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October 22, 2004Friday's Missive: The 80s...it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Let me begin with a few notes. If you made it through that last screed, God Bless You. Simply put, I had to get that off my chest. In other news, to whichever reader that's never met me but sent me the "halitosis" email, to which I jokingly referred yesterday, HA HA VERY FUNNY. Okay, on with the missive. Maybe it's because I've only been bothering people since 1981, but I am utterly convinced that the "80s" have few redeeming qualities. Verbal expressions like "Fresh" and "Cool" were abundant. So were pleated stone-washed jeans, and neon, and bad hair, and Olivia Newton John. Reagan ruled the land, and Bobby Brown declared it was "his prerogative". So I ask, what made the 80s so great? What made them not-so-great? Quite frankly, I think we could have skipped them all. Comments Posted by: Joe from Jersey at October 22, 2004 6:55 AM Best of Times - Reagan Worst of Times - Reagan getting shot Posted by: Glen at October 22, 2004 7:14 AM Music was still good! Kids spent hours and hours in their basements, practicing on their instuments, trying to be the best that they could be. Heavy Metal Ruled! Soul singers knew what it meant to be a man! Via the Simpsons, sung to the tune of the All in the Family theme: Michael Jackson stll was black; those were the daaaaaaaaays! Posted by: Steven J. Kelso Sr. at October 22, 2004 7:22 AM I can't remember much good that came out of the 80s. My mom recently sent me my yearbooks from high school. The years are 1987-1990. It truly was terrifying looking at some of those pictures. I think one of the worst things for me was all the hair spray. I plastered my 'do' to my head my freshman year of high school. I don't use hair spray much at all anymore. Other things I remember that were good, bad or indifferent -- Forenza sweaters, leg warmers (very bad), Rubik's Cube, Izod shirts with the collar turned up, all those alternative rock groups which seem tame now - The Cure, Depeche Mode, etc., Duran Duran. That's all I can think of now. Blessings Posted by: Meredith at October 22, 2004 7:23 AM what made the 80's so great? How about parachute pants,imitation Michael Jackson jackets and penny loafers. Mcgyver,the A team,Dukes of hazzard and Dynasty. The 80's gave us ET,Breakin,poltergiest,purple rain and she's gotta have it. MICHAEL JORDAN and Dominique Wilkens. Steffi Graf. A tribe called quest and Pete rock and cl smooth,Mikki Howard and LUFFA VANDROSS. The collapse of communism. oh man,those were the days. The only not so great about the 80's is that the decade ended. Posted by: Eric at October 22, 2004 7:36 AM Reagan, classic tv like A-Team, Knight Rider, Dallas, and the Dukes of Hazzard. GI Joe and Transformers. Go Rampant Patriotism! Posted by: Jeff the Baptist at October 22, 2004 8:06 AM Good stuff: slap bracelets, darn i miss those. Bad stuff: STD's, troll dolls Posted by: spencer at October 22, 2004 8:23 AM Battle cats,He-man and inspector gadget. the 80's was also the decade, that the british royals began to entertain the world, like no other dysfunctional family had done since the De Medici's Posted by: Eric at October 22, 2004 8:53 AM Saturday morning cartoons. Some folks have forgotten what it was like to have to rely on "just" network television. But I don't. Every Saturday morning, I'd eat a stack of Dad's pancakes, then rush to the living room, flop on the couch, flip on the TV, and watch Saturday morning 'toons until about noon, when all the stations started showing fishing shows. Nowadays, we have cookie-cutter 'toons made in Korea and Japan available from finer cable and sattelite stations everywhere. Weekend editions of the Today show now fill in the Saturday morning slot. But back in the day, we had Saturday morning 'toons. And to a 5-year-old, nothing much else mattered. Posted by: Chadster at October 22, 2004 9:24 AM I miss the catepiller like eyebrows on all the Soviet Politburo members. Posted by: joe from jersey at October 22, 2004 9:38 AM see, here's the thing that i associate with the 80's: a sort of slow head-shaking, begrudging acknowledgement of the silly behavior that took place therein. i was 13 in 1989, old enough to know better than to wear what i was wearing. still, i persisted in the pursuit of my wretched "coolness." but, at the same time, the fact that this time existed is for me a sort of check. in other words, i can go to the gap today, spend $200 and hit the street looking and acting as fresh as i can--but the fact that the 80's existed so recently tells me that my efforts are likely to be in vain. the whole decade is a sort of ecclesiastes-esque counterbalance to the present. on the other hand, dc Talk's eponymous debut came out in the late 80's. that counts for something, right? anyone else have this tape? anyone? no? just me? oh. Posted by: brenton at October 22, 2004 11:37 AM Brenton: It's just you ;-) As far as Christian music was concerned, worst of the 80s? Three words: Long live Petra. Gahhhh, reading this stuff is insane. Izod shirts? Hey aren't those back? Troll dolls! Ew, Dallas! "Dominique Wilkins??" A lonnnnnng time ago, I used to have a poster of him on my wall wearing some really short shorts. Chadster: you are oh so right. I totally miss my Saturday morning cartoons. ON top of that, the cartoons out today are really made for adults. I'll add this to this: The Cosby Show Posted by: Ambra Nykol at October 22, 2004 11:55 AM Oh, and would you believe I barely even remember the reaction when Reagan got shot? I can't even imagine...maybe it was because I lived in a Democrat household. Joe from the JO: Add Madonna to the "not so hot" side of the 80s. That chick was never fly to me. Steven: I concurr. The black Michael Jackson was a credit to the 80s. Posted by: Ambra Nykol at October 22, 2004 12:02 PM I have blogged about 80s music a handful of times, and I always get nostalgic responses from thirtysomething moms like me. Like the Bowling for Soup song, some of us are stuck in "1985". I would not want to go back to high school. Those were certainly not the highlight of my life. But I had a lot less responsibility then, and sometimes the selfish side of me misses that. What was so great about the 80s? I was younger then, that's what. Staci Posted by: Staci at October 22, 2004 12:07 PM Ambra: Re: "Madonna" she was hot back then, now she's just nasty. Now I'm feeling really old! I bought my very first cassette tape in 1984 (6th grade) its was..FOOTLOOSE the soundtrack. Posted by: joe from jersey at October 22, 2004 12:16 PM What was great about the 80s? Magnum P. I., the Commodore 64, and synth pop music that bands are still trying to copy. What more could anyone ask? Posted by: Scott McClare at October 22, 2004 12:30 PM Worst of times: "Finding myself." Best of times: Losing myself and finding God. (Theologians will properly point out that it is He who found me, not the other way around. I will not disagree.) Posted by: Linda at October 22, 2004 12:33 PM Ambra, I not only remember the reaction to Reagan getting shot, I also recall exactly where I was -- Pic-a-Taco restaurant in San Marcos, TX. Posted by: Glen at October 22, 2004 12:35 PM If it makes you feel any better, Ambra: I'm older than you, grew up in a Republican household, and I still don't remember Reagan getting shot :( That's before my awareness of politics. Posted by: Sarah Schreffler at October 22, 2004 1:40 PM Hard Rockin' Music!! Thats what made the 80's great (minus the hair of course). Posted by: Ray Phelps at October 22, 2004 1:42 PM Hey, I STILL have the hair! Add Prince to the list, he was the 80's Quincy Jones, everywhere! Posted by: Steven J. Kelso Sr. at October 22, 2004 2:17 PM The music. Men at Work, Camper Van Beethoven, Joy Division, so many more. Music now is mostly crap. MTV actually played music videos, which were actually somewhat creative and interesting. Besides Reagan being shot, anyone remember the Challenger blowing up? I was in the Marine Corps at the time; I happened to be cleaning films in a library while waiting for my MOS school to start and saw it live. Posted by: Phaedrus at October 22, 2004 2:47 PM Best of Times: U2's Joshua Tree Worst of Times: Aqua Net bangs Posted by: Lori at October 22, 2004 3:13 PM A couple things: Ambra, you don't remember Reagan getting shot for a reason besides living in a Democratic household...you weren't born yet. I used to watch the Dukes of Hazzard too, but I'm a little confused at myself now. I thought a car named the General Lee, with a confederate flag on it was cool? *shakes head*. But Daisy makes up for that. GOOD BAD Posted by: avery at October 22, 2004 3:34 PM Good things about the 80's It wasn't the 70's Even better It wasn't the 60's Best ao all. Ambra began bothering people Posted by: hank_F_H at October 22, 2004 7:56 PM Wow, since I've been bothering people since 1977, I guess the 80s pretty much sum up the entirety of my childhood (that I can actually remember). I have so many 80s memories... I don't even know where to begin! I do remember stonewashed denim with pleats (eeuw!), ratted BIG hair for men and women and boys and girls (eeuwww!), tight-rolling my jeans (really eeuw!), tying my T-shirts in knots on the side of my waist, wearing side pony-tails, BIG earrings, neon EVERYTHING, flipped-up collars, black rubber bracelets worn by the hundreds (which I am seeing again on teenagers), crimping my hair, seeing women wear neon blue eyeliner, tacky "puffed sleeved" formal dresses, Michael Jackson's hair catching on fire, The Go-Go's, Bananarama, Wham! (my skin just crawled), Pat Benetar, Duran Duran, The Police, Peter Gabriel, The "A-Team", Karate Kid, Princess Bride, E.T., Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake, Carebears, "My Little Pony's," "Light Bright's," slap bracelets, snap-beads, Pogo-balls, cassette tapes (before CDs, of course), Debbie Gibson (eeuw... that is SO a cheesy white-girl obsession from the 80s... and yes... I am guilty), Milli Vanilli (who I saw in concert, by the way... NO joke), etc., etc., etc. That is fun and funny to reminisce about the 80s because it was completely tacky, but some of the BEST music came from the 80s... in my opinion. I think the reason why I believe that is because 80s music reminds me of my childhood and I loved my childhood. It is full of incredible memories. I've been blessed. :) Posted by: Janna at October 22, 2004 9:27 PM Oh yeah... AND Atari. I guess I should say Nintendo too because the original one came out back then. "Super Mario Brothers" anyone? Or how about "Duck Hunt?" ;) Posted by: Janna at October 22, 2004 9:30 PM Good or bad? You'll have to decide for yourself... Hershel Walker playing college football, MTV changing the landscape of the music industry, Roxanne (both by the Police and by Eddie Murphy in 48 Hours), Rubics Cubes, formatting a term paper for the first time on a Mac instead of a typewriter (or the workstation at school), Purple Rain, the space shuttle returning, Michael getting 63, Magic and Larry and the rest of the Dream Team all coming into the NBA (except for Christian, of course- he was still a pup), Pringles, The Sugar Hill Gang (O.K.- that was 79, but who is really keeping track)and Midnight Star, Dallas vs. Dynasty, The "Prep" and the "Snake", The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Grover Washington Jr., that Flock of Seagulls dude's hair (o.k.- that was definitely bad), Karl Lewis (even if he is wierd), Miss Jackson (if you're nasty), and cable. Of course there is more, but that was high school and college years for me and there is some memory loss (some self induced and some just age.) Posted by: Marty at October 23, 2004 5:59 PM What made the 80's so special? They weren't the 70's! The seventies were great for teens and college waifs, I won't elaborate. But for someone trying to feed their famliy or put gasoline in their car, the 70's were what deocrats too often refer to as a "quagmire". I hated disco but the 70's is the last time music was heard in a true form, sin country of course, which endures today. Those in the seventies recall that the enviro nuts were then preaching about the next ice age. The best part about the eighties is the enviro nuts became optomists. Now they predict warm tropical weather for all! Posted by: Vanyogan at October 24, 2004 11:52 AM Good memories from the 80s: Rick Astley (great voice and really cute), my first mascara - teal colored, picking up surfer words like gnarly and radical from my cousin from southern California, being introduced to country music in the form of Randy Travis, Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, bright-colored clothing, elementary school roller-skating activity with Michael Jackson music videos playing on the big screen Bad memories from the 80s: gratuitous drug use in comedic movies, Communist oppression in eastern Europe, Iran-Contra affair, bangs-to-the-sky, power suits for women (along with the twin abominations of high-heeled pumps and mandatory nylons) Posted by: Cath at October 25, 2004 1:30 AM The only bad thing about the 80s? White women who are STILL doing mall bangs with loads of hair spray. Other than that, what a great time to grow up and be in college...before aids, but still impacted by John Belushi and the boys of Delta House. ...experiencing the end of the cold war (and the subsequent relief in very real fear that many of us felt at the possibility of global thermonuclear warfare (popular 80s phrase). Great 80s moments? The Berlin Wall coming down and the death of communism stand pretty high on my list. Catz Posted by: catzmeow at October 26, 2004 7:59 AM It seems to me based on a lot of the things people have said that the 80s gave birth to some not-so-good stuff. I'm still gonna go with "worst of times" Marty: Good ones. Ferris Bueller's Day off is a cult-classic. That movie gets referenced in my office on a semi-daily basis. Janna: You saw Milli Vanilli in concert? I'm jealous. Did I mention I own one of their CDs? Yeah, that's a confession. Anyway, you are clearly a child of the 80s. That lonnnnng list of yours is PROOF! Hank: Best thing was I was born? A Christmas present is promised to you! Linda: Now finding God is certainly a fond memory to look back on. Posted by: Ambra Nykol at October 26, 2004 1:46 PM Best Music: Alternative to AOR to New Wave, Asia to Ziggy The 80s had many, many one-hit wonders, good & bad, but at least the scene was vibrant. These days, I may be older, but the fare is just plain forgetable. Other Goldies: Ninja vs Hurricane, Katana vs Interceptor, Harley revival. Danny/Randy White, Randall Cunningham, Herschel Walker, Too Tall Jones. Bird, Magic, Issac. Arnuld - Terminator, Harrison - Blade Runner, Bob Geldof - The Wall, Mel gibson - Road Warrior. Pin-striped Levis 501s, deck shoes, parachute pants. The Gipper, Gorby, Solidarnost, Prestroika, The Wall coming down Other Downers: Big hair, jerry curls. Reagan getting shot; Read my lips. Most movie sequels. Michael Jackson jackets. A lot of other stuff best left in the dustbins of history. Posted by: Andy at October 27, 2004 8:58 PM I saw Milli Vanilli in concert too. Once on the CLUB MTV tour with Paula Abdul and another time with Seduction and Young MC (Bust a Move!) My aunt saw Milli Vanilli in concert too and she said that she would have left thinking they had actually sang if they hadn't pulled these two girls from the audience and started making out with them while the music was still playing. 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 "...playful philosophizing" Dan Leroy, National Review Online
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President Reagan, Madonna (when she could sing, looked good, and didn't have a British accent), RUN-DMC's "Rock Box", my blue fat laces on my Nike's, and that great sheepskin, stonewashed jean jacket I saved all my money for!!
Discovering @ age 12 that I am a Republican.