[qam1]

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.  

[tallhappy]

his band still has a certain timeless aspect.

Yeah. Timelessly pathetic.

[qam1]

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.  

[Caipirabob]

I loved the 80's. The music was great in the early 80's in particular. College years and all, too.

[silent_jonny]

I've been nostalgic for the 80s since January 1, 1990.

Please add me to the Xer Ping list.

[adaven]

Got my Crüe tix for the 3/25 show here in Reno. \''/

[Mr. Mojo]

...now acts like New Edition, Duran Duran, George Michael, the Cure, New Order, Billy Idol, Heavy D and the Crue have been encouraged to shake off the dust and get back on the road.

Gold help us.

(Although The Cure is good).

[RepoGirl]

I'm one of those dinosaurs who can't get over the 80s. Yeah, my teen years left a lot to be desired, BUT, the music was awesome and how can you go wrong with 8 years of Reagan? There seemed to be a lot more optimism then, but maybe I'm just a little biased.

Then the 90s came along, with its cynicism and irony and everything just seemed to go all to suck, you know?

[discostu]

Of course re-union albums are usually not too popular. There's something inherently synthetic about them, especially if none of the members were doing anything musically in the interim. It's one thing to break up but continue to grow musically then get back together, it's another thing to break up leave the industry all together then decide your having trouble making the mortgage and get back together.

[One Proud Son]

I think the 80s genre is more nostalgic for people who weren't there. The young generation sees how things used to be and become facsinated with it. I am the same way about the 70s and other eras I wish I could have seen. I get so caught up sometimes just wondering, "what would it have been like to grow up back then?" The next generation will be the same way about the 90s and 00s, but since we were actually around, it will be no big deal to us.

[Dr. Frank fan]

I'm not sure what they expect. It's mostly teenagers who have the combination of disposable income, obsessiveness and free time that leads them to buy album after album. But a nostalgia movement for the music of 20 years ago by definition is not occurring among teenagers but among 30+ year olds. Sure, such people like to chuckle about Billy Idol and Motley Crue but what fraction of them will seek out and buy the CD of Girls Girls Girls or Rebel Yell? Therefore, smaller sales.

And that's doubly so when it comes to new material from these bands. Nostalgia for Duran Duran's Rio doesn't translate into wanting to buy and listen to a new album created by the members of Duran Duran at age 50. That's not how nostalgia works.

So, yes there's nostalgia, but no, you wouldn't expect it to translate to huge album sales. It's a niche phenomenon. What's the big mystery?

[ThreeYearLurker]

80's music rocks dude!

[Viking2002]

I loved the 80's - I was into anything with loud guitars and long hair, no how badly they might've sucked - Van Halen (NOT Van Hagar), WASP, Scorpions, Ratt, Whitesnake, Poison, Motley Crue, you name 'em. To this day, Ratt's 'Lay It Down' will turn me into a menace while I'm driving down the highway.......: : : : :

[Billthedrill]

I've had one foot in the grave since first I heard "Stairway To Heaven" over an elevator speaker...

[Clemenza]

Ahh, Skinny Ties, Bartles & James (really Ernest & Julio), Kuitars (guitar keyboards), Pac Man, suspenders on Wall Street, "car phones," John Delorean snorting coke...

My fave memory: REAGAN KICKING MONDALE'S A-S!

[mowowie]

I Graduated HS in 85, Best year of my life.
86 - 2nd best
87 - 3rd best
88 - 4th best
So on and so on.
Man I wish I could go back!!

[WildWeasel]

The new Tears for Fears album is very good. Definately better than a lot of the trash being put out today.

[nonliberal]

The new Judas Priest CD is amazing!!

[psimpson2005]

I wasn't aware that the new Tears for Fears album was out yet. When was it released?

It seems that there has been a concerted attempt at bringing back 80s nostalgia for some time now. It catches on slightly for awhile then fizzles. I guess the powers that be thought that the 70s 'nostalgia' of the 90s could be replicated with the 80s. I guess not. The grunge music of the 90s was somewhat a throwback to Black Sabbath (early 70s) and then 70s fashion started to hit around the mid 90s into the early 00s. Whereas "That 70s Show" was/is popular, the attempt at "That 80s Show" was a quick flop. Maybe people just aren't ready for an 80s revival yet. The article mentions "The Big 80s", but that show has been around for almost 10 years, hasn't it? If it's still on, it would be reruns, I think.

When I lived in California in the mid 90s, I remember there was an article in the Orange County Register talking about the emergence of 80s nostalgia much earlier than one would expect; sort of an instant nostalgia for a time that hadn't been gone all that long. The article mentioned the "The Big 80s" and did a small interview with Julie Brown (the redheaded comedienne VJ on MTV). It was a pretty long article and I recall thinking that they were right. There did seem to be some nostalgia for the old 80s videos and some of the pop culture. So, one could argue that this has been going on for a while.

Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of 80s music. I was still a Led Zeppelin guy and thought that the early 80s synth pop stuff was too wimpy. Now I have more of an appreciation of some of the more adventureous music of the 80s, as the rock/hard rock scene today is boring. The same guitar sound abounds in each song and the singing is off key much of the time. One thing you can say is that the music of the 80s was more fun as opposed to today.

[GatorGirl]

Give me a break. These idiots that wrote the article and those who are quoted in the article are still on a "Reagan was evil incarnate during the decade of greed" kick.

They admit that 80's nostalgia is big but lament the fact that revived groups are not. I liked Tears for Fears the first time. If they are back together and playing NEW music, I don't consider that 80's nostalgia. Duh!

I want to listen to the original Billy Idol, not a 50 year old Billy Idol.

What a ridculous premise for an article!