980s, as Jameson's dad would record Celtic games over confirmations and other major family events.  Heather and Jameson talk about their favorite guest stars (psst, it's you, don't tell the others) and decide who'd they leave the podcast to in their will. Oh, also, stop what you're doing and check out guest star Dagan's music here: https://daganmusic.bandcamp.com/. Heather and Jameson end the debate on which generation can claim the recent Super Bowl halftime show (Generation X, there's no competition), check out the argument here: https://tinyurl.com/3wrkz85w. Spend time listening to Snoop narrate Animal Planet and tune in for some fun Gen X Guide to the Universe facts from Jameson. Thanks for tuning in, here's to another two years, or more!

Heather and Jameson are again joined by superstar guest Eddie Jones as the trio discusses the teen pop music scene of the late 1990s and early 2000s.  Airplay of rock, electronica, and alternative music took a backseat as boy bands and pop princesses took over MTV (thanks TRL!).   Dropping knowledge, Eddie talks about the distinct sound of this style of music coming out of Sweden with Max Martin, in which the lyrics never need to make any damn sense.  The trio also talk about the elephant in the room, as mentioned during the TRL episode, the lack of attention to and airplay of black artists at this time, leaving us to ask yet again: MTV, why so white? In other podcast news, Jameson got a discount on a new disc golf bag, Heather is not shopping at Kohls, and Eddie challenges Jameson to recall the writer of Crossroads (Shondraland for the win!). Jameson pays homage to Shackleton during Listen to this Shit in honor of the recent discovery of his ship, the Endurance. Check out the article here: https://tinyurl.com/4jhvjkyj. Eddie takes charge of Top Countdown again with U + Me + Us (Calculus) by 2Gether (check out the video here: https://tinyurl.com/2p85d36x).  And of course, Gen X might have jumped the shark with the mention of Nickelback (everyone has to drink now).

Heather and Jameson welcome back pop culture and lifestyle icon guest star Fawziah to talk about Total Request Live, or as the kids call it, TRL. Originally hosted by Carson Daly,  TRL featured the most requested videos of the day during a live (well, not so live) countdown while musicians, actors and other celebs stopped by to promote their work.  Everyone complains about the bubblegum whiteness that was TRL and how no one seems to get through to TRL or radio contests in general. Though, Fawziah once got through to Hot 97 and Jameson won Shakira tickets (well, a friend did, but same same), so there's hope for us all.  Everyone offers up appreciation for the hotness that is Dua Lipa's dad (stop what you are doing and Google that man).  We give way too much airtime to Tom Green and Heather wants everyone to watch Ali Wong's new Netflix special (Don Wong). Jameson offers up some awesome internet hacks (go to https://www.dialupsound.com/ right now), follow @GenXGuide for more life hacks.  Fawziah has everyone watch the timeless and classic music video for “The Boy is Mine” by Brandy and Monica, which gives us some major early 2000's vibe. Catch up with Fawziah on her blog, Foozy Does (https://www.foozydoes.com/). And for future reference, there are 5280 feet in a mile.

In honor of misery girls everywhere,  Heather and Jameson take on Daria,  an animated series on MTV from 1997 to 2002 about an unpopular, intelligent, cynical, and sarcastic teen tolerating the morons at Lawndale High School.Jameson self identifies as a combo of Daria and Kevin the jock, while Heather identifies most with young sister Quinn.  Both love the theme song, “You're Standing on my Neck”, not to be confused with Heather's Only Fans theme song, “You're Standing on my Dick”. Read more about Daria's legacy for weird kids everywhere in this Bust magazine article: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ze2vz Jameson is still very excited about disc golf while Heather may or may not be experiencing baby strokes sprinkled throughout the podcast (she's tasting nickels or licking pennies, maybe both). Jameson explains the difference between old Helens and new Helens (hint: avoid the young ones and avoid horse girls while you're at it).  Jameson gets super pissed off about Jewel and dazzles us with a story about the world's smartest 9 year old (https://tinyurl.com/y8wweb38). In other podcast news, Jameson's brother and his partner Marty got engaged.  And happy birthday to Heather's brother and belated birthday to her mom. Catch you all in self esteem class, bring the square crackers to share around!

This week Heather and Jameson are joined by the one and only Dan Cortese as they talk about MTV Sports.  Dan recounts his adventures from his time as host (and incidentally, own production assistant at times) of MTV Sports, which aired on MTV in the 1990s and featured extreme sports all over the world.Dan talks about the origins of MTV Sports and shares his stories in which he nearly BASE jumped off a bridge in West Virginia, went ice driving in Sweden, and ran with the bulls in Spain.  Dan acts as the unofficial ambassador of Pittsburgh and Heather and Jameson convince Dan he needs to watch the groundbreaking film, Rad. For more fun with Dan, check out his recent and hilarious memoir, Step Off: My Journey from Mimbo to Manhood on Amazon (or wherever you buy books): https://tinyurl.com/5n8zxtak. Aside from basking in the glory of having a special guest who is not only a bonafide celebrity but has actually been on MTV, Jameson has Heather watch Eye of the Tiger (hello, mullets) and the Gen Experts decide what “extreme sports” should be featured on a 2022 MTV Sports reboot.  You know, lawn darts and horse dancing, all the extreme sports.

Put a hold on MTV for this very special bonus episode, Momma Mia! Jameson is joined by guest stars Julie and Eddie who teamed up to force Heather to watch both the 2008 jukebox musical romantic comedy Mamma Mia and the 2018 sequel Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. Eddie is an ABBA expert and has been to the ABBA museum in Sweden and Julie had gyro for dinner to keep our episode on brand (you know, Greek).  Jameson fanboys over some Swedish dude doing survivalist shit (check him out here: https://tinyurl.com/bdzyeef3).  Heather realized the song Waterloo is not about upstate New York and Jameson is annoyed with Heather ruining these films with her “weird thoughts”.  Jameson's updates us on Nancy Kerrigan and Heather promotes Cher's Twitter (please read her Tweets here https://tinyurl.com/3ek2vnfz).  Eddie keeps it on brand with Madonna's Hung Up video, as the song is one of only two that ABBA licensed a sample.  Remember, at least you're not ironing out Madonna's cameltoe.

In spirit of Valentine's Day and next up in Heather and Jameson's very scientific and historical account of MTV they discuss Loveline, an adaptation of the radio call-in program of the same name.  Hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky and Adam Carolla,  Loveline aired on MTV from 1996 to 2000.Heather is excited to announce her adoption of a Chihuahua-mix pup named Nugget from Waggytails (check them out here: https://www.waggytailrescue.org/). Jameson is thrilled that Heather spelled “addiction” wrong (damn spell check fail).  Heather and Jameson enjoy Slash's sex advice and his romp on a lawn (watch out for those sprinklers).  Jameson fills us in on National Masturbation Month (it's gonna be Maaaay).  Jameson tries to make Salt n Pepa the Pig again while Heather explains the difference between minge and mange.

I am Cornholio! I need TP for my bunghole!  This week, Heather and Jameson are joined by guest star Amanda while they explore the wonderful world of Beavis and Butthead, an adult animated comedy series on MTV created by Mike Judge.   Amanda reveals her curated collection of Beavis and Butthead VHS cassettes (people, no commercials!), everyone is horrified and delighted by the animal torture in Frog Baseball (no worries, no actual animals were injured), and everyone agrees Beavis and Butthead's commentary on the music videos is the highlight of each episodes.Jameson has everyone watch the music video Hip Hop Hooray By Naughty by Nature, which apparently was on heavy repeat at midwestern weddings back in the day. So light your farts on fire and photocopy your butt and remember, you can't polish a turd.

Heather and Jameson take a break from their MTV timeline today to explore current programming as they talk Teen Mom with guest star and Broadway baby Julie. This American reality television series features the lives of young moms as they navigate motherhood as well as family and romantic relationships.  Julie breaks down the taxonomy of the Teen Mom franchise and shares her strong opinions on OG castmates. Jameson is intrigued by homemade sextapes, but aren't we all? Heather has no idea what The Challenge is, but promised a full episode on the game show.  Jameson again did not complete the assignment and just Googled “Teen Mom”, but explored a fun story about Tim Wong's work with butterflies in “Listen to this Shit”.   You can follow Tim's adventures on Instagram here: @timtast1c. Julie evokes the early 00s with Backstreet Boys, but she's an NSYNC girl all the way.Remember kids, don't eat butterflies, they don't taste like butter. Also, happy belated mananniversary to Jameson!

This is the true story...of two high school buddies...picked to talk about MTV...(with Guy this week) and have their conversations taped...to find out what happens...when people stop being polite...and start getting real...The Real World.This week, Heather and Jameson are joined by Guy to discuss MTV's seminal reality show, The Real World, which launched in 1992 and boasts thirty-three seasons. We catch up with the original Real World cast in “Listen to this Shit” and Guy has everyone watch Peter Gabriel's 1992 video for “Digging in the Dirt”. Shocker, Jameson hated it. Stay tuned for the upcoming Real World season: Blue Ball, PA.

In this very special bonus episode, Heather and Jameson return to the best movies of the 1980s and discuss the 2021 sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife.Since Jameson will not step foot in a theater (people and bedbugs, ew), the duo are joined by a standby guest for Hallie, who has not seen the film yet as she is busy living her best life in Arizona. After 42 minutes of troubleshooting technology like boomers, Jameson compares Ghostbusters to a pyramid scheme, Not-Hallie explains you can bat from either side of the plate if you're bisexual, and Heather forces everyone to watch the Ghostbusters theme song music video as bustin' (not Boston) makes us feel good.Jameson just wants to watch Tremors again. And of course, best of luck to Amy on Jeopardy!!

Heather and Jameson explore the darker side of MTV, as the channel took a hard, sad turn into reality television in the early to mid 1990s with the debut of Real World and Road Rules. Building off the success of these two programs, MTV placed a greater emphasis on reality television and currently hosts seventeen separate reality shows.  Seventeen. That's a lot of non-music programs on Music Television (mind you, there are 117 former reality shows on MTV, let this sink in).Jameson unveils the sad, twisted nature of Queen for the Day with the important message: “ladies, buy all the stuff and let your men do all the working”. Heather and Jameson revisit Mary J's 1992 video for “Real Love” (all bow down to Queen Blige).  Also, Heather promises to watch Mamma Mia as decreed by Jameson. 

HAPPY 2022! Why am I yelling?  To kick off the New Year, Heather and Jameson explore MTV's musical program Fade to Black which was eventually reformatted into MTV Jams.  Jameson has to explain Jodeci to Heather (aka baby-makin' music), we all learn about the origin of “booty call”, Jameson raises serious concerns about fecal matter and the nails of SWV, and Heather explores high waisted jeans and deems 2022 “Year of the Baggy Jean”. Heather and Jameson extend an apology to Guy and Fawziah, who would have been great guests this week.

Happy New Year, Gen X Universe! This week, Jameson and Heather talk through MTV's NYE coverage from 1998 to 2014, progressing from hot celebrity guests and current musical artists in front of a live audience to just a marathon of Ridiculousness episodes. Jameson struggles with the difference between SUV and SVU and Heather quickly Googles “Ryan Seacrest attempting to high-five a blind kid”.  The duo watch the 1993 music video “No Rain” by Blind Melon, and Jameson educates us all on the real “bee girl” (https://tinyurl.com/bdhy3fv4). And resolution free, but Heather and Jameson offer up their goals for 2022.

Celebrate Christmassssss with Heather and Jameson today with this very special episode, Gen X Guide to the Holidays. Both Heather and Jameson are spending Christmas in Connecticut with family, perhaps with Christmas weed and holiday guns. Jameson explains the finer workings of surviving Candle Day at Bath and Body Works (stretch people, stretch) and Heather recommends buying yourself Christmas gifts and pretending they are from your dog, follow her for more life hacks. Jameson recounts the history of hanging your stockings by the fire and uncovers the largest Christmas gift ever, Lady Liberty herself! Happy Holidays, everyone!

Heather and Jameson explore the exciting world of 1990s sketch comedy on MTV including The State, The Ben Stiller Show, The Jenny McCarthy show, and some others you definitely haven't heard of (but that cast a lot of today's comedy legends).Both giggle at muppets looking at Jenny's tits, Jameson can still only tell us that Juan is eating some apples, and Heather has to differentiate Princess Diaries from Princess Bride and explain that no, Michael Ian Black is not in the Smashing Pumpkins. Jameson interviews Heather for her amazing thrice attendance at SNL (#legend) and the duo watch I Wanna Sex You Up by Color Me Bad and question the lyrical choice “makin' love until we drown”. And remember, Donna Martin graduates!

Heather and Jameson explore the musical program Rockline, which aired on MTV from 1991 to 1992 for fifteen months.   Jameson conflates all the musical programs from this season into one amorphous program, but Rockline was a spin-off of the radio program of the same name with a live call-in format to engage fans (same same but different).  More importantly, Jameson was 13 minutes late to this recording and caused Heather to lose almost a quarter of an hour of her life. Heather offers a quick “Google Docs 101” course to appease Jameson's fear of highlights and counteract his raised voice. The Gen Xperts spend a great deal of time talking about the greatness that is Slash but really question whether or not November Rain requires nine minutes of music video.  Remember, Chuck Page invented beer.

Once again, Heather and Jameson take a break from their historical timeline of MTV to discuss the reality television series Siesta Key, which is basically a Costco version of Laguna Beach.   And, of course, Heather and Jameson have nothing nice to say about this Kirkland brand show. In other news, Heather is getting a Peloton bike and Jameson shares what it's really like in Sarasota, Florida. The Gen Xperts watch the Opposites Attract music video by Paula Abdul and Jameson shares out the very best headlines from Florida (here's two, if you want the rest, message us: https://tinyurl.com/2p8s975z and https://tinyurl.com/22ed37bz). Until next time, Heather and Jameson will work on the patent for their new board game “Fiction or Florida”.

In this very special episode, Heather and Jameson talk about World AIDS Day, which is today, December 1st!Learn more about World AIDS Day here: https://www.cdc.gov/worldaidsday/index.html

Dust off that acoustic guitar sitting in the corner and get ready to jam, softly, with Heather and Jameson this week as they explore MTV Unplugged, the musical program launched in 1989 featuring a bevy of musical artists playing, well, acoustic instruments. Jameson recounts the time he gifted Tori Amos a homemade necklace (um, thanks?) and continues to rage about Rod Stewart.  Heather has to explain who's dead, again, including Cranberries lead singer. And remember, violence isn't the answer unless you need your 90s backpack back.

You know you didn't ask for a bonus episode and likely didn't realize you wanted a bonus episode, but here's a very special episode for Thanksgiving! Heather is spending the day in Connecticut with family wearing softpants, Jameson is cooking a turkey boob for family and friends, both are avoiding the Beehive Bowl. And when you watch the parade today, enjoy Sonic the Hedgehog who's returning and is “hungry for blood” (https://tinyurl.com/5ctzd8hw). Tune in next week when we return to MTV and Unplugged.

Heather and Jameson are again joined by two special guests this week, Fawziah and Guy, to talk all about Yo! MTV Raps, which debuted on MTV in 1988 as a hip-hop and rap formatted musical program. Jameson offers his best Ed Lover Dance, Guy again dazzles us with his music knowledge, and Fawziah offers Heather a Dave Matthews/Travis Scott Mashup (she's here for it). This week's “Listen to this Shit” has Jameson talking about the women who shaped the male dominated world of hip hop, check out the article here: https://tinyurl.com/yt3zxfhb.  Return guest Guy picks this week's video, with Scenario by Tribe Called Quest (https://tinyurl.com/m2nwfr5h). Before next week, Fawziah promises to watch “Set it Off”.

Grab some snacks, toss on your college hoodie, settle into that La-Z-Boy in your parents' basement and get ready to play Remote Control with Heather and Jameson! This week, our favorite Gen Xperts talk about MTV's first non-musical program, Remote Control, a TV game show hosted by Ken Ober that aired from 1987 to 1990 (check out this oral history of the show here: https://tinyurl.com/bthduw46).  And just like Heather and Jameson, you can play the NES version of Remote Control here: https://tinyurl.com/rdvc2u89. Jameson forces Heather to watch ZZ Top's Legs, which is is not a feminist masterpiece and instead messages “show off your legs and be more attractive”.

In 1989, MTV broadcast the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 2021, Heather and Jameson talked about, and some other stuff. Tune in this week to hear about the Berlin wall (Check out this article: “MTV's revolutionary hour on the Berlin Wall” https://tinyurl.com/78bt56va), how annoying Bono is (very), Jameson's lack of appreciation for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, confirmed for Jameson it's Taye Diggs and not Taint Diggs, Heather's “summering” in Berlin (check out the Checkpoint Charlie museum: https://tinyurl.com/y3bpjw6s), and Jameson confuses Lindsay Graham with Ashley Graham. The duo also breaks down Berlin's “Take My Breath Away” (https://tinyurl.com/xrvdf6ew). And of course, get your tickets here to Afterwork Theater's production of Newsies starring the incomparable broadway baby, Julie Mirwis: https://tinyurl.com/ymzu4d5d

Celebrate election day with Gen X Guide to the Universe! Heather and Jameson are joined by super guest Eddie Jones to talk about MTV's election campaigns, starting with “Choose or Lose”, a pro-democracy campaign started in 1992 to encourage people to register to vote.  Jameson challenges Eddie and Heather to a “political insult quiz” during Listen to this Shit (https://www.ipl.org/div/potus/ and https://tinyurl.com/9h8e7n9r).   Eddie facilitates a much need discussion on the feminist, political, and sociocultural intersections of Beyoncé. For next week, read up on MTV and the Berlin Wall: https://tinyurl.com/78bt56va.

Welcome to a very special bonus episode as Heather and Jameson take a break from MTV to celebrate Halloween! Join your favorite Gen Xperts as they discuss their favorite Halloween movies, childhood Halloween memories, favorite trick or treat candies, and favorite costumes. Heather and Jameson swap their real-life ghost stories and some we found on the interwebs. Heather forces Jameson to watch the Backstreet Boys' “Everybody” music video (https://tinyurl.com/ys4xzau6), spoiler: he hates it and laments over dancing in boots.

This week Heather and Jameson explore MTV News from inception in the late 1980s to the 2016 reboot. Our favorite Gen Xperts discuss the national treasure that is Kurt Loder, who was the first MTV News correspondent and one of the coolest cats alive. Chuck Page stops by via text to drop knowledge nuggets, Jameson dives deep into some Kurt Cobain conspiracy theories (check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/k5bn5kmm and https://tinyurl.com/me6bapzv), Heather realizes she appreciates there's not a lot of boobs in grunge, and the duo finally figure out what the hell 99 Red Balloons is all about (it's a protest song: https://tinyurl.com/3j6ma54e). Until next time, we are left pondering the immortal question: George Harrison, Beatle or monkey?

This week Heather and Jameson take on the late night music video show Headbangers Ball, launched in 1987. Our Gen Experts are joined by actual music experts and superstar guests, Guy and Dagan, who basically educate us all on Headbangers Ball and cool music in general. Guy reminisces about the time he got a signed letter and glossy headshot from Riki Rachtman, Dagan curses Vanilla Ice as the one of the only performers to come to Hawaii when he was a kid, and Heather and Jameson realize they are really, really uncool. “Listen to this Shit” explores the mystery of Lizzie Borden and Heather is convinced her great-grandma lived down the street in Fall River (she did, we confirmed this). This week, Heather forces everyone to watch “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnack #sorrynotsorry.

This week Heather and Jameson are joined by bonafide Gen X superstar music expert guest Guy! Reliving his college radio days, Guys dusts off his legal pad and graces the podcast with his massive musical knowledge as the trio explores MTV's alternative music program 120 Minutes launched in 1986. Jameson delights everyone with the origins of the band names Nickelback and Lynyrd Skynyrd. And who doesn't miss Strawberries music stores and mixtapes?

This week, Heather and Jameson explore Dial MTV, a daily top 10 music video countdown show launched in 1986. Viewers called 1-800-DIAL-MTV to request a video or chat with bands live (spoiler: now a sex line, Jameson pressed 1 immediately). Our favorite Gen Experts discuss the “Cru Rule”, benefits of high hair and mullets, and explain both Strawberries music stores and the Lilith Fair. We hear what happens when Jameson is left unsupervised and lore of the world's naughtiest swim team. Heather makes Jameson watch the ever-cool 1986 “Addicted to Love” video by Robert Palmer (https://tinyurl.com/df8ds5su) and Jameson tells us about “the Podfather”, Adam Curry (check him out on the Joe Rogan experience: https://tinyurl.com/sbr9su8, and for the record, Heather and Jameson are not Joe Rogan fans, but liked this bit). For next week, check out the “Best of MTV's 120 Minutes” (https://tinyurl.com/ec2yh7ae).

This week Heather and Jameson take a break from their very scientific and accurate historical analysis of MTV in this special bonus episode as they are joined by elder millennial and Clue superfan Eddie Jones to talk about the 1985 classic film “Clue”. Eddie shares his earliest memories of watching Clue and turtle soup and recalls his own stage adaptation of the film (which led to a cease and desist, of course). The trio offers other board games for film adaptation (hello, Sorry!) and talk about the pivotal singing telegram scene as the Venn Diagram with MTV (https://tinyurl.com/pz8v6hc). Jameson explains the origins of “Break A Leg” (https://tinyurl.com/a66mhx74) and Eddie has everyone watch Toni Braxton “You Make Me High”. Next week Heather and Jameson will talk about Dial MTV, the precursor to TRL.

This week, Heather and Jameson explore MTV's first live concert broadcast, Live Aid concerts held on July 13, 1985 in London and Philadelphia.  Organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, Live Aid raised funds for famine relief in Ethiopia and MTV broadcasted 16 hours of coverage (check out the coverage here: http://liveaid.free.fr/rewind/mtv/index.html). Heather and Jameson talk about the history of the concert and their favorite moments, including Queen (compare the performance to the film adaptation: https://tinyurl.com/9w64k4m6).  Jameson explores Freddie Mercury's life more in “Listen to this Shit” (https://tinyurl.com/33e2shv2). For next week, watch the 1985 film “Clue” (yes, we know that film has nothing to do with MTV, get over it).

Party's here! Heather and Jameson take a break from the MTV timeline to explore current programming with millennial pop-culture expert, Julie Mirwis, as they watch Jersey Shore (https://tinyurl.com/5ewh2dd7). Julie shares her vast knowledge of Jersey Shore, including all the spin-offs and current cast status. Jameson pays homage to hometown East Haven or “Staven” with a little Italian-American history (https://tinyurl.com/4mz2ea7m) and the significance of fried dough at the OLOP carnival. And of course, the classic song “Christmastime in East Haven” (https://tinyurl.com/3uvfj9m7). Top Countdown explores the 1985 “Dancing in the Street” from David Bowie and Mick Jagger (https://tinyurl.com/fkjadcxz). For next week, check out Live Aid minute by minute (https://tinyurl.com/u5y8panh) and watch the End of Bohemian Rhapsody featuring Queen at Live Aid (https://tinyurl.com/9w64k4m6).

Heather and Jameson are joined by fun party guest star Eddie to discuss the Video Music Awards. The trio discuss the first VMAs in 1984, share their most memorable performances and events over the years, bring more attention to the whiteness of early MTV, and hope they get invited to the 2021 VMAs in Brooklyn (please send tickets). Eddie pleads for a new Rhianna album, Heather confuses Dua Lipa with Duolingo, and Jameson admits he didn't really watch a lot of MTV as a kid. Jameson talks about Mr. Potato Head since he loves potatoes (https://idahopotatomuseum.com/mr-potato-head/) and Heather forces everyone to watch the 1988 Rush Hour music video by Jane Wieldin aka the Live Action Lisa Frank video (https://tinyurl.com/wr4rvdzb). For homework for next week's episode, check out some recent episodes of Jersey Shore Family Vacation (https://tinyurl.com/5ewh2dd7). Note: this episode is supersized for literally no reason whatsoever. #FreeBritney

Heather and Jameson dive deeper into the Venn Diagram that is MTV and Michael Jackson by exploring the 1983 World Premiere of the Thriller video. The Gen Experts are joined by superstar millennial guest star Fawziah Qadir as they discuss this historic 13-minute video (https://tinyurl.com/u5vmuscf), all of Michael Jackson's made up words, Ola Ray's fantastic outfits (also, check out her Insta https://tinyurl.com/u3rakbec), and their collective skill set for surviving a zombie apocalypse (archery, gardening, and homesteading). Jameson has everyone watch You Can't Touch This by MC Hammer and provides a fun recount of the Hammer's origin story with the Oakland A's (https://tinyurl.com/5ckfhafc). You can follow the antics of MC Hammer on his Insta (https://tinyurl.com/mu2y99bk) and for shits and giggles, check out Caroline the dog in her rainbow bikini (https://tinyurl.com/mxs2eern). Lastly, Fawziah has a real podcast about serious topics, check her out at https://www.racethrougheducation.com/. For next week, check out the crazy history of the VMAs: https://tinyurl.com/4b7rnvur

Heather and Jameson talk about the black artists that broke the color barrier in the early days of MTV, as the network was hella white when launched as a “rock-oriented” channel. Jameson apologizes for accusing J.J. Jackson of plastic surgery and instead offers some more history on this incredible VJ (https://tinyurl.com/vnavam2y). The Gen Xperts discuss the influential role of the Billie Jean video by Michael Jackson (https://tinyurl.com/ynkzhtdu) in getting more airplay for artists of color, and how both Rick James and David Bowie were super vocal about the lack of diversity in the early days of MTV (article on Bowie and James: https://tinyurl.com/3cj9thxy). Jameson uncovers who or what a “Billie Jean” is (https://tinyurl.com/k5ufw43r) and both lament over the genius that was Whitney.  For next week, watch the Thriller video, all thirteen minutes.