What do Shirley Temple, Jonathan Knight, Phoebe Cates, Christopher Atkins, Matt Dillon, Andrew McCarthy, and Greg Evigan all have in common?

They proved that life doesn’t end when the closing credits roll.

This week, we’re celebrating the glorious second act—those moments when our favorite stars traded fame for fulfillment, discovering that sometimes the best role of your life comes after the one that made you famous. From diplomats to furniture makers, painters to farmhouse restorers, boutique owners to orchestral composers, these former teen idols remind us that it’s never too late to become who you were always meant to be.

Plus, we sit down with the endlessly talented Greg Evigan (BJ and the Bear, My Two Dads) about living a dream and recording an original orchestral album with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s a conversation about creativity, passion and persistence.

Along the way we wonder: Is Gen X finally entering its own second act? Should you become a potter? A cobbler? A woodworker? (Christopher Atkins says yes.) And why does Jonathan Knight make us all want to buy a fixer-upper and adopt a donkey?

Because maybe the biggest lesson of all is this: we are never just one thing.

So grab your Shirley Temple, dust off your dreams, and join us for an episode that’s equal parts nostalgia, inspiration, and proof that the best chapters sometimes begin after page 50.

Purchase Greg Evigan's new album on his website here or on Bandcamp here

Find Christopher Atkins' driftwood creations on his Instagram profile here and reach out for more information at driftwoodcreations@yahoo.com.

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For us GenXers born before about 1972, the build-up to our nation’s Bicentennial was truly one of the most anticipated events of our young lives. Join us as we celebrate the Spirit of '76 through your eyes, with a collection of special, star-spangled Bicentennial memories straight from our listeners — from getting pennies smashed by the passing Freedom Train to collecting those treasured Bicentennial quarters to costumes — SO. MANY. COSTUMES. (Special shoutout to the Tricorn hat.) Let’s celebrate our collective patriotic memories together as we get ready for the 50th anniversary of the unforgettable Bicentennial and that undeniable SPIRIT of '76!

Get Mike Derrico's book "Bicentennial Chic: Bronx Bombers, KISSteria & the Birth of Saturday Night Fever" here

Click here for a year of Remind Magazine for only $12.

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

We're kicking off Season 19 AND summer by saving the summer when the galaxy got a lot darker, the music got a lot smoother, and we wore out the stickers on our Rubik's Cubes waiting to find out who shot J.R. -- the summer of 1980! Relive the movies (“Luke, I am your father”), the music (“What’s the matter with the clothes I’m wearing?”), the (Incredible!) TV shows, and so much more as we take you on a journey back to a summer when chasing the ice-cream truck and making up dances to the Grease soundtrack were all that really mattered.

Click here for a year of Remind Magazine for only $12.

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