In 1985, a group of politically connected parents decided something had to be done about the sex, violence, drugs and occult imagery finding its way into popular music, and Gen X suddenly found itself at the center of a national battle over art, children and control. From Prince and the infamous Filthy Fifteen to Frank Zappa, John Denver, Dee Snider and the Senate hearing that helped usher in the Parental Advisory era, this Rock ’n’ Roll Angel deep dive explores the PMRC, the generations of musical moral panic that came before it, and the artists who kept pushing against the walls. Forty years later, the technology has changed, but the question hasn't disappeared: Where does protecting the next generation end and controlling what they can hear begin?

When Twisted Sister exploded across MTV with “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” Gen X understood the assignment. Big hair, screaming guitars, outrageous glam, an over-the-top parent and one glorious declaration of rebellion became part of our generational reflex. But more than forty years later, those words found me again and meant something entirely different. In this Gen X Reflex, I look back at the song, the video, the glam-metal madness and the line in the sand that helped define us, while discovering that sometimes the music that gave us strength as kids can return decades later and help us reclaim pieces of ourselves we thought we'd left behind. 🤘❤️

For Gen X, classic rock once meant the legendary music we inherited: Hendrix, The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Cream, Deep Purple and the artists who helped build the language of rock ’n’ roll. Then one perfectly innocent day, I heard a radio DJ introduce Metallica, Motörhead, Foreigner and Def Leppard as classic rock, and my sanity briefly left the building. 😂 In “Classic Rock: Wait... When Did That Become Us?” I take a trip through the music we inherited, the musicians who became our teachers, and the slightly horrifying realization that the soundtrack of our own youth has now earned its place in rock history. Maybe becoming classic isn't so bad after all. 🤘❤️

The first time I heard Pat Benatar sing “Heartbreaker,” I was a lonely Gen X girl who didn’t always feel particularly powerful, and suddenly this extraordinary voice came roaring through my radio with enough strength for both of us. Decades later, Pat is a four-time Grammy winner, a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, and still beside guitarist, creative partner, and husband Neil Giraldo, with whom she built one of rock’s most enduring musical and personal partnerships. In the first installment of Ladies of Gen X Rock, I look back at the woman, the music, the love story, and the voice that helped a generation of young women discover a little of our own strength while we were growing up alongside her. And then Pat Benatar sang. ❤️🤘

MTV didn't just change how we watched music. It changed how an entire generation experienced it. Suddenly the voices coming through our radios had faces, stories, fashion, personalities and entire visual worlds built around their songs. From VJs and video premieres to Headbangers Ball, the VMAs and the unforgettable cry of “I Want My MTV,” this is a trip back to the moment music became something we could see, share and grow up with, and a reflection on why remembering MTV today means remembering a little bit of who we were. ❤️🤘

Before I became a metalhead, heavy metal was a world I wasn't sure I belonged in. Then I heard Scorpions. From discovering Blackout and walking nervously into my first Scorpions concert to digging through their back catalog, learning guitar, meeting the band and following them across decades, this is the story of the band that opened the door to heavy metal and never stopped being part of my life. 🤘

I grew up with a housewife. As the youngest of seven children, having Mom at home was simply part of the architecture of my childhood. Then I reached junior high, Mom went to work, and something changed. Suddenly we had keys, instructions and afternoons without parents, even as television reruns continued showing us an older version of the American family. Looking back, I realize Gen X wasn't simply growing up. We were growing up while the definition of home, motherhood and childhood was changing around us.

I thought I was taking the bus to the mall to see a weird animated science-fiction movie. I had no idea Heavy Metal was about to introduce me to artists who would follow me for decades, open another door into rock ’n’ roll, and become one of those seemingly ordinary moments that looks completely different when you revisit it years later. Turns out, Mom’s twenty bucks may have financed more than a movie ticket.

Before I knew Blue Öyster Cult was a band, I was pretty sure they were an actual cult. 😂 Then came “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” late-night radio, Heavy Metal, Godzilla, psychic wars, worn-out 45s and decades of insisting I wasn’t really a BÖC fan. It took a front-row seat at one of their shows for me to finally discover the truth: apparently, I had been a Blue Öyster Cult girl all along. 🤘❤️

Journey was more than a hometown band. Their music found me when I needed somewhere safe to land. From lying in the dark listening to Escape, to discovering the magic of “Lights,” understanding “Faithfully” only after living the road myself, and watching “Don’t Stop Believin’” become an anthem for generations, Journey has followed me through a lifetime. Queen made being weird okay. Journey made me feel whole. This is the story of a band, a sound, and a lifeline.