You Can Do It, Gen X

You can do anything. You lived through dial-up internet 💾 #genx #motivation #comedy
Need more Gen X? • "We Are Gen X" - Origi...
__
Thanks for being here! We’re Kim and Penn Holderness of The Holderness Family. We create original music, song parodies, and skits to poke fun of ourselves, the world we live in, and (hopefully) make you laugh.
Shop our merch: shopholderness...
Learn about our book: theholdernessf...
Listen to the podcast: theholdernessf...
Subscribe to Holderness Family Music: / theholdernessfamily
Laugh with us on Holderness Family Vlogs: / holdernessfamilyvlogs
Follow us on your favorite channel!
TikTok: / theholdernessfamily
Facebook: / theholdernessfamily
Instagram: / theholdernessfamily
Our viewers have become our family and we try our best to respond to comments. XO

[@vickyb9918]

I think we Gen Xers have the best of both worlds. Old enough to remember all the nostalgia before cell phones, internet, computers but young enough to experience all of the cool, new stuff.

[@diametayer4706]

I tell my husband this all the time

[@karriburkhart4367]

Absolutely! 💯

[@louissivo9660]

I was born a few years earlier, 1959, but completely agree! I love our modern technology as an adult, but so thankful I didn't have it as a youth.

[@vickyb9918]

@@louissivo9660 so true.

[@jacakent]

Yes!

[@53rdcards]

Didnt live through just dial up internet, lived through no internet

[@wolfcalls]

and times were WAY better

[@sadiestoltzfus9798]

@@wolfcalls Yeah but here we are. I don't have a cell phone though.

[@MiddleAgedMike]

25.6k dialup was mind blowing

[@itsROMPERS...]

​@@MiddleAgedMike I had a 1200 baud modem when I was first on CompuServe.

[@Jim-m3l9d]

Likewise. Some might be surprised how many people were "online" with no Internet.

[@melanienovak6557]

…..and then after waiting for hours to record that new song off the radio, the stupid DJ would talk over the end. That’s when you just cut your losses, went to NRM and bought the single cassette with one song on each side.

[@jc3_nft875]

the single cost as much as the album too!

[@suzannehribal4117]

Yes!

[@mieander]

Or buy the whole album to find out you hated the rest of it when you got it home.

[@victoria7t]

One time when I was living with a guy we had the system built up between the both of us heard the radio that could record cassettes was in the living room part of the house. We both loved A lot of the same music so we decided we would leave a fresh cassette always in the player so that if one of us happened to walk by or we were in the room for some time and one of our favorite songs came on we could just hit record. Whoever finished one side of the cassette had to flip it over to the other side and put it back in before leaving the room. Likewise whoever finished a complete cassette would have to replace it with a new one before walking out of the room. We would do this until each cassette was done for and as I was next in the room if I saw a completed cassette or if I finished one I would be the one to take it out put it in a case and label the case with the date or whatever Journal music I knew might be on it. One time I picked up a completed cassette and put it in a labeled cassette case. I actually had time to spare so I decided this one I will label every single song on it while I sit here and listen. So I sat and listened ready to write down the title of each song and who it was by. The entire cassette, both sides, was just the same cure song over and over and over and over and over and over. 😂

[@karriburkhart4367]

I always hated it when the DJ would talk over the song before it was finished too!! 😤😝

[@JChiibs]

Laughed and cried through the whole song. My husband and high school sweetheart passed away unexpectedly in mid December, not even a month after his 45th birthday. I'm still trying to figure out what life is supposed to be now. When I think about what life was like before I met him, I was in 8th grade. As ridiculous as this song is, It's what I needed to hear, especially today. Thank you.

[@6butterflywings6]

Sorry for your loss. You got this. You are GenX! ❤

[@samsolida]

😢 I feel your pain... My dad passed away very suddenly last week and I may need to retrain professionally at 44... Tis a hard time...

[@Nelle4ever]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

[@mysterycheez]

Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. 😥 I said a prayer for you. God bless.

[@sbkfalk]

😢

[@Fox-Mann-Fam]

This is my new theme song. I'm a Gen-Xer who's displaced by generative AI. My dream job no longer exists, and I have to build a brand new career, and I need a bit of an anthem to help me maintain perspective. Thank you for sharing this just when I needed it.

[@andreafeelsfantastic]

What was your dream job?

[@Fox-Mann-Fam]

@@andreafeelsfantastic Freelance writing and editing, which left time for indie fiction writing on the side.

[@faraboverubieskerry]

Hang in there. You are not alone. Many of us are having to start over for the same reason. We can do this...we are Gen X!

[@Fox-Mann-Fam]

@@faraboverubieskerry ❤

[@johnnybrist6699]

@@Fox-Mann-Fam AI sucks. It can't write real stories

[@chickie8252]

Kim you can still Rock the headband!And yes we are a powerful generation! We raised ouselves and built this city on rock and roll!❤

[@Jim-m3l9d]

Whose generation was the Gen X parents? Couldn't be the youngest boomers. Mystery is what led to Gen X being self-raised. Did 2 jobs become a survival thing?

[@MamaWeasley]

My parents were born in 1939 and 1945, and I am the oldest. My parents were married a little later than the norm at the time. I’m grateful for the perspective I gained from them! Most kids my age either had younger parents or were close to the end of their family. I didn’t raise myself, but I did become a “latch-key kid” when I was 11 because my mom had to return to work following my dad’s prolonged job loss. We played outside a lot more than some kids I know today. I know that there were some pretty crazy things that happened with the economy in the 1970’s and 80’s that made things difficult for a lot of people.

[@moniquetroth]

@@Jim-m3l9d I'm '72, & my parents are/were '51 & '52, so they're boomers. The youngest boomers were '64, so you probably won't find a lot of them with GenX kids (not to say none, because teen pregnancy, but not as many), but you will still find a lot of early to mid boomers with Gen X kids. As far as how so many of us became self-raised? Yes, 2 jobs became very much a survival thing. I think I can count on one hand the number of people I knew who had a stay-at-home parent. I was one of the lucky ones in that my mother was a teacher, so she was mostly home at the same time us kids were.

[@heatherwendt7911]

​@user-tc6cj7sh9t The reasons ranged from both parents having jobs to being kicked out of the house to do some undefined play until dinner time.😊

[@britaccent4352]

@@Jim-m3l9d The boomers, the 80’s were the “Me” decade, and the Boomers were busy with self fulfillment. That’s why Gen X’ers are so family focused, we over boomeranged to make up for what we didn’t have.

[@LivingHistorysMysteries]

OMG did that hit home. This made me smile..and kinda sob a bit at the memories. I'm only 6yrs older than Penn, (October 8th, 1968) and EVERYTHING in this song I remember. Been a huge admirer and fan of y'all since I found you a year ago and I can promise y'all, that'll never change. Thanks for reminding me how flippin' tough us Gen Xers are. LOL.

[@TheRecon1a]

We are the older Gen X'rs June 1968 here. That #2 pencil and cassette hit home Hard.

[@Sica210]

You found them a year ago? Have you watched their season of The Amazing Race yet? It’s well worth the watch. You’ll fall in love with them even more. Literally was my first [and probably my last] time ever watching a season of The Amazing Race. I actually tried watching another season but eh, I couldn’t get into it…My guess? -Key and Peele- *Kim and Penn* totally _made_ it _actually_ an AMAZING show. The others…just sub-par amazing, I’m guessing-I couldn’t handle *all* the bickering from those previous seasons/teams. 🤣

[@maryroberts589]

My b-day is 10/8/1966. 🎉 Definitely go back through the H Fam video catalogue! I found them during lock-down & have a KZbin folder called Holderness Gold to save my favorites. 🏆 Also strongly recommend watching TAR season they won. I was super lucky to get tickets to the funale party here in FL. I got to meet them & get my book signed, then danced & partied with all the cast members that were there. It was awesome & I tell my husband it was the 2nd best event of my life because he would be hurt or pissed if I said it beat our wedding, but... 💕

[@LivingHistorysMysteries]

@@maryroberts589 LOL... I have caught quite a few of their videos from before I subbed to them. I look forward to their new releases. I'd love to collaborate on some goofy something sometime. Each time I share a video to my wife she comments about how much Penn's sense of humor reminds her of me. Lol. Maybe some day. 😂

[@LCLand]

I thought my year was the last of gen x. 1968 too. That’s why he doesn’t remember gopher. Popcorn? 8 tracks in our youth

[@HappyHarryX5]

Thanks for this, after divorce last year and starting over I had to remind myself I’m Gen X and I can do it. I am.

[@homethatilove4595]

🥺 🫂 It's so hard, Friend

[@HappyHarryX5]

@@homethatilove4595 Thank you, love your handle! I’m making my house a home that I love!

[@tinastanley4444]

I believe in you my fellow Gen X. You've got this...

[@HappyHarryX5]

@@tinastanley4444 Thank you so much. We are the best generation! Take care of you.

[@tinastanley4444]

@@HappyHarryX5 cheers my friend! Gen X is the best!!!

[@christmashereandnow]

Whaddya mean, print out directions? We had to use MAPS when we first started adulting! ;)

[@zoecoote3746]

We had Melways .

[@tianawashington8869]

Yep, I used Rand McNally maps😂❤

[@sbkfalk]

@christmashereandnow and a practice run to make sure we could find the place.

[@Helen247]

And know how to fold them so that they fit back in the glove compartment!

[@tianawashington8869]

@@Helen247 Thats the truth!

[@michelemartin7673]

Fellow Gen-Xer here -- yes to all these things! I even remember 8-tracks and having a VCR I had to manually adjust (using small dials) to tune in each station I wanted it to be able to record. And definitely remember having to wait for songs on the radio and hope that the DJ wouldn't talk over the entire intro. Or using those maps you bought at the gas station, before MapQuest was even a thing...

[@Jim-m3l9d]

I gave away my VHS machine. My wife has dozens of tapes. But for years she never watched them. Now she bought a player for $5. But we can't figure out how our flat screen TV can connect.

[@joshuagoldstein8116]

Or the atlases, where you'd have to continue on "L16"!

[@Jim-m3l9d]

@@joshuagoldstein8116 Confused. Despite Google, we have kept updating our atlases.

[@dianeeaker8375]

AAA flip book directions for vacations!

[@minimaladjacent]

vcr ya you had to use a little plastic thing to tune in the channels.. .13 channels and I HATED when stations changed their location had to reset everything. I kept the plastic tool little cross tool.

[@auntiecaffeinecrafts]

Sometimes it boggles my mind that we learned all this stuff for years in school, then had to learn how to redo EVERYTHING using totally different tools and skills as adults. How many generations in the history of the world had to do that?

[@adedow1333]

At least every generation in the 20th century

[@meljordan220]

Yep. Every 10 years or so there's always something brand new and the old way we used to do it doesn't work anymore. That's how it's been through my whole growing up.

[@juliecampbell860]

~Elder Millenial raises hand~ I remember all these things from my childhood too. My elementary school always had a Christmas concert where the different grades would each sing a song. One grade sang a song about current technology to the tune of 12 Days of Christmas. "And a brand new Apple II-E!" Later I remember when they taught us about this new thing called the World Wide Web, and how a search engine works.

[@Jim-m3l9d]

@@meljordan220 Well, I just visited a store whose Internet went down: "Only cash and checks". I think the last store that got a written check from me was in the 90s. I'm either pre-check or post, either cash or card. Not YET Googlepay or Applepay. Stuck between technologies.

[@RiverWoods111]

My Grandmother lived through horses and buggies, cars, landline phones, radio, and TV, then talked to me on my parent's Cell phones or as she called them traveling phones. She was a Centurian. The transition you lived through was minor compared. Computers ran your schools they were in schools in the 60s, just extremely basic. You had the basis of copy machines in the blue Xerox prints or are you actually old enough for that. Calculators were becoming a thing back in the early 70s. Nothing you lived through was that big of a change, the bases were all laid. You obviously were oblivious to those changes. I missed Gen X by 1 year, yet I was building my first computers back in the 80s. My dad was part of the silent generation and was on the first version of the internet when it still looked like DOS. Again, it was still the mid-80s when he was doing this. All the technology that you claim to have had to relearn how to do things was there all along you just weren't paying attention. We aren't that special!

[@Anonymoi]

This is so timely! As a Gen Xer who had both my kids over 40 I’m suddenly find myself navigating schools with two little kids and every other mother (and almost all parents and half the teachers) younger than I am. I have been wondering if Gen Xers are uniquely positioned to struggle mentally with the current world! We’re the last generation that really remembers a simpler, safer, better time and can really compare the current situation to what it used to be like.

[@yvettebennett6170]

Wow! Im GenX. This song made me smile and also teary eyed. I miss the more simple life but you reminded me I am GenX and I can do this!!

[@homethatilove4595]

😢Loved those days 🥺... before stress became a Thing

[@LittleWriterSquirrel]

Gen x is the best generation😎 love these songs!

[@scarletvika6288]

Thank you! This will be my go-to song from now on whenever I’m stressed out. Made me laugh and cry at the same time. Love it! ❤

[@LauraPerdue-g9s]

Guys, I rocked that exact headband. AquaNet too. And the Capezio shoes need a nod here. But the best part WE LOOKED EACH OTHER IN THE EYES!!!!! How cool was that ..we MET ACTUAL OTHER PEOPLE IN PERSON! We had REAL PARTIES AND REAL FUN AND RODE OUR BIKES ALL DAY AND NO ONE KNEW WHERE WE WERE! That's why I'm listening to 70s, 80s music lately (yes even the Bee Gees..i know)...it relaxes me and reminds me of simpler times...and the lyrics so much better. GENX saw it all, survived and thrived with every new gadget they conjured up! God Bless us all ❤ thanks H's!!!

[@spinthepickle1244]

Lol, recording music from radio on cassette. Yeah. Did that a lot.

[@homethatilove4595]

Yep!! That was our '80s life... Genesis , Whitney, Cyndi, Van Halen ~ BEST Days Ever

[@ScubaFanatic60]

Used to record American Top 40 skipping the commercials on my school bus yellow Panasonic cassette player.

[@jackuzi8252]

There are some songs I remember from my teen years as ending with a DJ talking over them, because I listened to them on a radio-recorded tape so many times.

[@spinthepickle1244]

@@ScubaFanatic60 I had a small pale blue radio with a pastel rainbow strap. I stuck a few fuzzy, orange scented stickers on it. Eventually a button broke off and to record I had to push down on some rough metal, but the indentations were totally worth it.

[@trinaq]

Haha, absolutely love it, Penn and Kim. I'm definitely going to play this song to my Generation X relatives.

[@70s80s]

Thanks, I needed that!❤

[@Photokapi]

Born in 1976 -- I've never felt more seen. Love the song, and so many things my kids said -- what's that? or wait, why? Awesome job, as always.

[@Dahkie111]

You guys are awesome! Go Gen X!! Best generation hands down!

[@memorylayne78]

So many things! Pre-cell phones and laptops. Floppy discs, TVs with only basic channels… I tried explaining how my home phone was attached to the wall. You couldn’t sit in your room and talk your friends on the phone. The whole family was privy to your conversations 🙈

[@monicamikol1134]

I needed this today. Thank you Holderness Family! I HAVE been through a lot, & I CAN do this!!!

[@lancedicker858]

"Why does he do anything?" 😂

[@dad-and-duke]

Mad props for getting dysentery into the song! Loved it.

[@holleighlordel1575]

😂

[@shoshanaeri8035]

keywords "into the song"

[@smariel7]

Im Gen X and find my self missing the “simpler times” lol 😂 trying to teach them to my kids so they don’t only depend on electronics…. Praying for this new generation ❤

[@ChironAce]

The only generation that can toggle between the analog and digital world

[@homethatilove4595]

🏆. It's our Strength

[@itsROMPERS...]

Ahem... Boomer here. I was drinking from a hose before you were born. For us, CDs were a revelation, you could easily skip to any song! We had dusty, scratched LPs. Gen X had everything so good.

[@nurmr]

LPs have auto-skip,kip,kip,kip,kip,kip,kip...

[@itsROMPERS...]

@@nurmr Yes they do, so whining about suffering with the drastically better CDs is kind of lame in comparison. Gen xers trying to seem tough because they had to deal with digital music encoded on laser disks, like it was the wild West. Just weird.

[@minimaladjacent]

@@itsROMPERS... if you had scratched lps.. you didn't take care of them.

[@sinthiathyme]

"Why does he do anything?" Because he is Gen X! 💖😁

[@WendyHughesJelenGRNLVNG]

Our anthem!!! Thank you!!

[@anjelica948]

My mom is Gen X, and I was laughing hysterically throughout bc not only do I remember her stories about all these things, I experienced a few of them myself. Great tune 😂

[@rhondaallen3617]

Penny’s writing, playing and performing skills are AMAZING!!!

[@llamasugar5478]

Penny?! 😂

[@rhondaallen3617]

@@llamasugar5478 I know!!! I didn’t proofread (clearly!!!!) Sorry to Pen!!!!!

[@thatswhatisaidCA]

@@rhondaallen3617 Or you could "edit". ;)

[@itsROMPERS...]

​@@thatswhatisaidCA it wasn't a mistake.

[@wendio5437]

I’m at the age where I do a lot of reflecting on my life and it really is amazing to think how much the world has changed in my 50+ years. My kids are adult gen z and they have a hard time believing the world was the way it was.

[@jasensanders]

💖💖💖A Gen X power ballad about Gen X. Love this.

[@agr714]

I’m impressed with the amount of 80s and 90s technology around your house.

[@JB-sf5do]

Love this! I was born in 1964 and some Generation tables list me as a Boomer -- however, I beg to differ. I am GEN X all the way and Proud of it!! -- (even if my Zoomer kids still call me a Boomer with much affection.) BTW: Kim still looks young like she is was in the 80's! And Penn is walkin' that Yamaha up the hill to an empty field because that is what GEN X would do, baby!! EXACTLY what GEN X would do!!💜💜💜💜

[@carolynpatterson5217]

Thank you, just had that discussion yesterday. Born in ‘60, but definitely don’t align with baby boomer feels; way more Genx-ish.

[@moniquetroth]

My hubs is right there with you! Born in April '64, but never once identified with the Boomers. All of the stuff that his older siblings & other Boomers like leave him cold (except in an "appreciating the classics" kind of way).

[@ScubaFanatic60]

I was born in 62 and some I don't have much in common with the 1946 crowd. I'm Gen X all the way!

[@whocares_bear]

Xennial here, experienced most and love it!

[@Cooksongrl]

Love being an xennial!

[@whocares_bear]

@@Cooksongrl It's funny how I remember 90% of that stuff but I seemed to have compartmentalized it as if it's part of a past life. Didn't think about it until I saw this video then laughed. I feel like I'm living in today's age and trying to keep up with everything as if I'm a kid again

[@KShip148]

I feel seen. 😂 Thanks, guys!

[@thedad1652]

As an eldest of the elder millennial this fits us as well haha

[@Sam_on_YouTube]

Likewise. I was born in 1980, same as Liza Schlesinger who coined that term.

[@nadiamakessomeart]

Same!! 🎉

[@smo05d]

Totally!

[@LauraHostetler1]

Yup

[@SkipperJane]

As a geriatric millennial I got to play Oregon trail on both an Apple II in black and white and later in color. 😂

[@strongereveryday1891]

Why did this make me emotional?!😅

[@tinabop187]

I absolutely love the song. I'm at the tail end of the baby bloomers. I appreciate the technology we have now, but sometimes I mess the good old days.

[@zaynamoore]

I know that was a typo (bloomers) but it seriously made me laugh out loud. :D

[@adedow1333]

​@@zaynamoore I didn't ever catch it until you pointed it out, but that is gold!

[@BethALadyReadsAlot]

Me too, 1964...

[@tinabop187]

I'm glad that you had a laugh. I am so bad with typos. After looking at it, it is funny.

[@carolynpatterson5217]

Yes, even born in ‘60, I feel like genX; did take Fortran in college when computing was “new” and used punch cards. 😵‍💫

[@allisonmeena]

Does ANYBODY make it through Oregon Trail without getting dysentery???

[@NRodgers77]

Oh the nostalgia! I honestly miss those days! 😂❤😢

[@opulentlilt455]

"You've been through all of this. It makes you better than the rest." 😂 This is so true.

[@IguanaLife]

As a older millennial, I remember and used 90% of the stuff mentioned. 😂 or maybe my family was just late to the party🤔

[@coaxtl1413]

I’m with you on this. 1985 is considered millennial but I did all of these things!! The radio recording was particularly nostalgic

[@kimsheller3223]

Same!

[@gmanandhislady]

I was born in 88 and experienced these things too!

[@danielcummins5092]

I was born 1982 and I claim the Gen-X label (there's different views on when Gen-x ended). But this whole video was so true, lol

[@whocares_bear]

@@danielcummins5092 You're an Xennial

[@SarahJones-bn6xr]

Love this!! I still hear old songs and my brain replays an old radio dj’s chatter during intro or outro of the song because I heard it as much as I heard the song I’d recorded. 😂📻

[@blighted2013]

Or the beginning of the next song blended into the end.

[@SarahJones-bn6xr]

@@blighted2013 LOL! Yessss!

[@holleighlordel1575]

💯

[@PatricesProjects]

Do people ever recognize you and hang around to watch you making a video? Love Penn's dedication to the craft.

[@melsy203]

Thank you so much for celebrating gen x! ❤

[@triciag3311]

I was born in 1971! So happy I grew up when I did!

[@TheEngineeringFamily]

Love it! The part about walking through a park loaded up with equipment... hits very close to home!

[@carynplatt9790]

... and if we like this video, we can watch it as many times as we want instead of watching MTV and hoping our fave music video was finally played! 😅 That's what I thought about when Kim asked why Penn was walking up a hill with a keyboard and other equipment: he needed the right environment to make a rockin' music video!!!!!! ❤

[@apatrioticamerican99]

Jack in the box and the game Perfection...anxiety at its best.

[@karenc7476]

Don't forget the buzzer on "Operation".

[@homethatilove4595]

TRUTH !! About ALL 3 ... The Operation shock was terrible! But made me a very steady crafter 40 years later

[@otter-pro]

Oh the memories that this song reminds me of, like dialing 411 to find out the phone number for pizza hut, or having our friends' phone numbers memorized. Thank you for recognizing our gen, the gen-x properly (instead of calling us boomers)

[@MyFocusVaries]

Gen X is the generation after boomers. Boomers are 1946-64. Gen X are 1965-1980.

[@lizsargent1554]

I’m an older millennial or xennial born in 85, and feel like I relate more to gen x than millennials… as I’ve done everything and experienced everything they did and lived without internet and hand wrote assignments for school instead of typing, used a rotary phone at my pathfinder leaders house, had dial up internet in high school and grade 8 when my parents first got internet, had sample internet cd’s, had calling cards, recorded cassettes on the radio etc . Man I feel like in some ways those days were so much better, may have been more simple but things just seemed better!!

[@irishrover9332]

You're no Xennial, not even close. Born in 1985 is years away from Gen X! You're a total Millenial, were you in the Clubs in the early/mid 90s? Most Gen Xrs were born in the early to mid 70s, a decade from when you were born :)

[@melrox8809]

Fellow Gen x here. This is totally awesome 😅

[@c.hansen3139]

Awesome! I was born in '82 so a lot of this resonates. Haha

[@whocares_bear]

We're called Xennials. We're both Xers and Millennials 😎👍

[@AdamYJ]

Solidafrity from us "geriatric millenials" (Ugh. Hate that term).

[@paulapenna-loveyourvoice]

This hit the GenX spot.

[@aprilchronister9980]

Luv this! As a gal born in '70 (who just had my bday) but also sadly lost my mom earlier this month 💔....been thinkin about ALOT of stuff. So random-one of my kids(mid 20's)friends will see Stevie Nicks soon-its so wonderful some 20 something young folks are searching for REAL music. Took my daughter to see Heart some yrs ago; she was blown away! But hearing their songlist incl. Led Zepp, Janis Joplin, Joan Jett...Beatles, R Stones, Tears for Fears-etc makes me smile😊...they didn't experience the ole rotary phone tho!😂

[@amandaneumann4047]

Awww…the memories!!! A 1975 baby here! We really did have it all, the eighties and nineties were the best!!!

[@holleighlordel1575]

Hi fellow ‘75er!!

[@darrylkraatz1482]

Me too! 1975👊

[@hollyshinn1274]

I was born two weeks before January 1st, 1975.

[@zelly4914]

I had a vague memory of recording radio songs through a microphone onto a mini cassette.

[@Xianne027]

Me too! And even worse, I think I got some stashed away somewhere. 😂

[@sustainablegoodness]

Mapquest, what a blast from the past.

[@LynnieNeal]

Love that! We sure did it! Go Gen X! Thanks Penn and Kim!

[@scottbertelson352]

100% true. Won’t say that they were the best of days but we made it through them, and we’re better from it.

[@NancyHuntington-zj9op]

As usual, you guys nailed it. Omg rotary phones - I used to try to speed dial by keeping my finger in and forcing the dial back faster...or so I thought but it totally never worked. And we gave the world "totally" (you're welcome world!). The VHS & cassettes and trying to record the perfect song without the stupid DJ (seriously, they KNEW we were trying to record - why did they keep talking?!) and also trying to record TV shows and pause during commercials....so much stuff we did. And it's awesome. (Another word we gave the world lol!)

[@Jim-m3l9d]

What cool walk through history. There was hardly anything mentioned I didn't go through. But I'm two generations BEFORE Gen X. So my song would include many things Gen X never saw. But Penn is right. Gen X solved many problems. Dialup Internet and AOL disks were a thing of the 90s. I remember my computer being so putrid that AOL let me read a book while it did anything. AOL was for people on computers costing thousands of dollars. Yet the disks were in every compute magazine! Before that was Compuserve and GEnie which ran on the cheaper computers. And no mention of FIDOnet? Oh well. How many hours would the song be to cover the landscape? Another cool musical piece by Penn.

[@kynn23]

He could spend a verse on now-defunct search engines alone. lol

[@Jim-m3l9d]

@@kynn23 And Netscape. And other 90s flashes in the pan. I actually took a network management course in something being replaced by a Microsoft product. That was sweet.

[@Jim-m3l9d]

@@kynn23 Yahoo, Lycos, Altavista, were just a few. I think I used every one that showed up.

[@harmonymusic2463]

Thank you for this wonderful song! It's so positive and uplifting! It makes me feel good. ❤

[@emeleel]

Perfect timing for some Friday morning encouragement! Currently beating my head against a new skill in Google Forms... but you're right, I did all that stuff, I can do this too! ❤

[@angelrose1978]

I love this so much. Gen X here too.

[@zaynamoore]

The hairspray cough...oh goodness. Also, reliving that recording from the radio anxiety. Another fun one guys, thanks!

[@Jim-m3l9d]

When did mousse replace hair spray? Was that in Gen X or later?

[@zaynamoore]

@@Jim-m3l9d I used both when I was a teenager in the mid 80's...actually, when I do bother to get dolled up (which is rare these days) I still do. I didn't realize that mousse had replaced hairspray.

[@sariahut1]

I find these so hysterically nostalgic. 😂

[@gabrieleharmon4648]

My life just passed before me. Thanks, guys

[@Jenn-ie5vf]

Thanks Penn, all of us 40 somethings needed this. lol

[@tabilittlefield1326]

Yes! And phone books, records, filing cabinets,

[@keri1253]

This makes me so happy! Thank you for the support!!

[@HappyHarryX5]

Our first computer was a genuine IBM for $5000. I think it only had 4KB RAM. Using Paint to make star field with the spray paint was my way of making the Star Wars galaxy, I did that so many times and it never got old.

[@JChiibs]

My family's first computer was a TSR-80 from Radio Shack. The "hard drive" was a tape deck. 😂

[@HappyHarryX5]

@@JChiibs I remember thinking people in the early 80s who had an Atari with a tape drive were rich! I was shocked and had never heard of the amount my Dad spent on ours. My Mum wanted it for work but I didn’t know how much help it would be to her.

[@JChiibs]

@@HappyHarryX5 We certainly weren't rich, my dad was just a geek. At 6 years old I thought I was pretty smart being able to ask ELIZA questions and getting answers that essentially the program didn't know. When ChatGPT became public, one of the first questions I asked it was if (essentially) ELIZA was it's grandmother or something. 😂 At first I got the "I'm not a person but an AI program" response, but then I asked it if it was a person, would she have been it's grandmother. The answer I got was pretty much "by that logic, probably yes." 😆 ChatGPT is so much fun to play with. Although trying to have it tell innocent children stories always takes a turn for the worse pretty quickly. 😖 I'm not doing that to make books or anything, its just for fun. My mom used to walk across the room to avoid the TSR-80 because she was convinced that computers were going to take over the world. She was genuinely scared. Now I have to remind her to clean off the splatters on her keyboard and monitor. I asked her the other day how it got so dirty and she said "I don't know! I don't eat in here and I don't touch my monitor!" (She lives alone.) Yeah right mom, the crumbs say otherwise. 😄

[@portlandrestaurants]

Late last boomer and still applies. Brings tears, thanks

[@DrewMacGregor]

I think Perfection is the anxiety cause for most, because you had to work actively to prevent it from popping

[@hollyshinn1274]

Oh my goodness, I remember that game. It was stressful.

[@MidnaAzusa]

I'm a millennial, but I lived through most of this. I even used a rotary phone once because I needed to call my parents from my grandparents' house and they still had a rotary phone. But dial-up internet wasn't a thing for me because my parents didn't get internet until I was in high school. Oh, and before we got a computer (and printer, which took FOREVER), I typed my school assignments using my mom's typewriter until my uncle, who lived within walking distance of my school, gave me a key to his house and permission to use his computer and printer (and raid his fridge) while he was at work. Yep, I walked alone to my uncle's house to do homework, then walked all the way home most of the time because I didn't want to force my mom to load my little brother into the car to come get me. And I never gave the whole "13-year-old kid walking alone for an hour without a phone" thing a second thought.

[@deedeewilliamson4162]

I needed this so much!! Thank you! Happy Friday! Love you guys

[@julsstay74]

I'm a Millenial, but gosh does this hit home as well: most of those things, I've lived through as well, though I grew up poor, so Internet wasn't a thing in our home. Anyway. I'ts cool to put things in different perspectives, I smiled a bit fondly at those memories. Thanks for that!! I'll try to remember it when facing hard times!

[@ANAbiNader]

I think it depends on where u were born, but I was born and raised in Switzerland in 1985 and I definitely consider myself more of Gen x than a millennial....all of this is 100% how we grew up

[@noahbaerveldt8162]

My wife was born in Russia in 1985 and says the same thing. I am 11 years older than her and yet she feels like we had the same experiences growing up. too funny.

[@staciecampbell5078]

I still use that kind of headband.

[@markjustice7894]

Generation X will always be the best. The keytar is proof of our power.

[@irishrover9332]

Born in 1971, Boomers kill our Generation. Music, Movies you name it. Society went downhill after 2000. Boomers had it all!

[@HappyHarryX5]

It was funny several years ago when our local telephone exchange burnt down and I said, I’m Gen X, I’ve lived without internet. When everything is now done on the net and on mobile phones, and mostly cashless, it’s impossible. There was no cash out or EFTPOS. I was fine with DVDs for movies. Worst thing is no info on our situation or updates weren’t being shown on the news. TV was still analogue then. It lasted 2wks and the federal govt considered it the second highest disaster level.

[@dianebekel9326]

1961 here. My body is boomer but my brain is 100% Gen X. Latchkey kid all the way, love tech. I use my phone to pay at stores and friends who are my age think like boomers and can’t wrap their brains around how to do that. 😂

[@NativeWarrior88]

I think Im technically considered a millenial (Im 35), but I used VHS, shopped at Radio Shack, wore those headbands, recorded music on cassette tapes from the radio, knew how to use a rotary phone, took my scratched cds in to get fixed, and drank Surge! I should qualify for Gen X despite my age, lol!

[@shawnholbrook7278]

Y'all remember Encyclopedias?

[@holleighlordel1575]

Yes!! And having to physically go to the library to do research and handwrite the facts down on index cards, and don’t forget all the info for your bibliography. Maybe you had some extra candy money leftover to get a few photocopies so your hand could stop hurting. Lol!

[@donnamallard1962]

Oh, my gosh! I could see both my kids in this video, agreeing with every word you said! They're 41 and 43 years old and they've been through all that and transitioned into the 21st century beautifully! Not to mention, they're the "go to computer problem solvers" for us Baby Boomers!! ❤❤Gen X!

[@llamasugar5478]

Anyone else remember calling “Time & Temperature” for that info? “The time is 8:41. The temperature is 72 degrees.”

[@kynn23]

Yes! I still remember what her voice sounded like! And then there was always an ad before the forecast.

[@hollyshinn1274]

Totally. That should have been in this video.

[@rich_mc]

I still remember the phone number.... I wonder if it still works...lol

[@llamasugar5478]

@@rich_mc Try it; I double-dog dare ya! Where I grew up, it was 829-0123 . . . Hmmm.

[@kashatespam9668]

I love you guys! You are my new fav channel! I am Gen X (just turned 50 in Nov) and this cheers me up when I have a bad day with my cancer! Thank you so much and looking forward to a LOT more!!!!!!!!!

[@beththecatlover]

Hilarious😂...this brought back so many memories. Why did us women think crimped hair was soo cool?

[@tgeetoo9451]

Love the closing “outtakes” too ! ❤

[@MYKADAWN777]

This is my new anthem!

[@shilohmjh7628]

Don’t forget the banana hair clips! The hinge on the bottom always ripped out chunks of hair.

[@Christinamariamuller]

🤣😂I just love this. And I'm realizing how much I'm struggling to move on as I still have to VCR's and played my cd's in my 6 disc CD player yesterday. 🤣😂 And I'm a touch younger than you. I barely made it into Gen x but it's all soo true.

[@terrilynch4888]

Great song! As a boomer myself, I've lived through even more. Crazy to think about when we were kids!

[@brandonhughes179]

I'm a Millennial and I totally relate to a lot of this. Not the hair stuff cause I'm a guy, but I totally had cassettes, vhs, aol, so much of all this

[@ClayGreen]

Penn is doing all that because he's an ARTIST!!! An amazing, wonderful, hilarious, gifted and LOVED artist! LOVE your stuff #holdernessfam!!!! :-)

[@Cindy-zd7ue]

1963. Sometimes can't relate to older baby boomers or younger Gen Xers. But what a great song! Especially when Millennials and Gen Z's think you don't know anything. Just like we thought about the Silent Generation. Oh, wait. They're still running for President. Lol. It goes on and on. Generation Gap.

[@ashleyminihan370]

This made me smile. Thanks, guys! 😁

[@adub1572]

Technically a millennial, but I relate to all of this. I always died of cholera in Oregon trail, but dysentery works better for the lyrics!! 😂

[@chrisb6363]

Why did this make me cry?