In this heartwarming special episode of Stupid Gen X Tricks, we dive into the viral story that's giving us all the '90s video store feels! The Daves celebrate their guest David Kraning, the video store hero of Pocatello, Idaho who proves that sometimes the most rebellious act is simple kindness.

David's story reminds us of a time when Friday nights meant wandering aisles of VHS tapes and debating which movie to rent. When his longtime customer Christina Cavanaugh, who has Down Syndrome, faced losing her beloved weekly routine due to the store's closure, David refused to let the credits roll on their friendship. Instead, he created a mini-video store inside a local grocery store, ensuring Christina and her mother could still experience the joy of picking out movies each week.

Listen as our hosts unpack this beautiful testament to Gen X ingenuity and compassion. They'll discuss how small businesses once formed the backbone of communities, the importance of maintaining human connections in our increasingly digital world, and why sometimes the most punk rock thing you can do is to stubbornly insist on being kind.

This episode will have you reaching for your old membership cards and wondering if you ever returned that copy of "Reality Bites." Don't miss this celebration of how one man's small act of kindness created a blockbuster impact in his community!

What happens when one of your childhood friends grows up to be the Wall Street Journal’s music critic?

In this episode, hosts Dave and David talk with Mark Richardson—who went from late-blooming music nerd to Pitchfork Editor-in-Chief and became one of the most respected critics working today. Mark reflects on discovering music in the '80s, writing about Bay Area turntablism in the Web 1.0 era, and shaping music criticism as Pitchfork exploded into the mainstream.

They cover:

Why year-end lists still matter

What makes a music review worth reading

How he listens to 300+ albums a year

Early contenders for 2025 Record of the Year

And what it means to really pay attention to sound

Plus: Springsteen, Harold & Maude, and a few hidden retro surprises for the true heads.

Whether you still buy vinyl or just want smarter music takes in your feed, this one’s for you.

We’re gonna have a TV party tonight! This week on Stupid Gen X Tricks, dive into the TV wonders of the 80s with special guest Richard Gurman, a veteran writer and producer behind iconic shows like “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” who helped lead the transformational “Married with Children” from beginning to end of its 11 season run. Richard spills sitcom secrets, lets us behind the scenes of the crazy-making world of TV production, and shares iconic show moments that fueled decades of TV culture. Join us for a hilarious and informative ride that’s as wild as a treadmill bra-shopping escapade. Tune in, like, and smash that record button - you won't want to miss this!

And for those curious about the Wormhole on Welcome to Pine Point, here it is!

To order a copy of Richard Gurman’s book, “Married With Children vs. the World: The Inside Story of the Shock-Com that Launched FOX and Changed TV Comedy Forever,” click here.

Emmy-winning Daily Show writer Daniel Radosh joins us to talk Spy Magazine, snark, satire, and the fine line between irony and belief.

What made Gen X humor so sharp, so snarky — and so influential? In this episode, we talk with Daniel Radosh, senior writer and producer at The Daily Show, about his career arc from the legendary Spy Magazine to one of the most iconic satire shows in TV history.

We dive into:
How Spy changed magazine journalism forever 📰
Why Gen X humor leaned so hard on irony 😎
The evolution from Suck.com to Gawker, and the generational split
A hilarious Daily Show segment on Chelsea Clinton and diarrhea (yes, really) 💩
Whether humor still has the power to shake people up
And if it's still possible to have your mind blown after 50 🧠✨

Plus: wormholes featuring The Wayback Machine and some unsung woodblock percussion.

Whether you were a Spy reader, a Jon Stewart fan, or just a Gen Xer wondering what happened to our sense of humor, this one’s for you.

📢 Like what you hear? Subscribe, share, and skywrite about us. We need your help to grow!

00:00 – Hello Little Rock, Hello Pittsburgh
01:20 – Separated at Birth: Jaws, Dino & Darryl Strawberry
03:40 – Welcome to Stupid Gen X Tricks: Game Changers
05:00 – Our Game-Changing Moments: Spy Magazine & Clinton ‘92
08:30 – Introducing Daniel Radosh
10:00 – Daniel’s Gen X Comedy Career Arc
13:00 – Spy, Snark, and Satire: A New Magazine Era
16:00 – Gen X vs. Millennials: Suck.com vs. Gawker
18:00 – What Made *Spy* So Influential
21:00 – Daily Show, Diarrhea Jokes, and Breaking Jon Stewart
27:00 – Is Satire to Blame for Cynicism?
30:00 – Does the Left Lack a Sense of Humor?
33:00 – Twitter, Humor, and the Age of Overreaction
36:00 – Do Jokes Really Change Power?
38:00 – Can We Still Be Surprised in Our 50s?
42:00 – Radosh on Taylor Swift, 100 gecs & Joyful Discovery
44:00 – Wormholes: The Wayback Machine & Woodblocks
51:00 – Next Time on Stupid Gen X Tricks…

👾 Ready to deep dive into the Gen X zeitgeist?

On this episode of Stupid Gen X Tricks, we’re breaking down what makes our generation tick. From movie matchups like Heathers vs. High Fidelity to the secret sauce behind nostalgia bombs like Stranger Things, we cover it all.

We’re joined by authors Melissa Lenos and Kevin Ferguson, whose upcoming book Generation X: The Popular Culture that Defined the MTV Generation offers fresh insight into how our formative years continue to echo through pop culture today.

We get into:

🎧 Mixtape romance & Ducky dilemmas
🎤 Mariah Carey, creative control & camera angles
🧨 Authenticity, apathy & selling out
🛼 Latchkey freedom & Gen X identity
🌀 Plus: wormholes on swearing science and Errol Morris’s Interrotron

Like, subscribe, skywrite—and stay tuned for our next big guest: Daily Show honcho Daniel Radosh. 🕶️😎

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Opening Banter

00:31 Defining Gen X Through Movies

01:05 Welcome to Stupid Gen X Tricks

01:30 Exploring Gen X Culture

05:47 High Fidelity and Gen X Identity

09:38 Special Guests: Authors of Gen X Culture

12:31 Gen X Nostalgia and Cultural Impact

29:52 Rock the Vote and Political Engagement

33:38 The Art of the Mixtape

37:17 The Melissa Story and Gen X Naming Trends

37:43 Hidden Tracks on CDs: A Nostalgic Discovery

38:54 Mix Tapes and Teenage Memories

40:53 Gen X Culture Today: Severance and John Hughes

45:23 Debating Gen X Media: Ducky and Reality Bites

49:40 Latchkey Kids and Free-Range Childhoods

01:03:18 Errol Morris's Interritron and Documentary Filmmaking

Join the Daves as they time-travel with historian Margaret O'Mara through the EPIC rise of computing that defined our generation! From clunky Atari consoles to the dawn of Silicon Valley, this episode is a DEEP DIVE into the tech that shaped our generation – and how our generation shaped tech for everyone! 🚀

💥 WHY YOU NEED TO LISTEN RIGHT NOW:

• Discover how tech legends like Jobs and Gates ACTUALLY started (spoiler: it wasn't in a garage!)
• Uncover the SHOCKING truth about women pioneers who coded before it was cool
• Learn the MIND-BLOWING government connections behind your favorite tech companies
• Relive your first computer experience with ALL THE FEELS 🎮

🔥 VIRAL MOMENTS YOU'LL WANT TO SHARE:

• White House secrets that will make your jaw DROP
• The hidden politics of Silicon Valley that NO ONE talks about
• Tech nostalgia that will have you texting your friends "REMEMBER THIS?!"

Don't miss Margaret's insider knowledge on how those beige boxes transformed into the devices controlling our lives today! Hit subscribe, smash that notification bell, and prepare for the ultimate Gen X tech throwback! #TechNostalgia #GenXLife #SiliconValleySecrets

TIMELINE:

00:00 Intro vibes 13:07 Margaret's first computer (SO RELATABLE!) 16:59 The queens of coding nobody told you about 34:57 Silicon Valley's political 180 that will SHOCK you 43:52 What Margaret's cooking up next (HUGE REVEAL!)

Before the algorithm told you what to like, you had to hunt for the good stuff. The Daves rewind to a time when musical discovery meant late-night radio signals, cryptic record store recommendations, and trusting your gut on a cool-looking album cover.

This week’s guest is Brandon Schmidt—yes, that Brandon Schmidt—who went from booking bands in college to shaping MTV’s digital future, discovering Interpol, and living the rock-and-roll manager life. These days, he owns Soma Sounds, a record store that keeps the spirit of music discovery alive.

🔥 What’s inside?

• The secret sauce behind finding the cool music before Spotify and TikTok did it for you
• Brandon’s behind-the-scenes tales from MTV’s golden era and how it shaped the music we love
• A wild story involving the Pixies, a legendary concert, and an unexpected visit from David Bowie 🤯
• How a single notebook changed the course of music history (and led to Interpol’s rise)
• What it’s really like to tour the world with a rising band—including near-disasters, VIP hangs, and picking the perfect opening act
• That time Brandon and Dave flat-out turned down Pearl Jam for $500—because, well, hindsight is 20/20

📻 Plus, the Daves weigh in on the eternal debate: Was discovering music better when you had to work for it?

🔎 Ready for deep cuts, lost gems, and some epic nostalgia? Hit play, and let’s go digging. 🎧

00:00 – Welcome to the Rabbit Hole 🌀 – Weather talk, island survival picks & musical lifelines
01:00 – Before the Algorithm: How We Found Music in the ‘80s 🎧 – From underground radio to record store deep dives
02:17 – Meet Brandon Schmidt: From College Concerts to Rock Stardom 🤘
08:10 – The Classical Kid Goes Alt – Brandon’s unexpected journey into alternative music
16:56 – That Time David Bowie Crashed a Pixies Gig 👀 – The Oberlin concert that became legend
25:33 – Inside the Record Store Scene – Where music discovery really happened
28:24 – Bringing MTV Online: The Birth of Digital Music Culture 💻
39:56 – The Notebook That Changed Everything 📓 – How a simple habit led to Interpol’s rise
41:05 – Interpol Hits It Big: What Stardom Looks Like Up Close
43:26 – Tour Life: Traffic Jams, Movie Stars & Rock-and-Roll Chaos 🎸
45:08 – Opening Acts 101: The Art of the Perfect Pairing – How headliners really pick their openers
52:04 – Guides, Gurus, & Tastemakers: Who Helped Us Find the Good Stuff?
01:01:13 – Music Discovery Then vs. Now: What’s Lost, What’s Gained? 🔄
01:06:23 – Final Thoughts & Parting Shots 🎤
01:11:00 – Wormholes: The Kiffness, Hawaiian Shirts, and Random Internet Joy

Check out Stupid Gen X Tricks, the show for people who used to be cool!