
Gina Gershon Survives The San Fernando Valley
From The (Mostly) 80s Music Podcast: What Difference Does It Make? by Dave Sloan and Holly Cantos
May 1, 2026 · 39 min · Season 15 · Episode 15
About this episode
Gina Gershon discusses her memoir and experiences growing up in the San Fernando Valley during the '80s.
Growing up in the San Fernando Valley meant something very different depending on who you ask. For Holly and Dave, it's a place of warm memories and deep roots. For Gina Gershon? It was somewhere she couldn't wait to leave, and leaving turned out to be the best thing she ever did.Gina joins us to talk about her memoir, AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs, a candid and wildly entertaining look at coming of age in the '80s, finding her voice, and building a career on her own terms. We get into standing up for yourself, the art of the strategic fib when auditioning, and the moment her real story began; the moment she escaped.And yes, there are rock and roll stories. Bob Dylan. Lou Reed. Prince. You'll want to hear these.We sit down with Gina Gershon for a conversation that's equal parts nostalgia, survival story, and Hollywood memoir gold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Hosts: Holly Cantos, Dave Sloan
Guest: Gina Gershon
Topics covered
- memoir
- 80s nostalgia
- Hollywood
- coming of age
- survival story
- auditioning
Keywords
- Gina Gershon
- San Fernando Valley
- memoir
- 80s
- Hollywood
- auditioning
- survival
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs
Places: San Fernando Valley
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