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'80s Actual reader Billy has been in touch to appeal for a 1980s Weetabix badge like the one pictured above - Bixie - Aerobix. He will be happy to pay for one, so, if you can help, please send your e-mail address to actual80s@btinternet.com and I'll pass it on to Billy.
Was it simply "The Greed Decade" as many like to claim? I think not - the '80s saw the emergence of yuppies, but also Red Wedge, the Greenham Common Peace Women, and increasing concern for the environment. It may be convenient to scapegoat the '80s as the cause of all known ills, but the reality of the decade was far different - absolute bedlam, as Right fought Left, idealism fought corporate ambition. The election of Ronald Reagan as American President in 1980, and his second victory in 1984, had a far more decisive effect on the international political landscape than the three successive general election victories of UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1979, 1983 and 1987.
Fashion came fast and furious - deelyboppers, ra ra skirts with lycra leggings, Swatch watches, pixie boots, jelly shoes, shoulder pads, blonde highlights, hair gel, hair mousse, men in pink, goths, shell suits, New Romantics, donkey jackets, leg warmers...
Musically, the 1980s saw the beginnings of House Music, the exciting and still evolving world of synths taking centre stage, the evolvement of Rap music into the fully-fledged Hip Hop scene, Band Aid and Live Aid, great Indie, startling Acid House, and Raves...
At the amusement arcades, Space Invaders ran rampant and we first met Pac-Man...
And there was so much more! The decade truly had something for everyone - and provided a welcome escape for a while from the long-running and boring saga of flared trousers as fashion, begun back in the 1960s!
It was a brilliant decade for telly - bringing us such wonders as A Very Peculiar Practice, Inspector Morse, Spitting Image, Hot Metal, The BeiderbeckeTrilogy and Edge of Darkness.
The 1980s also saw the creation of The Simpsons, Twin Peaks, and other wonderful (often groundbreaking) American TV shows like Kate & Allie, Cheers, The Golden Girls, Married... With Children, The Cosby Show, Roseanne, and Hill Street Blues.
The '80s gave us some wonderful UK TV ads. Remember Ted Moult advertising double glazing at the Tan Hall Inn with "Fit The Best - Everest"? Remember the Weetabix gang? Remember the Scotch video tape skeleton ("Re-record, not fade away"?). Remember the romantic yuppie couple in the coffee ads? And what about "Lotta Bottle"?
In fact, the '80s totally transformed our telly viewing, bringing us Channel 4 and Sky TV.
The '80s were a fascinating time for science and technology! Video recorders became widespread, the Sony Walkman arrived, the first hand-held mobile phones hit the streets (expensive analogue bricks!), the ZX Spectrum, Game Boy and the World Wide Web (Thanks, Sir Tim Berners-Lee!) were invented, the first computer mouse eeked its way into our homes and Sir Alec Jeffreys accidentally discovered DNA fingerprinting. It's all here!
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2 comments:
Hey Andrew! What's up? Just a quick message to let you know that we're all moved in now. And i've got the internet up and running! Hooray!
Our place is most awesome. Or, as Bill and Ted would say "EXCELLENT!" We've managed to bag ourselves a top floor flat that's about 4 times bigger than the one we were in in Cambridge. Nicole is doing well with her teaching role at the moment. I'm still of the unemployed ilk, but we can't all be winners all the time, right? I've signed up for temp work in the area so something'll come up soon. Either way I should be starting a proper job in the next couple of months.
Also, I randomly picked up a book from watersones before I left Cambridge. It's a very sci-fi and geeky novel, but it's filled with LOADS of 80s pop culture (admittedly, primarily american pop culture, focusing mainly on music, movies and videogames - although there is a smattering of english and japanese in there). I absolutely adored it. But then i'm a weird sort, aren't i? If you're interested, the book's called "ready player one" by Ernest Cline. But I won't be offended if you're not ;)
Anywho, how is life in the real world? Doest thou gain much merriment from increased SCOTime?
Take it easy, and remember:
Please REMOVE your items from the bagging area!
Great to hear from you. I need somebody to confide in as I've entered into a passionate affair with the second SCO from the door. We are keeping it very discreet and, so far, I've always managed to remove my items from its bagging area.
I'm dead chuffed that things are going well for Nicole with the teaching and the flat sounds absolutely tubular.
The idea of doing temp work is fandabbydozee - many a door has opened that way.
I had many happy times in London in the '80s, I particularly cherish the memories of the time when House and Acid House were emerging and most of the music sounded like a drunken ship's boiler house on overtime. Happy days.
I may have a look at Ernest Cline, but life is really full and fascinating at the moment and time presses. Take yesterday: I got on the bus and said to the driver: "Mega-Rider please."
The driver said: "£12".
"Thanks," I said, handing over the money.
"Ta, mate," said the driver, handing over the ticket.
When I got to work, I said to a store colleague: "Hello! How are you?"
"All right," said the store colleague. "How are you?"
"Not bad," I said, "but my feet are playing up a bit."
"Oh dear, " said the store colleague. "Are you taking over this till?"
Look after yourself, mateyboots. I'm so glad the accommodation problem is solved and Nicole's job is underway. And you'll be sorted soon, I'm sure of it. If not temp work is great in my experience. When I was in care work, I once lived for over a year on temp stuff and loved the variety. It led me back into full-time permanent employment.
Keep in touch - the e-mail address is actual80s@btinternet.com if ever you fancy writing some more, or you can always comment here. And in the meantime, "THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AT..."
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