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Stuck in the '80s Podcast

Steve Spears

The longest-running ’80s podcast—featuring interviews with music legends, movie stars, and MTV icons. Deep dives, debates, and Gen X nostalgia every week.

Hosted by Steve Spears and Brad Williams, the show blends sharp takes with insider stories from the people who lived it. From ’80s music and movies to MTV culture and pop culture history, each episode goes deeper than nostalgia to uncover what made the decade unforgettable.

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35 episodes
Avg 53 min
English

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#808
Saturday · 35 min
Classic Episode: Sid and Nancy at 40 – Punk Rock, Love and Destruction
Forty years after Sid and Nancy hit theaters, we're revisiting a classic episode from 2007! Steve Spears and Cathy Wos celebrate Gary Oldman's unforgettable performance, the film's killer soundtrack and one of punk rock's most notorious love stories.
#807
November 4 · 36 min
Classic Episode: Michael Keaton – From Night Shift to Batman
We're heading back to 2006 for a classic Stuck in the '80s episode celebrating Michael Keaton. From Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice to Batman, we revisit the remarkable '80s career of one of Hollywood's most versatile stars.
#806
October 30 · 39 min
Classic Rewind: The Lost Boys – Sleep All Day. Party All Night.
Steve Spears and Sean Daly return in this classic 2011 episode of Stuck in the ’80s to revisit The Lost Boys, the 1987 vampire cult classic that gave us the Coreys, a killer soundtrack and possibly the greatest saxophone player in movie history.
#805
October 18 · 1 hr 18 min
Bruce Woolley: The Man Who Helped Kill the Radio Star
Before The Buggles made MTV history with "Video Killed the Radio Star," Bruce Woolley helped write the song that would define a generation. We talk with the songwriter and former Camera Club frontman about the unlikely origins of the hit, working with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, the early days of Thomas Dolby, and his own place in new wave history.
#804
October 15 · 46 min
Classic Episode: Backstage at “We Are the ’80s” — 20 Years Later
We’re going all the way back to 2006 for a 20th-anniversary replay from the earliest days of Stuck in the ’80s. Sean Daly, Cathy Wos and Spearsy head backstage at the “We Are the ’80s” concert in Clearwater, Florida, featuring interviews with some of the artists on a bill that included Rick Springfield, Loverboy, Eddie Money, and Patti Smyth with Scandal.
#803
October 3 · 57 min
When in Rome’s Andrew Mann on “The Promise,” “Human Nature” and What Comes Next
Andrew Mann of When in Rome joins Stuck in the ’80s to talk about the enduring life of “The Promise,” the band’s early days, its unexpected boost from Napoleon Dynamite and the new music leading to the forthcoming album Illumination.
#802
September 26 · 1 hr 5 min
Always Something There to Remind Me: Remembering Pete Byrne of Naked Eyes
Steve pays tribute to Pete Byrne of Naked Eyes, revisiting an early Stuck in the ’80s interview that blossomed into an unexpected and cherished friendship.
#801
September 17 · 59 min
Live Aid Runaways: Chasing a Dream to the Biggest Concert of the ’80s
Author Shane Robitaille and researcher Livi Stanford join us to talk about Live Aid Runaways, a new novel that sends two teenagers on an unforgettable journey to Philadelphia for Live Aid in the summer of 1985.
#800
September 10 · 34 min
Remembering Dolly Parton: The Songs, Stories and Legacy of an American Icon
We remember the incomparable Dolly Parton with music journalist and author Annie Zaleski, whose new book, Dolly Parton: The Stories Behind the Songs, explores the music and remarkable career of one of our most beloved cultural icons.
#799
September 3 · 1 hr 6 min
Book of Love and the Synth-Pop Bands We Wish We’d Heard More From
Episode 799: Book of Love singer Susan Ottaviano joins the show to look back at the band’s unlikely journey, touring with Depeche Mode, the strange afterlife of ’80s music and what she’d change if she had a time machine. Then Spearsy and Brad celebrate five more synth-pop bands they wish had gotten a little more love: Kon Kan, Cetu Javu, Boxcar, Camouflage and Red Flag.
#798
August 31 · 38 min
Streets of Fire: Revisiting Our Tribute 15 Years Later
We all have that one ’80s movie that somehow became our movie. For Steve, it’s always been Streets of Fire. This week, we open the Stuck in the ’80s vault and revisit our tribute to Walter Hill’s unforgettable “rock & roll fable,” originally released 15 years ago.
#797
August 22 · 50 min
Paul Simon’s Graceland at 40: The Album That Changed Everything
Paul Simon’s Graceland turns 40, and we’re going track by track through the landmark album, its South African influences, the controversy surrounding its creation, its massive success and its lasting legacy.
#796
August 18 · 1 hr 9 min
Those Crazy Movie and TV High Schools of the '80s
Grab your Trapper Keeper and meet us by the lockers. We’re picking the fictional ’80s high schools we’d most want to attend — and the ones we’d avoid at all costs. Plus, we talk with two Indiana teachers who actually teach a high school class devoted to the 1980s.
#795
August 15 · 54 min
Classic Interview: MTV VJ Adam Curry on Madonna, Moscow and His Feud With Richard Marx
In only our second celebrity interview from 20 years ago, Stuck in the ’80s talks with former MTV VJ and podcasting pioneer Adam Curry about his wild years at Music Television. Curry shares stories about visiting Moscow with Sebastian Bach, appearing in Madonna’s Truth or Dare and the memorable feud that erupted between him and Richard Marx.
#794
August 8 · 56 min
Stand By Me at 40: Revisiting the Classic Coming-of-Age Film
Forty years after its release, Stand By Me remains one of the defining films of the 1980s. In this classic episode, Steve Spears, Brad Williams and guest co-host Michelle Willits revisit Rob Reiner's beloved coming-of-age masterpiece, compare it to Stephen King's original novella, debate the film's unforgettable ending, and share why the movie still resonates with audiences decades later.
#793
August 3 · 58 min
License to Podcast: Ranking the James Bond Movies of the 1980s
From Roger Moore's eyebrow raises to Timothy Dalton's tougher take on 007, the 1980s gave us six unforgettable James Bond adventures. Hosts Steve Spears and Sean Daly are joined by former St. Petersburg Times film critic Steve Persall to debate the highs, lows, villains, gadgets, theme songs and legacy of the decade that reinvented Bond.
#792
July 25 · 59 min
Nick Heyward Charts a New Course with Haircut 100
Haircut 100 is back — and somehow they've managed to sound both timeless and completely refreshed. Steve sits down with Nick Heyward to talk about Boxing the Compass, the band's first album featuring the original lineup in 44 years. They discuss songwriting, rediscovering old chemistry, the upcoming U.S. tour with Adam Ant and Squeeze, and Nick's return to The 80s Cruise in 2027. Plus, Steve and Brad share their review of the new album and why this reunion feels different from so many others.
#791
July 16 · 54 min
Summer Albums of 1986: R.E.M., Genesis, the Cure and More Turn 40
The summer of 1986 gave us blockbuster albums from some of the decade’s biggest and most influential artists. Steve and Brad revisit records turning 40 this season from R.E.M., Genesis, the Smithereens, the Cure and more. Plus, a couple of classic “seggies,” the latest news from The ’80s Cruise and an update on Steve’s Stuck in the ’80s podcast book.
#790
July 7 · 1 hr 7 min
Pretty Wrecked: Tracy Viola on Addiction, Recovery and Growing Up in the '80s
This week on Stuck in the '80s, Steve Spears talks with author Tracy Viola about her unforgettable memoir "Pretty Wrecked: Confessions of a Teenage Addict and Her Road to Recovery." It's an honest, funny, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful conversation about growing up in the 1980s, surviving addiction, and discovering that your past doesn't have to define your future.
#789
July 2 · 45 min
Summer Forever: A Classic 2008 Look Back at the Best of the '80s
Episode 789: A favorite from the Stuck in the '80s vault returns! Steve Spears and Sean Daly revisit the movies, music, and memories that made summertime in the '80s unforgettable. From blockbuster films and iconic songs to childhood adventures and one of our funniest comedy skits ever, this 2008 episode is the perfect soundtrack for your Fourth of July weekend.

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