Stuck in the '80s Podcast

Forget Dracula's castle. In 1987, vampires moved to California, traded their capes for leather jackets and apparently spent a considerable amount of time at the hair salon.

Welcome back to The Lost Boys.
Just in time for Halloween, we're digging into the Stuck in the ’80s archives for a classic episode from 2011, featuring your hosts Steve Spears and Sean Daly. This time, we're revisiting one of the most gloriously ’80s horror movies ever made.

Directed by Joel Schumacher, The Lost Boys brought together Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest and a terrific supporting cast for a vampire adventure that was equal parts horror, comedy and teenage rebellion.

It also gave us one of the decade's most memorable soundtracks, featuring INXS, Echo & the Bunnymen, Roger Daltrey and Tim Cappello — the shirtless, saxophone-wielding musical legend who made "I Still Believe" an unforgettable part of the movie.

In this vintage episode, Steve and Sean revisit the movie's characters, music, memorable moments and enduring appeal. Why has The Lost Boys remained such a beloved piece of ’80s pop culture? And how did a movie about teenage vampires manage to make bloodsucking look so ridiculously cool?

So grab your garlic, sharpen those wooden stakes and join us for a trip back to Santa Carla. Just remember: Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die.

Come Sail Away With Us on The ’80s Cruise!

Want to celebrate the greatest decade of pop culture with thousands of fellow ’80s fans? Join the Stuck in the ’80s crew aboard The ’80s Cruise, the ultimate vacation for anyone who still believes the music, movies and memories of our favorite decade deserve one more encore.

We'll be there hosting trivia, recording live podcasts, introducing performers and generally behaving like people who probably shouldn't be trusted with a microphone.

Visit The80sCruise.com for information about the upcoming voyage, including the lineup, itinerary and cabin availability.

Support Stuck in the ’80s

Love the podcast? Join our Patreon family for ad-free episodes, exclusive content, special events and more. Your support helps keep our little corner of the ’80s alive and kicking.

Visit Patreon.com/Stuckinthe80s to join the fun.

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Some songs become hits. Others become history. And then there's "Video Killed the Radio Star," a song that practically announced the arrival of the 1980s.

This week on Stuck in the '80s, we welcome Bruce Woolley, the songwriter who co-wrote that iconic tune with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes before The Buggles turned it into a worldwide hit. Of course, the song earned an even bigger place in pop culture history when MTV chose it as the first music video to air on the network on Aug. 1, 1981.
But there's much more to Woolley's story than one unforgettable song.

Bruce takes us back to the early days of "Video Killed the Radio Star," including its creation at his apartment piano, the different approaches he and The Buggles took to recording it, and the unexpected journey from songwriting experiment to new wave immortality.

We also explore his time fronting Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club, a band whose lineup included a young Thomas Dolby, years before "She Blinded Me with Science" made him a household name.

Along the way, Bruce shares stories about working with Horn and Downes, the arrival of new technology in popular music, and what it was like to help create a song that would become a symbol of an entire musical revolution.

It's a fascinating conversation with one of the unsung architects of the '80s — a musician whose work helped shape the sound of a decade before the decade had even begun.

The 80s Cruise: Want to relive the decade with us? Join Stuck in the '80s aboard The 80s Cruise! Visit The80sCruise.com and use promo code STUCK when booking to receive a $250 cabin credit.

Support the podcast: Join our Patreon community for bonus content, ad-free episodes and more ways to celebrate the decade we refuse to leave behind.

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Twenty years ago, Stuck in the ’80s was still the new kid on the podcast block. There were no smartphones recording everything, social media was barely a thing, and somehow people were willing to give three podcasters backstage access.

What could possibly go wrong?
For this week’s episode, we’re opening the archives and heading back to 2006 for one of our earliest adventures: the “We Are the ’80s” concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida.

The lineup was basically an ’80s radio station brought to life: Rick Springfield, Loverboy, Eddie Money, and Patti Smyth with Scandal were among the artists taking the stage that night. And before the music started, Sean Daly, Cathy Wos and Spearsy headed backstage with microphones in hand to interview some of the performers.

Listening to it two decades later is a little like finding an old cassette in a box you forgot you had. The sound, the energy and—yes—the hosts are all a bit younger, but the mission of Stuck in the ’80s was already taking shape: celebrate the music and artists we loved, ask the questions fans actually wanted answered, and occasionally act amazed that anyone let us backstage in the first place.

So join us for this 20th-anniversary replay from 2006 and a trip back to the very early days of Stuck in the ’80s.

Come sail away with us! Stuck in the ’80s will be back aboard The 80s Cruise in 2027 for another week of music, memories and glorious ’80s excess. Use promo code STUCK when booking and receive $250 in onboard credit per cabin.

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Few synth-pop songs from the late ’80s have enjoyed a second life quite like When in Rome’s “The Promise.”

Released in 1988, the song became the band’s signature hit, but its story didn’t end there. Years later, a memorable appearance at the end of Napoleon Dynamite introduced “The Promise” to a whole new generation and helped turn it into one of those ’80s songs that seems to keep finding new fans.
This week on Stuck in the ’80s, Steve talks with Andrew Mann of When in Rome about the band’s beginnings, the creation and lasting appeal of “The Promise,” and the unusual journey that took him from writing poetry in Manchester to fronting a synth-pop band.

Andrew also looks back at When in Rome’s self-titled debut album, the band’s connection with American audiences and the twists and turns that followed its original run.

And this isn’t just a conversation about the past. When in Rome is once again making new music, including the single “Human Nature,” with a new album, Illumination, on the way.

It’s a conversation about one unforgettable song, an unexpected second act and what happens when a band associated with one particular moment in the ’80s discovers the story still isn’t finished.

Ready to take your ’80s obsession to sea? Join Stuck in the ’80s aboard The 80s Cruise, packed with live music, celebrity guests, trivia, theme nights and thousands of fellow ’80s fans. Use promo code STUCK when booking to receive $250 in onboard credit per cabin.

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Some episodes of Stuck in the ’80s are harder to record than others.

This week, Steve goes solo to remember Pete Byrne, the unmistakable voice of Naked Eyes, who has passed away at age 74.

For millions of music fans, Pete will always be remembered for the synth-pop classics "Always Something There to Remind Me" and "Promises, Promises." But for Steve, Pete was much more than the voice behind two of the decade's most beloved songs.

An interview during the early days of Stuck in the ’80s grew into a friendship, one of the unexpected gifts of hosting this podcast for more than two decades.

In this special tribute, Steve revisits that original conversation with Pete, celebrating the music, memories and friendship of a man whose voice helped define the sound of the ’80s.

Rest easy, Pete. There will always be something there to remind us of you.

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