RANDOM C. THOMAS HOWELL APPEARANCE!
Previews of Coming Attractions: The Goonies (1985). Dig the nutty musical score in this trailer. Otherwise, it’s pretty true to the movie. They crammed lots of madcap into this short sucker.
“Separate Ways” by Journey (off their 1983 Frontiers album). You had to know this MoFo was going to find its way to “My Eighties.” Journey’s “Separate Ways” is legendary on so many levels, and not just because Beavis and Butthead poked fun at it. It’s just a deliciously campy video. Any video that includes air guitar and air keyboards and air drums and air bass (!!!) has to rule! And that’s exactly what this vid does. It rules! Steve Perry and the boys have never been more badass. I actually taught about this video in my Rock ‘n’ Roll History class, so I had to do some research on it. Apparently, the band resisted doing music videos for years. “Separate Ways” was their first. Before it, their songs that were made into music videos consisted of concert footage. Finally, Journey broke down and agreed to do a music video and the result was … THIS. Poor bastards. Oh well. With the passage of time, I think this video has become more and more appealing, in a fun and innocent way. How can I give something so delightful such a low score? Video rating: 8/10.
A Belinda Carlisle collage. Or is that a mosaic? You decide…
Ah, the Good Old Days!: Who could pass up this offer at the Boucherville Drive-In (Montreal), a “dusk-to-dawn show” that included E.T., Xanadu, Silence of the North (not to be confused with Silence of the Lambs), Continental Divide and The Border? From September 4, 1982, when folks still knew how to have a good time! I would’ve gone for The Border, one of the most underrated films of the 1980s.
“World Destruction” by Afrika Bambaataa and John Lydon (from the 1984 single of the same name). “World Destruction” had the distinction of being an early (paleo) Hip-Hop and Punk hit, thanks to the combination of pioneering Hip-Hop D.J./artist Afrika Bambaataa and former Sex Pistols lead singer John Lydon (a.k.a., Johnny Rotten). I listened to the song so many times in the mid-Eighties - over and over and over again. In fact, it’s one of those songs I heard so many times it lost its meaning. Now that I look back on it 27 years later, I’m even more moved and impressed by the spirit behind the song - and the video. This is mostly the doing of Afrika Bambaataa, but it also shows that John Lydon was much more than the offensive nihilist he was when he fronted the Pistols. The music video holds up incredibly well after all these years, thanks to this amazing pairing. Video Rating: 7.5.
Vintage Black Flag/D.O.A. poster. Either this baby is from 1980 or 1986. Not sure which. The Blog from which I stole it claimed it was printed between 1982 and 1984, but if you look at the date - Wednesday, October 8 - then it’s either ‘80 or 86. I’m betting on ‘86. The period ‘84 through ‘86 was really the high point of my dedication to punk and I remember seeing both Black Flag and D.O.A. at various times. Black Flag I watched in concert 5 times, while I only saw D.O.A. twice. Two of the greatest bands of the 1980s.
1981: New-fangled VHS machines are coming down in price. With all of those savings, you can now afford an Atari 2600.
All-female metal band Vixen, back in the day.
Q&A with Jane Wiedlin, 1985
Eighties Date NIght: Dale “Missing Persons” Bozzio and Dolph (Rocky 4) Lundgren. She could probably fit in the palm of his hand. Dolph looks like Sonny Crockett on steroids.
The Police in 1980, performing “Driven to Tears” in Frejus, France, captured on beautiful 16mm color film. Glorious!
New wave pioneers Joy Division, while Ian Curtis was still alive. Circa late 1970s.
Previews of Coming Attractions: Breakin’ (1984) offered a heavy Hollywoodized glimpse into the nascent world of hip-hop. Ouch!
French actress Mathilda May in the 1980s. Her unforgettable appearance as a nude space vampire in Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce (1985), strutting around London without a shred of clothing, put many a viewer in a trance, including yours truly. Talk about enchanting. Women simply didn’t come any more beautiful than this - then or now.
