A couple weeks back, I was watching an 80’s hair metal tribute band at a local bar. The band trudged their way through some decent covers (Judas Priest “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”), and some that were just plain abysmal (Europe’s “The Final Countdown”). It displayed some of the best and the worst of that decade. The worst was the band actually trying to squeeze into the lycra and spandex that made that decade fashion-impaired. The band looked ridiculous, and obviously it has been about two decades since they were actually able to fit into the clothes. But anyways, I was wondering throughout this whole show:

How in the hell did the 1980’s become the decade of choice to reminisce about for anyone from 20 to 45?

Come on folks, this was the decade of Falco<>| /a>, New Coke, and worse inflation than we have now. They released movies that actually STARRED Corey Feldman AND Sylvester Stallone’s ... and we went to see them. I mean, if that isn’t a case for fast forwarding from 1979 to 1990, I don’t know what is.

But now I watch as all of these so called artists try to emulate the 80’s. You watch as no talent Ashlee Simpson says her new album sounds like Blonde and Madonna. You watch as even decent groups like the Killers try to recreate the Duran Duran magic of 1984. Groups like Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party all steal from 80’s new wave and alternative as basis for their sound. Countless others have been influenced by the 1980’s in music and fashion, and it just strains my mind to puzzle how this became so.

We have VH1 spending not one, not even two, but THREE damn weeks, showcasing every little detail of the decade, with their “I Love the 80’s” specials. (Plus reruns.) Given, the panelists on the shows are amusing for the most part, but do I really need to remember Cabbage Patch dolls? Of course not. It seems a little weird trying to reminisce about movies like “The Day After”, and TV shows like “Gimme A Break”. One good thing did come out of these specials; the power of the always underrated William Zabka (the bad guy in Karate Kid, Back to School, and every other teen/ young adult movie of that decade) and the contribution he brought to the 80’s movie landscape.

Hey, VH1, go back to playing music, and spare us with this stuff. No more “My Fair Brady”, and get back to what got you there. You can keep “Breaking Bonaduce” though; that show is a bleeping train wreck that is amusing beyond words.

I know this will probably rile some people up that read this article. Most of our readers either grew up in the 80s or at least remember a good portion of it with fondness. They will come back with statements with “it was fun back then, before the misery of the 90’s and now”, and “at least that rap crap wasn’t really around back then”.

First off, the music was fun, to an extent, but with lyrics from hair metal bands abound (Poison’s “I Want Action” sums it up; with a chorus like “I Want Action/ I want Satisfaction/ I Need your lovin’ tonight:’), don’t expect the Grammy’s to come knocking anytime soon. But like anything, that sort of fun is good for about a week, and it isn’t worth remembering. And don’t go after the 90’s; the grunge music of the era stands up better today than most things from the 80’s. Give me Soundgarden and Alice in Chains any day over Poison and Cinderella. And don’t even get me into the way people dressed back yet. If you were a guy, that was your time to like makeup, and a put little pink in your wardrobe. A little scary to me, in this day in age

Given, there was music I liked, and all of this remembrance is a case of nostalgia. It’s like those Dream Cruise fans that are trying to forget about anything that took place after 1975. It is time that you explore new things, and mix some of the new in with some of the old.

And to answer your impending questions: The Police were great. And no, Def Leppard was not a hair metal band. Neither was Guns n Roses.

As Wayne’s World’s Garth Algar would say, “Live In The Now!”.

What's YOUR favorite 80s memory? Best band? Best movie? Tell us on the messageboard. Then go get a life.