Category: Culture
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Weird Al Giving to Himself as He Gives to Others
Today is Weird Al’s Birthday. Most know him for his parodies of top artists and songs over the decades. Some know him for his movie presence and voice over acting. Regardless of how people know him they know him for the humor and kindness he gives to the world with the gift of laughter. Everyone…
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It’s Okay to Want a Slushy Groovy Kind of Love
October 22nd of 1988 Phil Collins’ remake of The Mindbenders 1966 classic Groovy Kind of Love became the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. What were the deeper undertones of this song? What did it do to us culturally and as a society? Was there more to the story of this song? Honestly? It…
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Human League’s Invasion Inspired by Toxic Love
On October 16th of 1981, The Human League began the second British Invasion with the release of their third album ‘Dare!’ Two of the founding members left. Front man Phillip Oakley was at the helm and in a do or die moment. The album would either be a new chapter or the end of Human…
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Vampires are Hot, and Other Lessons of the ‘90s
By Kimberly Thalia One of my earliest memories is a nightmare I had when I was four. I was in an empty cave lit by torches. A section of the wall looked a Scooby Doo kind of different and when it slid open, your classic vampire entered. He said, “I vant to suck your blood!”…
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Inclusive Ghost Story That Changed the World? Pac-Man!
On October 10th of 1980, the US met Pac-Man and his mortal enemies Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. In 1979 Toru Iwatani assembled a 9 person team to develop a video game that women could play and enjoy as well as men. In an interview he said, “The reason I created Pac-Man was because we wanted…
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The Curse of the White Bic Lighter and the 27
Have you ever heard of the curse of the White Bic Lighter and the 27 Club? Let me get my flashlight as you gather around the camp fire. One October night I was out with a woman I was dating. We were outside of the iconic Metro Chicago having a smoke and a toke together.…
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Total Eclipse of the Heart Was a Vampire Love Song
In 1983 Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart entered October as the #1 song in America. It stayed on the number 1 through most of the month of October. It did not make it to Halloween, which is a shame. The song is about vampires hooking up. The song was meant to convey something…
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A Conscience Pivots to September’s Top Stories
A few moments ago I scrapped an article I had been working on for weeks. In the Members Only Patreon Page I talk about the cutting room floor. Back story of articles and what I included and did not include. At the end of this article I want to touch on why I scrapped a…
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Mark Hamill Gave Us the Gift of Imagination
I’ve decided to try a new thing on Wednesdays! Just be a nostalgic fan as opposed to the deeper dive. So let’s kick off this experiment and celebrate an amazing man! Nothing deep and not full of facts and figures. I started this idea of Gen X Watch to counter the toxic Gen X nostalgia…
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The Power of the Pen Pal to Expand the World
When many of us were young there was nothing more magical than getting mail that was for you! The best was a letter or a card from a friend. To this day I enjoy the week of my birthday and Christmas because there are still a few beautiful people who will send a hand written…
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Comments
This is a really good one, Pat! I found it super relatable and the messaging is excellent. Thanks for this.
That means a lot! Thank you. While I wish you did not relate, I find beauty when people do. Makes…