Stuck in the '80s Podcast
by 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.
Episodes
-
Classic Episode: Sid and Nancy at 40 – Punk Rock, Love and Destruction
Punk rock was never supposed to grow old. But somehow, Sid and Nancy just turned 40. Released in American theaters on November 7, 1986, director Alex Cox's unforgettable film chronicled the chaotic, drug-fueled relationship between Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen....
-
Classic Episode: Michael Keaton – From Night Shift to Batman
Before he was Batman, before he was Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton was one of the funniest guys in Hollywood. This week, we're opening the Stuck in the '80s vault and traveling back 20 years to July 2006, when we devoted an episode to the man who gave us unforgettable performances in Night Shift…
more -
Classic Rewind: The Lost Boys – Sleep All Day. Party All Night.
Forget Dracula's castle. In 1987, vampires moved to California, traded their capes for leather jackets and apparently spent a considerable amount of time at the hair salon. Welcome back to The Lost Boys. Just in time for Halloween, we're digging into the Stuck in the ’80s archives for a classic...
-
Bruce Woolley: The Man Who Helped Kill the Radio Star
Some songs become hits. Others become history. And then there's "Video Killed the Radio Star," a song that practically announced the arrival of the 1980s. This week on Stuck in the '80s, we welcome Bruce Woolley, the songwriter who co-wrote that iconic tune with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes…
more -
Classic Episode: Backstage at “We Are the ’80s” — 20 Years Later
Twenty years ago, Stuck in the ’80s was still the new kid on the podcast block. There were no smartphones recording everything, social media was barely a thing, and somehow people were willing to give three podcasters backstage access. What could possibly go wrong? For this week’s episode, we’re...
-
When in Rome’s Andrew Mann on “The Promise,” “Human Nature” and What Comes Next
Few synth-pop songs from the late ’80s have enjoyed a second life quite like When in Rome’s “The Promise.” Released in 1988, the song became the band’s signature hit, but its story didn’t end there. Years later, a memorable appearance at the end of Napoleon Dynamite introduced “The Promise” to a...
-
Always Something There to Remind Me: Remembering Pete Byrne of Naked Eyes
Some episodes of Stuck in the ’80s are harder to record than others. This week, Steve goes solo to remember Pete Byrne, the unmistakable voice of Naked Eyes, who has passed away at age 74. For millions of music fans, Pete will always be remembered for the synth-pop classics "Always Something…
more -
Live Aid Runaways: Chasing a Dream to the Biggest Concert of the ’80s
What if you were 16 years old in the summer of 1985, armed with little more than a Sony Walkman, a few cassette tapes and the belief that somehow — some way — you had to make it to Live Aid? That’s the idea at the heart of Live Aid Runaways, the new novel by Shane Robitaille. Shane joins the...
-
Remembering Dolly Parton: The Songs, Stories and Legacy of an American Icon
There really was nobody else quite like Dolly Parton. In this special episode of Stuck in the ’80s, we remember Dolly — the songwriter, singer, actress, entrepreneur and wonderfully funny human being who somehow became a national treasure without ever seeming like she was trying to be one.…
more -
Book of Love and the Synth-Pop Bands We Wish We’d Heard More From
Some ’80s bands sold millions of records. Some filled arenas. Some became so permanently embedded in pop culture that you can’t walk through a grocery store without hearing them over the frozen peas. And then there are the bands that somehow found us anyway. This week on Stuck in the ’80s, we’re...
-
Streets of Fire: Revisiting Our Tribute 15 Years Later
We all have that one movie from the ’80s. Maybe yours is Back to the Future. Maybe it’s The Breakfast Club, The Goonies or Say Anything. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the greatest movie ever made. It just has to be the movie that found you at exactly the right time and somehow never let go.…
more -
Paul Simon’s Graceland at 40: The Album That Changed Everything
Forty years ago, Paul Simon released one of the most unlikely blockbuster albums of the 1980s. Graceland arrived on Aug. 25, 1986, blending Simon’s unmistakable songwriting with South African rhythms, zydeco, gospel harmonies and a completely new way of building songs. The result was an album…
more -
Those Crazy Movie and TV High Schools of the '80s
If you could go back and spend four years at any fictional high school from the ’80s, where would you enroll? Would you hang out with Spicoli at Ridgemont High? Serve Saturday detention with the Breakfast Club at Shermer High? Shoot hoops for Hickory? Learn the African Anteater Ritual at Crandall...
-
Classic Interview: MTV VJ Adam Curry on Madonna, Moscow and His Feud With Richard Marx
When Stuck in the ’80s was just getting started, we somehow convinced Adam Curry to talk to us. This was our second-ever celebrity interview, and Curry came armed with exactly the kind of stories we hoped an MTV VJ would have. Madonna. Sebastian Bach. Moscow. Richard Marx. And that's just for...
-
Stand By Me at 40: Revisiting the Classic Coming-of-Age Film
Some movies don't just survive the passage of time—they become part of who we are. Released 40 years ago, Stand By Me captured something rare: the bittersweet moment when childhood gives way to adulthood. Based on Stephen King's novella The Body, the film transformed a simple search for a missing...
-
License to Podcast: Ranking the James Bond Movies of the 1980s
James Bond didn't just survive the 1980s—he evolved. The decade began with the familiar charm of Roger Moore, who somehow managed to save the world while delivering one-liners smoother than a shaken martini. But by the end of the '80s, the tuxedo belonged to Timothy Dalton, whose darker, more...
-
Nick Heyward Charts a New Course with Haircut 100
Some bands reunite because nostalgia sells. Others reunite because they still have something to say. Listening to Haircut 100's new album, Boxing the Compass, it's pretty clear which camp they fall into. This week, Steve welcomes the always charming Nick Heyward back to Stuck in the '80s to talk...
-
Summer Albums of 1986: R.E.M., Genesis, the Cure and More Turn 40
Episode 791: Forty years ago, the summer of 1986 came with its own soundtrack. It was a season when some of the biggest artists in music were reinventing themselves, while other bands were just beginning to find the audiences that would follow them for decades. Turn on the radio, walk into a…
more -
Pretty Wrecked: Tracy Viola on Addiction, Recovery and Growing Up in the '80s
Episode 790: Not every story from the 1980s comes wrapped in neon, movie quotes, and mixtapes. Some begin in darkness. This week on Stuck in the '80s, I sit down with author Tracy Viola to discuss her remarkable memoir, Pretty Wrecked: Confessions of a Teenage Addict and Her Road to Recovery.…
more -
Summer Forever: A Classic 2008 Look Back at the Best of the '80s
Episode 789: Summer has a funny way of collapsing time. One minute you're hearing a familiar song on the radio or smelling charcoal from the neighbor's grill, and suddenly you're sixteen years old again. You're counting down the days until the next blockbuster hits the theater. You're hanging out...
-
Toys of the '80s and Beyond with Jonathan Cathey of The Loyal Subjects
Episode 788: If you grew up in the 1980s, chances are your childhood memories can be measured in action figures, toy catalogs, and Saturday mornings spent convincing your parents that you absolutely needed "just one more." The toys weren't simply things we owned—they became the stars of our own...
-
Summer of '86: The Underappreciated Movies Turning 40 This Year
Episode 787: When people talk about the summer movies of 1986, the conversation usually starts with Top Gun and ends somewhere around Aliens, The Karate Kid Part II, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It was one of the strongest movie summers of the decade, packed with blockbusters that still dominate...
-
Novelty Songs of the ’80s: “Star Trekkin’,” “Rappin’ Rodney,” “Bomb Iran” and Other Weird Hits
Episode 786: From sci-fi parodies and comedy catchphrases to political satire and celebrity rap records, the ’80s produced some truly unforgettable novelty hits. Steve and Chuck revisit songs that were silly, bizarre, occasionally controversial—and somehow impossible to forget. In this episode,...
-
Katrina Leskanich on “Walking on Sunshine,” Eurovision and The 80s Cruise
Some songs don’t just define a decade — they instantly improve your mood the second they begin playing. Few tracks from the MTV era carry that kind of joyful energy quite like Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves. This week on the Stuck in the ’80s Podcast, Steve sits down with frontwoman...
-
Peter Gabriel’s ‘So’ at 40 | Songs, Stories and Legacy
Forty years later, So still stands as one of the most ambitious, emotional and sonically adventurous albums of the 1980s. Released in 1986, the landmark record transformed Peter Gabriel from respected art-rock innovator into a full-fledged MTV superstar thanks to unforgettable songs like...
-
Unlikely Cover Songs of the ’80s: Eddie Money, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler & The Clash
This week on the longest-running ’80s pop culture podcast, Steve Spears and Brad Williams return to one of their favorite recurring topics: unlikely cover songs of the 1980s. Did you know Eddie Money’s “I Wanna Go Back” was originally recorded by Billy Satellite? Or that Chaka Khan’s…
more -
Famous ’80s TV & Movie Cars: KITT, the DeLorean, General Lee & Ecto-1
This week on the longest-running ’80s pop culture podcast, Steve Spears and Brad in California hit the gas for a deep dive into the most iconic TV and movie cars of the 1980s. Joined by Retro DJ and car expert Travis Bell, the gang explores the legendary “star cars” that became just as famous as...
-
The Forgotten ’80s Soccer Movie ‘Victory’ with Pelé, Stallone & Michael Caine
Soccer legend and longtime friend Alexi Lalas joins us to talk about the 1981 movie "Victory" starring Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone. On Sale Now! Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade, by podcast creator Steve Spears, is finally for sale…
more -
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2026 Inductees: Biggest ’80s Legends, Snubs & Surprises
We introduce the 2026 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We talk who got in, who got snubbed, and which choices will have us yelling at our dashboards like it’s 1987 and the DJ just skipped our favorite song. On Sale Now! Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons…
more -
Kenny Loggins Interview Revisited: Footloose, Top Gun & the Soundtrack of the ’80s
Remember our amazing interview with Kenny Loggins? Here it is again from 2007. Full show with co-host Sean Daly. On Sale Now! Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade, by podcast creator Steve Spears, is finally for sale as both a paperback and…
more -
Pretty in Pink vs. Some Kind of Wonderful — Which John Hughes ’80s Movie Is Better?
Which '80s teen romance movie is stronger: "Pretty in Pink" or "Some Kind of Wonderful?" We decide today. Plus, full seggies, a book update, and our review of the 2026 voyage of The 80s Cruise. On Sale Now! Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade…
more -
The Greatest American Hero Turns 45: William Katt Looks Back on the Classic ’80s TV Series
TV's "The Greatest American Hero" debuted 45 years ago today - March 18, 1981. We honor the '80s TV show with a reairing of our 2007 interview with actor William Katt. On Sale Now! Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade, by podcast creator Steve...
-
Inside the New Stuck in the ’80s Book: 20 Years of Celebrity Interviews & Podcast Stories
The new Stuck in the '80s podcast book is finally for sale. Brad interviews Spearsy about a project 20 years in the making. On Sale Now! Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade, by podcast creator Steve Spears, is finally for sale as both a…
more -
Highlander Turns 40: Why the Cult ’80s Fantasy Movie Still Rules
"Highlander" is officially 40 years old. Well, technically Connor MacLeod is 508 years old now. Here's our tribute episode recorded in 2012 with co-host Sean Daly. Coming in March Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade, by podcast creator Steve...
-
Miracle on Ice Revisited: Why the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team Still Inspires America
Relive the Miracle on Ice from the 1980 Winter Olympic Games and the gold medal performance of US Men's Hockey with hosts Steve Spears, Sean Daly and Tom Jones. This a re-run from Episode 190 in 2010. Coming in March Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined…
more -
MTV VJ Martha Quinn on the Radio Hall of Fame, MTV’s Rise & the ’80s Music Revolution
Original MTV veejay Martha Quinn makes her first visit to Stuck in the '80s in 10 years. Martha talks about her induction into the Radio Hall of Fame along with her thoughts on the enduring love for '80s nostalgia and music. Plus full seggies. Coming in March Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of...
-
Sean Daly Returns: Behind the Scenes of 20 Years of the Stuck in the ’80s Podcast
Sean Daly, one of the original hosts of the Stuck in the '80s podcast, returns this week to talk about the podcast's first 20 years. Plus, full seggies! Coming in March Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade, by podcast creator Steve Spears, will...
-
Author Becky Kliss on Gen X Nostalgia, ’80s Culture & When We Felt Invincible
"When We Were Invincible: Life Lessons from the ’80s that Defined a Generation" is a new book by Becky Kliss, who joins the show to talk about Gen X and what we learned from our teen years. Plus, seggies including TV Party Tonight and Spin Me Round. Coming in March Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of...
-
Glass Tiger’s Alan Frew on ’80s Fame, “Don’t Forget Me” & the MTV Era
Glass Tiger frontman Alan Frew joins the podcast to talk about the band's history, his background growing up in Scotland, and Glass Tiger's upcoming performance on The 80s Cruise. Seggies include: Stuck in the Arcade and Listener Mailbag. Guest co-host Chuck Coverly. Coming in March Stuck in the...
-
10 Classic Songs Turning 50 in 2026 — The Hits That Defined the ’70s and ’80s
The year 1976 seems so long ago, and it was. Here are 10 songs we loved from that year that are turning 50 in 2026. Songs from Boston, ABBA, Diana Ross, the Eagles and more. Plus full seggies. Coming This Spring Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a...
-
1985 Revisited: The Biggest Movies, Music & Pop Culture Moments 40 Years Later
On New Year's Eve, we look back at the end of 1985 and see how it shaped the rest of the decade. Seggies include Stuck in the Arcade. Coming This Spring Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade, by podcast creator Steve Spears, will finally be...
-
Celebrating Rob Reiner: The Director Behind Stand by Me, The Princess Bride & More
We say goodbye to Rob Reiner by honoring the films he directed in the '80s and the parts he played throughout his career. Our Sponsors Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas departs Port Canaveral on February 27 with stops in Nassau, Falmouth and Grand Bahamas Island. Artists include: Bret...
-
Author Michael Weitz on ‘We Be Dragons,’ Dungeons & Dragons & Growing Up in the ’80s
Award-winning author Michael Weitz joins Brad to talk about his new novel, We Be Dragons, which drops readers into 1986 in rural Washington State, where real-life small-town struggles collide with a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Plus, full seggies. Our Sponsors Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the...
-
Revisiting ‘Taps’ and ‘The Lords of Discipline’: Dark Military Dramas of the ’80s
Military school movies in the '80s? Yeah, they were a thing, though "Taps" and "Lords of Discipline" rose to the top of the ranks thanks to amazing casting with the likes of Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, David Keith and many others. Citadel graduate and former co-host Chase Squires…
more -
Bret Michaels Interview Revisited: Poison, Hair Metal & Life in the ’80s
Poison frontman Bret Michaels visits Spearsy and Sean in this classic 2010 episode of the podcast. Bret is also the headliner on the 2026 voyage of The 80s Cruise. This is originall Episode 212 from September 2010. Our Sponsors Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas departs Port Canaveral on...
-
Taylor Dayne on ’80s Pop Stardom, Dance Hits & the MTV Era
Singer/songwriter Taylor Dayne joins Spearsy to talk about The 80s Cruise, opening for Michael Jackson and her start working in Russian clubs. Dayne is among the artists scheduled to perform on The 80s Cruise in February 2026. Seggies this week include: Mystery Movie Moment, Name that '80s Tune,...
-
Classic Tommy Lee Interview: Mötley Crüe, Hair Metal & the Wild ’80s
Tommy Lee from Motley Crue was our guest in 2011 in this repeat episode of Stuck in the '80s. Get ready for a rare blast of hair metal from hosts Spearsy and Sean Daly in this rerun. Our Sponsors Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas departs Port Canaveral on February 27 with stops in Nassau,...
-
Inside the Ultimate ’80s Arcade Airbnb: Retro Video Games, Neon & Pure Nostalgia
Have you dreamed of spending the day at your dream '80s arcade? It actually exists in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We talk to Scott Leftwich, the owner of the Wieners and Losers arcade and '80s-themed AirBnB. Plus, Spearsy and Brad talk about their own until '80s man caves. Seggies include TV...
-
The Best Goofy Vampire Movies of the ’80s: Horror, Comedy & Cult Classics
Halloween in the '80s wasn't all horror. Sometimes we got big laughs from the vampire flicks. In this 2019 episode, we honor our favorite "goofy vampire" flicks of the '80s: "My Best Friend is a Vampire" and "Once Bitten." Our Sponsors Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas departs Port…
more -
Author Mike Spring on the Best Cult Movies of the ’80s
Are you still addicted to the cult movie classics of the '80s. Author Mike Spring wrote a whole book about them called "I Want My Two Dollars: A Guide to 20 Cult Classics of the 1980s." He's our guest this week. Plus "Stuck in the Arcade" for seggies. Our Sponsors Royal Caribbean's Adventure of…
more
About this show
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.
Hosted by
Steve Spears