Whatever! The Gen X Podcast

Dwayne & Heather Tanner
  • 4.8 (5)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Whatever! The Gen-X Podcast is for the generation that grew up on mixtapes, Saturday morning cartoons, and the firm belief that we'd never turn into our parents. Spoiler: we did anyway. Every week, Dwayne and Heather dig into what it meant to grow up Gen X and what it means to live it out now. There's the music, the movies, the cultural moments we can't let go of, and the real stuff that comes with being a maturing generation nobody saw coming. Equal parts nostalgia trip and honest conversation, with enough humor to make it worth the ride. Whatever. As if. Talk to the hand. We're back.

Episodes

  1. Sep 6

    Hair Bands Part 1: Feel the Noise

    Before TikTok makeup tutorials, there was glam rock. Before the Sunset Strip became a tourist trap, it was ground zero for the biggest sound of the 1980s. This week on Whatever!, Dwayne and Heather take you back to where it all started—from David Bowie's theatrical revolution to the New York Dolls' proto-punk attitude—and trace the exact line that led to Mötley Crüe, Poison, and everything in between. Expect deep dives into Crüe, the real story behind "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," and a spirited defense of guys in makeup (with receipts going back to Milton Berle). Plus, a history lesson on how glam rock conquered middle America in the guise of hair metal. This is part one of a two-part conversation about the genre that defined Gen X and refuses to die.

    Hair Bands Part 1: Feel the Noise

  2. Aug 26

    Everything Sucks! And, I'm Going To Sing About It!

    A listener sent us a question we couldn't shake: was grunge a real, organic movement, or something the music industry built and sold back to us? This episode digs into the actual trends and conditions that led to grunge's rise, takes a look at what else was on the radio at the time for contrast, and walks through some of the genre's defining acts, complete with our own honest takes on each one. We finally answer the listener's question together by the end of the episode — no spoilers here, you'll have to press play. Plus, our regular This Week in Gen X History segment.

    Everything Sucks! And, I'm Going To Sing About It!

  3. Aug 12

    Private Eyes, Public Nostalgia

    Trade in the badge for a license this week. Dwayne and Heather count down the top ten private investigator shows that ruled the 70s and 80s, from the beat-up trailer on Rockford's beach to Magnum's Ferrari in Hawaii, and dig into why this genre exploded the way it did after Watergate. Plus, "This Week in Gen X History" covers August 9th through the 15th, including a certain Cold War teen movie that became more culturally significant than anyone expected. This week's countdown includes: Vega$, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Matt Houston, Spenser: For Hire, Hart to Hart, Simon & Simon, Remington Steele, Moonlighting, The Rockford Files, and Magnum, P.I., with honorable mentions for Charlie's Angels, Riptide, and The A-Team. Whatever! The Gen X Podcast is a weekly show for anyone who grew up with a house key on a shoelace and a landline that only sometimes worked. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Music and Clip Credits Our theme song is provided by Envato Elements. This episode includes a brief clip of "Back in Black" by AC/DC, along with short theme music excerpts from Vega$, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Matt Houston, Spenser: For Hire, Hart to Hart, Simon & Simon, Remington Steele, Moonlighting, The Rockford Files, Magnum, P.I., Charlie's Angels, Riptide, and The A-Team. All clips are used for commentary and critique purposes and fall under fair use as defined in 17 U.S.C. § 107.

    Private Eyes, Public Nostalgia

  4. Aug 5

    Lights, Sirens, and Shoulder Pads

    Badges, big hair, and back seat handcuffs. This week Dwayne and Heather grab the siren and count down the top ten cop shows that defined a whole generation of Wednesday nights, from Hill Street Blues to Miami Vice. Plus, "This Week in Gen X History" covers August 2nd through the 8th, a Nielsen-informed rundown of who really ruled the small screen, and a closing conversation on why cop shows were absolutely everywhere in that era. This week's countdown includes: Baretta, Kojak, Adam-12, Starsky & Hutch, Hunter, Cagney & Lacey, T.J. Hooker, CHiPs, Miami Vice, and Hill Street Blues, with honorable mentions for S.W.A.T., Columbo, and Police Woman. Whatever! The Gen X Podcast is a weekly show for anyone who grew up with a house key on a shoelace and a landline that only sometimes worked. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Music and Clip Credits Our theme song is provided by Envato Elements. This episode includes brief clips of "Private Eyes" by Hall & Oates and "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John, along with short theme music excerpts from Baretta, S.W.A.T., and Hill Street Blues, and brief audio clips from T.J. Hooker and Kojak. All clips are used for commentary and critique purposes and fall under fair use as defined in 17 U.S.C. § 107.

    Lights, Sirens, and Shoulder Pads

  5. Jul 29

    Our Favorite Sitcoms of the 80s

    This week Dwayne and Heather step away from the news cycle for pure nostalgia: the sitcoms that owned Thursday nights before "Must See TV" was even a phrase. They build a Nielsen-informed top 10 countdown pulled straight from the actual season-by-season ratings, argue over where certain shows landed, and each reveal a personal top 5 of the sitcoms they watched and loved growing up. Topics covered: What "must-see TV" meant before NBC trademarked the phraseThe Nielsen countdown, #10 to #1: The Jeffersons, Three's Company, Who's the Boss?, Growing Pains, Night Court, The Golden Girls, M*A*S*H, Cheers, Family Ties, and The Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show's total ratings dominance versus its complicated legacy todayThe sitcom evolution across the decade, from Three's Company-style farce to Cosby/Family Ties "issue of the week" warmthDwayne and Heather's personal top 5 picks, head to head against the Nielsen listWhy Moonlighting didn't make the cut (dramedy, not sitcom)Clip & Music Attribution Brief audio clips are used from the opening theme songs of The Jeffersons (CBS, 1975), Three's Company (ABC, 1977), The Golden Girls (NBC, 1985), M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972), and The Facts of Life (NBC, 1979), along with short music excerpts from "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel, "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, and "When Doves Cry" by Prince. All clips are used briefly for the purpose of commentary and critique under fair use (17 U.S.C. § 107).

    Our Favorite Sitcoms of the 80s

  6. Jul 22

    The Works of John Hughes

    Dwayne and Heather dig into John Hughes, the filmmaker who invented the modern teen movie. Brat Pack drama, the Long Duk Dong controversy, Molly Ringwald's complicated history with Hughes, the soundtrack cuts that made it all unforgettable, plus this week in Gen X history.

    The Works of John Hughes

  7. Jul 19

    Trailer

    We're Dwayne and Heather, and we grew up with a house key on a shoelace instead of a phone in our pocket. Whatever! The Gen X Podcast digs into the music, shows, and chaos that raised us, then drags it all into the present, where we're apparently the generation nobody remembers to talk about. New episodes every Wednesday. Give us a listen.

    Trailer

  8. Jul 8

    The Mall Experience and Downfall of Radio as We Knew It

    Whatever! The Gen X Podcast — Episode 3: Malls, Music, and the Radio That Raised Us This week Dwayne and Heather take a trip back to the place that defined Gen X teenage life — the mall. From Orange Julius and Chess King to Waldenbooks and Radio Shack, we revisit the stores, the food courts, and the social rituals that made the mall our second home. We also dig into what happened to radio — how one generation went from taping songs off Casey Kasem's American Top 40 to being fed playlists by algorithms and corporate giants like iHeartMedia. We open with This Week in Gen X History, covering Amazon's founding, California's no-fault divorce law, Prince's first number one with "When Doves Cry," Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA hitting the album chart, the birth of Toby Keith, the Grateful Dead's final show with Jerry Garcia, Boris Yeltsin's swearing-in as Russia's first elected president, and Ricky Martin making history with "Livin' La Vida Loca." MUSIC CREDITS Licensed music for this episode provided through Envato Elements. The following recordings were used briefly during This Week in Gen X History and episode discussion for the purpose of artist commentary: Prince — "When Doves Cry" — owned by Warner RecordsBruce Springsteen — "Born in the USA" — owned by Columbia RecordsToby Keith — "Should've Been a Cowboy" — owned by Mercury NashvilleRicky Martin — "Livin' La Vida Loca" — owned by Columbia RecordsMichael Jackson — "Beat It" — owned by Epic RecordsJanet Jackson — "Escapade" — owned by A&M RecordsGrateful Dead — "Touch of Grey" — owned by Arista RecordsUse is commentary-based per fair use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107). All rights remain with respective owners.

    The Mall Experience and Downfall of Radio as We Knew It

  9. Jul 1

    The Perils We've Faced as Gen-X

    Growing up Gen X meant living with some very specific fears — and somehow trading them for a whole new set as adults. In this episode, Dwayne and Heather compare the panics of their childhood with the anxieties keeping them up at night now. Y2K meets Social Security. Duck-and-cover meets doom-scrolling. Turns out fear just gets an update every generation.

    The Perils We've Faced as Gen-X

  10. Jun 24

    Intros and Musings

    Two Gen Xers, zero participation trophies. Dwayne and Heather kick off Whatever by interviewing each other, what it actually means to be Gen X, what they miss, what they're glad is gone, and the lie their generation got sold.

    Intros and Musings

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Whatever! The Gen-X Podcast is for the generation that grew up on mixtapes, Saturday morning cartoons, and the firm belief that we'd never turn into our parents. Spoiler: we did anyway. Every week, Dwayne and Heather dig into what it meant to grow up Gen X and what it means to live it out now. There's the music, the movies, the cultural moments we can't let go of, and the real stuff that comes with being a maturing generation nobody saw coming. Equal parts nostalgia trip and honest conversation, with enough humor to make it worth the ride. Whatever. As if. Talk to the hand. We're back.

Information

  • Creator
    Dwayne & Heather Tanner
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Whatever! The Gen X Podcast