It seems to me 3 regions in particular really influenced society and pop culture in the eighties: Los Angeles, Northern England and New Jersey. Los Angeles was the center for hair metal, valley girls, and the glamour and materialism that defined the decade. The gloom of northern, newly post- industrial cities such as Liverpool, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sheffield set the tone for the darker side of the New Romantic music, many famous 80s new wave artists came from the north of England (though plenty of them came from the south as well). New Jersey gave us mullets, mall culture and Bon Jovi.

Should throw out an honorary mention to Manhattan because of Wall Street and Chicago for all the John Hughes movies set there.  8)

But yeah, I think the popular culture of the eighties was more or less Glitzy Valley SoCal meets It's Grim Oop North meets Noo Joisey.  ;)

It seems to me 3 regions in particular really influenced society and pop culture in the eighties: Los Angeles, Northern England and New Jersey. Los Angeles was the center for hair metal, valley girls, and the glamour and materialism that defined the decade. The gloom of northern, newly post- industrial cities such as Liverpool, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sheffield set the tone for the darker side of the New Romantic music, many famous 80s new wave artists came from the north of England (though plenty of them came from the south as well). New Jersey gave us mullets, mall culture and Bon Jovi.

Should throw out an honorary mention to Manhattan because of Wall Street and Chicago for all the John Hughes movies set there.  8)



Another "What....culturally...in the 80s" thread that precipitates brain to collapse.
POST SOMETHING PERTINENT

How about Japan??? The 80s were the decade Japan really came into its own as a wealthy, powerful nation with its auto and electronics industries as de facto standards after previously being known as a low-wage producer of chintzy trinkets, toys, and crude Euro-knockoff 3-cylinder rustbuckets. Weren't there worries that their economy would take over the US's?

How about Japan??? The 80s were the decade Japan really came into its own as a wealthy, powerful nation with its auto and electronics industries as de facto standards after previously being known as a low-wage producer of chintzy trinkets, toys, and crude Euro-knockoff 3-cylinder rustbuckets. Weren't there worries that their economy would take over the US's?


Absolutely.

It turned to have been a bubble based on banks that made unrepayable loans based on artificially-inflated property values and an inverted demographic pyramid, but c'mon, what are the odds of something like that ever happening again?

How about Japan??? The 80s were the decade Japan really came into its own as a wealthy, powerful nation with its auto and electronics industries as de facto standards after previously being known as a low-wage producer of chintzy trinkets, toys, and crude Euro-knockoff 3-cylinder rustbuckets. Weren't there worries that their economy would take over the US's?


Japan in the 80's? Culturally influential? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Culture was the ONE area where it was known that Japan would never overtake the Americans. Japanese hyper-conformist suit culture was completely inconsequential overseas other than being mocked and stereotyped. Weeaboos were non-existant and "Japanese fashion" was unheard of.

It wasn't until the 90's, after the Bubble collapsed, anime started seeping overseas and the Japanese started developing pop culture other than gawdy status symbols that Westerners started getting drawn to Japan. The fact that Japan is only powerful through pop culture now still shocks some of my older relatives.

Japan in the 80's? Culturally influential? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Culture was the ONE area where it was known that Japan would never overtake the Americans. Japanese hyper-conformist suit culture was completely inconsequential overseas other than being mocked and stereotyped. Weeaboos were non-existant and "Japanese fashion" was unheard of.

It wasn't until the 90's, after the Bubble collapsed, anime started seeping overseas and the Japanese started developing pop culture other than gawdy status symbols that Westerners started getting drawn to Japan. The fact that Japan is only powerful through pop culture now still shocks some of my older relatives.


Karma.  In terms of pop culture, you nailed it - I was thinking in terms of business culture, where everyone in business regarded Japan as the place that was about to take over the world.  Entire industries were predicated on the assumption that as long as everybody has to buy a new car after 60,000 miles, so long as they bought from Ford, GM, or Chrysler.  Then some wise-asses figured out that by applying the same quality assurance techniques the Americans taught them (when rebuilding from WW2) they could build a car that was cheaper, more fuel-efficient, and could last for 100,000-200,000 miles.  It took the US auto industry 20 years to catch up.

Karma.  In terms of pop culture, you nailed it - I was thinking in terms of business culture, where everyone in business regarded Japan as the place that was about to take over the world.  Entire industries were predicated on the assumption that as long as everybody has to buy a new car after 60,000 miles, so long as they bought from Ford, GM, or Chrysler.  Then some wise-asses figured out that by applying the same quality assurance techniques the Americans taught them (when rebuilding from WW2) they could build a car that was cheaper, more fuel-efficient, and could last for 100,000-200,000 miles.  It took the US auto industry 20 years to catch up.


Karate was pretty big in the 80s though. I'd say it was when Japanese culture started to become influential. Though really, in my opinion Pokemon and Sailor Moon is what made Japanese pop culture really big in America, in the late 90s.

Karate was pretty big in the 80s though. I'd say it was when Japanese culture started to become influential. Though really, in my opinion Pokemon and Sailor Moon is what made Japanese pop culture really big in America, in the late 90s.


Karate Kid and Jean Claude Van Damne films.

I once started a thread on this site eons ago called '80's a stream of conciousness' or something like that and in it I stated:

"The 80's was seven cities Los Angeles, New York, Melbourne, London, Sheffield, Dublin and Hong Kong." 

I think I'll stand by that, but you might like to add Berlin, Chicago, Miami, and Athens, Georgia.

I once started a thread on this site eons ago called '80's a stream of conciousness' or something like that and in it I stated:

"The 80's was seven cities Los Angeles, New York, Melbourne, London, Sheffield, Dublin and Hong Kong." 

I think I'll stand by that, but you might like to add Berlin, Chicago, Miami, and Athens, Georgia.


Yeah I can totally see that. I'd also add Newcastle Upon Tyne, because of Bryan Ferry, Sting, one of the Pet Shop Boys, one of Duran Duran.