The 80s

[Pony]

I often look back to the 1980s to compare things in my life of present. You see, the 80s were a special time for me. I got hurt in my car wreck right at the beginning of the decade at age 21, and so things were kind of magnified, if you will. I remember Mt St Helens blowing up that year as I watched from my hospital bed, which became my home for 6 months before moving to a rehab center. Later that year, I remember sitting quietly by my radio in the rehab center listening to the devastating news of the assassination of John Lennon.

Well, that was only the beginning of, what I think was, an amazing decade of social change, cable/MTV, pop cultural explosion and, of course, my complete starting over with my life due to injuring my Spinal Cord five vertebras down from my skull, paralyzing me from a high chest level down. The first years of the 80s were filled with learning a new me, or finding a direction to go, not unlike a person lost in the woods with no sense of where he/she is.

Remarkably, I found girlfriends and my way back to school, or junior college, which both provided ample motivation for me to find more independence and goals. Whatever sympathy I held for myself I kept private, as it works as poison in relationships and any goals you have, and I had one major goal in the early 80s, and that was to drive again. Somehow I met a quad that was very active and drove his own van, so consequently the fire was set.

Eventually I did get a loan from a bank to customize my van, and driving again was an 80s milestone that’s hard to beat. It meant some of my freedom was returned to me in 1985, and I’d just drive around neighborhoods listening to Van Halen blare from my stereo.

By that time I had been through 3 or 4 girlfriends. Don’t ask me why it was so many, except I think I was immature in relationships. However, those girls meant so much to me and my growth in my new body, and my mind had to adjust quickly. Not only did it help my self-esteem to have a good -looking smart girlfriend, but it taught me there were more important virtues of being in a relationship than being on my feet. So, for me the 80s were a learning decade in all respects.

Marking every significant step through the 80s was the most powerful soundtrack any guy could ask for. The songs, bands, concerts, new wave, punk, hair-rock, glam bands, local rock clubs and rock radio was enough to distract me from myself. I grew my hair long, wore earrings, started writing freelance for music magazines and indulging in my own experimenting with music, including singing and multi-track recording with a keyboard.

Anyway, as you can see the 80s had an extreme impact on me, and even though I miss those days, I wouldn’t want to return, like, Marty in the 80s classic movie Back to the Future. No, those years of proving things to myself, finding my direction are over. The glory of those years were also filled with growing pains, and so I will remember them fondly, but that’s all.

[Ouch]

Ah, the 80s...I guess I have to tip my hat in reverence for the decade...I can think of a couple of good things that came out of the decade...

...oh yes, and the DeLorean kicked ass!

Always great to see another spectrum of your reflections.

[Pony]

Man, I want a van with those DeLorean doors that rise up in the air, like wings. The smoke would be cool for 'affect'...talk about looks from kids!!!

[trollfuhrer]

You The Man, Chair. You The Man. For me, the '70s had that effect. I was out of college and struggling with inner-demons in the '80s, which weren't very nice to me. In fact, I got my ass kicked by that decade. Still, I have some fond memories.

[Pony]

Yeah Clover, so many times when I hear a song I remember where I was at, or what year in school. And, of course, the 80s MTV vids always pop up in my head. I can't hear Thomas Dolby's "Blinded Me With Science" without seeing that guy in a wheelchair going backwards off into the water - anybody remember that???

Troll, a lo of us dealt with the 'demons' in the 80s. I experimented with Cocaine, greatest drug I ever did, but my nose couldn't handle it at all, ended up addicted to nose spray for few years. lol Hey, it was cheaper than coke, but no high. lol

[BA]

I did my growing up in the 70's - graduated in '81, so the 1980's were my heyday of college years, much clubbing in NYC and alot of very cool music. I was a radio station DJ back in the early 80's and met and interviewed those "underground" bands on the college circuit. Of course, did my share of drugs. It was a greedy decade and the ONLY reality show I can remember was 'Cops'.

[laurasweetou]

This almost sounds better...

[Pony]

"Cops" was on in the 80s?? I don't remember, but I was writing for a few music mags, so I did the interviewing thang, too. Ahhh, the 'greedy decade'!!! lol

[Ouch]

Yes, 'Cops' made it's debut in the 80's on the 'new' FOX network

...There were the Simpsons on the Tracey Ullman show as well making their debut in the 80's...the latter had some para-reality experiences I s'pose...

...wow, I feel old...

[irishclaire]

Oi, Windrider, you are not old!! I'm in the same boat, was born in the late 80s but I spose I grew up on the music of the decade through my parents. And I hafta say, ya can't beat it. Same with films, some classics were made back then. We can overlook the fashions of the time, however...

[BA]

New Jersey was the pinnacle of terrible 80's fashion... in fact we called them "Jersey Girls" and I think there was a movie by the same name. It was about having the highest hair possible, the largest plastic earrings on the face of the earth and the world's largest shoulder pads.

Thank God, I didn't succumb to that fashion. I was into my dark-wave phase (you know, Joy Division, Bauhaus and all that happy stuff) and I wore black only with a rare smattering of olive drab. I had combat boots (we didn't get Doc Marten's here until the very early 90's and they were expensive to import from the UK). At one point I had a little skinhead girl haircut with the front/back and side fringe included. I did have a peirced nose, which was WAY OUT OF LINE for that time and a little silver ring in that nose. It was a regular small earring, because they didn't have body jewelry like they do now. For the most part I wore my hair exactly like Cate Blanchett is wearing hers in the new Indiana Jones movie... ala Louise Brooks style and blue-black in color.

[Ciao Bella]

the 80's and the early 90's somehow melded together for me, as I graduated HS in 91 but I do remember a few things:

- my mom's shoulder pads could've passed for a quarterback's
- my share of ozone layer destruction via spraying horrific amounts of Aqua Net trying to achieve towering heights
- Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, OMD, duran duran, spandau ballet, Pet shop boys,
- very very bad fashion
- even worse dancing
- remember the "Strut" and breakdancing??
- ah yes, my dad's short shorts LOL

[Ouch]

May 23, 2008 19:08:22 GMT -5 Ciao Bella said:

- very very bad fashion
- even worse dancing
- remember the "Strut" and breakdancing??
- ah yes, my dad's short shorts LOL

HAH! Yes, the dancing was horrible - I was just talking to somone about the song 'Stand Back'; song is decent, but the dancing (and fashion!) was just horrible!

...my father too wore those 'short shorts' lol; just the other day I was talking about basketball and the old Lakers-Celtics rivalry of the eighties, and how they all wore those short shorts for uniforms.

[Pony]

I always thought Break Dancing' was great, and still lives as part of hip-hop culture, but a lot of the 80s fashion is funny looking now, but remember, MTV was so innovative, bringing the wildest wear, hair and pop-culture crazies into our living rooms. The videos were so pathetic with ridiculous props and sneering facial expressions while lip-syncing, but it was revolutionary to people like me who loved rock concerts of the late 70s, but never really saw the bands up close, and the vids really stuck in the head.

TV shows/movies were corny as hell, like, Dirty Dancing, Flashdance, even ET, but I loved In Living Color, Beverly Hills Cop and Back to the Future. The band Poison almost single handedly drove a stake into the heart of the 80s. I think it was early 90s, actually, but they were so disgustingly 80s with silly drunk antics, globs of makeup/hairspray, colorful spandex and terrible playing that they choked people. But I remember distinctly the first time I saw Nirvana on MTV, late night show that played alternative stuff, and was floored, saying to myself, 'These dudes are going to shake things up!', and boy, did they ever!!

As for 'short shorts', I liked em better than the wayyy too big, long-hanging, fallin off the ass shorts of today's style. I could do without 'parachute pants'...lol

[irishclaire]

MTV also heavily influenced the style in which films were made, and to an extent how they are still made today, particularly films of Spike Lee and the 'teen-flicks' of the 90s. Many looked more like music videos than films. God bless the "MTV-aesthetic"!