Like Whatever

Heather Jolley and Nicole Barr

Join Heather and Nicole as we discuss all things Gen-X with personal nostalgia, current events, and an advocacy for the rights of all humans.  From music to movies to television and so much more, revisit the generational trauma we all experienced as we talk about it all. Take a break from today and travel back to the long hot summer days of the 80s and 90s.  Come on slackers, f**k around and find out with us!

  1. 3 NGÀY TRƯỚC

    Flannel, Cigarettes, and Highway‑Volume Therapy

    Your brain wants nostalgia and your body wants a grilled cheese, so we follow both threads until they collide with a wall of fuzzy guitars. We start with the very specific Gen X comfort-food universe: cheese toast, PB&J, bologna with mayo, and the elite move of stuffing salty chips into a sandwich. It’s funny, but it’s also a real look at how “fend for yourself” childhood dinners shaped our cravings, our independence, and the way we treat food as a shortcut to safety. Then we launch a new hypotheticals segment with one big question: if reincarnation is real, what do you come back as? The answers get wildly specific, deeply lazy in the best way, and surprisingly revealing about burnout, boundaries, and the fantasy of finally being off the clock. After that, we dig into grunge and 90s alternative rock with a listener-friendly breakdown of what makes grunge sound like grunge, plus the meaning and backstory behind songs like Nirvana’s “In Bloom,” Dinosaur Jr’s “Feel The Pain,” Screaming Trees’ “Nearly Lost You,” Hole’s “Doll Parts,” Jane’s Addiction’s “Been Caught Stealin’,” and Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind.” Along the way, Nicole reads a real 1984 diary entry that proves middle-school drama and ruined eclipse days are forever. Hit play, then subscribe, share the show with a fellow Gen Xer, and leave a review. What would you choose to be in your next life? Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

    1 giờ 19 phút
  2. 17 THG 4

    The Original Fake News

    A Jeopardy champion explains his favorite number using an F-shaped stick from childhood, and somehow that tiny piece of logic becomes the perfect on-ramp to a much bigger question: why do people believe what they believe. We start light with Gen X catch-up energy, then roll through Masters weekend fandom, migraine misery, and the kind of sugar craving that turns a coconut cream egg into a full-contact sport. We also compare notes on insomnia fixes, including a true crime sleep podcast that’s oddly soothing even when it still does not knock you out.  Then the gloves come off. We talk about conspiracy culture, algorithmic rage bait, and the exhausting genre of “gotcha science” takes, from space skepticism to the idea that a splashdown “should” look a certain way on camera. From there, we time-travel to the original misinformation masterclass: Orson Welles’ 1938 War Of The Worlds broadcast, the way the fake news format drove panic, and how later retellings may have exaggerated mass hysteria. The wild part is it happened again in 1968, even with disclaimers, proving that delivery and emotion can beat facts when people tune in mid-story.  We close by connecting that history to modern AI and deepfake anxiety: when ads, faces, and voices can be generated, skepticism becomes necessary, but cynicism becomes a trap. If you like smart, funny Gen X commentary on media literacy, misinformation, conspiracy theories, War Of The Worlds, and the weird nostalgia that still shapes how we think, hit subscribe, share the episode with a friend who argues with the algorithm, and leave a review with the strangest thing you’ve ever seen people believe. Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

    1 giờ 5 phút
  3. 10 THG 4

    From Apollo’s Light To Artemis’s Shadow

    Forty-one minutes. No telemetry, no voices, no way to help. That’s what it feels like when a crewed spacecraft slips behind the Moon and the signal dies, even in 2026. We sit with that fear and awe, then pull the camera back to ask a bigger question: how did the Moon go from a goddess in a silver chariot to a world we’re actively planning to live on again? We start in myth, with Selene and Luna as the Moon embodied, tied to tides, time, love, and cycles. Then we jump to the giant impact hypothesis, the idea that a Mars-sized body slammed into early Earth and left behind the debris that became our Moon. From there, it’s Apollo: Sputnik panic, Kennedy’s gamble, the brutal lessons of Apollo 1, the near-movie chaos of Apollo 11’s landing, and the long list of missions that proved we could do it again and again. Then comes the part everyone keeps asking: why did we stop going? We talk budgets, Vietnam, public boredom, Cold War symbolism, and the uncomfortable truth that canceling Saturn V meant we didn’t just pause, we lost capability. Finally, we bring it to Artemis, where the goal is the lunar south pole, water ice, Gateway, and a real path toward Mars. Along the way we break down Artemis 2’s crew, flight plan, far-side blackout, and the emotional “torch passing” moment that made Heather cry. Subscribe, share this with your favorite space nerd, and leave a review. What would you do with 41 minutes of silence behind the Moon? Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

    1 giờ 19 phút
  4. 3 THG 4

    Yes Virginia There Is A Boogeyman

    Serial killers weren’t just “true crime” to us. They were a constant hum in the background of growing up: news anchors saying names like Bundy and Gacy, parents warning about strangers, and that sinking feeling that danger could look normal. We start with our usual Gen X catch-up (pollen season, the revived “The More You Know” vibe, and why April Fool’s pranks are a crime), then we jump into the big question: why did serial killing peak in America from the 1960s through the early 1990s? From there, we break down the conditions that let serial offenders thrive: fractured law enforcement across jurisdictions, the lack of centralized databases, and a culture that didn’t always treat every missing person as urgent. We talk about how media coverage and the rise of true crime books and TV didn’t just reflect public obsession, it helped shape it, sometimes turning violent criminals into twisted celebrities. We also get honest about why the psychology of serial murder is so fascinating, and why the “genius killer” myth falls apart when you look at what really happened. Then we get into what changed everything: DNA profiling, CODIS, better data sharing, cell phone records, and surveillance everywhere. We also explore how modern violence has shifted toward spree killers, mass shootings, and online radicalization, plus the uncomfortable reality of human trafficking. Finally, we dig into the lead crime hypothesis and the Pacific Northwest “killing fields” idea, asking whether toxic exposure helped fuel aggression and crime trends in ways we’re still reckoning with. Listen, then tell us what you think actually drove the decline. Subscribe, share Like Whatever with a friend, and leave a rating or review so more Gen X weirdos can find us. Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

    1 giờ 33 phút
  5. 27 THG 3

    Nicole’s International House of Hijinks

    Nobody warned us that menopause could look like this: 3 a.m. wakeups, brain fog that steals your words mid sentence, and a “frozen shoulder” that makes taking off a T shirt feel like a full contact sport. We start from that real place, laughing because we have to, and comparing notes in the way only two Gen X best friends can. Then we whip the conversation into culture and chaos: the temptation of Rocky Horror on Broadway, the dread and thrill of New York driving, and a frank talk about separating art from the artist when a performance hits but the person behind it comes with controversy. From there, we get serious about everyday infrastructure, why the USPS should be treated as a public service, and why airport lines keep getting worse when staffing and training are treated like optional expenses. After the ranting, we settle into pure nostalgia with a curated list of childhood TV shows that still live in our heads: The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Barney Miller, The Benny Hill Show, Hee Haw, and Taxi. Along the way we share surprising facts, representation wins, and the strange comfort of rewatching old series now that streaming and even single show “channels” make it easier than ever. Subscribe for more Gen X nostalgia, pop culture commentary, and real talk about midlife, then share the episode and leave a review. What TV show from your childhood still feels like home? Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

    1 giờ 10 phút
  6. 20 THG 3

    Talk Dirty To Me

    Daytime talk shows didn’t just entertain us, they trained a whole generation to watch strangers confess, fight, reconcile, and melt down before dinner. We’re Nicole and Heather, and we dig into how talk shows evolved from Phil Donahue’s audience-driven, single-topic conversations into the tabloid talk TV era where shock value became the product. Think Oprah’s cultural power, Sally Jesse Raphael’s human-interest tone, Geraldo’s controversy, Jerry Springer’s chaos, Jenny Jones’ ambush-style reveals, Ricky Lake’s youth focus, Montel’s mix of uplift and spectacle, and Maury’s paternity-test obsession that turned “You are not the father” into a permanent meme. We talk about the business mechanics too: first-run syndication, ratings pressure, and why producers kept pushing further into infidelity, secrecy, humiliation, and on-air conflict. Then we get honest about the darker side of this media history, including how marginalized people sometimes gained visibility while also getting exploited for entertainment. If you’re interested in media ethics, reality TV origins, and Gen X nostalgia, this is the rabbit hole that connects it all. Some stories still hit hard: we unpack two tragedies tied to the genre, the Jenny Jones case involving Scott Amedure and the Jerry Springer case involving Nancy Campbell-Panitz, and what they changed about guest screening, consent, security, and aftercare. We also throw in a practical PSA on lie detectors and why “ask for a lawyer” is always the move. Subscribe for more Gen X deep-dives, share this with a friend who used to keep Springer on in the background, and leave a review with your hottest take: were talk shows a guilty pleasure, a cultural mirror, or something we should’ve shut down sooner? Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

    1 giờ 18 phút
  7. 13 THG 3

    Raised By Resistance, Raising The Reckoning

    Dinosaurs turning into birds shouldn’t make you think about feminism, but somehow it does when you’re a Gen X woman with a cranky “tiny T-Rex” bird, a Netflix queue, and zero patience for pretending history is settled. We start with real life: birthday week wins, weird weather, and the shows we’re binging. Then we pivot hard into Women’s History Month with a topic we’ve been turning over for a while, because the timeline is both empowering and infuriating. We walk through second-wave feminism from the 1960s to the 1980s and name the laws and court cases that still shape women’s rights today: the Equal Pay Act, Title VII and the EEOC, Griswold v. Connecticut and contraception, Title IX, Roe v. Wade, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. We also talk about what didn’t happen, like the Equal Rights Amendment, and why “it was fun while it lasted” hits so hard when rights can be rolled back. Along the way, we get honest about movement splits, who got centered, and why that matters. Then we jump into third-wave feminism in the 1990s, led by Gen X, including Anita Hill, Rebecca Walker, intersectionality, and the shift toward a wider, more inclusive view of identity and power. We hit the culture too: riot grrrl energy, reclaiming words, and the ways we raised kids who are louder, freer, and less interested in rigid gender rules. Finally, we say the quiet part out loud: menopause and perimenopause are real, they’re messy, and talking about HRT, hot flashes, and midlife revolt is part of taking our bodies back. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs the history and the laughs, and leave a rating and review so more Gen X listeners can find us. Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

    1 giờ 25 phút
  8. 6 THG 3

    Public Ally Not All Heroes Wear Clocks

    What if the loudest hype man of an era was also one of its most surprising humanitarians? We pull back the curtain on Flavor Flav’s wild, complicated arc—self-taught musical prodigy, Public Enemy’s essential counterweight, chaotic reality TV architect—and land on a twist that made us cheer: a devoted advocate for women’s sports who quietly funds training, travel, and real recognition. This isn’t a rebrand story; it’s a blueprint for using fame as a tool. We start with awe. Will Smith’s Pole to Pole sparks a meditation on silence and scale—standing on a glacier, hearing water run beneath your feet, remembering how small we are and why that matters. That frame makes Flav’s early life pop: Roosevelt roots, piano at five, fifteen instruments, church choir, trouble, culinary school, and a fateful link with Carlton Ridenhour that forged Public Enemy. Chuck D brought granite, Flav brought spark; together they turned politics into momentum. 911 Is a Joke proved humor can punch hard. Then came the VH1 era, where Flav didn’t just chase relevance—he rewired unscripted TV and birthed a new meme language. The heart of this episode lives in Flav’s present-tense purpose. From funding the U.S. women’s water polo team to bankrolling celebrations for women’s hockey champions to amplifying bobsled and skeleton athletes, he’s channeling attention and dollars where they’re needed most. It’s logistics-as-love: flights, rooms, dinners, and a megaphone for parity in sports that rarely get prime-time shine. We connect those moves to a broader Gen X ethos we live by—learn a trade, improvise when the tools aren’t there, move the eight-hundred-pound grill with milk crates if you have to, and keep going with humor, candor, and grit. Come for the cultural reframe, stay for the pizza-fueled tangents, diary nostalgia, and unfiltered parking lot wisdom. If you’re ready to rethink a pop culture icon—and maybe your own playbook for showing up—hit play, share it with a friend, and leave a review to tell us what surprised you most. Send us an email Support the show #genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

    55 phút
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Giới Thiệu

Join Heather and Nicole as we discuss all things Gen-X with personal nostalgia, current events, and an advocacy for the rights of all humans.  From music to movies to television and so much more, revisit the generational trauma we all experienced as we talk about it all. Take a break from today and travel back to the long hot summer days of the 80s and 90s.  Come on slackers, f**k around and find out with us!