That’s So 1980s

Photo by Patrick Q — Some Rights Reserved

Is it an artistic trend? Is it a nightmare? Is it just a moment of fun? Or, is it time to get a new haircut?

As covered in Festival News this week, there appears to be another decade coming back: time for the Retro 80s. The Associated Press reports on the beginning of a nostalgic trend in the arts and culture for all things so-1980s. (It is true that the current U.S. republican presidential candidates can’t stop talking about their ability to channel Ronald Reagan. In an even more bizarre echo, a fellow actor will soon join the race.) Is this a good thing?

Do you feel a sudden compulsion to change your hairstyle? Put on a pair of leg warmers? Dress like a young innocent?

What defines the 80s for the arts? Advertisers pushed the idea of “shop ’til you drop,” and Tom Wolfe countered by defining the times as the “splurge generation.” The phrasing of a “sound bite” was promoted by new “spin doctors.” The gaming industry gave us the low-tech Rubik’s cube, and the high(?) tech Pacman. MTV planted its flag, cats appeared everywhere, and turtles looked really silly.

Inspired yet?

Here’s a short sing-along reference:

• Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
• Goody Two Shoes (Adam Ant)
• Jenny 867-5309 (Tommy Tutone)
• 99 Luftballons (Nena)
• Rio (Duran, Duran)
• Stray Cat Strut (Stray Cats)
• Take On Me (Aha)
• Voices Carry (’til Tuesday)
• Walk Like an Egyptian (Bangles)
• Walking on Sunshine (Katrina & The Waves)

How about a short list of film highlights?

• Bergman’s Fanny och Alexander
• Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo
• Kurosawa’s Ran
• Malle’s Au Revoir, Les Enfants

Surely, any decade that produced that work from the masters provides lots of inspiration for today’s work.

Then, again, maybe it’s best to ignore any retro-trend and just stay in the present tense to make the future work.

- Bill Reichblum

This entry was posted on Monday, July 2nd, 2007 at 4:31 am and is filed under On Culture - . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.