I Love The 80’s!
How can you not? There are so many things that make the 80’s special: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, the best George Michael music, goofy sitcoms and of course “Back To The Future”…
“Stranger Things” Revisits The 80’s!
There is a lot of nostalgia for the 80’s right now, especially due to the phenomenal success of “Stranger Things” on Netflix, which captured perfectly the vibe of the decade, a “Stand By Me meets Stephen King” show that everyone loves…
Season two was just announced, and here is the trailer for the second season – which I cannot wait to see:
OK, that is certainly a trailer that gives NOTHING AWAY, but still, I cannot wait!
To celebrate this retro gem, I wanted to look at some of the best music and movies from that decade…beginning with one of the best comedies ever made:
Time To Enroll In “Ridgemont High!”
It’s a classic 80’s comedy – with all of the hair styles, slang phrases and attitude that you equate to this memorable decade.
One of the most iconic moments of the decade happened when Phoebe Cates stepped out of a pool in “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” – well, at least in Judge Reinhold’s fantasy:
Check out the hilarious trailer:
“Fast Times” is one of the best movies about growing up in suburban America – check out more here, including some hilarious trivia about THIS GUY:
This movie is full of honest moments about growing up in the 80’s…and of course, the greatest character of all, thanks to Sean Penn!
Enjoy more Spicoli here:
There were many great cult movies in the 80’s, including this little-known comedy from Kurt Russell:
Check out the trailer for this comedy shown as a “used cars” ad:
“Used Cars” is a raucous comedy about disreputable salesmen – it bombed upon release, but is now seen as a classic 80’s comedy – two more bombs from the 80’s also have aged well:
these are three terrific movies that have been neglected – but thanks to blu-ray, area ll ready to be re-discovered…
See my story about “Used Cars”, “The King Of Comedy” and the brilliant “Withnail & I” here:
Along with great movies, the 80’s gave us great music – and one very iconic Musician:
Billy Idol’s Rebel yell!
Talk about an 80’s classic! Billy Idol has the brains and the bravura – and he ruled the decade!
Here is the music video for his iconic hit “Rebel Yell”:
Billy Idol had a string of hits throughout the 80’s, and has remained a compelling figure, releasing a candid autobiography about his life and music:
This great Singer/Writer was also a great Actor – with his “spot on” camera from “The Wedding Singer!”
All of this makes you want to know more, doesn’t it? Well, there is lots of Billy Idol trivia here:
As much of a “Survivor” as Billy is, some music Artists aren’t meant to endure – as Neil Young wrote:
“It’s better to burn out than to fade away…”
As you can see, that hair sure did! Yes, this was a hairstyle in the 80’s, thanks to a band that had a unique sound as well as look. While “A Flock Of Seagulls” didn’t persevere, this guy did:
Yes, Adam Ant Lives!
It all began in the 80’s with these lyrics!
“Unlock the jukebox and do us all a favor
That music’s lost its taste so try another flavor…Ant Music!”
Check out the music video – and I dare you NOT to click your fingers to it:
Adam And The Ants didn’t last long as a group, but boy, did they ever capture the sound of the decade…
Adam Ant still performs, and his music is pure 80’s magic – see more here:
And finally, there is a GREAT film that actually captured the raucous energy of punk rock going into the 80’s:
“Rude Boy” was a fictional movie about a roadie for The Clash – and they filmed great scenes of the band performing live – and just threw their fictional “roadie” on stage with them!
Read more about this terrific musical film here:
There you have it, a quick skim across the pop culture greatness of the 80’s…share your favorites!
Band: A Flock of Seagulls (Mike Score in the centre).
Bad eighties hair hairstyle
