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

It’s one of our favorite episodes of every season—the one where we pull back the curtain and give you a sneak peek at what’s ahead.

In this preview episode, we're sharing the "coming attractions" for Season 19. From a summer that helped define a decade to a pop culture movement that inspired both admiration and eye rolls, we’ve got nostalgia, laughter, trivia, deep dives, and a few long-awaited topics that have been sitting on our wish list for years.

So grab a Ding Dong, a frozen slice of pound cake, or whatever snack instantly transports you back to childhood, and settle in to learn what's in store for Season 19.

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

Kick off summer with us by remembering the summer reading programs or our youth and the excitement we felt to read our way to a super ball … or a Garfield pencil … or a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza. (And bonus if you got a mimeographed certificate!) Then we’re helping you create your own 2026 summer reading program by giving you a plethora of our own reading and listening recommendations, PLUS a way to print off your very own PCPS-created reading log. Sorry, super ball or personal pan pizza not included.

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

In today's PCPS Light episode, we three proud Gen Xers try to have a quick, refreshing conversation about an emerging trend in our culture; but it's hard to be brief when you feel unfairly attacked. Especially when the attacks seem to originate from extreme misunderstandings about who Gen Xers are and how they got this way. Perhaps this is because Gen Xers don't share much about the unique circumstances of their unsupervised childhoods. We're just not complainers or finger pointers. WHY? Because no one is home and you've let yourself into the house with the key around your neck and you're going to heat up some Spaghettios for dinner and it's FINE. We're all FINE. What's to tell? As a result, younger generations seem to have us mixed up with Boomers (WHAT?!). No disrespect to young Boomers but those elder Boomers (plus Silent Gen) are the ones who made us latchkey kids in the first place! Sometimes our Boomer/Silent parents were busy putting food on the table and keeping a roof overhead and sometimes they were busy with Jazzercise but, either way, Gen Xers figured it out and grew up to be helicopter parents. Coincidence? HA! Join us today for an exploration of what the F is actually going on -- come on, vent with us!Subscribe to our favorite magazine and get 83% off just by being a PCPS listener. 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

Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious, try listening to your favorite music from your adolescence! Today we’re talking about how the music of our youth can act like a weighted blanket and is proven to help you CALM THE EFF DOWN. Then we’re sharing our own “cortisol cleanse” playlists with you (NO JUDGMENT!) and telling you why we go to artists like Prince, the Carpenters, Wham!, and Phil Collins as easily (and as often) as we do our medicine cabinets.

Subscribe to our favorite magazine and get 83% off just by being a PCPS listener. 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

In this PCPS Light, we’re talking about something we can’t stop noticing: analog is having a moment, and Gen X saw it coming.

From writing by hand to creative hobbies to simply slowing down, we explore why so many people (including our kids) are craving a break from constant screens. Is it nostalgia? Maybe. But it also feels like something deeper. It's like our brains and bodies asking for a different pace.

This episode is part cultural observation, part personal reflection, and full of the usual tangents. If you’ve been feeling a little digitally overwhelmed, consider this your gentle nudge to pick something up… that isn’t your phone.

Gabrielle Blair's Substack "The Analog Revival Has Arrived"

The Tiny Pricks Project

Crafting a Better World by Diana Wymar

Geezer Magazine

Subscribe to our favorite magazine and get 83% off just by being a PCPS listener. 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