It’s 1984, and the new Bruce Springsteen album is “Born in the USA”. Rod Stewart is the sexiest man in show business and Richard Simmons is his day’s equivalent to Wii Fit. Fast forward 25 years, and somehow 80’s icons are still as popular as ever.
The 80’s hit TV series, the A-Team, recently was re-thrust into the scope of pop culture with a feature film release. As entertaining as this was, part of me feels robbed. Does rampage Jackson scare me? Of course he does. But he’s just not Mr. T. Of course we’ve also seen the remakes of Tron and Wall Street, and Back to the Future was recently released on Blu Ray.
Music is always set to come full circle, and somehow our parents always laugh that we are enjoying the same hits they spastically danced to back when they were young, and arguably hip (nice moustache, dad). One listen to any of Chromeo’s funky dance tracks will have you thinking you’re back at Camden Palace, circa 1986.
University students have long had an affinity for 1980’s nostalgic theme parties. Breaking out neon t-shirts and legwarmers in a self indulgent night of debauchery has its upside. Let’s just be honest, New Order and Depeche Mode made some amazing albums that can still get a party moving.
Without the slightest hint of irony, we’ve also seen the fashion world embrace trends we thought we’d never see again. Skinny jeans for men; didn’t that die with hair metal? Not a chance. Then there’s retro trainers being released and re-released over and over again by our favourite brands including Nike, Adidas, and Puma.
Everywhere you look you see remnants of a decade everyone thought was buried in the ashes of history. So much for the decade no one remembers.
