As the 90's die down to make way for the new millenium, some of us who "grew up" in this decade look back with fondness to the times gone by. To reclaim our youth through the nostalgia of a previous decade, which decade? The 80's.
As much as you may hate to admit it, face it, you loved your childhood and you loved the eighties.
A culturally, politically, socially turbulent decade. The 80's cannot be broken down into one phrase, idea, or word. To each of us it means different things, this is my experience.
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A decade is more than ten years, more than just commodified time.
To me it signifies a span of time that changes who we are as people and as individuals. The friends, the experiences-good and bad, people who were born and those who died, all shaped our consciousness. We look back realizing we've survived to see another decade end.
Now as the fin-de-siclé is upon us, I cannot help but to look back at a kinder, gentler time. My, (our), childhood. We grew up in that fabulous era between the '70's and '90's, when Generation X was Billy Idol's band, not an age demographic. I'm a product of the era for tacky fashions, and sing-along one hit wonder songs. Times that were so fine, "oh so fine they blew my mind." Indeed, it was a time of personal and societal innocence-my own Wonder Years if you will. Filled with Reaganomics, Yuppies and Stallone movies. I learned there were Diff'rent Strokes and Silver Spoons. I grew up in the days when Eddie Murphy was popular and the term "old school" hadn't been invented because *it* taught classes daily. The events, the TV shows, the toys, the music and the movies capsulate an era gone by. I loved that decade, in tribute, I present the 80's as I remember them.
The News, although impersonal, are something everyone remembers.
Like being six years old and watching Princess Di and Prince Charles get married. I remember those yellow Baby on Board signs being on every wood-paneled station wagon in the block. Nancy Reagan told us all to "Just Say No." I remember fearing that Commie pinkos were going to nuke us all to hell. Gorbachev had that sinister red thing on his forehead. I remember my grandma trying to figure out if the sign of The Beast was in there. I loved watching the LA Lakers go up against the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship. I remember Mrs.Kerrigan, our fifth grade teacher running into my art class with tears in her eyes to tell us that The Challenger had just exploded. I witnessed Baby Jessica trapped in a well. I saw the XXIII Olympics from LA, the 49'ers beat the Dolphins in SuperbowlXIX (and just about every other team in the 80's) and the birth of MTV. Not to mention a myriad of cartoons and TV shows.
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Love it, Learn it, Live it
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My alarm was set for 5:30am on saturdays so I would be sure not to miss one precious hour of Saturday Morning Cartoons. Though that became tougher once I started Friday Night Videos. Muppet Babies, Inspector Gadget, The Smurfs, etc. You always knew they were over when Soul Train or American Band Stand came on. And thank God for the VCR-let's not forget SONY's Betamax.
Needless to say I've loved TV since I was a child, through it I tasted the Max Headroom endorsed "New" Coke. I wondered aloud if it was "time to make the donuts","where the beef"was and if "i'm a Pepper and she's a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?" I learned the facts of life from the Facts of Life. Back in the days when Saturday Night Live was funny, I fondly recall the other shows that made my week.
Friday nights were of course, Dukes of Hazzard nights (the bestest damn show ever!). I used to get into my parents' car through the window-c'mon, didn't everybody? I remember being the envy of my second grade prep school as I showed off my Hot Wheels version of the General Lee. I hoped Daisy would be my wife and Bo and Luke would give me the General Lee so I could outrun the law as I honked 'Dixie' and jumped off the ramps that permeated the dirt roads of Hazzard County. Though I never asked why there would be construction on dirt roads. Speaking of B-shows, there's only one an A in the B-shows. "And if you can find them, maybe you can hire...The A-Team." Another favorite, was this show about Army AWOL's who would use their military training to protect the weak and abused. It was TV for the dreamer in me. The innocent child shows: Punky Brewster and Family Ties. The cool cop-wanna-be's: The Fall Guy, Knight Rider (where's my talking car?), Magnum PI and McGyver. I marveled at shows like Ripley's Believe it or Not and "That's Incredible!" I wanted to find an alien like Alf. Back then cops were cool, from Ponch on CHiPs, to Sheriff Lobo, to Hunter, to the baby faced cops of 21 Jump Street. Later on, I gawked as Rico Tubbs and Sonny Crockett busted the ass of some Cuban drug lord on Miami Vice. In their honor I wore my Reebok's with no socks (bad idea). Even the commercials were cool, Apple's '1984' add, Spud McKenzie beer commercials and Bartles&Jaymes thanking me for my support. But TV wasn't my only love, though my other love needed a TV.
I played at time when 10 moving pixels could be called a video game. I remember coming home from grade school to play on my state-of-the-art Atari 2600. My hands would ache as I pressed that red button and jiggled that joystick to the likes of PacMan, Astroids, Moon Patrol and Donkey Kong. Homework be dammed! Often, I played till my Atari overheated and froze up. Arcades were 'our' nightclubs, full of sweaty, weird people in faded concert shirts lining up tokens to 'reserve' their turn. Back then thirty tickets could win you a plastic comb or some Scratch n'Sniff stickers(everyone had sticker albums). We relished in our youth and spent our parents' money freely from Star Wars to He-Man to G.I.Joe's. I had a Mr.T ("I pity da fool who don't like B.A. Barracus!") action figure and he kicked ass! As did my G.I. Joe's, you knew they were realAmerican heroes ("and knowing is half the battle"). Though I have to admit that I preferred the Cobra side, their figures were just so much cooler looking. Anyone remember Transformers? They where more that meets the eye, I had a huge collection of them. My sister had a Cabbage Patch doll given to her when she was born in '84, meanwhile I collected disgusting, revolting, fifth-grade fantastic, Garbage Pail Kids. I fondly remember my cousin Vanessa and I playing with her toys: Strawberry Shortcake, Hello Kitty, and Teddy Ruxpin. We would work for hours on our Rubik's Cubes. After a while we gave up and just peeled off the stickers and put them back in their proper place. Of course along with toys, you had to make a fashion statement.
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"Excuse me, are those Bugle Boy jeans?"
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In the days of skinny ties and pants cuffed/safety pinned at the ankle; of big feathered hair, neon clothes and mesh outfits.
One of my earliest eighties memories were of leg warmers and ripped workout a la Flashdance shirts. Along with Members Only jackets they stand the test of 80's fashion. I desperately wanted to have a sparkly white glove and zippered jackets like Michael Jackson. It was the era for Calvin Klein and Guess jeans. Polos (Ralph Lauren or LaCoste not IZOD) with the collar up were in fashion and The Miami Vice look was big. RayBan's were the sunglasses to wear. Swatch watches were as popular as Ethiopian jokes from the Truly Tasteless Joke books (gotta do something while waiting your turn at Trivial Pursuit right?). I remember Dylan wearing nothing but Vision Street Wear along with his fat Vision skateboard and shoes. Meanwhile, I wore Town&Country, Vuarnet, and Gotcha shirts along with JimmyZ shorts and white Phase-1 Reeboks. I still own two pairs of Z.Cavaricci pants. It wasn't just fashion, it was a way of life. I owned a Trapper-Keeper, and had an 'awesome' Commodore64 in all its peanut-butter colored, sixty-four bit glory. However, more than the TV or toys, more than the fashion, most people remember this decade for its timeless music.
In the days when Michael Jackson was black, and people wanted their MTV, I fell in love with Blondie's Debbie Harry.
She was hot and sassy, Shirley Manson times 10. When I was five, my grandma bought me KISS' "Creatures of the Night" LP and I used it to scare my brother silly. I moonwalked with Michael, walked like an Egyptian and was hot for teacher. I learned my first lessons in German from Falco's "Rock me Amadeus." I failed my attempt as a breakdancer yet still kept the bandana and parachute pants. We were "Kids in America" and we had the 'all americans' like Bruce Springsteen and John Cougar Mellencamp singing about 'small towns and pink houses.' I "danced with myself" "time after time" with Billy Idol and Cindy Lauper. Madonna had my number during her Like A Virgin days. A peroxide heavy, aqua-net haired, haltertop wearing, boytoy-goddess. Remember "The Reflex"? of course Duran Duran, they were "like you know, Rad." Remember watching Prince (the weird symbol to be known as) partying like it was last week or if you prefer, 1999? George Michael had twelve year old's singing "I want your Sex." My friend had an Ozzy Osbourne 'Bark at the Moon' poster. Ozzy was dressed like a wolfman with bloody fangs, it was the evilest thing I had ever seen-and I wanted more! Big hair bands like W.A.S.P., Twisted Sister, Mötley Crüe-anything that looked the part was good enough for me. In 8th grade, I teased my hair to look like The Cure's Robert Smith. To hell with Britney Spears, Backstreet and N'Sync, we had Debbie Gibson, Menudo and New Kids on the Block. We also had Milli Vanilli-but that's a whole other story. Yeah, those were good times and the movies didn't get left behind.
Like Daniel-san to Mr.Miyagi, I too had a mentor, actually many in the big screen. The ways of The Force were instilled in me through Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. I cried when E.T. left Elliot. I found the Ark of the Covenant with Indiana Jones "...snakes? I hate snakes." Everyone used to say that I looked like the ticket scalper in Fast Times at Ridgmont High. I waited for an hour and a half in line to watch Ghostbusters hey "who you gonna call?" I can still quote all the lines from Back to the Future. I learned to never go out with a girl who said bitchin'. And as Tom Cruise stated that sometimes you just got to say "what the fuck?" while warning me about killer pimps named Guido. Remember the Corey's? Haim? and Feldman? How about Gremlins? Goonies? and Lost Boys? John Hughes' teensploitation movies changed my life, Sixteen candles, The Breakfast Club-where everyone was either a criminal, athlete, princess, nerd or basketcase, and Pretty In Pink. Ahh, The Bratpack now known as the "whatever-happened-to" Gang (when they're not in rehab or robbing liquor stores). And, of course, Ferris Bueller (you're my hero). I learned my lessons from Ferris himself, because life does move fast and if I don't stop and look, I could miss it.
In retrospect life has moved fast and maybe I have blinked and missed some of it. Maybe I'm starting to sound like my grandparents talking about "the good ol' days." Time for a collective sigh. Still, back then one could dream without limits and that's what I miss most. The eighties, really was the best of times. Childhood is one of those eras that one can never replace nor return to, but we can always remember.
aM 9-9-99
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