The 80's were awesome

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Just now, drawkcabi said:

I had the Basic cartridge but could never get any program to work. Put me off computer programming, if I had gotten one to work maybe I would have been more into it. As it was I didn't get my next computer until fifteen years later.

Yeah, they were super buggy and often times I couldn't get them to run. When I did manage it, it was like a major victory. 

[drawkcabi]

1 minute ago, Iskaral Pust said:

As I said before in the other thread, this sentiment is very American.  Most of the 80s in Ireland and Britain involved recession, high unemployment, high mortgage rates, scolding over national debt, industries disintegrating as govt protection was removed, etc. Most families in Ireland weren't wealthy enough for Nintendos or the other stuff American kids remember, and those American Saturday morning cartoons didn't reach us until the mid to late 80s.  Nowhere except maybe Japan (at the peak of their bubble) had living standards like America during the 80s. 

Completely understand this. Whenever I indulge my nostalgia I always understand how privileged I was and that it was certainly not a good time for everyone, most likely not a good time for most in the world. I was lucky, I was spoiled and got the best of these times, I know it wasn't what everyone had.

I share because I have so much fun doing so and maybe some others enjoy reminiscing or learning about what it was like to have it good back then. Or you can hate me for being such a spoiled brat. I get that too.

[zelticgar]

I forgot about the Colecovision 2600 adapter. I had intellevision but a lot of my friends had colecovision. I remember playing donkey kong for hours. 

Never really felt like we had a lot of money growing up but compared to the rest of the world we must have been doing okay. My dad drove an AMC Gremlin and traded it in for a Pinto so I know we were broke ass broke! Seems like we always had cash for video games. 

Another totally 80's thing i remember - looking for nude movies through the scrambled cable channels. Occasionally we'd catch a boob shot! 

 

[Xray the Enforcer]

Remember when the Reagan Administration thought the AIDS epidemic was totally hilarious? I do. 

Such goood times! 

[Jaxom 1974]

Look, I'm not arguing that the 80s weren't the perfect time to be between the ages of 7 and 14.  I know it was.  I believe it made from a great base to be in your late teens/early 20s in the first few years of the 90s.

l believe Tron is possibly the epitome movie of the decade however.

[drawkcabi]

3 minutes ago, Jaxom 1974 said:

Look, I'm not arguing that the 80s weren't the perfect time to be between the ages of 7 and 14.  I know it was.  I believe it made from a great base to be in your late teens/early 20s in the first few years of the 90s.

l believe Tron is possibly the epitome movie of the decade however.

Nope, that's Rocky IV.

Tron was awesome though. First time I watched it was on laserdisc at my friend's house. I had to keep asking him mom what the hell was going on, I could not follow it, but still loved it.

Member the V mini series'?

It was all we could talk about at the school each day after another part was on. My first exposure to the awesomeness that is Michael Ironside. Also before I knew Robert Englund as Freddy he was Willie.

[zelticgar]

10 minutes ago, drawkcabi said:

Nope, that's Rocky IV.

Tron was awesome though. First time I watched it was on laserdisc at my friend's house. I had to keep asking him mom what the hell was going on, I could not follow it, but still loved it.

Member the V mini series'?

It was all we could talk about at the school each day after another part was on. My first exposure to the awesomeness that is Michael Ironside. Also before I knew Robert Englund as Freddy he was Willie.

Lizard aliens freaked me out. When they swallowed the rat I so did not see that coming. 

 

 

[drawkcabi]

2 minutes ago, The Great Unwashed said:

Anyone remember Buck Rogers in the 25th Century?

I had such a crush on Princess Ardala. I know Erin Grey was mega hot, but I think the bad girl aspect put her over the top for me.

I love the theatrical version opening theme.

Whenever I played with my space toys I'd hum the tune.

[Larry of the Lawn]

The TV show Mr. Belvedere.  And then the The Guy Who Played Mr Belvedere Fan Club.

[Jaxom 1974]

Robotech and the two Voltron shows dominated a lot of our morning before school conversation.

Tranzor Z.  Duck Tales, Darkwing Duck.  Danger Mouse.  You Can't Do That On Television.  Double Dare.  Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

I was more of a 80s television junkie over video games, though I loved my Intellivision...Shark! Shark! Utopia. Tron Deadly Disks. And the like.

[drawkcabi]

I remember in 4th-5th grade watching "Good Morning, Mickey!" on the Disney Channel while I ate cereal. It showed three of the theatrical Disney Shorts. When it was over I had to get to school. called

Before that, when I was in 1st-2nd grade, there was this show on syndicated TV "The Great Space Coaster" but it always came on right when I had to go to school. I could only watch it on holidays/snow days/days when I stayed home sick.

Best cartoon line up was always after school. Robotech, G.I.Joe, He-Man, Voltron, Transformers were my favorites.
 

ETA:

I member when COBRA Commander showed up on Transformers, I totally lost my shit. Also the episode when a zombie Optimus Prime returns from the dead.

Robotech had the most "Holy Shit!" moments though.

[Jaxom 1974]

Great Space Coaster.  Nice. 

[The Marquis de Leech]

Duck Tales, The Smurfs, Inspector Gadget, Fraggle Rock.

My parents got a colour TV for the Seoul Olympics in 1988, and Dad taped lots of it - VHS was amazing. I didn't encounter my first computer until we moved to a city in 1989, whereupon at my new school I encountered one of those old classroom Apples, with floppy disks that really were floppy.

Oh, and we had a Free Nelson Mandela bumpersticker on the family car.

[Astromech]

1 hour ago, drawkcabi said:

Nope, that's Rocky IV.

Tron was awesome though. First time I watched it was on laserdisc at my friend's house. I had to keep asking him mom what the hell was going on, I could not follow it, but still loved it.

Member the V mini series'?

It was all we could talk about at the school each day after another part was on. My first exposure to the awesomeness that is Michael Ironside. Also before I knew Robert Englund as Freddy he was Willie.

Haha, the chants of "USA, USA" during the climax of the Rocky v. Drago boxing match in the theatre. The Cold War sucked but it provided a great backdrop for films. Red Dawn, one of the first ever PG-13 films. Dreamscape may have been the first.

41 minutes ago, Roose Boltons Pet Leech said:

Duck Tales, The Smurfs, Inspector Gadget, Fraggle Rock.

My parents got a colour TV for the Seoul Olympics in 1988, and Dad taped lots of it - VHS was amazing. I didn't encounter my first computer until we moved to a city in 1989, whereupon at my new school I encountered one of those old classroom Apples, with floppy disks that really were floppy.

Oh, and we had a Free Nelson Mandela bumpersticker on the family car.

We played the hell out of Oregon Trail when we finally had a computer room in grade school.

The 80s were a great decade to grow up in, but the fashion was hilariously terrible. To cringe, I will sometimes watch old episodes of Dance Party USA on youtube.

[The Marquis de Leech]

6 minutes ago, Astromech said:

We played the hell out of Oregon Trail when we finally had a computer room in grade school.

My school here had Oregon Trail in the early 1990s (in a non-American school, no less!). One memory I have of that game is continually hitting "rest nine days" and seeing how long I could drag the game out. Starting in March 1848, by the time the game ended up crashing on me, it was January 1983. I'm pretty sure my 135 year game represents some kind of Oregon Trail record.

[Astromech]

Haha, I remember my party constantly dying of sickness. So frustrating having to restart each week in computer class.

[litechick]

I postulate that whatever was the thing when you were young, that will be the most awesome thing throughout your life.  Expectations were high, the world was your oyster, hormones ran rampant, etc.

Just today I got into a discussion with a colleague on this issue and had to back off when he determined that the music of his day was objectively better than anything since.

Well, no.  I love 80's metal because that's what I grew up on.  That was the thing for me when I was young.  At that time I disparaged Whitney Houston but I would sing her praises today.

In the 80's I was between 9 and 19 years old and I would point to all of the landmark albums of that time and say, 'this was the best time (for music) ever!'  Master of Puppets, Peace Sells, Slippery When Wet, The Dark, Saxon and Priest, Queensryche and Back in Fucking Black.  What's up younger generations?  You got nothing.  I've got Somewhere in Time. 

But I acknowledge that I am biased and I understand that when Justin Timberlake is dead, people will mourn like I once mourned for Cliff Burton and Dimebag Darrell and others mourned for Elvis, Prince and David Bowie.

When I was that age, people emulated the 60's.  Now people emulate the 80's.  Big surprise!  Who could have seen that coming?

While I love the things I got from the 80's, I don't idealize those things.  I get it that 80's metal seems over-the-top theatrical and silly today.  Doesn't matter, I still love it.  The younger people laugh because they don't get it and I don't understand their aesthetic.

If I live long enough I will watch Turn of the Century Nostalgia and 2010's nostalgia.  That was the time when music was real, etc. 

 

[DireWolfSpirit]

I can thank the 80's for bringing Sade Adu into my soul 

 

[Jo498]

7 hours ago, Iskaral Pust said:

As I said before in the other thread, this sentiment is very American.  Most of the 80s in Ireland and Britain involved recession, high unemployment, high mortgage rates, scolding over national debt, industries disintegrating as govt protection was removed, etc. Most families in Ireland weren't wealthy enough for Nintendos or the other stuff American kids remember, and those American Saturday morning cartoons didn't reach us until the mid to late 80s.  Nowhere except maybe Japan (at the peak of their bubble) had living standards like America during the 80s. 

Some of western Europe, e.g. West Germany, Switzerland, most of France and Scandinavia had comparable living standards to the US, I'd say. But I do not remember the saturation in consumer electronics the American forians have pointed out. My family was lower middle class in income (hardly any foreign holidays but a large house in a rural area with lots of space to play outside) and wary about all kinds of electronics. And there were only 3 TV channels until the late 80s... Most of my toys were non-electronic and we did not get a computer until 89 or 90 (Commodore Amiga). Despite the cold war it seemed a carefree time as is probably usually the case with children/teenagers unless there are really dire circumstances.

People smoked almost everywhere. Parents of friends would smoke in their cars despite having a bunch of 11 year olds on the backseats. seat belts seemed optional, for shorter distances I remember having "stacked" six or more children on the back bench and two or three more in the station wagon's luggage area. This was certainly illegal even then but hardly anyone cared. Children were unsupervised for hours in the country, roaming villages and fields on foot or bike.

Air travel, especially overseas, was something very special. Usually families drove to Italy or Austria or the German sea coast for the holidays.

[Theda Baratheon]

I was born in 94 and I still think the 80s are awesome