tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post8856603755299945359..comments2024-03-28T21:56:51.675-04:00Comments on Face to Face: Was disco the least gay genre, on the creation side?agnostichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-61884357105802898562016-04-28T15:39:35.898-04:002016-04-28T15:39:35.898-04:00"In 2015, there's no more rock music beca..."In 2015, there's no more rock music because Millennials can't be bothered to learn to play an instrument. The only rock band that reliably pulls in an audience nowadays is Maroon 5, all of whom are were born in the late '70s"<br /><br />Zac Brown Band is a country, bluegrass, rock fusion kind of group and is relatively popular. They're highly proficient instrumentalists and solid composers. Some slow ballads, some high speed upbeat jams, some reggae sounds at times. Much more dynamic than Maroon 5 but not quite as well known. AgentOrangenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-91884061147465157182016-04-28T12:52:22.848-04:002016-04-28T12:52:22.848-04:00"You're right about DJ's being more g..."You're right about DJ's being more gay. There were quite a few of them in the Wiki list of gay musicians. They just take someone else's stuff, speed it up, slow it down, mash-up two existing songs, sample a bunch of motifs, and expect worship from the club-goers as though they were an alchemical genius making gold out of musical lead."<br /><br />This describes a really popular subset of Millennial music. So many "artists" rip samples from older music and have rapping or beats from the Scandinavians you mentioned basically just playing over it. Look at groups like Super Mash Bros (right in the name, "Mashups") and White Panda. Immensely popular. Granted they take some skill no authentic expression. Then Millennials turn around and laugh their asses off at some idiot comedian doing a bit where he demonstrates on a piano that lots of pop songs are based on the exact same chord progression. <br /><br />You also mentioned Millennials basically being unwilling to learn an instrument. I think they almost see it as too earnest. Another vestige of lame times gone by. The only people my age that I've seen pursue a sort of rock career have chosen angsty brooding punk as their genre which is all that's left when you refuse to learn anything but power chords on a guitar. AgentOrangenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-75836628932370143282015-09-22T10:27:39.214-04:002015-09-22T10:27:39.214-04:00Only 20%-27% of rap fans are white. That's jus...Only 20%-27% of rap fans are white. That's just a politically correct myth.<br />Around 40% are black.<br />http://brandongaille.com/25-good-hip-hop-demographics/<br /><br />As for rappers and boy bands being gay, empirical evidence please?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-63309876853268087012015-03-12T20:17:15.757-04:002015-03-12T20:17:15.757-04:00Hard to think of a more theatrical genre than '...Hard to think of a more theatrical genre than '80s rock -- yet hardly any queers.<br /><br />Disco was equally theatrical, dance-y, and worshiped by gay audiences -- yet hardly any queers.<br /><br />So theatricality is at best a second-order factor in determining how gay the makers of some musical genre are. The main one is how instrumental vs. vocal it is.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-2161526583288083032015-03-12T13:55:24.810-04:002015-03-12T13:55:24.810-04:00Nobody said that gays aren't successful in mus...<i>Nobody said that gays aren't successful in music, but that their distribution is unusually biased away from instruments -- whether composition or performance -- and almost exclusively toward vocals -- whether writing lyrics or singing.</i><br /><br />In rock music, maybe. Certain genres attract certain types of people, of course, so representation fluctuates between them. Rock music is mostly a straight phenomenon, where the presentation is mostly limited to the music itself, with theatrics seen as an add-on, not really necessary, and sometimes denigrated aspect of the overall package. I'll agree that gay people on average seem to prefer more theatrical genres like pop music, where the actual music is merely an aspect, equal to but no greater than, the overall production, which includes dancing, stage sets, etc. But then we get into the whole "authenticity" thing, where less theatrical genres are presented as somehow more authentic. Which is, of course, total bullshit. And so talent and interest in the singing and dancing aspects of a musical production are seen as less than talent in playing an instrument, and genres such as pop that highlight those aspects are seen as not as authentic or worthwhile as rock music. Never mind the rock acts that use theatricality. JVnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-6460673164704029262015-03-12T13:16:11.057-04:002015-03-12T13:16:11.057-04:00Nobody said that gays aren't successful in mus...Nobody said that gays aren't successful in music, but that their distribution is unusually biased away from instruments -- whether composition or performance -- and almost exclusively toward vocals -- whether writing lyrics or singing.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-37904403530615179822015-03-12T11:51:55.913-04:002015-03-12T11:51:55.913-04:00I have to admit, this is the first time I've s...I have to admit, this is the first time I've seen an argument about gay people not being successful in the arts. Kudos for originality. These statements:<br /><br /><i>"gays never develop that level of motivation to master an instrument"<br />"gays don't play instruments"</i><br /><br />are almost a non-sequiturs, especially given your song examples in the comments, with many of them written and performed (not just vocally) by gay people. As some have pointed out in the comments, there are plenty of master pianists (insert puerile joke) who were either closeted or out as gay. Of course, you have to qualify that fact with something about piano players being the center of attention, but then that only applies to soloists (on any instrument). I'm sure you're aware that some of the best popular music of the 20th century was written by gay people. Cole Porter is the obvious example, but there are plenty others, all of them quite proficient musicians. How about Elton John, a stupidly great songwriter and musician? Or half of the B-52s. Or George Michael? Or hell, Michael Jackson, for all his considerable faults. As for 80s music, a very obvious example is Culture Club, with Boy George co-writing most of the songs in a band with a gay drummer. If you appreciate 80s pop music, and it seems this crowd does, you most likely appreciate Culture Club. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-42230673389857875382015-03-12T10:57:40.560-04:002015-03-12T10:57:40.560-04:00I wasn't enraged by anyone who likes The Last ...I wasn't enraged by anyone who likes The Last Action Hero, just my co-host who insisted it was a "masterpiece" and couldn't see my point of view. :)Mike Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17690940782275888014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-9621934994103504352015-03-12T00:17:33.310-04:002015-03-12T00:17:33.310-04:00Gen X performers do want to put on a show for an a...Gen X performers do want to put on a show for an audience and be accepted. They're the Breakfast Club generation -- opening up, pleasing others, and forming a bond is the most important thing for them.<br /><br />What kept them from reaching the heights of the late Boomers was their self-awareness and introspection. It doesn't neuter your ability to open up and give to the audience, but it does make you somewhat self-conscious -- only somewhat, though.<br /><br />The Millennials don't want to open up and give to an audience at all. In fact they want the exact opposite -- to get showered with free hugs just for showing up on stage. They are too awkward to let their guard down even a bit, and are too haughty to find it worth pleasing others in the first place.<br /><br />"I'm gonna do my thing here, and if you guys don't recognize how epic my skills are, then I literally feel sorry for you having such bad taste."<br /><br />Millennials do want their self-esteem to be validated, but they don't want to do anything to deserve it. The world should tell them "You're amazing, just the way you are."agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-68254111013112935382015-03-12T00:06:30.818-04:002015-03-12T00:06:30.818-04:00You're reducing Gen X music to "aloof and...You're reducing Gen X music to "aloof and angsty" alternative music, a common confusion.<br /><br />Granted, aloof and angry at the world is no way to leave a good impression, or motivate you to come up with a catchy riff and melody.<br /><br />But Gen X-ers were also behind Britpop, a deliberately upbeat and melodic antidote to early '90s grunge, meant to engage the audience and get them worked up. Oasis and Supergrass may not have been as great as an '80s rock band, but it was only a few steps down given how early into the decline it was.<br /><br />In 2015, there's no more rock music because Millennials can't be bothered to learn to play an instrument. The only rock band that reliably pulls in an audience nowadays is Maroon 5, all of whom are were born in the late '70s.<br /><br />X-ers also made the most catchy and upbeat electronic music of the '90s -- Ace of Base. They weren't as great as ABBA, but they weren't uninterested in pleasing an audience, afraid of putting themselves out there, etc. And they weren't posers, a very rare thing in techno music.<br /><br />Nowadays, electronic music is still being made by Gen X Scandinavians, although it sounds worse than its ancestor of 20 year ago. Once more Millennials can't be bothered to learn how to play keyboards.<br /><br />As for singer-songwriter-infused pop, Alanis Morissette was no Kate Bush, but she made way catchier music than Ellie Goulding or Taylor Swift. Most of her hits were not angsty or bratty at all, but about staying mellow and rolling with the punches. She wasn't a shrinking mumbler, nor was she an annoying diva bitch.<br /><br />That's just the showing that Gen X made in the '90s. Remember that some of them were big in the '80s as well -- Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, NKOTB, New Edition, and other teen singers.<br /><br />Whatever someone thinks of teeny-bopper hits from the '80s, they can't say they were aloof, angsty, etc. And it was a lot catchier and engaging than what the Millennials put out as teens -- Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and the like.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-88823114599937641142015-03-11T17:05:18.474-04:002015-03-11T17:05:18.474-04:00No Richard Marx? In all seriousness, I do like som...No Richard Marx? In all seriousness, I do like some songs from '89-'91 quite a bit. Even the Bryan Adams/Marx style soft rock. Many of the songs you listed are ones I've got on compilations and even a few albums. I'd like to get the 1st Info. Society album which might be one of the very last synth heavy records worth owning, along with Depeche Mode's Violator which I do have.<br /><br />Selectively blocking out the droning, non melodic, goofy stuff of the period does make it possible to enjoy the era.<br /><br />One thing I noticed about the '92 album charts is that, contrary to the "Nirvana changed everything overnight" alternative propaganda, true blue metal bands like Guns 'N Roses, Def Leppard, and Metallica were still selling tons of records. Although I'd admit that those bands were better earlier, especially Def Leppard who made their best album Pyromania in 1983. Relatively straightforward and energetic grunge hard rock like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden had big records in the 1st half of the 90's. The full dorking out process wouldn't be complete until 1996, when guys started buzzing their hair off and acting grossed out by guitar solos.<br /><br />The continuing 90's popularity of the 80's metal bands/inspired alternative also probably says more about how aloof Gen X dominated angst bands largely failed to capture the hearts of the listening public.<br /><br />Going off the '92 charts, popular, superficially alternative groups branded as Gen X were often comprised partially or totally of late Boomers. Like Pearl Jam, The Cure, Red Hot Chili Peppers etc. And the younger non alternative groups that the media/snobs had lost interest in by '92 like Metallica, Def Leppard, GNR were totally late Boomer.<br /><br />The real period of X-er dominance was the 2000's, a uniformly, gut wrenchingly awful decade for music. I've heard you guys stick up for the short post 9/11 period, but I can't block the "let the bodies hit the floor" garbage from my brain.<br /><br />Franky, the excuse that early 60's figures dominated the art (but certainly not political or economic) trends of the mid 80's-90's is no reason to lump them in with true Gen X-er's born after 1964. Evidently Strauss and Howe gave that as a reason for using 1961 as the 1st Gen X year. <br /><br />But to me, the very fact that people born from 1965-1980 have so failed to produce enduring and charismatic artists ought to be used as a persuasive reason why the early 60's cohort is very divergent from definite X-ers. Yeah, we all thought that the ass kicking artists born in the early 60's were cool, but that doesn't mean they have the same values and temperament. Hell, the phlegmatic and distrustful nature of Gen X-ers makes them bad entertainers, since after all, you've got to be open and boisterous to really engage with an audience.<br /><br />In case anyone cares about Millennial artists, I do think that Millennials are a bit more interested in being entertainers, but they fail (and fail more than Gen X-ers) because they're so immature and they don't read people well. X-ers can read people but they typically aren't interested in putting on a show for them.Ferylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-72716433017529214722015-03-10T23:25:49.802-04:002015-03-10T23:25:49.802-04:001991
"Unbelievable" by EMF
"It Ain...1991<br /><br />"Unbelievable" by EMF<br />"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" by Lenny Kravitz<br />"Impulsive" by Wilson Phillips<br />"I Touch Myself" by the Divinyls<br />"Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega, remixed by DNA<br />"Something To Believe In" by Poison<br /><br />I'll stop there, since '92 is a little too far outside the late '80s / early '90s zeitgeist.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-47730205597729675002015-03-10T23:17:16.006-04:002015-03-10T23:17:16.006-04:001990
"Hold On" by Wilson Phillips (hard...1990<br /><br />"Hold On" by Wilson Phillips (hard to believe the #1 of the whole year counts as a hidden gem today)<br />"Don't Wanna Fall In Love" by Jane Child<br />"Janie's Got a Gun" by Aerosmith (hidden because most would place it earlier in the '80s)<br />"Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode (ditto)<br />"Love Shack" by the B-52's (ditto)<br />"Free Fallin' " by Tom Petty (hidden since most would place it later in the '90s)agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-34062729166567958362015-03-10T23:07:52.448-04:002015-03-10T23:07:52.448-04:00"1989
"Waiting For a Star To Fall"..."1989<br /><br />"Waiting For a Star To Fall" by Boy Meets Girl<br />"Listen To Your Heart" by Roxette<br />"Toy Soldiers" by Martika<br />"Eternal Flame" and "In Your Room" by the Bangles<br />"Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry<br />"Rock On" by Michael Damian<br />"So Alive" by Love and Rockets<br />"Sowing the Seeds of Love" by Tears for Fears<br />"Lovesong" by the Cure<br />"Stand" by REM<br />"The Promise" by When In Rome<br /><br />This list is longer than the one for '88 only because the great songs of '88 are more well known. These ones from '89 got lost through the cracks of the Milli Vanilli / NKOTB moment at the time, and aren't as well remembered today.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-70260049670887889922015-03-10T22:50:12.232-04:002015-03-10T22:50:12.232-04:00"Reading the Post 1987 charts is like a long ..."Reading the Post 1987 charts is like a long heavyweight fight where you're overmatched."<br /><br />To make this a little more upbeat, I'll take a stab at a list of "hidden gems" from the Billboard Year-End charts after '87. Not any good song, since we know there's still plenty of good music. But lesser known or forgotten songs that remind us that the late '80s weren't so horrible compared to the absolute peak in '83-'84.<br /><br />Check 'em out if you've never heard them, or rediscover them if you have, and the late '80s won't feel like such a bummer.<br /><br />Starting with 1988:<br /><br />"Shattered Dreams" by Johnny Hates Jazz (the final new wave hit)<br />"Foolish Beat" by Debbie Gibson<br />"What Have I Done to Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys<br />"What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)" by Information Society<br />"Sign Your Name" by Terrence Trent D'Arby (way more rad than "Wishing Well")agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-75717141603086448122015-03-10T22:37:17.070-04:002015-03-10T22:37:17.070-04:00Local peak, as opposed to an absolute peak. The he...Local peak, as opposed to an absolute peak. The heyday of new wave and synthpop was '83-'84, then there was a lull for a few years. Not bad, just a drop from the dizzying high of '84. Songs from that lull aren't as distinct as a genre, compared to new wave.<br /><br />During the lull, people were searching for something new. By '87-'88, it congealed into another really distinct atmosphere. The simplest way to describe it is the sense of urgency -- it felt like the world could end tomorrow, and that we ought to help each other prepare for that possibility, or cope with its inevitability, rather than dread in isolation.<br /><br />"Livin' on a Prayer" and "Heaven" during the heyday of power ballads. "Like a Prayer" and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" on the pop side. "Need You Tonight" for dance music. Socially urgent issues as in "Luka" and "Toy Soldiers"... and of course "Teenage Suicide (Don't Do It)".<br /><br />I'm just listing a few that come to mind, but you get the idea. The peak in '83-'84 was totally carefree. The next coherent phase in the late '80s was marked by more anxiety and urgency, though still optimistic that we can pull through if we just let our guard down, trust one another, and work together.<br /><br />When the end of the world failed to arrive, or when people just got too sick of the rising crime rates, they decided that trust and togetherness weren't enough, so you might as well go it alone. That started off in an accusatory mode during the early '90s, and then subsided into a more complacent atomization by the late '90s.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-13099507016551062352015-03-10T17:24:20.938-04:002015-03-10T17:24:20.938-04:00"'80s music as a whole peaked in '83-..."'80s music as a whole peaked in '83-'84, although there was another organic local peak in '87-'88."<br /><br />Reading the Post 1987 charts is like a long heavyweight fight where you're overmatched. The early rounds aren't too tough but eventually the blows start to take their toll. By the later rounds you're getting dazed, leaving you vulnerable to a few big punches that end the fight in a KO.<br /><br />Also, what do you mean by "local"? As in areas besides L.A.? In terms of Seattle, I know some people don't care for metal but Seattle had some good non grunge bands. Queensryche, Metal Church, Sanctuary among others who released good stuff from 1988-1991. Those bands had fairly melodic singers too. I guess Alice In Chains is arguably metal as well. <br /><br />Another note about Last Action Hero; I heard a podcast (the Projection Booth) about it and the oldest commenter (an early Gen X-er) seemed to get enraged by anyone who liked the movie. The later X-er's and Millenials seemed to think the movie was funny and smart. I think having this smug crap get imprinted on late X-ers and Millennials must've thrown a monkey wrench into their aesthetic tastes.<br /><br />I rarely hear Boomers or to a lesser extent, early Gen X-ers, get that excited about 90's culture of any kind. Let alone the smarmy and soulless self aware garbage.Ferylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-41199349602375893022015-03-10T16:53:52.024-04:002015-03-10T16:53:52.024-04:00Other late 80's omens:
- Growing self awarene...Other late 80's omens:<br /><br />- Growing self awareness<br /><br />- More (and more successful) sequels<br /><br />- More reliance on bombastic high concept non sense<br /><br />These kinds of trends would eventually culminate in the nadir of mid-late 90's self aware, derivative, sloppy gimmick movies (and music to some extent too). Like Last Action Hero (1993) which was a bit too early in the cycle to be popular; most people were just confused and bored by the movie. Arnold evidently though it was clever and funny to have a kid stuck in a "typical" Hollywood movie where the kid comments constantly on things. Naturally, when Arnold's character travels to real life he's totally lost. What's a turn off is that Arnold's best 80's movies weren't as silly and dull as the fictional movie in a movie. Also Arnold is, duh, a witty and successful guy in real life contrary to what the '93 movie mocks.<br /><br />By 1996's Scream (a big hit) people were vacuous and callous to the point that they no longer cared about believable characters and situations. Hey, why bother with a "boring" straightforward story when you can be all ironic and haughty by having the "witty" (more like smug) characters talk about how stupid a genre is.Ferylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-579326711850597692015-03-10T14:49:00.577-04:002015-03-10T14:49:00.577-04:00"The media portrays the decade as goofy and n..."The media portrays the decade as goofy and nerdy, maybe to denigrate it."<br /><br />People were more earnest and upbeat, which clashes with the post 1992 detached and cynical vibe. <br /><br />Also, in the 90's and earlier 2000's you had Gen X-ers /early Millennials affecting a tuff guy stance that made the just be yourself 70's/80's seem dorky. Ironically, as testosterone and crime levels fell after the 80's people got wimpier.<br /><br />By about 2004 most people (not trashy late Gen X-ers/early Millennials though) had an OD on the nu metal era so it's not quite as annoying as it used to be. Too bad the posturing you get now is glib libertinism.Ferylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-73646828235745866622015-03-10T11:19:11.824-04:002015-03-10T11:19:11.824-04:00"I've been looking at the Billboard chart..."I've been looking at the Billboard charts and believe me, by about 1988 the talented artists of the era had largely run out of things to say by that point."<br /><br />'80s music as a whole peaked in '83-'84, although there was another organic local peak in '87-'88.<br /><br />Everyone associates '80s music with synthesizers, but synth-pop and new wave were more or less spent by the late '80s. The piano actually made a comeback over the synth in the "new jack swing" songs like "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark.<br /><br />"The Promise" by When In Rome was the last real synth-pop song, popular in '88-'89. Also from that time, "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry has a wistful synth riff in the chorus that sounds like it could have come from New Order. Although the rest of the song is generic early rap.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-89279741555553382772015-03-10T00:36:23.315-04:002015-03-10T00:36:23.315-04:00The increasing wackiness of the 1st Bush era (1988...The increasing wackiness of the 1st Bush era (1988-1992, the I'm Too Sexy Era)kinda gives the rather misleading perception that the 80's collapsed under their own weight.<br /><br />In fact, the very late 80's/early 90's are a not so cool little brother to the awesome early to mid 80's. I've been looking at the Billboard charts and believe me, by about 1988 the talented artists of the era had largely run out of things to say by that point. Hence the increasing presence of left-for-dead early Boomers, later Boomer acts throwing in the towel by not releasing as much material or just splitting up (later Boomers not being as privileged or selfish as earlier artists). The Bob Dylans of the world could count on a fawning press and brain dead early Boomers buying their stuff decades after they ran out of ideas.<br /><br />Let's not forget either that it was around 1988 that we saw the beginning of the modern avalanche of often black, goofy ass non melodic, repetitive acts (esp. the cocky rappers) that amused a public that was getting more infected by the anti social malaise that would explode by 1993.<br /><br />If you wanna feel like smashing your screen about a portend of shitty things to come, go watch Tone Loc's Wild Thing video from 1988. Even as a novelty, It's utterly devoid of charm, good humor, or even a basic grasp of how to write and perform an engaging song. I do think 1988 was when we were aiming for the jump over the shark.<br /><br />By the way, that Tone Loc wasn't a blink-and-you'll-miss-him thing like earlier 80's novelty hits were; his song/album stayed on the charts for a shamefully long amount of time.<br /><br />As for John Hughes; I think he just had good taste and common sense. His characters could be quirky but he didn't want to shove it in peoples' faces. One smart wardrobe thing he did for the Breakfast Club was to have Andy and Bender shed clothes as the movie goes on to reveal brighter shades of blue and red. If they'd been wearing loud colors at the beginning it would've struck viewers as being contrived. You don't really notice it, most people anyway. I didn't until I read about it.Ferylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-83960189801935664272015-03-09T23:43:03.269-04:002015-03-09T23:43:03.269-04:00At least it's not as unfortunate as what's...At least it's not as unfortunate as what's happening with the so-called '90s revival, which is almost entirely about the culture of small children (remembered and revived by the Millennials, not the late X-ers who were teenagers back then).<br /><br />The '80s revival had about maybe half or less composed of kids' culture -- He-Man, Nintendo, Transformer toys, etc. But half or more was teenage and adult culture -- Dallas, Breakfast Club, Duran Duran.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-34715761107924976792015-03-09T23:38:05.705-04:002015-03-09T23:38:05.705-04:00Yeah, as much as I enjoyed the '80s revival of...Yeah, as much as I enjoyed the '80s revival of the last decade, it had the unfortunate side-effect of cementing its image in the public imagination as a bunch of children bouncing around in their room to Wham! while wearing neon clothes.<br /><br />Funny, I don't remember anyone in a John Hughes movie wearing loud neon clothing (maybe Annie Potts in Pretty in Pink? or maybe not). That was the late '80s and early '90s.<br /><br />The Eighties zeitgeist was profoundly ambivalent about the future, technology, social change, etc., and sought a secure grounding in the past. The iconic homes in '80s teen movies are from the early 20th C, not the space age Midcentury Modern with its agoraphobic open floor plans. They all have traditional looking decoration (wallpaper, hardwood, natural colors).<br /><br />None of the teenagers are wearing loud wacky clothing a la Saved by the Bell (again, that was the very late '80s and early '90s).<br /><br />People did sport a lot of jewelry (including guys, to a lesser extent), wore big hair, and had geometric motifs on their clothing. But it was unassuming and unpretentious, not attention-whoring.<br /><br />That's one of the paradoxical elements of the Eighties that led most folks astray -- someone wearing hair that big must necessarily be an attention whore, who wouldn't notice piles of necklaces and bracelets, and so on? But when everybody was doing it, it didn't stand out, and nobody thought anything of it. It was just a fun-going thing, not a narcissistic thing.agnostichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967177967469961883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-71789867871138625622015-03-09T23:24:17.366-04:002015-03-09T23:24:17.366-04:00"The fun had to end, I guess."
not nece..."The fun had to end, I guess."<br /><br />not necessarily. I'm still not convinced that cocooning is a natural cycle, more like a sickness or disease, possibly related to overpopulation. Curtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19346366.post-31304864905943073522015-03-09T23:14:57.528-04:002015-03-09T23:14:57.528-04:00"you might not quite "get" the 80&#..."you might not quite "get" the 80's like late Boomers and early Gen X. "<br /><br />A lot of younger people just don't know what the 80's were actually like. The media portrays the decade as goofy and nerdy, maybe to denigrate it. Curtisnoreply@blogger.com