Not-So-Deep Thoughts as I Approach 40: Perspective and Robert Palmer
I am within a scant two weeks of the big 4-0, and it has me in a reflective mood. I will warn you in advance that these reflections are not particularly profound, just the musings that come out of the holy-moly-how-can-I-be-40 thought train. The first has to do with perspective and Robert Palmer. I recently re-watched some of his music videos from the 80s. I remember clearly when I first saw him; I was in the 8th grade, and it was the...
Be Kind Rewind: Back to the Future Double Feature
By Michael Nazarewycz Polish Up That Stainless Steel! Very few people dominated both the big and small screens in the 1980s the way Michael J. Fox did. After small parts and just-misses, the Canadian actor landed the role of young Republican Alex P. Keaton on TV’s Family Ties in 1982. By 1985, the show was the #2 rated comedy in the in US (Behind only The Cosby Show), thanks mostly to Fox’s likeability. That likeability translated...
Note Passing in the Eighties
In the 80s, we didn’t have texts or emails to send to our friends during school. Puh-leeze. When our history teachers were droning away about the Battle of Hastings and our minds were focused on anything BUT William the Conqueror, we had just ONE way to let get our message across that expanse of linoleum flooring. We passed notes in class. Here’s the J. Geils Band with their 1981 megahit, “Centerfold,” to help you remember the drill:...
The Plasma Ball
By Julie Anderson Also known as lightning balls, plasma globes, or plasma lamps, plasma balls were one of the coolest home accessories of the 80s. (And they’re still pretty bitchin’ in my book.) A plasma ball is a clear glass sphere filled with low density noble gases. Inside the ball is an electrode that causes the gases to glow in flowing streaks of colored light. When you touch the surface of the ball, lightning bolts run from the...
Television Workouts of the 80s
By Julie Anderson Sure, fitness clubs were big in the 1980s, but plenty of health-minded individuals were busy with work and family obligations. It was, like, totally difficult to make it to your high-impact step aerobics class if you were slaving away from 9 to 5 every day and then had to go home to feed the kids. For lots of eighties exercisers, living room workouts in front of the television were ideal. Added benefits, of course,...
