In 1972, a single song shifted the cultural landscape forever. This week, we’re diving into the life and career of Helen Reddy, the "Queen of 70s Pop" who became the reluctant — yet resolute — voice of the second-wave feminist movement and gave us all a powerful anthem to shout-sing out loud for decades. We’re taking you through the fun details of some of Helen’s greatest hits (and our favorites) and we have so much to say (and sing!) that we couldn’t contain it in just one episode!

Watch Helen Reddy biopic "I Am Woman"

Great podcast episode from Amy Lively's podcast For the Record: The 70s "The Softer Side of 70s Rock"

Helen Reddy and Carol Burnett skit

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Quick: make a list of your movie theater memories. Family outings, fun with friends, first dates and iconic movies that went on to make history are all part of our Gen X history. Could you make a similar list for movies you've streamed at home? Hmmmm. Probably not. In today's episode, we discuss a New York Times opinion piece in which the CEO of Sony Pictures argues for rescuing the movie theater experience and lays out a plan for doing so. Not surprisingly, your pop culture preservationists have no shortage of movie theater memories to share -- Star Wars, Kramer vs. Kramer, The Breakfast Club, She's Having a Baby, Ghost, the Herbie movies and more -- and it becomes very clear that we've suffered a huge loss in the era of streaming. But the good news is that Gen Z might be feeling this loss, too, and they could be the ones to push the culture back to the theater. Even if you haven't been to the movie theater since the pre-pandemic era, today's discussion might have you buying tickets again.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Kick off your Sunday shoes and dive deep with us into the soundtrack that made all us GenXers cut loose, (want to) dance in the sheets, and give the boy a hand. The iconic Footloose soundtrack is jammed packed with hit after hit, and every single one of them was written for the movie. We’re going track by track discussing the importance of every single song to its corresponding scene. Why don’t we like Ariel? Which Olympic gymnast has a family connection to the movie? And which one of us had never seen Footloose until a few weeks ago (and is lucky she’s still a card-carrying member of the PCPS)?

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

In today’s episode we’ll be saving all the residents of Walnut Grove by testing our knowledge of all things Prairie. Because that show was on for nine years – that’s the entirety of our childhoods. We grew up with those people. And we all wanted Pa to be our dad and we wanted Ma to be our mom and we wanted to wear little caps on our heads when we went to bed. And so today we’re testing the LHOP IQ of the PCPS. We’ll be quizzed about prairie facts but also about behind-the-scenes scoop; backstories and secrets we never knew when we were watching the show. Let’s see how we do, shall we? Are we worthy of being full time residents of Walnut Grove? Or are we just passing through town like Willis from Different Strokes in the episode about racism? Wish us luck!

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Today we’ll be saving the 70s version of mixtapes with a tribute to the most beloved KTEL record of all time: No, it’s not Full Tilt. It’s not Hot Nights and City Lights . It’s not even 24 Great Truck Drivin’ Songs. It’s Music Express.

KTEL records were compilation albums full of the hit songs of that very moment – and how did we know about them? Because they were advertised incessantly on TV. And they helped create a lexicon of words and phrases that may be best known by Gen Xers: “20 original hits! 20 original stars!” “As seen on TV!” And, most importantly, “But Wait! There’s more!” Packed with twenty current hits from the radio, each KTEL album was like a precursor to the homemade mixtapes that became staples of 80s culture. SO WHAT WAS THE MOST POPULAR KTEL ALBUM?

If we only knew! But if we can judge by the internet, and how often people talk about it, that would be MUSIC EXPRESS, the 1975 album featuring The Captain and Tennille, Elton John, Barry Manilow, Disco Tex and the Sex-o-lettes – “and many more!!!!” Join us as we walk through this album song by song, sharing the vibes and fun facts like only your pop culture preservationists can.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Be our guests at the GRAND OPENING of our GenX Museum’s first exhibit, “Scratch-n-Sniff: Smells Like GenX,” where we lead you and your nose through rooms and places of your youth, and tickle your olfactory glands with fragrant things like Noxema, Sweet Honesty, mimeographed worksheets, and Bain de Soleil. Sure, you’ll be surrounded in a cloud of cigarette smoke and the tour may take up most of your day, but we’re confident you’ll enjoy your visit. WARNING — there WILL be (slightly graphic) talk (amidst hysterical laughter) of powdering your privates. So.Much.Powder. Please proceed with (very relatable) caution.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Today we’re celebrating what we've learned after five years of creating episodes and social media posts, and meeting our listeners, and reading your comments and messages. That's an education that could not be replicated by many people. And even though we have always claimed to be experts in the pop culture of our Gen X youth, after this five-year intensive educational experience, we can really and truly claim that we know how our generation felt about what they were watching, reading, listening to and playing with when they were children in the 70s and 80s. We are the experts in YOU.

And on November 7, 2025, to celebrate the five year anniversary of the PCPS, we went to the Jason Show -- the daily pop culture talk show viewed by people all around the nation -- and said, we have a list. We call it The Top 10 Gen X Moments of All Time as determined by US after five years of asking questions, and researching episodes, and polling our listeners and followers, -- these are the top ten moments weve found our people really like to talk about. Can you guess what sits in the number one spot? And, big disclaimer, this is highly subjective and we reserve the right to change our minds tomorrow! Don't be surprised if you see Top 10 Gen X Moments Part Deux next season! Please enjoy and don't be crabby if you disagree with our vastly unscientific findings (see DISCLAIMER: PART DEUX above).

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Touring the country for the first time in almost fifty years, 1970s teen idol Shaun Cassidy sits down with us to talk about his past and his present; his life, his career(s), his family, his music and the fans who fill the theaters every show to get up close and personal with their first crush. He’s full of wise words and encouragement culled from a lifetime of stories — from the 45s he collected as a child and Elton John dropping by the house to myths about aging and one’s contributions to the world. We always feel like better people after talking to Shaun Cassidy.

Check out Shaun Cassidy's tour schedule here

Find Shaun's First Crush wines here

Check out the Stars of the Golden Age podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com