Silent Generation

The Information Age is a historical period, beginning in the mid-20th century, that is characterized by an accelerated shift from analog technologies to digital ones. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, the boys are joined by Juniper, a friend of the pod who designed an app called Atopia that coordinates hangouts between like-minded individuals. Together, the three begin by detailing the contributions of two figures that sparked the Information Age: Claude Shannon and Margaret Hamilton. They then survey the history of early computing, eschewing the “Silicon Valley mythology” that jumps from mainframes to personal computers by focusing on time-sharing and the Whole Earth Catalog. After that, they examine the physical infrastructure of the internet and the evolving nature of the web. The episode concludes with a discussion about how culture is shaped by information in the modern era, and how “social computing” can still be found on Discord. 
 
Links:
www.atopia.world
A People’s History of Computing in the United States by Joy Lisi Rankin
From Counterculture to Cyberculture by Fred Turner
A Mathematical Theory of Communication By Claude Shannon
How Claude Shannon Invented the Future by David Tse
The Bit Player (2018)
Shannon’s Diagram of a General Communication System
Evenings at Home: Then and Now - political cartoon (1938) 
Time-sharing - IBM
Whole Earth Catalog, Fall 1968
The Verge - Version History Episode
infinitemac.org
A Prehistory of the Cloud by Tung Hui Hu
Undersea Cables by Trevor Paglen
Photos of the Submarine Internet Cables the NSA Probably Tapped by Laura Mallonee
Revolt of the Elites by Christopher Lasch
Silent Generation Podcast Listener Submission Form
 
Artwork:
The Univac 1 Computer by George Michael
 
Recorded on 5/11/2026

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration
 
The “Clear Craze” was a marketing fad from the late 1980s to early 2000s that led to an influx of transparent and translucent products. Consumers could suddenly purchase clear versions of electronics, beverages, mouthwash, mascara, deodorant, laundry detergent, and even gasoline. Many clear products were purported to have benefits over their opaque counterparts, such as how clear beverages were marketed as being “lite” or low calorie. But were they actually healthier, as many claimed? And what did they symbolize on a deeper level? 
 
On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien begin by discussing consumer electronics that debuted during the Clear Craze like the Conair Clear Phone, iMac G3, and Gameboy Color. The two then pivot to clear beverages that launched in the ‘90s, detailing why drinks like Crystal Pepsi and Zima flopped. They round out the episode with a discussion about why the Clear Craze is unlikely to ever truly experience a revival due to tech companies’ aversion to the right to repair. 
 
Links:
The Clear Craze
The Clear Craze & Prison Electronics
The Clear Craze of Y2K Electronics
Ep. 55: Y2K Futurism
Colorless Craze Makes Many Things Clear by Morning Call (1993)
Clear, And Cashing In by Karen Springen (1993)
“It Was the Coolest Phone I’d Ever Seen” by Heather Schwedel
Why The '90s Clear Phones Became So Popular by William Kennedy
The Mac that saved Apple (and Steve Jobs): Deep Inside the Bondi Blue by Rik Myslewski
iMac | The Computer of the Future
Why Crystal Pepsi Flopped
What Happened to Crystal Pepsi? How the 'Clear Craze' Drink Became No More by Kenn C. Bivins
Crystal Pepsi 1992: Transparency Without Demand
10 Things You Should Know About Zima by Olivia White
The Clear Beverage Craze of the ‘90s by The 80s and 90s Uncensored 
This is Why We’re Falling Back in Love with Clear Tech by Sushant Vohra
 
Artwork:
スケルトンClear by Kazzycom
 
Recorded on 4/29/2026

Those Characters From Cleveland, which first launched in 1981, was the character development division at American Greetings. Tasked with licensing existing greeting card characters like Holly Hobbie and Strawberry Shortcake into toys and cartoons, they quickly found success by launching new IPs like the Care Bears. But how did a company based in Cleveland, OH make such a large impact on children’s media during the 1980s? On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien detail how American Greetings and TCFC took a bottom up approach to IP development. They discuss how TCFC lost an early legal battle over Strawberry Shortcake’s copyright, how TCFC designed the Care Bears to break into the 40% of the plush market held by teddy bears, and how several TCFC franchises loosely connect to the Victorian-inspired consumer aesthetic known as Soft Countriana. 
 
Links:
Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/silentgeneration/those-characters-from-cleveland/ 
Throughout the Decades - American Greetings History
Barbi Sargent and Strawberry Shortcake
Barbi Sargent’s design vs Muriel Fahrion’s design 
Sargent v. American Greetings Corp., 588 F. Supp. 912 (N.D. Ohio 1984)
History of the Care Bears by Chris Buchner
The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (w/ Terri Mitchell)
The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (1983)
The Care Bears Movie (1985)
Cleveland’s Greetings by Clair McNear
The Bear Truth by Colleen Smitek
The Rise and Fall of Care Bears: Why It Was Cancelled At Its Peak
The Calculated History of The Care Bears
Potential New Cleveland RTA Rail System Map
Artwork:
Strawberry Shortcake and the Care Bears: Best of Friends Sweepstakes 1980s Ad
 
Recorded on 4/23/2026

Soft Countriana is a consumer aesthetic that flourished from the 1970s to early 1990s that is composed of pastels, country geese, storybook creatures, and homages to the Victorian era. It describes the aesthetic that was most popular amongst “conservative grandmas in the 1980s,” though it broadly appealed to suburban women of all ages. The aesthetic was popularized by brands such as Laura Ashley, Hallmark, Paula Vaughan, and Gunne Sax.
 
On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan is joined by Evan Collins, the founder of the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute, who first identified Soft Countriana in June 2022. The two begin by theorizing what type of consumer the aesthetic most appealed to and why it first emerged. They then survey the aesthetic’s common motifs before taking a deeper look at the British lifestyle brand Laura Ashley. The episode concludes with a discussion about whether the contemporary aesthetic cottagecore drew inspiration from Soft Countriana.
 
Links:
Soft Countriana Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/silentgeneration/soft-countriana/
Evan’s Soft Countriana Are.na: https://www.are.na/evan-collins-1522646491/soft-countriana
Evan’s Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute Patreon page
Evan’s Instagram
Evan’s Bluesky
Soft Countriana Aesthetic’s Wiki Page
Gay Nineties Revival CARI Page
The Gay Nineties: An Album of Reminiscent Drawings by R. V. Culter 
Gaggleville Goose Outfits
The Talking Mother Goose ad
Inside Laura Ashley: How Britain's Fashion Empire Was Built and Lost
The Enduring Appeal of Laura Ashley by Amanda Fortini
Small Firm Design by Paula Rice Jackson (SF county store article)
Is Little house on the prairie cottagecore?
 
Artwork:
The Romance of Paula Vaughan by Anne Childs (1993)
 
Recorded on 3/8/2026

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration
 
For roughly seven decades from 1790 to 1855, water transportation was the dominant form of transportation in the United States. This week’s episode of Silent Generation begins with an examination of one of the most important pieces of infrastructure that enabled it to be so prosperous, the Erie Canal. Nathan and Sebastien then detail waterways that enable freight shipping to remain competitive in the present day like the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Mississippi River. They then transition to discussing what they like about passenger ferry services like the Staten Island Ferry, NYC Ferry, and the Chicago Water Taxi. The episode concludes with a debate about why urbanists don’t typically care about water transportation, and whether urban waterways can be used for purposes other than recreation. 
 
Links:
Sebastien’s Survey of Old Erie Canal
The Erie Canal - American History Hit
Low Bridge, Everybody Down
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan
The End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan
The Port of Chicago is not just a scar on the city’s shoreline and a threat to the environment. It’s a drag on economic growth by John Lippert
Ferry Travel in the 21st Century by James Gilcher
NYC Ferry Map
Big Changes Coming to NYC Ferry
Chicago Water Taxi
Where did all of the American Canals go? - Alan Fisher
 
Artwork:
Washington State ferry, 1960's
 
Recorded on 3/30/2026

In the summer of 2023, Joseph and I were having a conversation in Podlasie Club about different generational attitudes toward ultraprocessed food. We shared anecdotes about how boomers in our personal lives had little to no reservations about consuming them, while the generation above the boomers had a healthy degree of skepticism and preferred home-cooked food. Joseph uttered the phrase “reject your parents, embrace your grandparents.” I quickly realized that the generation he advocated embracing was the Silent Generation, and the term began buzzing in my head. 
I had only known Joseph for a couple of months at that point, but we had amazing conversational chemistry and kept discovering that we admired many of the same things: public transit, cities, architecture, menswear, and aesthetics. He was even wearing his Crystal Castles long sleeve tee that night at Podlasie Club, which ended up being the third topic we did together and our all time most downloaded episode. I asked him to start the podcast with me after I realized that the worldview we shared was something that needed to be disseminated and preserved.
The Silent Generation worldview is one that is predicated on decline. If you look at the health of American cities compared to 100 years ago, you will find that the reliability of public transit systems, walkability of neighborhoods, vibrancy of downtowns, and quality of architecture have all diminished over the last century. Cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and St. Louis saw their populations fall by more than half. While Chicago has fared better than much of the rest of the Midwest, we are still in many ways a shadow of our former self, having lost a million people from our peak in 1950. 
This decline can be attributed to car-oriented development in the mid-20th century. Urban neighborhoods were razed for the construction of interstate highways, and suburban lifestyles became synonymous with the American way of life. Prior urbanists have already elucidated how car-oriented lifestyles lead to lower life expectancies, decreased financial stability, and atomization. But Silent Generation is amongst the first projects to explore the cultural effects of suburbanization, to look at the cultural practices of prior generations and examine what has been lost through the lens of urbanism. 
As a podcast, we aim to not only identify what has been lost since the mid-century, but to offer solutions in the present day: subcultures, secular social movements, and moral codes. Each involves the identification of values within oneself and a conscious effort to engage with the wider world. We aim to teach listeners to be citizens instead of consumers, and to value their communities as participants in public life. Silent Generation has now reached 100 episodes, but there is still more to explore.
 
Links:
Silent Generation Zine Vol. 1Silent Generation Podcast Listener Submission Form
 
Artwork:Designed by Nathan
 
Recorded on 4/2/2026

Pictureplane, real name Travis Egedy, is a musician, artist, and fashion designer who popularized the term “witch house” in a 2009 interview with Pitchfork Magazine. In this follow up episode to Ep. 89: Witch House, Nathan and Breanna interview Pictureplane about his contributions to witch house and his involvement with early internet aesthetics as a whole. They ask him about what his Myspace page looked like, how he got to know Zombelle, and how the music video for Goth Star got filmed. The episode concludes with a discussion of Pictureplane’s most recent album, Sex Distortion. 
 
Links:
Pictureplane - Instagram Page 
https://pictureplane.bandcamp.com/
https://shop.alienbody.com/
Real Is A Feeling by Pictureplane 
Gothstar by Pictureplane
Glowing Wounds by Pictureplane
Sex Distortion (Spectral Passion) by Pictureplane
Heaven is a State of Mind by Pictureplane
RE/Search Publications
Industrial Culture Handbook
Runaway Today
Bukake is a Feeling by Zombelle
2011 Chicago Tumblr basement photo
greeknewmediashit 
Photorhabdus luminescens (Angel’s glow)
 
Artwork:
Pictureplane on His Haunting New Album and His Favorite Horror Imagery by Tobias Carroll
 
Recorded on 1/7/2026

“Rockabilly” is a portmanteau of the words “rock” and “hillbilly” that originally described a subgenre of rock and roll music in the 1950s. This week’s episode of Silent Generation focuses on the rockabilly subculture: a modern interpretation of rockabilly that combines 1950s nostalgia with alternative staples like hair dye, piercings, and tattoos. Nathan and Sebastien start out by discussing traditional rockabilly music that was popularized by the likes of Elvis Presley, Janis Martin, and Wanda Jackson. The two then theorize why people are drawn to the rockabilly subculture and identify what characteristics they share. They then detail rockabilly fashion before concluding with a discussion about rockabilly values and whether or not those values still feel transgressive.
 
Links:
Rockabillies Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/silentgeneration/rockabillies/ 
The Best of Rockabilly Playlist
Bang Bang by Janis Martin
Fujiyama Mama by Wanda Jackson
Rockabilly - Aesthetics Wiki Page
Rockabilly resurgence: A rocking revival in the 90s by 034zakia.bessaa2008
What Is Rockabilly Style? Everything You Wanted To Know by Bonnie
It's a Rockabilly World (2016)
Guys Episode 37 - Rockabilly Guys with Brace Belden
Reviving the 1950s - Exploring Tokyo’s Rockabilly Culture by Melanie Gelo
Nothing to Worry About by Peter Bjorn and John
Viva Las Vegas
VLV 25 Car Show
LisaTV @ the Rockabilly Convention
Rockabilly Duo: Your Scene Sucks
Child of Rockabilly Couple Constantly Wondering What the Fuck Is Going On by Keith Buckley
Drake Bell Made a Rockabilly Album?
r/Rockabilly
Is Rockabilly alive and well or is it a dying culture?
”Rockabilly” on Google Trends
Ep. 68: Historical Dressing & Reenactment
 
Artwork:
Rockabilly women, featuring Sailor Jassie
 
Recorded on 3/23/2026

Art Deco is an art and design style relevant from the 1920s to 1930s that is best characterized by its use of metallic colors, geometric patterns, futuristic forms, and references to ancient civilizations. It is the most celebrated of all of the design styles that can be grouped under Interwar Modernism, but what makes it so popular? On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien begin by charting Art Deco’s emergence in France to its eventual dissemination at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. They then detail two Art Deco skyscrapers (the Carbide & Carbon Building and the Guardian Building) before delving into a conversation about Art Deco and American identity. The episode rounds out with an analysis of Art Deco in three pieces of media: Bioshock (2007), Nightmare Alley (2021), and Metropolis (1927).
 
Links:
Art Deco Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/silentgeneration/art-deco/ 
Art Deco of the 20s and 30s by Bevis Hillier (1968) 
Art Deco Architecture: Everything You Need to Know as the Style Turns 100 by By Katherine McLaughlin and Elizabeth Stamp
Art Deco: Everything You Wanted to Know 
Ep. 110: Consumer Aesthetics Research Podcast w/ Evan Collins
A History - Vienna Secession
Secession Building 
Stoclet Palace
Carbide and Carbon Building
The History of The Guardian Building: An Art Deco Landmark
Lobby murals at Buffalo City Hall
Sen̓áḵw
Bioshock (2007)
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Metropolis (1927)
North & Pulaski 
 
Artwork:
The "Spirit of Light" sculpture on the Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse, NY
 
Recorded on 3/16/2026

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan and Sebastien explore the early development of skyscrapers in Chicago, beginning with the construction of the Home Insurance Building in 1885. They note that nine early Chicago skyscrapers have been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Site status and examine two in depth: the Monadnock Building and the Auditorium Building. The episode also traces the life of Louis Sullivan, whose tripartite theory shaped skyscraper design for generations. Finally, they examine several early skyscrapers in Sebastien’s hometown of Buffalo, New York (the Guaranty Building, the Ellicott Square Building, and the Dun Building) before debating the extent to which skyscrapers are monuments to capital.
 
Links:
Skyscraper | Encyclopedia Britannica 
Early Chicago Skyscrapers (UNESCO)
The Monadnock’s original Egyptian Revival facade
The Chicago Auditorium, an Architectural Pride
Center for New Deal Studies 
The World's Tallest buildings in 1930
It looks like a fairy tale city, perhaps the Emerald City or smth like that [Historical photo of the Chicago Loop]
Artwork:
Guaranty Building, 1895 Church and Pearl Streets, Buffalo (NY, USA). Dankmar Adler et Louis Sullivan, architectes. © Wayne Andrews / Esto
 
Recorded on 3/2/2026