I read this a while back and forgot to comment. But yes, you’re right - Gen X rules!
I’m a couple of years older than you and concur in the music. I know each generation loves the music they grew up with, but wasn’t ours fab? There was something for everything. My favourites were punk and metal, but I still love the New Romantics, etc. I can remember when glam rock kicked off and was still young enough to enjoy Acid House, etc.
Plus my mum (only 18 when I was born) passed on her Beatles records. The wild card is my dad though - he’s a Boomer and he hated the Beatles and the Stones, preferring ska and the Who - and the Sex Pistols!! He was young in the wrong decade.
Oh Emily I was a TOTAL Duranie back in the day, the New Romantics were the absolute best weren't they!
I have much older siblings so I also had a lot of old records passed down to me, or I'd sneak into their rooms and listen to their records if they were away(!) and also got into the Beatles at about the age of 8. But your dad... noooooooo!!!! I couldn't live with someone who didn't like the Beatles, that's just sacrilege LOL x
I think my dad was a bit envious as they were - well three of them were - working-class boys made good. And he wanted to be that guy! 😆 Funnily enough, my dad worked in LA in the 90s and made friends with John Lyndon - and they were so similar! Same birthday, both from London Irish Catholic families, only had brothers, both used to muck in with childcare when they were small. Families both from County Cork too! They squared up to each other at first but bonded over reggae and ska - and their disdain for the Fab Four. 😆
I think every generation prefers their own cohort and thinks the times in which they grew up were the best. I'm at the young end of the Boomers and love how adventurous, hard working and bold we were/are (inventors of the internet, space travel and more). I loved punk music. I see a lot of stereotypes about Boomers and Gen Y and most of them are wrong. I'm very tech savvy, for example. Thanks for linking!
I think you're about the same age as my sister, Gail - she isn't a "typical" boomer, either! In fact she's even more Gen X than I am, I'd say ;)
And you're 100% right about how Boomers were the ones that lead the way with regards to tech, etc. Also the fact that they came up with punk, glam rock and the New Romantic movement is testament to that...!
Yep… i was a music journalist throughout the 1990s in London, and there is no other way, time or place, to beat that in your 20s. I also loved London in the 80s, when you could still squat in Islington and Hackney and find genuine warehouse parties at Kings Cross. And I knew a bunch of photographers in Shoreditch just before the invasion of the west end art dealers, so nights out there were always unpredictable and often ended up on a rooftop near Old Street.
Now i love the way tech keeps me connected to old friends and family in the UK, and affords me the ability to write and teach from anywhere.
WOW Liz you were a music journo in London in the 90s?! That must have been amazing!! However I was a south of the river girl, and we all know that north and south did not mix 😆...! But seriously - our experiences were similar, just that mine were in Clapham and Battersea (and Chelsea, but that's technically SW1 so I don't count it as north of the river, lol) x
It was amazing… pure dream come true for that stage of my life. And yes, north/south… i had a friend in Clapham and it was basically another country. I saw her once a year 😂
I hear you Catherine. I'm 51, my husband's 50. We went to a Cool Britannia gig last weekend, and relived our youth listening to covers of THE best songs of the 90's. Stone Roses obviously tops the lot. My God, how incredibly lucky we Gen Z lot are, to have experienced so much JOY in our lives.
No one beats The Stone Roses in my eyes, Sharon - and that's even with bands like Blur, the Charlatans, Pulp and the Prodigy to name just a few!! But I'm afraid I couldn't stand Oasis then and I can't stand them now, but I'll bet that gig had plenty of Oasis songs too...? I'd have to cover my ears for those bits, hehe x
I love all of this! I had a conversation with my sister about “the sweet spot” just last week. I really do think we’re so lucky.
I also remember going online for the first time and being like “but what’s it for?” but we had our first home computer in 1997! I didn’t think I was an early adopter until I read this post.
Oh also I hate it when my kids call me a boomer. “I’m Gen X! We’re the best ones!!” They remain unconvinced.
Oh Keris I’d be so offended if any kid called me a boomer!!!! 😬😂
I wonder how many other people remember their first time using the internet like we do… honestly I just sat there and said to the student next to me, “I don’t know what to put in, what are YOU looking for?” And he said he didn’t have a clue what he was doing either 🤣🤣
I know ... I'm always trying to turn the stereotype on its head! My youngest describes me as an untypical boomer and he thinks that's a compliment now 🤣
I absolutely loved reading this and I agree with everything you've said, except I'm a wee bit younger (46 this year) so the references are ever so slightly different. I'm also very glad to have official confirmation that I am indeed a Gen X-er as I was never quite sure! I'd never thought of us as being the midway point for not having so much tech/having all the tech and knowing how to use it. Thank you so much for sharing this ❤
When I read about us being the midway point for technology use it was a bit of a revelation moment for me too Katherine - doesn't it make perfect sense?? I love being in that sweet spot...!
I'm exactly the same: I'd hate to have grown up in any other time. I feel like the 90s were the perfect mix, really, whereby we had enough modern conveniences for life to feel relatively easy and comfortable (for some, obviously), but none of the headaches that come with social media. etc. I mean, I love the internet, and I owe my career to it, but if I'd had access to it as a teenager, I dread to think how that would've turned out for me!
(Oh, and we're pretty tech savvy, too: our nieces and nephews will frequently ask Terry and I how to do stuff on their phones and computers... they're OK with social media and apps, but a lot of other stuff seems to have passed them by for some reason, whereas we grew up with it, and it's more or less second nature to us now. But then, a few months ago an 18 year old left a comment on my blog with some helpful 'advice' about how I should think about writing posts that would show up on 'the google' and I realised that although I've probably forgotten more thinks about blogging than she will ever know, I've reached an age where I'm automatically deemed to be completely helpless 😭)
I love that your nieces and nephews ask you how to do phone and computer stuff, Amber - that's brilliant 😂
I'm also eternally grateful that social media didn't exist when I was a kid (or even in my 20s), plus something I didn't mention was that I'm glad phones weren't the must-have they are now when I was (for want of a better word!) dating. Texts were only just being used when Keith and I started seeing each other: the thought of trying to navigate a new relationship with all the messaging pitfalls just makes me shudder!
Oh and kudos to that 18 year old trying to teach you about The Google, OMG... us ancients have to be helped with this stuff, don't we?!!! 🤣🤣
I read this a while back and forgot to comment. But yes, you’re right - Gen X rules!
I’m a couple of years older than you and concur in the music. I know each generation loves the music they grew up with, but wasn’t ours fab? There was something for everything. My favourites were punk and metal, but I still love the New Romantics, etc. I can remember when glam rock kicked off and was still young enough to enjoy Acid House, etc.
Plus my mum (only 18 when I was born) passed on her Beatles records. The wild card is my dad though - he’s a Boomer and he hated the Beatles and the Stones, preferring ska and the Who - and the Sex Pistols!! He was young in the wrong decade.
Oh Emily I was a TOTAL Duranie back in the day, the New Romantics were the absolute best weren't they!
I have much older siblings so I also had a lot of old records passed down to me, or I'd sneak into their rooms and listen to their records if they were away(!) and also got into the Beatles at about the age of 8. But your dad... noooooooo!!!! I couldn't live with someone who didn't like the Beatles, that's just sacrilege LOL x
I think my dad was a bit envious as they were - well three of them were - working-class boys made good. And he wanted to be that guy! 😆 Funnily enough, my dad worked in LA in the 90s and made friends with John Lyndon - and they were so similar! Same birthday, both from London Irish Catholic families, only had brothers, both used to muck in with childcare when they were small. Families both from County Cork too! They squared up to each other at first but bonded over reggae and ska - and their disdain for the Fab Four. 😆
WOW John Lydon is an absolute legend so your dad must be a top guy!!
I think every generation prefers their own cohort and thinks the times in which they grew up were the best. I'm at the young end of the Boomers and love how adventurous, hard working and bold we were/are (inventors of the internet, space travel and more). I loved punk music. I see a lot of stereotypes about Boomers and Gen Y and most of them are wrong. I'm very tech savvy, for example. Thanks for linking!
I think you're about the same age as my sister, Gail - she isn't a "typical" boomer, either! In fact she's even more Gen X than I am, I'd say ;)
And you're 100% right about how Boomers were the ones that lead the way with regards to tech, etc. Also the fact that they came up with punk, glam rock and the New Romantic movement is testament to that...!
Yep… i was a music journalist throughout the 1990s in London, and there is no other way, time or place, to beat that in your 20s. I also loved London in the 80s, when you could still squat in Islington and Hackney and find genuine warehouse parties at Kings Cross. And I knew a bunch of photographers in Shoreditch just before the invasion of the west end art dealers, so nights out there were always unpredictable and often ended up on a rooftop near Old Street.
Now i love the way tech keeps me connected to old friends and family in the UK, and affords me the ability to write and teach from anywhere.
Very very happy to be a Gen X-er!
WOW Liz you were a music journo in London in the 90s?! That must have been amazing!! However I was a south of the river girl, and we all know that north and south did not mix 😆...! But seriously - our experiences were similar, just that mine were in Clapham and Battersea (and Chelsea, but that's technically SW1 so I don't count it as north of the river, lol) x
It was amazing… pure dream come true for that stage of my life. And yes, north/south… i had a friend in Clapham and it was basically another country. I saw her once a year 😂
I hear you Catherine. I'm 51, my husband's 50. We went to a Cool Britannia gig last weekend, and relived our youth listening to covers of THE best songs of the 90's. Stone Roses obviously tops the lot. My God, how incredibly lucky we Gen Z lot are, to have experienced so much JOY in our lives.
No one beats The Stone Roses in my eyes, Sharon - and that's even with bands like Blur, the Charlatans, Pulp and the Prodigy to name just a few!! But I'm afraid I couldn't stand Oasis then and I can't stand them now, but I'll bet that gig had plenty of Oasis songs too...? I'd have to cover my ears for those bits, hehe x
Funny enough, when Wonderwall came on, I took it as my cue to go to the loos! I’d much rather have heard Shed 7 or Sleeper…
Spot on! I’ve always looked at our gen as the Middle Child. Goldilocks seems just right!
Gen X the middle child makes perfect sense, Shelley! 😂
I love all of this! I had a conversation with my sister about “the sweet spot” just last week. I really do think we’re so lucky.
I also remember going online for the first time and being like “but what’s it for?” but we had our first home computer in 1997! I didn’t think I was an early adopter until I read this post.
Oh also I hate it when my kids call me a boomer. “I’m Gen X! We’re the best ones!!” They remain unconvinced.
Oh Keris I’d be so offended if any kid called me a boomer!!!! 😬😂
I wonder how many other people remember their first time using the internet like we do… honestly I just sat there and said to the student next to me, “I don’t know what to put in, what are YOU looking for?” And he said he didn’t have a clue what he was doing either 🤣🤣
I am an OG boomer born in 1963 🤣
Hehe it’s not the actual being a boomer Sharon, it’s the fact that from kids I know it’s meant as an insult…! 🤣🤣
I know ... I'm always trying to turn the stereotype on its head! My youngest describes me as an untypical boomer and he thinks that's a compliment now 🤣
I genuinely don’t remember how we found anything before search engines. I think we were more impressed with CD-Roms back then.
OMG I’d completely forgotten about CD Roms!! 😜
Oh Catherine, as a fellow Gen Xer, I love this! It's made me appreciate all the benefits you have listed and given me a warm glow. Thank you ☺️
Hehe a little nostalgia is good for the soul, isn't it Lizzie?! Thank you so much, glad you liked this x
I absolutely loved reading this and I agree with everything you've said, except I'm a wee bit younger (46 this year) so the references are ever so slightly different. I'm also very glad to have official confirmation that I am indeed a Gen X-er as I was never quite sure! I'd never thought of us as being the midway point for not having so much tech/having all the tech and knowing how to use it. Thank you so much for sharing this ❤
When I read about us being the midway point for technology use it was a bit of a revelation moment for me too Katherine - doesn't it make perfect sense?? I love being in that sweet spot...!
So glad you liked the post, thank you x
Gen X represent! 🙌🏻
I'm exactly the same: I'd hate to have grown up in any other time. I feel like the 90s were the perfect mix, really, whereby we had enough modern conveniences for life to feel relatively easy and comfortable (for some, obviously), but none of the headaches that come with social media. etc. I mean, I love the internet, and I owe my career to it, but if I'd had access to it as a teenager, I dread to think how that would've turned out for me!
(Oh, and we're pretty tech savvy, too: our nieces and nephews will frequently ask Terry and I how to do stuff on their phones and computers... they're OK with social media and apps, but a lot of other stuff seems to have passed them by for some reason, whereas we grew up with it, and it's more or less second nature to us now. But then, a few months ago an 18 year old left a comment on my blog with some helpful 'advice' about how I should think about writing posts that would show up on 'the google' and I realised that although I've probably forgotten more thinks about blogging than she will ever know, I've reached an age where I'm automatically deemed to be completely helpless 😭)
I love that your nieces and nephews ask you how to do phone and computer stuff, Amber - that's brilliant 😂
I'm also eternally grateful that social media didn't exist when I was a kid (or even in my 20s), plus something I didn't mention was that I'm glad phones weren't the must-have they are now when I was (for want of a better word!) dating. Texts were only just being used when Keith and I started seeing each other: the thought of trying to navigate a new relationship with all the messaging pitfalls just makes me shudder!
Oh and kudos to that 18 year old trying to teach you about The Google, OMG... us ancients have to be helped with this stuff, don't we?!!! 🤣🤣