In this important announcement, Joseph shares his plans to leave Silent Generation and Nathan shares his plans to continue it. The podcast will relaunch in two to three months with a new co-host that is familiar to the community. Nathan also shares that he is open to adding other regular contributors, and that a Discord member named Juniper is going to make a commemorative zine for the first iteration of the podcast.

Links:

Nathan’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathan_knize/

Silent Generation’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silent.generation/

Recorded on 12/3/2025

Nevada (also known as Nevadastyles on Instagram) is a hair artist from New York City who has lived a bicoastal lifestyle for the last half decade. For the majority of that time she has lived and worked in both New York City and Los Angeles, but her career as a hair artist has brought her all over the world. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, she joins Nathan for a conversation about why she and other creatives aspire to live bicoastal lifestyles. They begin with a conversation about the pros and cons of New York City and Los Angeles, focusing on key geographic and cultural differences. Nathan then argues that the rise of bicoastal living represents the latest stage in the elite’s drift toward rootlessness and cosmopolitanism, a pattern described by Christopher Lasch in The Revolt of the Elites. The episode concludes with a discussion about whether having roots (and not being bicoastal) is a status symbol and the common traits shared by big city natives.

Links:

@nevadastyles - Instagram Profile

https://www.nevadaraffaele.com/

New Data Tool and Research Show Where People Move as Young Adults by

Nathaniel Hendren, Sonya R. Porter and Ben Sprung-Keyser

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan

The Revolt of the Elites by Christopher Lasch

The messy, viral fight over America's fourth 'major' city by Tessa Mclean

What are the 4 major US cities? The internet can't decide. Vote for your picks by Melina Khan

Artwork:

New York 1971 by Hans-Peter Balfanz

CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Boyle Heights, 1979 by John Humble

Recorded on 11/19/2025

Adult contemporary is a radio format and marketing category originally created by Billboard magazine. It has encompassed many genres, starting with easy listening in the 1960s. What could be considered adult contemporary changed over the decades as genres like rock and roll and electronic music grew older, and older listeners found their sounds more palatable. But what does “adult contemporary” mean, and why do the songs that get grouped into the category appeal to adults so much?

This week’s episode of Silent Generation focuses on adult contemporary music in the 1990s and 2000s. Joseph and Nathan begin by outlining the history of the radio format before discussing the common features of adult contemporary songs. They then review the music of U2, Vanessa Carlton, The Verve, Zero 7, Ivy, and After. The episode concludes with a discussion of what happened to adult contemporary, focusing on why the radio format no longer has a distinct sound.

Links:

Adult Contemporary Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/…

Adult Contemporary Music Guide: What Is Adult Contemporary?

The Adult Contemporary Billboard Chart

When Rock Bands Become Adult Contemporary (part 1) by Eduard Banulescu

90s Adult Contemporary - Totally 80s and 90s Recall

Clocks by Coldplay

Beautiful Day by U2

A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton

Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve

Destiny by Zero 7

Disappointed by Ivy

Deep Diving by After

Most craziest American Idol contestant ever, Mary Roach

U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere

The Story of 'A Thousand Miles' by Vanessa Carlton

White Chicks (2004) - A Thousand Miles Terry Crews Scene

The greatest songwriting theft of all time - David Hartly

Ivy Talks Making the Seminal Y2K Dreampop LP ‘Long Distance’ by Myke Dodge Weiskopf

Meet After, the L.A. Duo Making Y2k-Inspired Pop That Feels Like Right Now by Jeff Ihaza

You’re deep diving - @aftertheband

Gen X Soft Club - CARI page

List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 2025

Adult Contemporary 100 week of 11/09/2025

Where Have All the Adult Contemporary Artists Gone? - Daniel Montoya Jr.

Artwork:

U2 at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, Summer 2000

Recorded on 11/12/2025

Prior episodes of Silent Generation have focused on secular social movements that emerged around the turn of the 20th century. Fraternities technically predate this era, but they occupy a similar niche, and Joseph shares an important connection to them as a former fraternity brother. Why did they first emerge, and why do universities continue to tolerate them on campus?

This week’s episode of Silent Generation addresses those questions. The boys begin with a survey of the history of fraternities and related groups (social fraternities, professional organizations, secret societies, and fraternal orders). They then discuss commonalities between fraternities, the architectural characteristics of fraternity houses, the prevalence of hazing and hazing deaths, and the 1978 sex comedy Animal House.

Links:

Fraternity by Alexandra Robins

The Founding of the North-American Fraternity and Sorority System

Fraternity and Sorority

Mies van der Rohe’s Forgotten Frat House Design Is Resurrected and Repurposed by Lauren Moya Ford

The Sorority Quad at Northwestern University by Fran Becque

Join HOTEL KAPPA for PC ‘25! - #RushTok

IN DG WE TRUST: Empowering Community Engagement - #RushTok

Lorax - #Sorority - #RushTok

Mr. Bobinsky Halloween Costume Tik Tok Video

It's Time for Congress to Ban Fraternities—Sororities, Too by Matt Robinson

Here’s how much more money you could make just from joining a frat by Yoni Blumberg

Why Colleges Tolerate Fraternities

Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life (2024)

My son was blindfolded, led to the basement and left to die on a couch by Ruth Bashinsky

Animal House (1978)

Gay History of Men’s Fraternities

Image archive of the Theta Chi chapter at Penn State University

Artwork:

Theta Chi of Penn State - Spring 1988 Initiation

Recorded on 11/5/2025

The United States once had the best public transportation system in the world. Private companies built subway, elevated, interurban, trolley, and long distance train lines with passenger service in mind. But as the automobile rose in popularity, ridership declined, and the country’s transit systems eventually became publicly run.

But what made privately owned rail during that era so great, and what does modern private passenger service look like? On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan begin by detailing some of the things that were better about the Chicago ‘L’ 100 years ago: more stations, more express service, and better frequency. They then talk about Brightline and JR Railways before examining how those companies invest in real estate to increase profits. The episode concludes with a discussion about privately owned freight rail and how Class I railroads are poorly managed.

Links:

The Lost Subways of North America by Jake Berman

New York Subway Operator Life 1980s vs 90s vs Today

chicago-l.org

Ridership Reports - Performance metrics - CTA

Why Chicago's Express Train Isn't Really Express - Car Free Keith

Car 553

First new private rail passenger service in over 100 years by Terry Spencer and Daniel Kozin

Killer Train by Brittany Wallman, Aaron Leibowitz and Shradha Dinesh

Killer Train Podcast

Brightline rolls out expanded services from Orlando to Miami by Jaclyn Harold

High Speed Rail in Florida and the History of Brightline - Alan Fisher

Brightline West

Las Vegas doesn't have a purpose anymore as the designated area for American vices

How Japan Builds Suburbs That Don't Suck - Car Free Keith

Why Japanese Railways Win - Wendover Productions

Japan Kept A Train Running For Years Just For One Girl, The Inspiring Story Will Move You by Nikhil Pandey

Should Amtrak be Privatized? by Car Free Keith

Katrina: Come Hell or High Water

Freight Rail Overview - US Department of Transportation

How America's Largest Railroads are Ruining our Supply Chains - Alan Fisher

US rail companies grant paid sick days after public pressure in win for unions by Steven Greenhouse

Artwork:

Jamaica Ave El

Recorded on 10/12/2025