GenX Book Club: The CBGB Conspiracy with Gabriel Rotello
GenX Journeys
This month, the GenX Book Club heads back to New York City in 1977, a city of punk rock, poetry, underground art, the blackout, Son of Sam, and a little club on the Bowery called CBGB. Paul Stroessner Jr. and Suzanne Mattaboni are joined by author Gabriel Rotello to discuss his novel , a historical murder mystery that mixes fictional characters with real people, places, and events from one of the wildest and most creative periods in New York City history. Gabriel didn't just research this world. He lived in it. He arrived in New York in the 1970s, played music during the early CBGB era, and...
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Federal Prison, Resilience & Reinvention (Part 2) | Dr. Linda Varisco
GenX Journeys
In Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Linda Varisco, we continue her remarkable story where Part 1 left off. After being sentenced to federal prison for a crime that began with a devastating scam, Linda shares what life was really like behind prison walls. From self-surrender and prison routines to unexpected friendships, creative survival, and finding purpose in the most difficult circumstances, she offers an honest and deeply human look at incarceration. You'll hear stories about: Adjusting to life in a federal prison camp Using her chiropractic skills to help fellow inmates Teaching...
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Heartbreak, Betrayal, and Resilience (Part 1) | Dr. Linda Varisco
GenX Journeys
What happens when the life you've carefully built begins to unravel? In this powerful first installment of a two-part conversation, Paul sits down with Dr. Linda Varisco, bestselling author of The Girl with the Million Dollar Smile, to explore a journey marked by heartbreak, betrayal, resilience, and the courage to keep moving forward. Linda shares her early life on Long Island, the path that led her to a successful chiropractic career, and the personal and professional challenges that slowly transformed everything she thought she knew. Along the way, she opens up about marriage, family, loss,...
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A Thousand Questions, A Hundred Answers | Lara Brenckle Malmont's Journey to Three Rivers Home
GenX Journeys
Every family has stories. Some are passed down from generation to generation, while others are nearly lost to time. In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul Stroessner and Suzanne Mattaboni welcome author Lara Brenckle Malmont to share the remarkable true story that inspired her debut novel, Three Rivers Home. What began as childhood curiosity about a grandfather she never met turned into a twenty-year journey through family records, newspaper archives, courthouse documents, and long-forgotten letters. Along the way, Lara discovered a little-known chapter of Pittsburgh history involving children...
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GenX Book Club: The Last Mixtape with Steve Matsumoto
GenX Journeys
What if the songs that shaped your life could also help you heal? In this episode of GenX Book Club, Paul Stroessner and Suzanne Mattaboni welcome author Steve Matsumoto to discuss his heartfelt debut novel, The Last Mixtape. Set against the backdrop of the 1990s, The Last Mixtape follows first-grade teacher James Nakamura as he struggles to navigate life after the loss of his sister. Through grief, friendship, romance, and the music that defined a generation, Steve explores how memories can both haunt us and help us move forward. Together, we discuss: The real-life experiences that inspired...
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It's Never Too Late to Chase Your Dreams with Stacie Jones
GenX Journeys
What if the dream you had at five years old was still waiting for you? In this inspiring episode of GenX Journeys, Paul welcomes Stacie Jones, founder of AB & J Travel Agency, certified travel advisor, entrepreneur, stroke survivor, Guinness World Record holder, and someone who proves it's never too late to reinvent your life. As a little girl growing up in the 1970s, Stacie dreamed of seeing the world. Life took her in a different direction, leading her into a successful corporate career. But after suffering multiple strokes in 2022, she was forced to slow down and re-evaluate everything....
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There Are Places I Remember with Mike Di Leo
GenX Journeys
What if you could step back into the neighborhoods, friendships, and moments that shaped your life? In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul welcomes author Mike Di Leo to discuss his remarkable book, There Are Places I Remember. More than a collection of short stories, the book is a tapestry of interconnected memories spanning the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and beyond. Through themes of family, friendship, music, loss, nostalgia, and the passage of time, Mike captures experiences that resonate with Gen X and anyone who has ever looked back on the places and people who shaped them. Mike shares how the...
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GenX Book Club: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
GenX Journeys
What do an arrow through the head, a white suit, a banjo, and two wild and crazy guys have in common? Steve Martin. In this episode of the GenX Book Club, Paul Stroessner, Suzanne Mattaboni, and Del Roehling take a nostalgic look back at Steve Martin's memoir Born Standing Up, a fascinating behind-the-scenes story of one of comedy's most innovative performers. The conversation explores Martin's journey from working in the magic shops of Disneyland to becoming one of the biggest stand-up comedians in America. Along the way, we discuss the discipline, persistence, and creativity that fueled his...
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Finding Your Way Back with Greg Amici
GenX Journeys
What happens when the thing you love most is suddenly taken away? In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul sits down with singer-songwriter Greg Amici to explore a story of resilience, reinvention, and returning to a passion that never truly left. After building momentum with his band Big Honey in New York City's music scene, Greg's journey took an unexpected turn when a vocal cord injury forced him away from music. What followed was a 16-year detour through screenwriting, acting, graduate school, and caring for aging parents before he finally found his way back to songwriting and recording....
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From Vietnam to Burnout Recovery with Keith Cole
GenX Journeys
In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul welcomes Marine Corps combat veteran and author Keith Cole for a deeply honest conversation about trauma, burnout, faith, resilience, and recovery. Keith shares his journey from growing up wanting to become a Methodist minister to serving as a machine gunner in Vietnam, where he was wounded three times in combat. After returning home, he carried decades of emotional weight in silence while building a successful career as a CPA, raising his younger siblings after the loss of his mother, and pushing himself beyond exhaustion. Eventually, burnout caught up...
info_outlineThis month, the GenX Book Club heads back to New York City in 1977, a city of punk rock, poetry, underground art, the blackout, Son of Sam, and a little club on the Bowery called CBGB.
Paul Stroessner Jr. and Suzanne Mattaboni are joined by author Gabriel Rotello to discuss his novel The CBGB Conspiracy, a historical murder mystery that mixes fictional characters with real people, places, and events from one of the wildest and most creative periods in New York City history.
Gabriel didn't just research this world. He lived in it. He arrived in New York in the 1970s, played music during the early CBGB era, and later became a journalist, activist, author, and documentary filmmaker.
The conversation quickly moves beyond the mystery itself and into the New York that inspired it. Gabriel shares memories of the downtown music and art scene, the real history woven throughout the novel, the Everard Baths fire, the Anderson Theater and CBGB's attempted expansion, and the remarkable collection of artists, musicians, writers, and outsiders who found one another in a city that was simultaneously falling apart and exploding with creativity.
Suzanne brings her own memories of New York and the New Wave era, while Paul digs into Gabriel's experience of turning history into fiction and why writing the novel was so much fun.
And at one point, Gabriel shares a piece of CBGB history that he says nobody else knows about.
They also discuss Steven Sprouse, William S. Burroughs, Holly Woodlawn, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, the transformation of New York nightlife, and whether the conditions that created that extraordinary downtown culture could ever happen again.
This is a spoiler-free conversation, so you can listen even if The CBGB Conspiracy is still sitting on your TBR pile.
Because sometimes a great book isn't the end of the conversation.
It's where the stories begin.
Connect with Gabriel Rotello:
GabrielRotello.com
The CBGB Conspiracy can be found at Amazon and anywhere else where books are sold.
More from the GenX Book Club Crew
📖 Suzanne Mattaboni (Author of Once in a Lifetime)
🔹 Get her book anywhere books are sold, including Kindle Unlimited and onceinalifetimenovel.com
🔹 Visit her at suzannemattaboni.com
🔹 Follow Suzanne:
- 📷 Instagram: @suzannemattaboni80s
- 🐦 X: @suzmattaboni
- 📘 Facebook: Suzanne Mattaboni
🎙️ Del Roehling (Host of 80s at 8 on 91.1 WEDM FM)
🔹 Tune in to 80s at 8 for all your favorite throwback tunes
🔹 Get your daily dose of ‘80s news on the 80s at 8 Facebook page
💡 Connect with GenX Journeys
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💡 Whether you’re a die-hard ‘80s fan, a nostalgia lover, or just someone who enjoys a great book club discussion, this episode is packed with fun, wisdom, and plenty of throwback vibes.
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