Return to the '80s

Return to the '80s covers a wide range of topics from movies to music to television, from the most awesome decade.

Episode 48: The Grand Finale 01/23/2024

Episode 48: The Grand Finale Well this is it, folks. We have arrived at the end of an era. Here is the final episode of Return to the '80s. We saved the best for last as we have a full, wild crew on board! Paul, Del, Claire, Caroline, and Lizzie cover a wide range of 80s topics, and reflect back on some classic episodes. While this may be the final Return to the '80s episode, we will be coming back as the rebranded, We Are Generation X. Enjoy this episode! We had a blast recording it, and I enjoyed listening back to it! So I hope you love this And thank you so much for your support over the years! Del can be found on the show 80s at 8 on as well the where he posts 80s news. If you would like to join the GenX Book Club, go to And you can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/29584658

Episode 47: Scrooged 12/18/2023

Episode 47: Scrooged Welcome to the penultimate episode of Return to the '80s! Yes, I hate to be a Scrooge (or Frank Cross), but the end is near. But all is not bleak. We are rebranding into We Are Generation X. We open this episode talking about the rebranding. Then we get into the awesome Christmas Classic, Scrooged! And there are plenty of sidebars along the way. We have as much fun in this as if we were in our own '80s office Christmas party! Enjoy the show! Also, what are some of your favorite Christmas classics? We'd love to hear from you! And as discussed on the show, here is Large Marge from The '80s Cruise Del can be found on the show 80s at 8 on as well the where he posts 80s news. If you would like to join the GenX Book Club, go to And you can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/29139773

Episode 46: The Lost Boys; Halloween Candy and Memories 10/31/2023

Episode 46: The Lost Boys; Halloween Candy and Memories The gang is back after a long summer and fall hiatus! We have a fun conversation about the 1987 classic movie, The Lost Boys. We also talk about the body switching genre, Halloween candy, and the necessity of St. Louis children to have a comedy set list ready if they want candy on Halloween. Del can be found on the show 80s at 8 on as well the where he posts 80s news. And you can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/28480286

Episode 45: The 2023 '80s Cruise 05/04/2023

Episode 45: The 2023 '80s Cruise The Return to the '80s podcast is finally back! Del and I are joined by fan favorites (and our favorites), Caroline and Claire! Caroline are fresh of this year's '80s Cruise, and give us an entertaining trip report. Some things mentioned on this episode: Ke Huy Quan's Oscar win Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Indiana Jones 5) trailer Del can be found on the show 80s at 8 on as well the where he posts 80s news. And you can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/26747424

Return to the ’80s On This Day – September 15, 1983: Huey Lewis and the News Release Sports 09/15/2022

Return to the ’80s On This Day – September 15, 1983: Huey Lewis and the News Release Sports On September 15, 1983 - Huey Lewis and the News Released the Sports Album. You can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Instagram: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on if you have any questions for me, you can email us at Also, if you would like to join the free GenX Book Club, you can find it on the . Or if you are not on Facebook, you can go to . /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/24381417

Return to the ’80s On This Day – September 14, 1985: First MTV Video Music Awards were Held 09/14/2022

Return to the ’80s On This Day – September 14, 1985: First MTV Video Music Awards were Held On September 14, 1985, the first MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. You can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Instagram: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on if you have any questions for me, you can email us at Also, if you would like to join the free GenX Book Club, you can find it on the . Or if you are not on Facebook, you can go to . /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/24368775

Return to the '80s On This Day - September 13, 1980: Solid Gold Premieres 09/13/2022

Return to the '80s On This Day - September 13, 1980: Solid Gold Premieres Welcome to Return to the '80s On This Day. This will be a daily weekday series. On this day in 1980, Solid Gold Premiered in syndication. You can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Instagram: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on if you have any questions for me, you can email us at /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/24356751

Return to the '80s On This Day - September 12, 1981: The Smurfs Premiered 09/12/2022

Return to the '80s On This Day - September 12, 1981: The Smurfs Premiered Welcome to a brand new series called Return to the '80s On This Day. This will be a daily weekday series. On this day in 1981, the legendary Saturday morning cartoon series, The Smurfs premiered on NBC. Y ou can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Instagram: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on if you have any questions for me, you can email us at Or you can find me as The Rhode Runner: Twitter: Instagram: You can also download and subscribe to the Journey of the Rhode Runner Podcast at: Also, if you have any questions for me, you can email us at /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/24343515

GenX Book Club 09/09/2022

GenX Book Club Special announcement – The GenX Book Club is up and running, and we will begin discussing the first selection this October! The Book club can be found as a or can be found on for those of you not on Facebook. We will select one book a month (for the time being) that members of Generation X will enjoy. It may be an autobiography/biography of a Gen X celebrity, or books that take place from the 1970s through the 1990s, or books that members of Gen X grew up reading. All generations are welcome here because we’re cool like that. There will be discussions throughout the month, and a Zoom meeting at the end of the month, which may be aired on the Return to the ’80s podcast. I will also try to get the author of the selected book on the call/podcast. And you can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Instagram: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on if you have any questions for me, you can email us at Or you can find me as The Rhode Runner: Twitter: Instagram: You can also download and subscribe to the Journey of the Rhode Runner Podcast at: Also, if you have any questions for me, you can email us at /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/24318348

Episode 44: Phil Collins March Madness Tournament 03/31/2022

Episode 44: Phil Collins March Madness Tournament It’s that time of year again! Welcome to the 5th Annual Return to the ’80s March Madness Tournament. If you are new to this site, each year one artist is chosen for the March Madness Tournament. We pit their own hit songs against each other. As with last year, voting will be done right here on the site, Twitter – , And the . Previous winners have been: 2018 – “” in the Hall & Oates March Madness 2019 – “” in the Prince March Madness 2020 – “” in the Madonna March Madness 2021 – “” in Whitney Houston March Madness This year we are going t=with the legendary Phil Collins. This will be his solo hits, and not Genesis songs, as he had enough to make the Sweet Sixteen on his own. This Tournament is in collaboration with RealWeegieMidget Reviews as Gilll from that site reviews the Phil Collins film, Buster. Collins had a couple of hit songs from that movie. It was not widely seen in the U.S., so you may be interested in reading the review. So go check it out! First, check out the podcast episode as we review each song in the tournament. Now, let’s get going with the Sweet Sixteen! Voting will be open for this round until Sunday, April 3. The Elite 8 will be posted on Monday, April 4. In addition to voting on Twitter – and the , feel free to comment your picks below. 1 vote per battle please. You can click on the song titles to see each music video. Bracket 1 “” vs. ““ “” vs. ““ Bracket 2 “” vs. “” “” vs “” (with Philip Bailey) Bracket 3 “” vs. ““ “” vs. ““ Bracket 4 “” (with Marilyn Martin) vs. ““ “” vs. ““ Del can be found on the show 80s at 8 on as well the where he posts 80s news. And you can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/22633415

Episode 43: Crushes 'n' Ballads 02/15/2022

Episode 43: Crushes 'n' Ballads Welcome to a new episode of Return to the '80s! This Valentine's Day week, the gang talks about their '80s crushes and '80s ballads. This is sort of a sequel to from 2017, which did not include ballads, and an from that same week. Please comment below with you're favorite crushes and ballads. In the meantime, enjoy this show! Round 1 Caroline Crush: Patrick Swayze Ballad: "" by Patrick Swayze Claire Crush: Keanu Reeves Ballad: "" by Wham! Del Crush: Ballad: "" by Atlantic Starr Paul Crush: Ballad: "" by Survivor Round 1 Wrap Round 2 Caroline Crush(es): The Coreys Ballad: "" by Peter Cetera Claire Crush: Saul Hudson (aka Slash) Song: "" by Guns n' Roses Del Crush: Phoebe Cates Ballad: "" by Chris De Burgh Paul Crush: Ally Sheedy Ballad: "" by Journey Round 2 Wrap Round 3 Caroline Crush: John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler Ballad: "" by Starship Claire Crush: Nikki Sixx Song: "" by Mötley Crüe Del Crush: Elisabeth Shue Ballad: "" by Taylor Dayne Paul Crush: Ballad: "" by Lionel Richie Round 3 Wrap Round 4 Caroline Crush: Tom Cruise as Joel Goodson Ballad: "" by Kenny Loggins Claire Crush: Keifer Sutherland as David from The Lost Boys Song: "" by Bonnie Tyler Del Crush: Carrie Fisher Ballad: "" by Phil Collins Paul Crush: Mary Stuart Masterson Ballad: "" by Chaka Khan Round 4 Wrap . Round 5 Caroline Crush: Christian Slater Ballad: "" by The Jets Claire Crush: Sebastian Bach Song: "" by Skid Row Del Crush: Cheryl Ladd Ballad: "" by Chicago Paul Crush: Ballad: "" by Bon Jovi Round 5 Wrap You can follow ’80s Radical Sabbatical at as well as on the following social media accounts: Del can be found on the show 80s at 8 on as well the where he posts 80s news. And you can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/22139159

Episode 42: The Pirate Movie (1982) [featuring Realweegiemidget Reviews] 01/22/2022

Episode 42: The Pirate Movie (1982) [featuring Realweegiemidget Reviews] Welcome to the first podcast episode of the year! This is also our first collaboration with Gill from . We will podcast and she will post a blog article as a companion piece. You can go ahead and check out her before listening to the show. Later on in the year, Gill will appear on the podcast. In the meantime, Gill will be writing a monthly trailer review to complement some of this podcast’s new content for 2022 about 1980s films, TV and books. We then promote each other’s content online and add our links to each other’s work. Now on to this treasure of a movie! Normally, I would play a trailer of the movie here. Instead, THE ENTIRE MOVIE is free and available on YouTube. So feel free to check it out first. Or you can listen to the podcast first and see if I convinced you to watch it. On with the show! And please leave comments below to let us know what you think of this movie. As an added treat, here are scenes of some selected scenes from the movie: First Love Pumpin' and Blowin' How Can I Live Without Her Hold On Happy Ending And here is the Peter Cupples Band version that is heard playing during the end credits You can follow Gill on her totally awesome blog - Twitter - Del can be found on the show 80s at 8 on as well the where he posts 80s news. And you can follow Return to the 80s at: Find Twitter: Email: Also, you can subscribe to the Return to the ’80s podcast on /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/21856058

Episode 41: Christmas Vacation 12/21/2021

Episode 41: Christmas Vacation What!?! Two Return to the '80s podcast episodes in one week?!?! I don't know about you, but if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am right now. But, here we are. Come along with Caroline, Claire, Del, and Paul to celebrate Christmas Vacation with the Griswolds. /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/21563339

Episode 40: Die Hard 12/20/2021

Episode 40: Die Hard Welcome to the party, Pals! Return to the '80s is back just in time for Christmas week! Caroline, Claire, Del, and Paul celebrate the Christmas classic, Die Hard. I can assure you, our party does not get interrupted by thieves (exceptional or otherwise). So sit back and enjoy the show. Yippee Ki-Yay!!! /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/21549002

Episode 39: Poltergeist 12/11/2021

Episode 39: Poltergeist And now for something completely different! A horror movie podcast during Christmas season! Return to the '80s teamed up with Crazy Cat Paranormal for a very special crossover episode. Throw in a couple of cousins and long time buddies, add a good helping of Poltergeist discussion, stir it up with a little bit of Freddie Kruger and you get whatever the heck this episode devolved into! /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/21449360

Episode 38: Planes, Trains and Automobiles 11/24/2021

Episode 38: Planes, Trains and Automobiles How can we celebrate '80s Thanksgiving any other way than to watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles?! This John Hughes classic stars two legends - Steve Martin and John Candy, and features many awesome cameos. /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/21266246

Episode 37: Retro Halloween 10/28/2021

Episode 37: Retro Halloween Return to the '80s is finally back with a brand new podcast episode! Caroline and Claire join Del and I to talk all about Halloween. This is a huge range of topics, including music, movies, and candy, as well as Halloween memories. This was a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy! /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/20965046

Twitter Hacks (and Recovery), Shout-Outs, and Patreon 05/20/2021

Twitter Hacks (and Recovery), Shout-Outs, and Patreon Special Episode talking about the Twitter hack and recovery, shout-outs to close followers and friends, new Patreon /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/19173113

Whitney Houston Madness Tournament 05/07/2021

Whitney Houston Madness Tournament The "Rad" Caroline and Claire join us in this fun episode! We talk Whitney, music videos, album covers, and the good ole days of liner notes. Enjoy the show! /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/19025570

Episode 34: '80s Radical Sabbatical Recap 02/26/2021

Episode 34: '80s Radical Sabbatical Recap On January 30, 2021, we had the time of our lives with the '80s Radical Sabbatical virtual festival! Once again, Paul and Del welcome Claire Young and Caroline Connelly, founders of this incredible event, and recap that day. /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/18106556

Episode 33: Mark Weiss and The Decade That Rocked 01/28/2021

Episode 33: Mark Weiss and The Decade That Rocked Leading up to the '80s Radical Sabbatical festival, Paul and Del were lucky enough to welcome the legendary rock photographer, Mark "Weissguy" Weiss. /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/17725091

Episode 32: '80s Radical Sabbatical Virtual Festival 01/14/2021

Episode 32: '80s Radical Sabbatical Virtual Festival On today's episode, Paul and Del welcome Claire Young and Caroline Connelly, founders of the upcoming '80s Radical Sabbatical Virtual Festival. This incredible event will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2021 beginning at 12:00pm Central/1:00pm Eastern, and will be at least 8 hours. Check out the episode to get all the exciting details! You can get ticket packages at https://80sradsab.ticketspice.com/80sradsab /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/17540723

Episode 31: Dare to Dream with Stan Bush 12/22/2020

Episode 31: Dare to Dream with Stan Bush Return to the 80s welcomes Stan Bush. We talk about his 80s music, notably "The Touch", as well as his awesome new album 'Dare to Dream'! We had a great time talking music and positivity. You can find Stan at stanbush.com. /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/17295020

Episode 30: Aliens 06/25/2020

Episode 30: Aliens Del and Paul cover the 1986 classic - Aliens /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/14967413

Episode 29: St. Elmo's Fire 04/24/2020

Episode 29: St. Elmo's Fire Welcome back as we Return to 1985 and review the coming-of-age classic, St. Elmo's Fire. In this episode, Paul is joined by Lizzie Newton and Del Roehling to discuss this movie as well as the music. Whether you love this movie or hate it, this is the place for you! /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/14124344

Episode 28: Madonna March Madness 03/16/2020

Episode 28: Madonna March Madness It's that time of year again! While all sporting events, and pretty much everything else in life is on hold right now, Return to the 80s March Madness lives on! This year's March Madness will feature the 80s Queen of Pop, Madonna. /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/13561841

Episode 27: The Breakfast Club 05/10/2019

Episode 27: The Breakfast Club Lizzie and Paul are back with a new crossover episode between Liz Laugh Cry and Return to the '80s. This time, they are covering the classic '80s movie, The Breakfast Club. /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/9727892

Return to 1989: March 04/30/2019

Return to 1989: March Todd, Del, and Paul Return to February 1989 to go over news events, movie releases, and album releases. /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/9591329

Episode 26: The Dirt 04/12/2019

Episode 26: The Dirt Good friends, Lizzie and Paul, are diggin' The Dirt - the Mötley Crüe movie on Netlfix. Lizzie, of the Liz Laugh Cry podcast, is a Millennial who has a love of the '80s. Check out this episode as Lizzie and Paul discuss The Dirt, and have a blast talking 80s music, and pop culture across both generations. Come join in on the fun! /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/9374795

Return to 1989: February 03/28/2019

Return to 1989: February Todd, Del, and Paul Return to February 1989 to go over news events, movie releases, and album releases. /episode/index/show/returntothe80s/id/9169964

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