This year "Independence" means something a bit more serious than fireworks and parades. Not since the early 1770's have we found our rights and freedoms so seriously challenged. We address that perilous threat in an updated version ofour George Washington episode. These are frightening, angry times, but we see hope in the massive and peaceful "No Kings" protests, where "We the People" showed a remarklable spirit of community, civility, and solidarity. That is the Mission of OURGENPOD. Listen to ...
Jul 03, 2025•36 min•Ep. 27
This episode, originally aired during the holidays and before the horrendous fires ravaged Los Angeles where we live, is about Friendship. It is told in the voices of our listeners and guests. It is striking how much of what people said about Friendship is so relevant right now, as friends and neighbors reach out to help, and there is an outpouring of donations of food, clothing and money to help those hit by this disaster.
Jan 10, 2025•37 min•Ep. 26
A sampler of our upcoming episode, "Woodstock through the eyes of an Ingenue"
Dec 04, 2024•2 min•Ep. 26
In this special Thanksgiving Episode, Host Julian G. Simmons interviews our Director, Rob Wilson -- who had eight ancestors on the Mayflower. They discuss the origins of this holiday in a very personal way, Just for this episode, Julian allowed Director Rob Wilson to share some of the knowledge gathered by his Grandmother, Carol Green Wilson.
Nov 25, 2024•44 min•Ep. 25
As we return to our series on Friendship after a brief hiatus, we talk about our animal friends and the value they bring to our lives. A recurring them that came up in comments submitted from guests, friends, and listeners about what friendship means to them, was he importance pets were in their lives. That's certainly true for us. "Pets" doesn’t even seem like the right word, as to many people, including those of us at OURGENPOD, animals are part of the family. For people without children, they...
Apr 17, 2024•50 min•Ep. 24
This episode invites you to join us as we discover a gem in the heart of Los Angeles -- what may well be the model for conquering the "Epidemic of Loneliness" that is quietly gnawing away at the happiness and longevity of our generation. The Wallis Annenberg GENSPACE is a remarkable place. This is not our parent's "Senior Center" -- the very phrase is anathema to most of us. But we were truly blown away by our experience there -- based on extensive research and planning, GENSPACE is model for th...
Nov 06, 2023•43 min•Ep. 23
In the first of our new series on FRIENDSHIP, we hear from an old friend and therapist, Lee Armstrong. Friendship has been called a key to not only our happiness as we age, but our mental and physical health. As we face an "epidemic of loneliness" in America, we hope this series will help find some solutions.
Jun 22, 2023•31 min•Ep. 22
We started this podcast with the slogan "By, For, and About Baby Boomers." But we soon realized that these generational divisions are hurting all of us. We're still coming from the perspective of people 55+ -- like us -- but we ALL need to work together. In this episode, Host Julian G. Simmons talks with Professor Bobby Duffy, Author of "The Generation Myth," who argues it's time to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms -- TOGETHER ....
Mar 27, 2023•45 min•Ep. 21
This episode hits back at a pernicious phenomenon that hurts all of us -- AGEISM. Leading expert on Ageism and Author of the no-nonsense book "This Chair Rocks" ASHTON APPLEWHITE exposes this insidious social sickness and how we can cure it...starting with ourselves.
Jan 31, 2023•55 min•Ep. 20
In this special Halloween Episode, Host Julian G. Simmons brings back the dead....or their spirits, anyway, as we learn the Aztec traditions that are the origins of the Mexican "Dia de los Muertos" celebration. This Episode was originally aired in 2022.
Oct 30, 2022•48 min•Ep. 18
In This Episode, Julian talks with Eliot Schrefer, author of "Queer Ducks (and Other Animals)" the new breakthrough book on sexual behavior in the Natural World ... and it's probably not what you think it is. Eliot reveals some social behavior among our cousins, the apes, that we might do well to imitate.
Oct 08, 2022•45 min•Ep. 17
In Part Two of our interview with Dr. Shepherd Siegel, Host Julian G. Simmons and Shep talk about the role of "The Trickster" in politics and culture -- and how "Disruptive Play" can help steer society back toward a more healthy place.
Aug 19, 2022•44 min•Ep. 16
In a Special Fourth of July Episode, Host Julian Simmons gives a slightly tongue-in-cheek reading of a list assembled by a fourteen-year-old George Washington, "Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation."
Jul 02, 2022•35 min•Ep. 15
In the third in our series on "The State of Civility in America," Dr. Shepherd Siegel poses the question: Can You Come Out and Play? Things are getting scary out there -- very UNcivil -- and with our Civility Series we're searching for ways to turn that downward spiral on its head. How do we redirect all that anxiety & anger into something positive? Dr. Siegel brings us something entirely different. In this first of a two-part episode, he talks about Play, and the role of the "Trickster" i...
May 03, 2022•49 min•Ep. 14
In the second of our series on "The State of Civility in America," we talk with Harvard Psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Shrand, whose new book, "Unleashing the Power of Respect," may just be the first step toward a cure for the rampant incivility that is plaguing our country.
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 13
In September of 2020 we interviewed Michael Lang, the mercurial force behind Woodstock — the cultural phenomenon that occurred on Max Yasgur’s farm in upstate New York in the summer of 1969, and had a lasting impact on Our Generation. Michael Lang died Saturday, January 8, 2022 in New York City of a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, surrounded by his family. Michael has another family that includes millions of us around the world. We were fortunate to have a chance to speak with him, and in h...
Jan 09, 2022•54 min
We launch our series on "The State of Civility in America" with a lively conversation with Catherine Ryan Hyde, New York Times Best-Selling Author of "Pay It Forward." Catherine has written 40 books, including her latest novel "Boy Underground" which was just published. The theme of civility runs through all her writing. In this conversation, she shares the insights she has gained through her writing about the qualities that can make our world a nicer place, and what we can do about the rapidly ...
Dec 22, 2021•59 min
We're entering that time when the days grow shorter, nights colder, and that moment draws near when many believe "the veil is thinnest between the living and the dead." Most of us have fun memories of Halloween, but there's more to this holiday than costumes and candy. In our latest episode, we learn about the Pagan beliefs surrounding Samhain ( pronounced "Sau-wen" ), and the roots of ancient Aztec and Mayan rites of the "Day of the Dead," or " Dia de los Muertos." In this episode, we venture b...
Oct 18, 2021•42 min•Ep. 10
In this Episode, Host Julian G. Simmons talks with one of the great drummers of our time, MICHAEL SHRIEVE. Michael has a really fascinating story to tell, about how he joined Santana at 18, played a world-shaking drum solo in front of half a million people at Woodstock '69 when he was only 20, and has managed to keep on growing as an artist for 50 years since. In many ways, Michael’s life follows the archetypal track of many of us, from wild youth to our current, more mellow stage of life. His l...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 9
In this episode, we lay back on the therapist's couch and discuss how to cope with the double whammy of COVID-19 and the continuing case of "Trump Anxiety Disorder" with the Psychologist who first diagnosed it -- Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning.
Dec 17, 2020•47 min
A visit to our local graveyard to meet up in a 100 year-old mausoleum with Adela Marquez of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which hosts not only the remains of dozens of Hollywood celebrities, but also welcomes departed souls to visit every year at the Dia de los Muertos -- the Day of the Dead.
Oct 31, 2020•39 min•Ep. 7
Host Julian Simmons talks with the visionary creator of Woodstock 1969, Michael Lang. The iconic gathering of a half-million young people with absolutely no violence moved a generation, and marked a sea change in American culture. Michael shares insight into how he managed to pull it off, and why that "Woodstock Spirit" is so vital today.
Sep 28, 2020•55 min
Continuing with "The Woodstock Episodes," host Julian G. Simmons taps into that powerful positive "Woodstock Spirit" with one of the original members of the freewheeling Hog Farm Commune that fed more than 200,000 people: Photographer, Documentarian, Humanitarian ... a a remarkable, tough lady with a heart of gold, Lisa Law.
Aug 18, 2020•37 min
talkin' 'bout Our Generation is the podcast by, for, and about Baby Boomers. In Episode Four, we continue our series, “The Woodstock Episodes,” and invite you to join the conversation as host Julian G. Simmons talks with John Morris, the Head of Production at Woodstock and also the famous "voice of calm" that held it together during the ferocious storm and general chaos that threatened to turn that massive gathering of half a million people into a historic disaster. It's a voice we could really ...
Jul 16, 2020•43 min
Part 3 of our continuing series "The Woodstock Episodes," revisiting that iconic event and the magic spirit that made it happen. This time we talk with Carol Green, a founder of "The Woodstock Nation," as well as bringing you a rare interview with the amazing, soulful, Richie Havens.
May 29, 2020•41 min
Episode 2 of "The Woodstock Episodes," with official photographer Henry Diltz, who describes his archetypal life in the Sixties music scene and his somewhat surreal experience at Woodstock.
May 01, 2020•34 min
Join Host Julian G. Simmons as he tracks with some of the key players as they make their way to Max Yasgur's farm in the Summer of '69, as the epic Woodstock Festival takes shape. All have an important role to play in the making of that historic event fifty years ago. This episode's guests include Santana drummer Michael Shrieve, Official Woodstock Photographer Henry Diltz, Hog Farm member Lisa Law, and founding member of the Woodstock Nation, Crew Cook Carol Green....
Aug 16, 2019•35 min
THIS IS OURGENPOD -- formerly "talkin bout our generation," a bold irreverent and intelligent podcast about life in America, from the perspective of people 55+ ... like us. We deal with the issues we face every day, but we don't just rant and rave. We're looking for solutions. We also have a lot of fun talking about what entertains us, what makes us happy, What makes us laugh. We share powerful, provocative human stories, talking with great writers, thinkers, and musicians. We also engage our au...
Jul 10, 2019•2 min
