The early MTV generation, arcades and the Brat Pack are now what Vietnam, JFK and the Beatles were then. That's actually not what upsets me the most, though.

On a personal level, I get really uneasy that a time I grew up in is becoming viewed as this "stuffy, adult era" associated with middle aged parents and authority figures. Obviously it depends on the person, but I think the media portrays it that way. Like I've seen pieces of the show Degrassi, and in one of the episodes, the teens have this '80s dance at high school. I remember one of the teachers was spinning some new wave song on the soundsystem and trying to look cool, while one of the teen girls looked on with disgust. That erased any doubt in my mind about how old they're really getting. :\'(

What makes it even worse is that I feel like I'm on the tail end of a generation. I'm one of the youngest people who were sorta "there" for the '80s and can get a pretty good firsthand picture of how things were. Even though I was a kid then (and was always a little "old school") it's like I'm only 26 and I'm still a young dude. I worry that I could get blended in with 40 year olds who were in high school then, just because of my tastes or early memories. I like them and certainly have nothing against them, I just don't want to be on the same level now (no offense). ;)

The second, smaller reason it freaks me is because for a long long time the '80s were "kinda recent" and now I'm finally seeing them fior the first time as a fully different generation. Sure, some people ripped on them in the '90s too, but stuff like that would've been ridiculous. You wouldn't be hearing Huey Lewis on the oldies station in 1995 or called "your parents music" but now that it's finally about a quarter of a century ago, it makes some sense.

Marty,

Hell, they play The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam on the classic rock station here in New York - jeez.

I hate to break it to you but everything you know and love is getting old and it's taking you with it!

Don't be too concerned about being an old fart, it sure beats the alternative.  :P

I'm not too bothered by being lumped in with the older crowd, because I've always been happy and proud of the fact that I grew up in and still remember the 80's with great fondness.  :)

Listening to 80's music on the "oldies" station is a shot of reality that these songs are or approaching 25 years old. Regardless, I still love listening to 80's music anyway.  :D

  Nope, sorry Marty, a deal's a deal.  You want to make the old school stuff your own, you have to take the good with the bad and go down with the ship like the rest of us... ;D

 

True I guess I can't have it both ways - i.e. be viewed as young (even if people usually think I'm like 19 anyway lol) AND old school at the same time. I have to pick one or the other now.

That's like a double edged sword too, I feel so bad about turning my back on you guys. When I was a little kid and you were teenagers...or when I was like 15 and you were around 30, I looked up to you all and wanted to be in your group. That was like the age of my babysitters and stuff. So it's just that now that I'm a twentysomething and you're around 40 the roles are really changing, that probably freaks me because I've always looked at this generation as basically being young...yet what young man would want to be part of the middle aged crowd as a whole?

Even when I was in high school in the late '90s I remember Generation Xers praising me for going against the crowd by being more into their stuff than something like Limb Bizkit. Yet no one would probably even think anything of it now. Sometimes I even test it to TRY to see if they'll make some comment about me being young, like going "Oh that song came out when I was 4, I totally love it" and usually they don't.

Hey, I almost feel better about the early decade because I wasn't there, so I got into that secondhand, just like an "old school minded teenager" could have. At least I can be a whippersnapper with something from 1982! ;)

  I suppose I'm the tiniest bit upset that half my life is over. Maybe more.  I doubt I'll live to be 80 y/o...

  The crowd you shun are still cool, just in a different way, man.  Not in a fame, fortune and bling-blig way, but in a YouTube and dusty thrift shop way.  Some call it "recycled culture".  I don't, but some do. Their whole mindset is different and the're quieter.  And, as you know, it's not necessary to choose a side.  I can tell you strongly identify with popular culture to the point of letting it define who you are which is nonsense because that would imply that you're "other determined" as opposed to "self".  Your upbringing, education and experiences define who you are and those definitions evolve throughout your lifetime.  Were Eldridge Cleaver a pop psychologist he might say something like "Where your childhood goes, your buttocks will follow..."

  S'okay..?

Who's to say that the 80's ARE "the adults'" time?  ???

People young and old are free to like/enjoy/dislike/loathe whatever decade they want.  They don't have to be born or living in that decade to enjoy the pop culture that came from.  Hell, everyone's free to analyze the times and even use silly-ass terms such as decadeology.  :D

You're only as old as you feel.  Same thing goes for being cool.  8)

I was ages 7 to 18 during the 80's.  I love the music.  I liked MTV back then.  I hate what it is now.  I also hate that I have to pay more to get a cable channel that somewhat resembles the MTV I grew up with.  Things change.  I'm dealing with it.

True..anyone can like anything, and there's lots more "old school" kids/teens nowadays than in past generations...probably because stuff like downloading and YouTube makes it easier. I more meant by actual firsthand experience is how the '80s are adultish, and I'm one of the youngest who was sorta there. Doesn't matter if I was a kid, I could potentially be lumped with that.

Oh, by no means is 40 or 45 "old", not at all, especially by today's standards. I just get really upset when the media plays it out to be that way - like a teen looking at someone that age like "ewww you're old and lame". Then again TV shows always exaggerate things. ;D

I think society is SO youth centered now, so even though it's not old, it's like viewed as "out of the pop culture appeal" range too, unless you're a celebrity.

I'm more melancholy for the other end of the scale. The only thing I feel upset about is not having older people around to remember the pre 50s / 60s decades. To me that time is being lost.

If you look around there's still plenty of stuff around from the 80s, so make the most of it whilst it's still there... old malls etc.

I'm more melancholy for the other end of the scale. The only thing I feel upset about is not having older people around to remember the pre 50s / 60s decades. To me that time is being lost.

If you look around there's still plenty of stuff around from the 80s, so make the most of it whilst it's still there... old malls etc.


That's actually a good point. It's very very recent still, if you look at it that way. Relative to LIFE, the younger people of the '80s are still pretty young today, and many things that were around back then still are. That won't be around forever either...I guess just because the "youth culture" aspect is totally gone now, I should appreciate what is still around.

I have noticed that about the '50s, and that's sad. They totally have dropped off the radar, like in the '90s I would hear Elvis songs on oldies stations, and that's totally gone now. You have to basically be a senior citizen to have teenage or heck even childhood experience!

   I suppose I'm the tiniest bit upset that half my life is over. Maybe more.  I doubt I'll live to be 80 y/o...

   The crowd you shun are still cool, just in a different way, man.  Not in a fame, fortune and bling-blig way, but in a YouTube and dusty thrift shop way.  



dusty thrift shop? that's so hot. :D ;D


Seriously though...I agree with everyone when they say that you are as old/young as you let yourself be. Sometimes I get upset that I am 31..but then I think to myself.."gosh, I am ONLY 31..what is the big deal?" I admire those middle-aged people who let down their guard, let themselves do silly things, and have a carefree life. It's all about how you make the most out of the life that was given to you.

Who's to say that the 80's ARE "the adults'" time?   ???

People young and old are free to like/enjoy/dislike/loathe whatever decade they want.  They don't have to be born or living in that decade to enjoy the pop culture that came from.  Hell, everyone's free to analyze the times and even use silly-ass terms such as decadeology.  :D

You're only as old as you feel.  Same thing goes for being cool.   8)

I was ages 7 to 18 during the 80's.  I love the music.  I liked MTV back then.  I hate what it is now.  I also hate that I have to pay more to get a cable channel that somewhat resembles the MTV I grew up with.  Things change.  I'm dealing with it.


  YouTube is the new MTV and then some.  YouTube racks-up, what, forty-gazillion hits a day?  You can get your music videos, rare concert footage, interviews, retro commercials (since when did I start liking commercials?!?), promos, segments of whole TV shows and other broadcasts, including MTV's golden years (Martha Quinn, rawrrr...) crazies and raving lunatics and other stupid stuff.  It's like a Goodwill store, Amoeba music store, a head shop and your grandma's attic all rolled into one...

  I think YouTube may be part of that counterculture that we've been missing...

  And if you ever use the word "counterculture", you're showing your age... :P

dusty thrift shop? that's so hot. :D ;D



  You already have the pointy glasses, all you need is an old cardigan and you're there..!

  I think the crowd Marty refers-to is the last bunch that remembers various misc. things (that were once mainstays, mind ye) like television dials that stopped at 13 channels, reading newspapers on a regular basis, watching certain TV shows at certain times on certain nights, going to a movie theater to watch a movie, listening to the radio, paying a bill by writing a check, using phone books to find phone numbers, talking on a phone that had a long, curly cord attatched to it, and having only 3 TV networks to choose from.  There's a connection to the past, which is good, IMO.  Not something to get sentimental over but things have certainly changed VERY fast in just over a decade...

  I have a habit of reading through the video comments on YouTube and checking their ages (at times I don't even need to do that).  There's a WHOLE bunch of people out there that feel the same way that we do here on the board...

   You already have the pointy glasses, all you need is an old cardigan and you're there..!

   I think the crowd Marty refers-to is the last bunch that remembers various misc. things (that were once mainstays, mind ye) like television dials that stopped at 13 channels, reading newspapers on a regular basis, watching certain TV shows at certain times on certain nights, going to a movie theater to watch a movie, listening to the radio, paying a bill by writing a check, using phone books to find phone numbers, talking on a phone that had a long, curly cord attatched to it, and having only 3 TV networks to choose from.  There's a connection to the past, which is good, IMO.  Not something to get sentimental over but things have certainly changed VERY fast in just over a decade...

   I have a habit of reading through the video comments on YouTube and checking their ages (at times I don't even need to do that).  There's a WHOLE bunch of people out there that feel the same way that we do here on the board...




hell ya (to the cardigan reference ;)). But ya..I know what you mean by your words. Karma for this post..it made me all cozy and nostalgic. :)

You're right Dave, I feel like I'm sort of the last of the generation who can remember that stuff somewhat firsthand. Even if I've still always been more old-school than average people my age. There's times even people born in like 1985 have made me feel old and lame...just 3 or 4 years difference, and I think that just makes me uneasy when it's so sharp of a change.

On a lighter note, you're right about youtube. :) I love it to death, it's like my new television in general. I also do that with checking people's ages out of curiosity, I love hearing what different people say about certain things...and it's always cool when other people (of any age) have had similar experiences to mine. ;)

Who's to say that the 80's ARE "the adults'" time?   ???

People young and old are free to like/enjoy/dislike/loathe whatever decade they want.  They don't have to be born or living in that decade to enjoy the pop culture that came from.  Hell, everyone's free to analyze the times and even use silly-ass terms such as decadeology.  :D

You're only as old as you feel.  Same thing goes for being cool.   8)

I was ages 7 to 18 during the 80's.  I love the music.  I liked MTV back then.  I hate what it is now.  I also hate that I have to pay more to get a cable channel that somewhat resembles the MTV I grew up with.  Things change.  I'm dealing with it.


Kind of an argument to support his statement, I mostly like 80s stuff and am still discovering stuff I had no idea about back then (music-wise) because they just didn't play that kind of stuff on my local radio station in rural areas where I grew up.

But I also love 60s and 70s and even some doo-wop stuff (I guess that was from what...the 50s or something?)  Anyways, what I'm getting at is...
and maybe I've misunderstood your point of view Marty (and I apologize if I have) but you like to point out that you feel so unique because you are about 10/15 years younger then the people that were teens in the 80s and that now you hate that you might be losing some of the uniqueness because you are getting older (like the rest of us).  It really has no bearing on how old you are/were nor what music you are into to make yourself unique or special.  I really don't give a second thought of who should be like what era of music.  Honestly, who cares?

In my opinion, what makes you special is how you feel about yourself, or what you manage to do with your life, if you manage to stay out of trouble, and help your fellow man as much as you can.  I don't really recall any celebrity being unique because they are into a different era of music then what would normally be stereotyped with their age.  Maybe Brian Seltzer (from the Stray Cats) when he did the swing music stuff way back when.  But even then, that's just his personal choice. 

I don't feel any more or less special because I prefer 80s music or 70s disco or 60s pop music.  That's just what I like.  I guess I don't mind blending in with the crowd. 

I hope I'm stating coherantly what I'm trying to say, sometimes I guess I get caught up in ramble mode and then wonder if I got my point across.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

Kind of an argument to support his statement, I mostly like 80s stuff and am still discovering stuff I had no idea about back then (music-wise) because they just didn't play that kind of stuff on my local radio station in rural areas where I grew up.

But I also love 60s and 70s and even some doo-wop stuff (I guess that was from what...the 50s or something?)  Anyways, what I'm getting at is...
and maybe I've misunderstood your point of view Marty (and I apologize if I have) but you like to point out that you feel so unique because you are about 10/15 years younger then the people that were teens in the 80s and that now you hate that you might be losing some of the uniqueness because you are getting older (like the rest of us).  It really has no bearing on how old you are/were nor what music you are into to make yourself unique or special.  I really don't give a second thought of who should be like what era of music.  Honestly, who cares?

In my opinion, what makes you special is how you feel about yourself, or what you manage to do with your life, if you manage to stay out of trouble, and help your fellow man as much as you can.  I don't really recall any celebrity being unique because they are into a different era of music then what would normally be stereotyped with their age.  Maybe Brian Seltzer (from the Stray Cats) when he did the swing music stuff way back when.  But even then, that's just his personal choice. 

I don't feel any more or less special because I prefer 80s music or 70s disco or 60s pop music.  That's just what I like.  I guess I don't mind blending in with the crowd. 

I hope I'm stating coherantly what I'm trying to say, sometimes I guess I get caught up in ramble mode and then wonder if I got my point across.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth.
Yes you did and well said.

No it doesn't upset me if the 80's are concidered 'adult' at the end of the day, and as Marty likes to keep pointing out, we are all in our 30's and 40's now. I actually find it quite amusing that the 'kids' today are finding so much from the 80's retro and cool. Marty the nostalgia you have for the 80's is the same that I, and probably others on this board have for the 70's, the era you were a small child in. The fact that you like the 80's for it's music, culture etc is maybe a bit unusual but not unique. It's the same as being a Goth or a Rockabilly or a Mod.

OK.  the famous oldies channel here in NYC now plays the "hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s."  not the 50s.  we passed an era and it's time to have the 80s move to that part of the catalogue of decades.  just think...in about 30 years we'll say this about the 90s  (which i have no setimental memories of musically or film-wise)

I'm one of the 40-somethings that went to high school in the 80s.  That was then and I'm ok with that.

lol I do remember the first time I heard my favorite 80s song played as Muzack (elevator music) while shopping at the grocery store (about 15 years ago).  I muffled a sob  :\'(, but then sung (quietly) along while I compared prices on the jars of coffee.  Shopping was much more fun that day.  ;D

You know what, Marty, I actually kind of like the idea of younger kids looking at me as some old fart.. I don't know exactly why.  ;D I think it's because I feel like I finally have an upperhand on this stuff. It's sort of like when I was younger, I always wanted to relive my parents generation, and now my generation has become the one. Yet, now I can be the one that says, I was there. I lived it. I may not remember everything about it, but I have some distinct memories of that time and am proud of it! I kinda like seeing young kids confused faces of what the strong appeal is about something from that time has about it, but one day they'll be in our seats, remembering fondly of the '00s like no tomorrow. It's going to be an ongoing cycle..

You know what, Marty, I actually kind of like the idea of younger kids looking at me as some old fart.. I don't know exactly why.  ;D I think it's because I feel like I finally have an upperhand on this stuff. It's sort of like when I was younger, I always wanted to relive my parents generation, and now my generation has become the one. Yet, now I can be the one that says, I was there. I lived it. I may not remember everything about it, but I have some distinct memories of that time and am proud of it! I kinda like seeing young kids confused faces of what the strong appeal is about something from that time has about it, but one day they'll be in our seats, remembering fondly of the '00s like no tomorrow. It's going to be an ongoing cycle..



that's very well stated, Krissy...and I agree. It's like each generation experiences their own unique memories/traditions/etc. and they are able to pass that down to the younger generations. While reading your post I visualized a scenario of like a grandpap sitting with his grandchildren...telling them memorable stories from his past. Those are fond memories that can be passed down.  Personally, I don't mind the fact that I am in my early 30's. Yes, I DO miss how certain things were from the time of my childhood/teenage years, but that's what makes them special. They cannot be duplicated, therefore, they are now memories that we all hold dear to us. I am glad that I was able to experience certain things in life back then because now, I find myself instilling those things in Vaughn, just as he (someday) will be able to share his experiences of the 00's with his children. You are right, it's an ongoing cycle.

You know what, Marty, I actually kind of like the idea of younger kids looking at me as some old fart.. I don't know exactly why.  ;D I think it's because I feel like I finally have an upperhand on this stuff. It's sort of like when I was younger, I always wanted to relive my parents generation, and now my generation has become the one. Yet, now I can be the one that says, I was there. I lived it. I may not remember everything about it, but I have some distinct memories of that time and am proud of it! I kinda like seeing young kids confused faces of what the strong appeal is about something from that time has about it, but one day they'll be in our seats, remembering fondly of the '00s like no tomorrow. It's going to be an ongoing cycle..


I hear ya. I'd hate to be younger now. I love being in my thirties.

I'm 37 now and am happy to have had my early childhood in the 70s and my teen years in the 80s - that way I feel like I had the best of both worlds in terms of music, tv and movies and other forms of pop culture.

The only time I ever felt old was when I recently heard the Bowling for Soup song 1985; the lyrics really made me feel nostalgic.  :(

That's actually a good point. It's very very recent still, if you look at it that way. Relative to LIFE, the younger people of the '80s are still pretty young today, and many things that were around back then still are. That won't be around forever either...I guess just because the "youth culture" aspect is totally gone now, I should appreciate what is still around.

I have noticed that about the '50s, and that's sad. They totally have dropped off the radar, like in the '90s I would hear Elvis songs on oldies stations, and that's totally gone now. You have to basically be a senior citizen to have teenage or heck even childhood experience!


The people who remember the 80s from childhood are about . . . 29/30? That's not old really.

Feel sorry for the older people who didn't have things like video cameras, internet or, in extreme cases, photographs to look back on their youth.

As each generation continues, it will be easier and cheaper for it to capture memories of their youth in technology.

On a lighter note, you're right about youtube. :) I love it to death, it's like my new television in general. I also do that with checking people's ages out of curiosity, I love hearing what different people say about certain things...and it's always cool when other people (of any age) have had similar experiences to mine. ;)

Thank goodness for YouTube.  :) I find myself spending more time watching stuff there than on regular TV these days!  :D

sorry J but you're either with us or against us  ;D

Thank goodness for YouTube.  :) I find myself spending more time watching stuff there than on regular TV these days!  :D


I am absolutely amazed at what you can find on Youtube. I saw some old television adverts I hadn't seen in years.  8)

I don't mind so much. In my late 20s, I was one of those people who decried everything about the "modern" day and always yammered on about how great the 80s were. I also tried as much as I could to surround myself with icons from that era and to lose myself in them- toys, pictures/posters, video games, bought myself a pool hall and put my own classic arcade in there (which turned out to be a BAD investment), magazines, etc. But as I got older, I realized that things DO change and time DOES go by; there's no use fighting it. Fighting it only puts your memories in a more negative light and you don't enjoy them as much. So, while I still surround myself with icons from my youth, I try now not to slam the post-80s eras. I may cut on some things like modern movies and music, but only a little bit :)

Another thing is being asked if I wished I could go back (cue Uncle Rico quotes here). Hell no! I think it would just taint the experiences I had in those days. So while I may miss the 80s, I already lived them. And I'm forever grateful that I grew up then. It was definitely a magical time.

heck im 52!!  and still love the 80's!!  although i remember alot about the 70's too! :o

At least you guys grew up in the 80's

I was born in '90...The 80's seem like such a cool time (MTV actually played ONLY videos, you had to get up and go to the mall to play video games, cartoons were EPIC, and you had to actually know how to play an instrument to be famous)

The 00's are only comparable to the 30's in that they are horrible in almost every aspect (but at least the 30's had FDR)

Kind of an argument to support his statement, I mostly like 80s stuff and am still discovering stuff I had no idea about back then (music-wise) because they just didn't play that kind of stuff on my local radio station in rural areas where I grew up.

But I also love 60s and 70s and even some doo-wop stuff (I guess that was from what...the 50s or something?)  Anyways, what I'm getting at is...
and maybe I've misunderstood your point of view Marty (and I apologize if I have) but you like to point out that you feel so unique because you are about 10/15 years younger then the people that were teens in the 80s and that now you hate that you might be losing some of the uniqueness because you are getting older (like the rest of us).  It really has no bearing on how old you are/were nor what music you are into to make yourself unique or special.  I really don't give a second thought of who should be like what era of music.  Honestly, who cares?

In my opinion, what makes you special is how you feel about yourself, or what you manage to do with your life, if you manage to stay out of trouble, and help your fellow man as much as you can.  I don't really recall any celebrity being unique because they are into a different era of music then what would normally be stereotyped with their age.  Maybe Brian Seltzer (from the Stray Cats) when he did the swing music stuff way back when.  But even then, that's just his personal choice. 

I don't feel any more or less special because I prefer 80s music or 70s disco or 60s pop music.  That's just what I like.  I guess I don't mind blending in with the crowd. 

I hope I'm stating coherantly what I'm trying to say, sometimes I guess I get caught up in ramble mode and then wonder if I got my point across.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth.


Those are good points, and I think yeah it's sort of like that. :) I don't want to lose my individulity I guess. There's lots of people of all ages who like certain music or have interests in a decade, which is really cool and eases my fears a little bit...but I feel like I'm in the boat with everyone older than me, based on actual firsthand memories as well as tastes. Even in middle and high school I wasn't particularly cool. I was mostly a geek and certainly wasn't some white rapper/Vanilla Ice dude. Even then I was somewhat retro and unique and clung to my childhood.

I will say I feel like a bridger between the generations if you know what I mean. Like I also love the '90s and I can even get into some '00s stuff too...yet I have alot of retro memories and aspects that someone ten years younger than me might be like "huh" and totally lost over. The smarter ones would probably know, but it's the dumber ones (which is what TV shows and movies usually portray teens as) that might be clueless on that stuff. I might look and act youngish for my age, but my old soul makes up for that, for better or worse.

In order to still be actually considered youthful, I'd have to be like a "wigger" or some male version of Paris Hilton. And that's not me at all (thankfully). ;D I like feeling young, but I also like being mature and old-school, it's just sad that I can't have them both anymore.


My concerns depends on the context too. I don't mind being "old school" in a big brother/older cousin sense...but I would be offended if some 12 or 14 year old kid lumped me in with their parents generation, out of partial ignorane merely because I remember the '80s. It might not matter if I was a toddler and they were teens and twentysomethings. In their minds it could be like "oh this dude was still there. He mightve been a little kid, but he knows my parents stuff, yeah he's lame just like them".

I can't imagine that making anyone feel good. Especially 'cause as a kid I never thought I'd feel older or on the other side of a generation gap until I was like 40 or 50, so it's like shell shock on top of that in realizing how quick it happened.


Another thing is that, in alot of ways they're still practically a BABY time to me compared to the eras my grandparents and other relatives lived through. I grew up knowing so much about these "old generation stories" firsthand...so it's like how could the 1980s be old when I had a grandpa who was around during World War 1. Even my dad was born in 1938 and I remember when lots of people were older than HIM.


Sorry to ramble on so much, but it just feels weird to experience this stuff for the first time.

Let me just follow up really quick with another point.

When I was 13 in 1994 or 16 in 1997 it was nice to be the alternative to the obnoxious Beavis and Butthead type teenage dudes, when I would tell someone older than me how cool the '80s were (even if it was kinda secondhand or just little kid memories). I think THAT individuality is getting lost as that time gets further away too.

I'm alot more "old school and mature" than most people my age on top of that, so it makes it even more obvious. My tastes are probably average to someone born in like 1972, not 1981.

Plus, ten years ago when you guys were still only like in your early 30s it was considered alot more youthful and recent. Fortysomethings ARE NOT old by any means (even as a kid I never thought they were to be honest), but it's like the beginning of "establishment age".

You know Marty, things like that do bother me from time to time, especially the aspect of people who were still young then getting older. Like, my dad was sort of an '80s person (even though he was in high school in the '70s) and he's almost 50. It's just strange (and a little sad too) to see him getting older and not being able to do all the things he used to. I guess that's the main thing that sort of bothers me about the '80s and even the '90s getting older. Of course, I'm a little over 5 years younger than you, so you have a much better connection to the pop culture aspect of the '80s getting older than I do.

One thing that really bothers me is early '90s alternative being considered "oldies". Like just the other day when I heard "Plush" by Stone Temple Pilots being referred to as classic rock. I did grow up listening to those songs, so that seems really odd.




  You already have the pointy glasses, all you need is an old cardigan and you're there..!

  I think the crowd Marty refers-to is the last bunch that remembers various misc. things (that were once mainstays, mind ye) like television dials that stopped at 13 channels, reading newspapers on a regular basis, watching certain TV shows at certain times on certain nights, going to a movie theater to watch a movie, listening to the radio, paying a bill by writing a check, using phone books to find phone numbers, talking on a phone that had a long, curly cord attatched to it, and having only 3 TV networks to choose from.  There's a connection to the past, which is good, IMO.  Not something to get sentimental over but things have certainly changed VERY fast in just over a decade...



I guess that's all relative to where you grew up. I wasn't born until the late '80s, but we didn't have cable, a computer, or even or cordless phone until late into the '90s, so in that regard, I sort of feel like I could relate to someone 10-15 years older than me in terms of how I grew up.

Of course we were always sort of "behind the times". We didn't get a VCR until 1989, and my parents didn't even get a TV with a remote until 1996 ;D

You know Marty, things like that do bother me from time to time, especially the aspect of people who were still young then getting older. Like, my dad was sort of an '80s person (even though he was in high school in the '70s) and he's almost 50. It's just strange (and a little sad too) to see him getting older and not being able to do all the things he used to. I guess that's the main thing that sort of bothers me about the '80s and even the '90s getting older. Of course, I'm a little over 5 years younger than you, so you have a much better connection to the pop culture aspect of the '80s getting older than I do.

One thing that really bothers me is early '90s alternative being considered "oldies". Like just the other day when I heard "Plush" by Stone Temple Pilots being referred to as classic rock. I did grow up listening to those songs, so that seems really odd.




I guess that's all relative to where you grew up. I wasn't born until the late '80s, but we didn't have cable, a computer, or even or cordless phone until late into the '90s, so in that regard, I sort of feel like I could relate to someone 10-15 years older than me in terms of how I grew up.

Of course we were always sort of "behind the times". We didn't get a VCR until 1989, and my parents didn't even get a TV with a remote until 1996 ;D


Totally agree. :)

Alot of the time my unease relates to the whole makeup of people changing, not just myself. That just seems surreal and not always in a good way. 20 years is when it really starts catching up I think, whereas if it's just from 10 years ago that's no big deal. Yeah, your dad was still a young man when you were born, and I think our first impressions stick with us. I know I always look at friends and anyone else as being the age they were when I met them. Like my dad just turned 70 and it's scary to see him going into real "senior citizen age" even if he doesn't seem like it. I'm used to him being like the cool middle aged guy.

When you relate it to pop culture, that's just more of an example. Like in the early '90s Paula Abdul was about 28 and still could've passed as a teenager (she played one in the "Rush Rush" video actually). Despite the fact that she still looks and seems basically the same, being 45 now I'll sometimes read comments on the American Idol board or elsewhere on the internet about how people think she's "over the hill" or that the show "needs a younger judge".

That can really jolt you into knowing the times were changing 'cause it's like I thought of her as being like one of my babysitters back in the day, and not that much older than me, lol.

Totally agree. :)

Alot of the time my unease relates to the whole makeup of people changing, not just myself. That just seems surreal and not always in a good way. 20 years is when it really starts catching up I think, whereas if it's just from 10 years ago that's no big deal. Yeah, your dad was still a young man when you were born, and I think our first impressions stick with us. I know I always look at friends and anyone else as being the age they were when I met them. Like my dad just turned 70 and it's scary to see him going into real "senior citizen age" even if he doesn't seem like it. I'm used to him being like the cool middle aged guy.

When you relate it to pop culture, that's just more of an example. Like in the early '90s Paula Abdul was about 28 and still could've passed as a teenager (she played one in the "Rush Rush" video actually). Despite the fact that she still looks and seems basically the same, being 45 now I'll sometimes read comments on the American Idol board or elsewhere on the internet about how people think she's "over the hill" or that the show "needs a younger judge".

That can really jolt you into knowing the times were changing 'cause it's like I thought of her as being like one of my babysitters back in the day, and not that much older than me, lol.



Yeah, that's kind of an interesting way to look at it. Alot of '80s music icons are getting older, like I recently found out that the lead guitarist for Motley Crue is almost 57. At first that really surprised me, but then I really thought about it, and most '80s musicians are probably either in there late 40's or older, so it's really not that unusual.

And the other aspect is people born in the '80s getting older as well. Pretty much everybody born in them are in there twenties now, and if you were born in the early '80s your almost 30 now.

^ Yeah, it's even weirder when the most youthful people start getting noticeably older. Have you seen Motley Crue's Behind the Music episode on VH1 (I'm not a huge fan but I like "Girls Girls Girls" and "Smokin' in the Boys Room")? They were like unbelievable partiers and hellraisers back in the day (made for an interesting and cool episode - it's hard to believe they survived some of that), so that's even more strange to think of them being the ages they are now.

The '80s music stars have such an age span, it's amazing. Like if you count the comeback stars (i.e. Starship, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart) some were as old as 1937/38 born, or you had teen stars like NKOTB born in 1970ish on the other end.

Again what I think is tripping us all out is that even in, say the late '90s it didn't seem that long ago at all in the grand scheme of things.

I will say I feel like a bridger between the generations if you know what I mean. Like I also love the '90s and I can even get into some '00s stuff too...yet I have alot of retro memories and aspects that someone ten years younger than me might be like "huh" and totally lost over. The smarter ones would probably know, but it's the dumber ones (which is what TV shows and movies usually portray teens as) that might be clueless on that stuff. I might look and act youngish for my age, but my old soul makes up for that, for better or worse.



I know what you mean.  I hate it when people assume if you were born in the early 90's (like me) you only know 00's stuff and culture and have no idea who the Beatles or the Doors were. And think you don't know what an 8-track or even a record player is! Or act like you've never seen a black and white TV with knobs to change the channels. and when shown these things you get a reaction such as "EWWW THAT'S OLD!!"  ::)

I know what you mean.  I hate it when people assume if you were born in the early 90's (like me) you only know 00's stuff and culture and have no idea who the Beatles or the Doors were. And think you don't know what an 8-track or even a record player is! Or act like you've never seen a black and white TV with knobs to change the channels. and when shown these things you get a reaction such as "EWWW THAT'S OLD!!"  ::)




Yeah exactly, you're a '90s/early 2000s kid the way I'm an '80s/early 90s kid..so in some ways our first stuff is what imprints us the most. That bugs me too when older generations make broad assumptions like that, regardless of what group they're referring to. I guess the reason lies with the idea they have, that no one knows or is interested in anything before their teen/high school years. Possibly because that's how it was for them, so they naturally think other people would feel the same way.


Has anyone noticed that TV shows (especially teen-centered ones) tend to portray the youth of the time as being kinda dumb on anything from the past and not liking it? Like that "ewww that's before my time" attitude that you were referring to. While there's always going to be some like that, it seems like those brattier kids set the tone for everyone else. That always bugged me as a teen in the '90s.

heck im 52!!  and still love the 80's!!  although i remember alot about the 70's too! :o



I kinda thought that was his point... that all us old fogies are the stereotype for celebrating the 80s and still being under 30 he doesn't wanna be lumped in with all us old farts who are ruining for the young hipsters who are cool enough to appreciate the decade we created....


did I get that right Jesse?  ;)

^ In a nutshell yeah. I feel so bad thinking that, though! Because like I said I still think of you guys as being really young, especially since you were either teens or in your 20s when I was a kid...so that's like the image that stays with me.

Overall 40 or even 45 is still fairly young (especially in attitude) by today's standards, but it's mind boggling to compare it with the past. Twenty years really starts to make a difference in generations and people's stance in life, sadly.

^ In a nutshell yeah. I feel so bad thinking that, though! Because like I said I still think of you guys as being really young, especially since you were either teens or in your 20s when I was a kid...so that's like the image that stays with me.

Overall 40 or even 45 is still fairly young (especially in attitude) by today's standards, but it's mind boggling to compare it with the past. Twenty years really starts to make a difference in generations and people's stance in life, sadly.



btw I saw that Degrassi you mentioned...for me it was different because I identified with Snake...he was on the original Degrassi so watching him react that way at an 80s was watching him getting caught up in and enjoying the nostalgia.

Has anyone noticed that TV shows (especially teen-centered ones) tend to portray the youth of the time as being kinda dumb on anything from the past and not liking it? Like that "ewww that's before my time" attitude that you were referring to. While there's always going to be some like that, it seems like those brattier kids set the tone for everyone else. That always bugged me as a teen in the '90s.

Oh, man, I always hated that!  >:( Even as a kid I loved watching television shows from the 50's, 60's, and 70's, and I never had that kind of "Eee-yew, gross! So old!" kind of attitude. A lot of my friends throughout my childhood and teen years had that attitude, and I was told by some of them to "get with the program".

One of my best friend's daughters (a "High School Musical" fanatic!) thinks its "sooooooooo gross" that I like "old" TV shows and "old" music. Her mother (a close friend since elementary school) doesn't really say anything, because she had a similar attitude when we were kids.

^ Yeah, it's even weirder when the most youthful people start getting noticeably older. Have you seen Motley Crue's Behind the Music episode on VH1 (I'm not a huge fan but I like "Girls Girls Girls" and "Smokin' in the Boys Room")? They were like unbelievable partiers and hellraisers back in the day (made for an interesting and cool episode - it's hard to believe they survived some of that), so that's even more strange to think of them being the ages they are now.



I haven't seen that particular episode, but there parting was legendary so I've heard alot of the stories. I think all 4 of them are at least nearing 50, so I wouldn't think they still party as hard as they used to, but with those guys you never know ;D



The '80s music stars have such an age span, it's amazing. Like if you count the comeback stars (i.e. Starship, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart) some were as old as 1937/38 born, or you had teen stars like NKOTB born in 1970ish on the other end.

Again what I think is tripping us all out is that even in, say the late '90s it didn't seem that long ago at all in the grand scheme of things.



Yeah, that's true. I think the youngest member of NKOTB was born in like 1972 or 1973.

You know, even though I was born in the '80s, they never really seemed that old to me. Even though I don't really remember the decade, it always seemed like a time I could still relate to since we adapted so late to some of the modern technologies that came out in the late '90s. Like, my life as a kid in 1997 would not really be that much different than the life of an average kid in 1987.

In that regard, I do get your point. Even in like 1998, I would think that 1989 was only 9 years earlier, and the way that the average person lived in my small town really hadn't changed all that much. Now that even 1989 is almost 20 years ago, and so much has changed around here in the last 10 years, it's made the '80s seem much further away than they used to :(

Oh, man, I always hated that!  >:( Even as a kid I loved watching television shows from the 50's, 60's, and 70's, and I never had that kind of "Eee-yew, gross! So old!" kind of attitude. A lot of my friends throughout my childhood and teen years had that attitude, and I was told by some of them to "get with the program".

One of my best friend's daughters (a "High School Musical" fanatic!) thinks its "sooooooooo gross" that I like "old" TV shows and "old" music. Her mother (a close friend since elementary school) doesn't really say anything, because she had a similar attitude when we were kids.


It's called a generation gap. As a '90's kid, I disliked disco and Journey... though still dislike to this day (Yes, I gave the music a chance).

Though I also didn't like hair metal, though my opinion changed over time.

Oh, man, I always hated that!  >:( Even as a kid I loved watching television shows from the 50's, 60's, and 70's, and I never had that kind of "Eee-yew, gross! So old!" kind of attitude. A lot of my friends throughout my childhood and teen years had that attitude, and I was told by some of them to "get with the program".

One of my best friend's daughters (a "High School Musical" fanatic!) thinks its "sooooooooo gross" that I like "old" TV shows and "old" music. Her mother (a close friend since elementary school) doesn't really say anything, because she had a similar attitude when we were kids.

Totally yeah, same here. :)

Even as a kid I remember my peers having different tastes and reactions to this stuff. Is it just me, but is it more often girls who have that attitude? It seems like it can go both ways, but that's more common, maybe because women tend to be more fashion and image-oriented (depends on the person though...I mean I'm not a "typical guy" in almost any sense of the word lol).

Maybe kids like your friends' daughter just think that way because they weren't exposed to anything else until a little later? Like if you only know stuff from your own generation, and the "older stuff" you only find out about when you're 13 or so...then it's gonna maybe seem lame and stupid to you. I think also the ones who do make everyone else look bad by comparison.

Totally yeah, same here. :)

Even as a kid I remember my peers having different tastes and reactions to this stuff. Is it just me, but is it more often girls who have that attitude? It seems like it can go both ways, but that's more common, maybe because women tend to be more fashion and image-oriented (depends on the person though...I mean I'm not a "typical guy" in almost any sense of the word lol).

Maybe kids like your friends' daughter just think that way because they weren't exposed to anything else until a little later? Like if you only know stuff from your own generation, and the "older stuff" you only find out about when you're 13 or so...then it's gonna maybe seem lame and stupid to you. I think also the ones who do make everyone else look bad by comparison.


I would think so, considering every time I visit my friend, the TV is always on the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon.  ;D

When I was growing up, many kids I knew (girls and boys) had that kind of attitude towards older stuff. I knew a couple of guys who loved "The Greatest American Hero", but that was about it. I think it really does depend on each individual person - whether they were exposed to the older stuff or not.

Hey Marty, now you can get one of those sweet pimped out walkers that the seniors are tooling around in down at the retirement home!  ;D Actually one of the first times you realize you're getting "old" is when you here when of your high school songs labled as classic rock or a "good time oldie". :P

I wouldn't worry too much about labled being old right now. Although you're part of the MTV Cusp and an extended Gen Xr- You're also a bonifide Millennial, a generation in it's prime. 



I don't think I'll ever get used to '80s music being considered "oldies" music. I'm still used to "oldies" being music from the '50s and '60s :o

I don't think I'll ever get used to '80s music being considered "oldies" music. I'm still used to "oldies" being music from the '50s and '60s :o


Same here. I also usually think of 50s and 60s music as "oldies"...stuff from after that doesn't have the same feel to it.

Same here. I also usually think of 50s and 60s music as "oldies"...stuff from after that doesn't have the same feel to it.



Even stranger is now, music from the early '90s has starting being referred to as oldies music lately :o

^^ I agree. :) Heck even '70s music doesn't seem like it should be called oldies, it still seems too recent for that...it's more just classic rock to me. It's even sadder that music from the '50s and the first half of the '60s has totally dropped off radio stations now. I guess about forty years is the limit.

^^ I agree. :) Heck even '70s music doesn't seem like it should be called oldies, it still seems too recent for that...it's more just classic rock to me. It's even sadder that music from the '50s and the first half of the '60s has totally dropped off radio stations now. I guess about forty years is the limit.


If you have XM or Sirius Satellite radio, you can listen to any decade you want commercial free, going all the way back to the Big Band era of the 40s.  :)

^^ I agree. :) Heck even '70s music doesn't seem like it should be called oldies, it still seems too recent for that...it's more just classic rock to me. It's even sadder that music from the '50s and the first half of the '60s has totally dropped off radio stations now. I guess about forty years is the limit.


Music from the 50's and 60's are nowhere to be found on the radio around here these days.  :( There are AC stations that still play 70's and 80's stuff, but even this is on the decline. I usually listen to 97.1 The Point for my classic rock fix.

Music from the 50's and 60's are nowhere to be found on the radio around here these days.  :( There are AC stations that still play 70's and 80's stuff, but even this is on the decline. I usually listen to 97.1 The Point for my classic rock fix.

One only has to move to a Northern Town comunity for 50s stuff!
When I lived around the Wawa area the station played "loop" recordings all morning saturdays/sundays/
They locked the station doors to stop the townsfolk from "Lynching" them!
You'ld be surprized how fast 50s can be rubbed into the ground
I'm sure there a couple stations on the net that could have what your looking for like this one
http://www.icebergradio.com/
searchbox on left "Time Capsules"
50s/60s...etc

I look at '50's & '60's music as oldies.

Though don't consider Motley Crue "classic rock"...

On a personal level, I get really uneasy that a time I grew up in is becoming viewed as this "stuffy, adult era" associated with middle aged parents and authority figures. Obviously it depends on the person, but I think the media portrays it that way. Like I've seen pieces of the show Degrassi, and in one of the episodes, the teens have this '80s dance at high school. I remember one of the teachers was spinning some new wave song on the soundsystem and trying to look cool, while one of the teen girls looked on with disgust. That erased any doubt in my mind about how old they're really getting. :\'(

What makes it even worse is that I feel like I'm on the tail end of a generation. I'm one of the youngest people who were sorta "there" for the '80s and can get a pretty good firsthand picture of how things were. Even though I was a kid then (and was always a little "old school") it's like I'm only 26 and I'm still a young dude. I worry that I could get blended in with 40 year olds who were in high school then, just because of my tastes or early memories. I like them and certainly have nothing against them, I just don't want to be on the same level now (no offense). ;)


I think I understand what you mean and I agree to some extent.

You don't need to upset yourself too much about it, however.

Firstly, you could for instance develop a total environment at home so you can wrap yourself with the 80's "spirit". You can do this and enjoy it on your own.

Secondly, I am almost 100% sure that you could find some other nice people your age with the same interests and tastes -maybe only one person, but wouldn't you prefer quality versus quantity?

Firstly, you could for instance develop a total environment at home so you can wrap yourself with the 80's "spirit". You can do this and enjoy it on your own.

Absolutely! Thankfully I have 3 other siblings to reminisce with and some days we'll go to our childhood shops and relive the old days. My partner is a '72er and so we always appreciate the same retro dvds and can groove on to the hits of decades gone by.