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Subject: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Warlock on 08/11/07 at 2:30 am

Today it seems like my neighborhood was caught in a 70's time-pocket until at least the mid-80's, in my case it can be said that the 80's truly started when I began on a away-from-home school we have in Denmark, it was in '86 and thinking back it was almost like I walked around a corner and suddenly the 80's fell upon me like a homesick tsunami.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Marty McFly on 08/11/07 at 2:40 am

I wasn't really there, but I'm an '80s afficianado, so....I think in a pop culture sense, they started when MTV went on the air, and politically when Reagan was elected. Although I don't think it entirely "felt like the Eighties" until "Billie Jean" popularized Michael Jackson in early 1983. It seemed like everything that defined the decade was close in 1982, but still one step away from exploding.

Overall, I think about mid 1979 to mid 1982 was kind of a "dead period" in terms of mainstream pop culture. New wave was popular underground, but it seemed like nobody really knew where things were heading after Disco died and before mall and MTV culture got big.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: agoraphobicwhacko on 08/11/07 at 4:39 am

The 80's began in 1980. I was 5. I was in kindergarten(a place called "Happy Time"). McDonald's hamburgers tasted better than they ever will again, and there was alot of Billy Joel and Journey on the radio. My grandpa played pong. My dad took me to eat at places like Happy Steak that no longer exist. We went to arcades and bowling alleys that had a ton of pinball machines relating to bands at that time.

The 80's didn't start in 82, 84, 86,etc. They started in 1980.

There were no "time pockets" or "cultural shifts". This type of thing is either how certain people remember that time(maybe your family were hardcore disco fanatics and sheltered you in that lifestyle or something to that degree), or its terms used by people who didn't even experience the 80's and read this stuff on message boards and other assorted sites.


Trust me, MTV wasn't the start of the 80's. The 80's were well underway. Marty, why are you telling someone what the 80's "felt" like when you admit in your first paragraph that you didn't experience it? That would be like me telling someone what the 60's felt like.

You cant get the "feel" of something by reading about it, and discussing it as if you were there when you really were not. You're obviously intelligent(I have read quite a few of your posts since joining here, and you are one of the most recognizable posters here), but maybe your intelligence would be better used telling people what it felt like living in the 90's or even this decade. No offense.

You think 80-82 was a "dead period"? Definitely words only uttered by those who didn't live it.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Marty McFly on 08/11/07 at 5:30 am

With all due respect, it's not like people can't get into things later (that's one of the oldest debates - not just on this board, but in general I've observed). Plus, you can watch television shows, movies, watch how the music charts progressed, or talk to people about it, etc. ;)

I've commonly said this before regarding my own experience, but aside from generally always being the type to pay attention to details, I was always around music. I remember listening to songs on the radio or albums as far back as about 3 and a half (I was born in the Fall of 1981, so this would be around early '85). While I heard songs in malls or public places quite a bit, my main exposure to it was thanks to my parents, who listened to what was popular at the time. Especially my mom. Granted, my actual memories don't consist of more than very little scattered things, like going to preschool, walking around the house, or stuff with my parents, like going to the store or driving around town. However this was enough for me to get the "feel" of what things were like. Meaning, how people kinda acted or what things looked like.

As time progressed, I stayed with what I liked from the '80s, so in a sense I got into it deeper (although I picked up new things along the way, and didn't feel out of touch until maybe the middle of high school. Like 1998 or '99 when things like nu-metal came along). This wasn't until later, but I was very into TV in the early-mid '90s, so I learned even more about things.

Plus, it's not like people suddenly traded in their polyesther and afros for Miami Vice suits and frizzy hair on New Years Eve 1979 when the ball dropped in Times Square. ;D It takes awhile for things to transition, and it doesn't happen just because one digit in the year changes, lol. I'll go ahead and say 1982 had enough to genuinely count as the '80s, even if it predated Thriller, Cyndi, "Every Breath You Take", Prince and Duran Duran. However, you've gotta admit, 1980 and even 1981 for the most part, the aboveground culture and political mindset hadn't developed enough to feel like the true Eighties yet.

It was just "not the Disco era" anymore.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: agoraphobicwhacko on 08/11/07 at 6:40 am

From 80-82, we had the beginning of the 80's slasher craze(F13, The Burning,etc.), the teen comedy trend starting(Porky's, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Valley Girl, etc.), the 80's epic blockbusters craze(ET, Poltergeist, etc.), 80's style music starting(Men At Work, John Cougar,etc.), the console wars(Atari, Colecovision,Intellivision,Nintendo,etc.), etc. List goes on and on.

1980-82 was most definitely the 80's. 8)

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/11/07 at 7:56 am

Definitely January 1st 1980

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: KKay on 08/11/07 at 7:59 am

It began for me around 1978.  The music in New York was changing and we were beginning to stick with Lou Reed, Bowie, Heads, and Blondie and the Ramones- their popularity stuck with us through the 80s.  For me they are 80s bands but they began in the late 70s.  The clothes, the hair, it all changed quickly around 79.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: MaxwellSmart on 08/11/07 at 5:18 pm

I don't remember New Years 1970 because I was eight months old, but I was quite cognizant of the decade changing from the '70s to the '80s.  The whole thing was very exciting.  That was the first time I stayed up on New Years Eve to usher in the New Year.  The '80s for me began literally on 01/01/80. 

Culturally speaking, the '80s really became the '80s with two terrible events within the same 60 days: The assassination of John Lennon and the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. 

The personal computer and video games, for instance, are two defining developments associated with the '80s, but they were already present by 1980, though inchoate. 

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: JamieMcBain on 08/11/07 at 10:42 pm

January 1, 1980.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: coqueta83 on 08/12/07 at 12:11 am

To me, the 80's began right in 1980. My earliest memories date back to 1982, so that's when my first 80's experiences began.  :)

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Marty McFly on 08/12/07 at 1:51 am

Come on guys, you've got to admit 1980 was just a dead version of the '70s. You can't truly call it the '80s without MTV or Reagan.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Watcher29 on 08/13/07 at 11:59 am


Definitely January 1st 1980


Absolutely. And they ended December 31, 1989. What else could be a measure of the "true" '80s other than the years of the decade itself?

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Paul on 08/13/07 at 3:40 pm

For me, it must have been about late '80/early '81...

I was in that awkward 'transitional' period of adolescence at the time and I imagine I must have turned from a happy-go-lucky child into a seething mass of hormones and spots almost overnight... :P

Rather conveniently (due to my birth), the 70s was my childhood...and the 80s was when I left it behind!

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Mushroom on 08/13/07 at 5:33 pm

8 December 1980, in front of the Dakota.


It was a Monday morning, I was coming in from a long trip on the road.
I flagged a cab near the East Side Terminal,
I said, "Please take me home."
We drove up along Third Avenue, crossed through Central Park.
When we came out at Seventy second Street,
I felt a cold chill in my heart.

Every time I see the Dakota, I think about that night.
Shots ringing out, the angry shouts,
A man losing his life.
Well, it's something we shouldn't dwell upon,
But it's something we shouldn't ignore.
Too many good men have been cut down,
Let's pray there won't be any more.

Rush hour traffic was bottled up,
We slowly inched by.
I didn't want to look, but I couldn't help staring
At the scene of the crime.
There was an old man sweeping last night's dirt
Out of the darkened vestibule,
And a uniformed guard in a gold-trimmed cap
Watching the world pass in review.

But every time I see the Dakota, I think about that night.
Shots ringing out, the angry shouts,
A man losing his life.
Well, it's something we shouldn't dwell upon,
But it's something we shouldn't ignore.
Too many good men have been cut down,
Let's pray there won't be any more.

I don't believe in coincidence,
So why then on the radio
Did an old familiar voice
Echo back from not so long ago?
"Imagine all the people
Living life in peace."
Well, it's hard to do
When you are on this blood-stained street.

I wish I had the answer
To the simple question, "Why?"
I wish this taxi would go faster
Oh, I wish the driver would try
To leave this street
And leave this old building far behind.
I wish I could take these bitter thoughts
And just shake them from my mind.

But Every time I see the Dakota, I still think of that night.
Shots ringing out, the angry shouts,
A man losing his life.
Well, it's something we shouldn't dwell upon,
But it's something we shouldn't ignore.
Too many good men have been cut down,
Let's pray there won't be any more.

The Dakota, by Christine Lavin

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: whistledog on 08/13/07 at 9:10 pm


You can't truly call it the '80s without MTV or Reagan.


I never had MTV, so I can ;D

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 08/13/07 at 11:11 pm

I guess 1980. I was (unfortunately) only 3 years old at the time...but I can actually remember certain things back then.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Watcher29 on 08/14/07 at 2:18 pm

I was 10 years old when the 80s began and 19 when they ended. I remember the 80s in excruciating detail... well, except that one day in '89 when I first discovered beer.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: CeramicsFanatic on 08/14/07 at 3:17 pm


For me, it must have been about late '80/early '81...


I'd have to say that it was about that time for me as well...

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Paul on 08/14/07 at 3:23 pm


I'd have to say that it was about that time for me as well...


Ah! But did you turn into a seething mass of hormones and spots overnight, young Karen?  ;)

I know I did!  :P

I think I've still got a hormone or two floating around somewhere!  :D

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: MaxwellSmart on 08/14/07 at 9:06 pm


I was 10 years old when the 80s began and 19 when they ended. I remember the 80s in excruciating detail... well, except that one day in '89 when I first discovered beer.

Late bloomer, eh?  Actually I didn't get into beer until I was in my 20s.  It was Rum & Coke in my teens, sometimes Gin & Tonic.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Watcher29 on 08/15/07 at 9:34 am


Late bloomer, eh?  Actually I didn't get into beer until I was in my 20s.  It was Rum & Coke in my teens, sometimes Gin & Tonic.


More of a "live in the middle of nowhere and my folks will kill me if I drink" 'er than anything else. My parents weren't drinkers, so there was no liquor cabinet to raid.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: CeramicsFanatic on 08/15/07 at 2:59 pm


Ah! But did you turn into a seething mass of hormones and spots overnight, young Karen?  ;)

I know I did!  :P


Oh, I'm quite sure the hormones were raging in me around that time... :D

As for spots, are you referring to acne?  ???

If so, then I was kinda lucky in that department as I never really broke out that much!  :)

I think I've still got a hormone or two floating around somewhere!  :D


You're so silly!  ;D ;)

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: gumbypiz on 08/15/07 at 3:05 pm


Late bloomer, eh?  Actually I didn't get into beer until I was in my 20s.  It was Rum & Coke in my teens, sometimes Gin & Tonic.


My dad owned a liquor store in the 80's. Was unfortunate for me he left cases of overstock in the basement (my room was in the basement). At 16 I thought I'd be bold enough one boring summer night and drink nearly one whole bottle of Beefeater from a box in the corner...you can imagine the result for a novice, first time drinker. I can now NEVER even be around gin, I will start dry heaving upon the smell alone  ;D.

The 80's started for me in 1981, first year in high school, first year of the Regan Administration, first kiss, first time I heard the Cure, Prince. Got a Jehri Curl (why I'll never know). Seemed like I could actually see a change in my life for once, I could see that the 80's might be more than the '70's could of ever been.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: MaxwellSmart on 08/17/07 at 10:40 pm


My dad owned a liquor store in the 80's. Was unfortunate for me he left cases of overstock in the basement (my room was in the basement). At 16 I thought I'd be bold enough one boring summer night and drink nearly one whole bottle of Beefeater from a box in the corner...you can imagine the result for a novice, first time drinker. I can now NEVER even be around gin, I will start dry heaving upon the smell alone  ;D.



Boy, that's like...that's like having your father own a liquor store and bring home cases vodka and leave them outside your bedroom!
:-\\

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: gumbypiz on 08/19/07 at 2:57 am


Boy, that's like...that's like having your father own a liquor store and bring home cases vodka and leave them outside your bedroom!
:-\\

Yea, well, I blame really no one but the bravado of a dumb 16 year old. As a whole, my family didn't drink, at all. Other than the occasional can of beer at halftime for my dad, and eggnog at Christmas for my Mom, there wasn't any alcohol drinking in the house.

Odd 'cause in the 80's I could drink legally at 18 in D.C., but not in my home state of Maryland. A hallmark for local DC, MD,& VA teen kids in the 80's. I was "grandfathered in" but still took no pleasure in drink until my college years much later...

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Spottedfeather on 08/23/07 at 8:24 pm

The day I was born, of course. July 19th, 1980.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: GoodRedShirt on 08/23/07 at 8:48 pm

August 7, 1985 I guess.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: grownup80sstyle on 08/26/07 at 11:32 pm

I was 7 going on 8yrs old when the clock struck 12am on 1/1/80. I was at an age that I could remember alot of things. One of my favorites was rollerskating (with four wheels), not in-line skating. I remember going to these gigantic roller rinks with the awesome 80's music playing and the lights dimmed and the disco ball in the middle shining all over the place!!!!!!!! I remember when MTV first came out and I USED to like it. Also, Atari games, and Nintendo with the original Mario Brothers game. Shirts with neon colors on them, and OP, too!! Remember Jellies shoes, Swatch watches? Also I remember when Nike had shoes that had the stripe across the side in only a couple of colors. Jordache, and Gloria Vanderbilt jeans were very popular also. And do you remember stirrup pants? I do!!! The TV shows had good story lines and good morals back then, too. Even the movies were COOL!!!!!!!!!!! I could go on and on, I tell you. I really absorbed the 80's growing up. I graduated in 1990 (HS). So I guess that really makes me an 80's kid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Philip Eno on 08/28/07 at 3:01 pm

Hopefully the 80s will start for me in September 2037.

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: AmericanGirl on 08/28/07 at 8:45 pm


Hopefully the 80s will start for me in September 2037.


;D  ;D  ;D

1980 was a little tumultuous for me, so I'll say around March 1980 because my life changed then.  That February I was a full time student, but hit maximum burnout at that time, so I came home mid-semester a broken down heap.  That was tough.  I had the extreme fortune of getting a full time job fairly quickly after this, something reasonable.  This happened in March 1980.  So in that short time frame my whole identity sort of changed.  When I started my full time job in March, that's when the 80's started for me.  (Thankfully, after a while I did return to college and finish my degree - but that's a story for another time.)

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: xSiouXBoIx on 08/29/07 at 3:19 pm

i never lived in the 80's, but i consider the 80's to have started in 1980. 80's is 80's to me....but i do think in terms of early 80's, mid 80's and late 80's. but their all under one big arch.


actually, i was born in '89, so i guess i did barley live in the 80's....

Subject: Re: When Did The 80's Begin For You?

Written By: Marty McFly on 08/29/07 at 3:31 pm

I guess I never realized it until now, but this thread is based more on personal perception than pop culture.

If we're going with that, then I'd say just about when 1984 was becoming 1985. I can definitely remember a few things starting around that Spring. Whether it was going to the supermarket or other places around town with my parents, hearing songs on the radio, being at preschool, or going to, say Chuck E Cheese, that's the first period that's clear enough for me to get something of a "feel" for it.

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