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2001: An '80s Odyssey |
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page 2...
It comes as no surprise to anyone who pays attention to - or pays to be told - such things. The '80s revival was predicted in 1993 by Sputnik, a corporate "coolhunting group," whose founders interviewed New York hipsters and determined that their jokes about Members Only jackets and Michael Jackson were the seeds of a trend. By my own coolhunting calculations the revival has been fully mainstream since 1998, when the 1985 "period film" The Wedding Singer came out. The movie's soundtrack featured hits from Culture Club, the Psychedelic Furs, Thompson Twins, and the Police; by the summer of '98 the '80s reunion tour was a cottage industry, reviving the careers of Boy George, Human League, Howard Jones, and Heaven 17. Then 200 Cigarettes, set on New Year's Eve, 1980, came out in early '99; that year saw reunions and tours from Blondie, the Go-Go's, and metal bands like Poison and Ratt.
2000 welcomed the film version of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho, a new album from Duran Duran, and the reunions of the Bangles, the B-52's (who joined up with the Go-Go's), Spandau Ballet, Night Ranger, and Great White. This month alone we can look forward to several reissues from Tears for Fears and a Motels boxed set, plus the debut album from Liverpool, England's Ladytron, who are ushering in what CMJ calls "the new new wave."
The reaction to this '80s overload is not, as you might expect, disgust or boredom. It is "more more more" - just like the real '80s. As far as fashion is concerned, the revival has reached critical mass, manifesting itself in a crazy quilt of simultaneous appropriations: opulent Dynasty ensembles; new wave Flashdance sweatshirts, razor-cut 'dos and ankle boots; graffiti-patterned prints inspired by the early hip-hop era; army/navy-style military wear; New Romantic ruffles; preppie staples like Izod shirts and fair isle sweaters; even bandana headbands and rubber bracelets and leg warmers and acid-washed denim and airbrushed T-shirts ... I could go on, but, like, gag me with a spoon!
And what better to accompany the "totally '80s" approach to fashion than a constant stream of has-been hits on the radio? In 1998, the first major all-'80s station, WXST, in Columbus, Ohio, signed on. In 2000, the format exploded. Seattle's KYPT and Portland, Ore.'s KVMX switched from classic rock and alternative to a pure '80s format. After KVMX became the No. 1 station in Portland, dozens more across the country followed suit - including two San Diego '80s stations which signed on within hours of each other.
As The Wall Street Journal put it, "the time has come for the 1980s oldies station." KVMX programming director Michelle Engle put a slightly different spin on it when she told The Gavin Report, "we're playing the songs of yesterday for the adults of today." Either way, it sounds pretty middle-aged and unappealing to me. Sure, I can appreciate the electric intensity of a Berlin song, but 24 hours a day?! Oh, right, it's not just new wave; some of the "core artists" on these stations are Phil Collins, Huey Lewis, and Journey.
So while everybody's out looking for a new drug I'm just gonna go ahead and predict the '90s revival, provided the "coolhunters" haven't gotten there first. And y'know, it might not be so bad, aside from the shredded-jeans-and-thermal-underwear look. We'll have sensitive boys and proudly feminist girls, opportunities for independent filmmakers, thrift stores that haven't been strip-mined by "vintage" clothing store owners, and piles of money for dot-com employees. Yeah, I think I might be onto something. But on second thought, nevermind.
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