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28 November Walk(man) this Way!The
Sony Walkman came out in 1979, and I got my first one some time in the
early 80s. I don't remember exactly because I had more than a
dozen of these buggers over the more than 10 years--all the way until
my sopomore year in college. I spent many hours walking to and
from school or doing my daily paper route as I wore out my cassettes of
The Police, flipping the tapes over every 20 minutes and getting
ticked off when "Roxanne" began to sound like Barry White's "You're The First, The Last, My Everything" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001E58/qid=1133217156/sr=8-1/ ref=pd_bbs_1/104-1695908-1691959?v=glance&s=music&n=507846). Stupid duracels were always dying. One of the problems with the Walkman was that dropping these things usually meant it was time to go to the store to buy a new one, and if that didn't happen then the other problem occured: the tape turny-knob-things stopped turning (getting it snowed or rained on or dropping it at the beach didn't help matters either).. But this was the best technology available at the time--much easier than trying to carry a turntable on your hip. You may not want to be seen with this anachronism today, but it was truly innovative and cool, and without it I wonder how we could have gotten to the iPod. 20 November Maybe You Can Hire the A-Team"In 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court
for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a
maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still
wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you
have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them,
maybe you can hire the A-Team."
The A-Team are: I was
talking with a friend about all the 80s t.v. shows we used to
watch--too many to mention (where did I find the time to do anything
else during my childhood?)--but I thought I'd share one I loved: the
A-Team. What made this show so great was how bad it was, an
action-comedy where each week these guys were on the run from inept
federal, state, and local law enforcement, and when they were in need
of cash (or simply saw a cause, or a pretty lady, they couldn't ignore)
hired themselves out as vigilantes to take out the bad guys that law
enforcement couldn't stop. What
a great message for all the kids: If the cops can't stop the bad
guys, get yourself some military training and weaponary; call your
buddies together and get a distinctive black van with a red racing
stripe; and drive around L.A. at high speed shooting at the bad guys! And if you're curious as to when the Bling! phenomenon began, B.A. was the man . . . maybe. Some images courtesy of <<http://www.ateamshrine.co.uk/index.php>>.
8 November Pretty Pegged-Legged PollyDuring the 80s, I observed many fashion trends, and one that I promise
I never participated in was the pegged pants phenomenon. I've
seen a couple versions of the pegged pants: the flap and fold, and the
flap and pin. Apparently the lame kids used safety pins to secure
the peg, while the cool kids were the ones that folded. I didn't
do either; what did that make me? Actually, until I began to think about this post, I knew the term "pegged," but I hadn't really known what it meant. I still don't, for sure. But I think it refers to pegged-legged pirates. So Arrrrrrrrrr, mateys! Keep those pants unpegged or I'll make ye walk the plank! 29 October Banana SplitMy first bike was a brown Huffy 20 inch banana seat bike, with training
wheels. I had this bike for at least 3-4 years and rode it
everywhere. There was something Harley-esque about the banana
seat and the long, curved handle bars. But I'm not sure when and
how the banana seat became such a hit. The oldest seats I could find online look similar to those on most bikes today, so why the banana? Banana seats actually started witht the Schwinn Stingray in 1963, but it seems to be a prime example of form vs. function. There doesn't seem any reason for the seat to take on the banana-esque shape; it's superfluous, but someone must have been inspired to create this design. So like a lot of stuff in our culture (like a spoiler on a Chevy Cavalier), it seems the banana seat is just unnecessary for utilitarian purposes. But maybe that's why it was cool. It just was what it was. 23 October This Leash's for YouSeveral years ago, I was going thru some boxes my mom had in closet while looking for some stuff I had left when I moved away from home; I found some 8mm film canisters as well as our old 8mm camera and film projector--we're talking c. 1973-77. I looked for the closest blank wall.
As I loaded up the projector and began the film, I saw images of my family and our first house with its oddly-colored 70s furnishings (why was olive so prevalent back then?).
On the second reel I saw myself at the fair (about 3 years old), riding a pony, eating a corndog, and wearing, on my chest, criss-crossed leather straps--a harness. As I leaned in closer I noticed there was another strap, attached to the back of the harness leading up to a hand, my mom's hand. There I was, running around and having a good time on my leash.
Now, I have teased my mom some about this, and she defends herself by saying that the leash was about safety: there were a lot of people at the fair, and I could have easily run off and gotten lost. So this post isn't about leashes having been cool and now not, because, from the pics included in the post, you can see that they're still in use today. What I find strange is that we do make fun of the kiddie-leash but think it's a good idea when we're talking about pets, and it's not the only pet/human situation I find ironic.
Yeah, a leash is a good idea for your dog. Sometimes they don't listen, run off, and get lost. And they could bite somebody. The same things could happen with your kid, including the biting (throw a dash of shoplifting into the mix, too, and kids can have sticky fingers at the fair--and not just from the cotton candy).
But on a more serious note, when your pet gets ill, and its quality of life gets to the point when a doctor tells you its time to put Sparky to sleep, the majority of our society would probably say its okay to show Sparky the needle. Heck, a friend of mine cared so much for his dog, he took the dog out to the woods and shot him himself instead of letting a stranger do it. But when it comes to people, it's an entirely different story. My question is why? Fluffy can't even sign a document giving me instructions as to when I should euthanize her, but it's okay to off her anyway. However, if I wanted to set up the parameters of my own death with the assistance of a physician, the State or family members could muck all that up.
Makes you wonder where we get our ideas about life and death from. How's your leash? 16 October When Every Day was a Bad Hair DayWay back in '86 an odd phenomenon was taking shape--the twin-winged middle-part. I'm not sure why this cut was such a hit. With feminism taking hold was there a move toward a unisex haistyle? Were people in search of a sleek aerodynamic/low drag profile to match that of the space shuttles?
The true answer may never be known, but possibly, as a result of baldeagle killing PCBs and DDT from the early 70s, children's genetic codes had been rewritten in a manner that created a natural middle-part on the scalps of these poor souls.
Although the twin-winged middle-part has disappeared, the question remains. Why would 9 out of 10 girls and boys wear the same hairstyle?
Was it the result of something so frightening as a freak mutation of DNA or simply a pattern demonstrating the unconscious power of peer groups or media influence? Could it have been the result of a mass rejection of the "weird" kid with a mohawk (see, the part directly corresponds to the location of the mohawk)? Or perhaps the twin-winged middle-part was picked up from a celebrity such a David Cassidy? Similarly, there was a rash of mustachios as Magnum P.I. raised through the ratings.
I call all of you to action. We must trace the development of the twin-winged middle-part in order to stop its reemergence.
10 October Death to Dickeys (dickies?)Not only do I find it strange that some people with the name Richard actually ask others to refer to them as Dick but another strange phenomenon that has also intrigued me is the naming of an article of clothing a dickey. Besides the fact that every time I hear the word I think of a certain piece of male anatomy, the wearing of a dickey is one of the cruelest punishments a mother could give a young boy. For some reason my mother thought the dickey was a great alternative to wearing a full turtleneck sweater for “picture day.”
See, it’s not a real turtleneck sweater; it’s fake. Yeah, wearing a full turtle neck would have been uncomfortable under the photographer’s hot lights, perhaps causing me to begin sweating, so I give props to Mom for looking out for me. But who wants to walk around grade school all day with a fake turtle neck on? First, it’s itchy (being wool), and second, you simply look like a dork. To all the Moms and women ever thinking of giving birth, PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO YOUR KIDS!
What’s worst of all is that my name is Rick. Yeah, that’s right. Ricky was wearing a dickey!
No wonder I can’t go near a turtleneck, even a real one.
Dickey photos from www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/coverings.shtm by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer. Can you believe these are still being made and worn? |
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