MetaFilter posts tagged with 1980s

Oh, Rom...

kittens for breakfast — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:39:28 -0800

Rom: Spaceknight was an improbable comics success: Based on a toy series that consisted of one figure (Rom), the comics series debuted in 1979 and lasted an unlikely 75 issues, featuring art from such luminaries as P. Craig Russell and Steve Ditko (previously, previously and previously). The series was written by Marvel Comics mainstay Bill Mantlo, who retired from comics and became a public defender (the legal kind), only to suffer a tragic accident in the mid-1990s that left him in need of constant medical attention. A 2007 benefit for the writer -- Spacenight: A Tribute to Bill Mantlo -- will be followed by Spacenight 2, an auction of original Rom-related artwork that can be viewed here.

BORN TO DIE! NEW YORK'S NEW YORK! THE TURN OF THE CENTURY! ALL CRIME!

Dr-Baa — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:07:27 -0800

STEVIE WASHINGTON- THE ANGRY YOUTH! If you watched MTV in the late 1980s, chances are during a commercial break you'd catch an episode of Stevie and Zoya (A.K.A. Stevie Washington- The Angry Youth). The series was created by Joe Horne, who later produced the similar series The Specialists (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)for MTV's Liquid Television . Narration was provided by Russell Johnson probably best known as The Professor on Gilligan's Island. There's also a couple of recent flash animations for Stevie Washington, which may or may not be by Joe Horne. (I'm thinking not.)

Fast Food Fashions of the Eighties

mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:47:05 -0800

Fast food fashions of the Eighties.

Behind the Mask - Michael Jackson's rarest recording?

0bvious — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:40:57 -0800

Michael Jackson penned and recorded lots of songs, many of which remain unreleased. Perhaps the most infamous, and rarest recording, is his version of Behind the Mask. Legend has it that upon hearing Yellow Magic Orchestra's original track, somewhen around 1979, Quincy Jones fell in love with the track, and he and Michael worked together on their own version. Jackson wrote new lyrics for it - adding to those of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Chris Mosdell - and eventually recorded it during his Off The Wall sessions. For unknown reasons the track never made the final cut of, arguably, Jones' and Jackson's greatest work. Not long afterwards Greg Phillinganes, Jackson's keyboard player, released his own version of the song, which was later taken up and re-recorded by Eric Clapton for his 1986, Phil Collins produced album, August. The track has since been recorded/remixed by Human League, Senor Coconut, Orbital and others. Does an original Jones/Jackson recording of the song even exist? Perhaps, as the world continues to mourn the star's sad death, someone will finally allow us a listen.

Nothing worse than bad sax.

miss lynnster — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:13:51 -0800

A handy rating guide to 1980s saxophone solos -- "I realized about 5 years ago that at some point in the 80s, lots of the popular music started incorporating saxophone solos into their songs. Some of them are fine, but most of them are ridiculous to have in the songs. I have attempted to separate the quality and appropriateness of the solos from what I think of the song as a whole..."

Cheerleader outfit not included

Rhomboid — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:04:09 -0800

Twenty-five years later, the main cast of The Goonies reunite for Empire Magazine.

"There are the various were-cockroaches and wrigglies"

kittens for breakfast — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:16:42 -0800

Artist Stephen R. Bissette dissects the making of Saga of the Swamp Thing #20, the first American comics appearance of writer Alan Moore (um...previously), in a series of blog posts that feature much original artwork (by Bissette and others), as well as a sampling of Moore's apparently absolutely ginormous script for the issue. (Warning: Parts of Bissette's site are NSFW.) Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.

Who Are The People (and the Muppets) In Your Neighborhood?

jonp72 — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:32:35 -0800

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street, let's take a few moments to honor those Sesame Street humans overshadowed by their Muppet counterparts. Check out Bob (Bob McGrath) singing Danny Boy in Japanese on a 1966 broadcast of To Tell The Truth or singing a Japanese ballad. Watch Gordon (Roscoe Orman) as the big pimpin' title character in this original trailer for the film Willie Dynamite. See Maria (Sonia Manzano) as a lady trucker on B.J. & the Bear or getting menaced by Jeff Goldblum in the movie Death Wish. And Mr. Hooper (Will Lee) plays Pac-Man in an Atari commercial. Meanwhile, the Muppet stars of Sesame Street have gone some interesting evolutions as well in their career. Check out the Cookie Monster prototype in this Munchos commercial or this Computer Monster skit. The original prototype of Grover was a thieving Muppet named Gleep who appeared on a Christmas sketch on the Ed Sullivan show with Arthur Godfrey as Santa Claus, but Grover also appears as Fuzzyface in a 1st season appearance on Sesame Street with Kermit. Last but not least, this Monsterpiece Theater production of Me Claudius features Elmo with a much raspier voice than the childlike Muppet who monopolizes the show today.

"I feel so manly, like Kevin Costner."

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:20:50 -0800

Julie Brown, Chris Elliott, Kathy Griffin, Bobcat Goldthwait and others spoof Madonna in Medusa: Dare To Be Truthful: Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Do you really want to hurt me? I'm thinking you do, Limahl. I'm thinking you do...

miss lynnster — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:15:56 -0800

1980s pop music hasbeen + swing big band = OMIGOD NO MAKE IT STOP.

No Need to Atone for Your Synths

jonp72 — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 11:59:03 -0800

Not all groups with synthesizers in the 1970s and 1980s were lame Top 40 acts with keytars. Some groups of the era used synths for spastic keyboard bleeps, herky-jerky tempos, and angst-ridden aggression in a style now classified by record collector geeks as synthpunk, minimal synth, or minimal wave. Several famous New Wave acts dabbled in the style before providing soundtracks for Molly Ringwald movies (OMD, Electricty) or singing about waitresses in cocktail bars (the Human League, Being Boiled), but vintage videos from synth punk acts all over the world can be found all over YouTube. New York City Suicide, Ghost Rider Suicide, Frankie Teardrop Dark Day, Arp's Carpet Los Angeles Catholic Discipline, Underground Babylon The Screamers, Vertigo The Screamers, 122 Hours of Fear Nervous Gender, Miscarriage San Francisco The Units, Unit Training Film: Warm Moving Bodies Tulsa, Oklahoma Los Reactors, It's A Wonderful Life Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Billy Synth & the Turnups, I'm So Sick of It South Florida Futurisk, Meteoright Futurisk, Army Now France Metal Urbain, Panik Australia The Primitive Calculators, I Can't Stop It The United Kingdom The Normal, T.V.O.D. Fad Gadget, Collapsing New People Spain Aviador Dro, La TV Es Nutritiva Los Iniciados, Marca de Anubis Japan P-Model, ArtMania P-Model, Health Angel

Dude, I never made it to this screen before!

Miko — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:19:34 -0800

The niftiest thing at Coin Op World? The mp3 files of Classic Arcade Sounds. "We recorded our video game experiences from 1982 until 1988 in a variety of locations on the east coast. Most of the recordings come from Ithaca, NY, Albany, NY and Ocean City, MD. Other locations include Lancaster, PA, Falmouth, MA, Rehoboth Beach, DE and Key West, FL. Luckily I stored all fourteen audio tapes in a safe place and rediscovered them when I moved the rest of my stuff out of my parents house in 1997. In the last several years I digitized these nostalgic recordings to preserve and share them."

Words Are Made of Letter People

Thin Lizzy — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:29:06 -0800

The Letter People started as a collection of vaguely trippy drawings by illustrator Elizabeth Callen in the early 70s, but viewers of Midwestern PBS in the 70s and 80s might have learned to read from the Letter People puppet show produced by PBS station KETC in St. Louis. Set in the black void of "Letter People Land", the show allowed each character to introduce him or herself with a song, from the laid back, Carole King vibe in Miss A's song, to the bizarre sound collage of Mr. X (audio with fan-made video). And of course cashing in on the nostalgia craze, the new and improved letter people without references to junk food or the pesky marital status of the vowels. Sing along with the other Letter People songs: Mr. B, Mr. C, Mr. D, Miss E, Mr. F, Mr. G, Mr. H, Miss I, Mr. J, Mr. K, Mr. L, Mr. M, Mr. N, Miss O, Mr. P, Mr. Q (and his lack of a song), Mr. R (an introductory skit from the show- the song that follows was only recorded for the album), Mr. S (voiced by Joneal Joplin, local actor and favorite of the St. Louis theatre scene), Mr. T, Miss U, Mr. V, Mr. W, Mr. Y, and Mr. Z. Feel like it's a bit of a boyzone with all those consonants? Watch the vowel ladies band together and get their girl-group on.

Will I Make It Through The 80s?

The Whelk — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:14:00 -0800

Hey, what ever happened to Julie Brown? ( not that one) She was a hit in Earth Girls Are Easy with her number, Cause I'm a Blonde. She had another hit with the Dr. Demento staple The Homecoming Queens' Got a Gun! Then she faded into the cultural-artifact twilight ... She kept up the songs, expressing her taste in men, fighting women, and wondering if she'll make it through the decade. Julie appeared in a few good TV shows and some bad movies. (She was even on Werid Al!) MTV gave her an odd, short-lived show, Just Say Julie! She continued music parodies with Medusa: Dare To Truth, a giddy parody of Madonna's documentary. Nowadays, she's mostly at home, working on a web-based comeback. She even has a blog.

For my sugar spun sister

sien — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:19:40 -0800

The Stone Roses are set to reform. It's almost 20 years since they released their extremely fine album creatively titled The Stone Roses. The band that was a big part of the Madchester movement have been bumping into each other at Manchester United games and no doubt seeing the money that the footballers are making decided it was time to regroup. The rumours are not certain, but some say it is 75 percent likely and media reports everywhere indicates it is probably happening. What's next, a guru Josh remix? Oh, Got one

A BetaMaXmas

Korou — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:10:38 -0800

80s era holiday television complete with antenna, TV guide, and remote.

simple minded dream 79-80-81-82-83-84

philip-random — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:33:07 -0800

They got overshadowed by Bono in their interviews, their videos hardly rocked the zeitgeist, their lead singer looked way too much like the weird kid who played little Hitler in the Boys From Brazil, but for a while in the late 1970s and the early 1980s (before the release of a certain annoying movie), it was sometimes claimed that Simple Minds were the best band in the entire history of the Universe, if not the world ... and the groove goes on.

You've got dysentery!

lunit — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:56:10 -0800

The Top 10 Most Influential Educational Video Games from the 1980s. (via)

From beautiful downtown Gondwanaland!

brundlefly — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:57:58 -0800

Gary Owens (previously) and Eric Boardman on dinosaurs: "More Dinosaurs," 1, 2, 3. "Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs," 1, 2, 3. "Son of Dinosaurs," (featuring Jimmy Stewart) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Not dinosaurs, but still cool: "Prehistoric World," 1, 2, 3. These videos were a huge part of my childhood and I was thrilled when Laelaps linked to them. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any background on these at all. Or maybe I was too busy mouthing the dialogue to notice.

Like, OMIGOD!

carsonb — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:34:51 -0800

80smusicvids.com - Like totally bodacious collection of over 1000 music videos from like the raddest decade. Choice. Bonus, dude! Retro video games like flashacized.

LibraryVenture!

Ambrosia Voyeur — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:34:22 -0800

Mazes and Monsters? Dungeons and Dragons? Faugh! When the Earth's very history is at stake, it's time for Tomes and Talismans! Learn the Dewey Decimal System and other library skills with Ms. Bookhart, a librarian cryogenically preserved from the 1980's and revived by The Users to save the books of Future Earth from technology-destroying race of alien beings, The Wipers. 260 of the geekiest minutes ever committed to video.

Pocket Calculator Show

serazin — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:14:53 -0800

Pocket Calculator Show. via: Beware of Blog

Those barricades can only hold for so long

sister nunchaku of love and mercy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:01:20 -0800

Twenty years ago this week, the biggest escape ever over the Berlin Wall took place, but the event went nearly unreported outside of the two Germanies. The 182 persons who jumped over the Wall in the early morning hours of 1 July 1988, instead of leaving East Germany, fled in the opposite direction (scroll down to "Wolfgang Ritter") to escape the West Berlin police. East German border guards waited with trucks on the other side of the Wall in the middle of the death strip to pick up the wall-hopping protesters; they were driven to another location, served breakfast, and then taken to the Friedrichsstrasse crossing to West Berlin with the admonition to "use the usual border crossing next time." The Lenné Triangle, where the wall jumpers lived in their tent village (including a "People's Kitchen") for the month before the police raid (slideshow here), was part of the bustling Potsdamer Platz before the Second World War. On the division of Berlin it turned into a no-man's land and an accidental nature preserve. After the reunification of Berlin it again became part of the center of commercial development. In 2007, $117 million in restitution was finally paid to the Wertheim family, who had owned the property and been stripped of it in the 1930s due to National Socialist anti-Jewish laws.

Retro action

dersins — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:49:03 -0800

The Retroist is a veritable treasure trove of 80's (and 70's) goodness. TV commercials, catalogs, and of course the poetry of Mr. Leonard Nimoy. The Youtube channel alone is worth the price of admission-- Tobor! Diet Rite! Candyland!

Rachel Zoe Ain't Got Shit on Claudia Kishi

ThePinkSuperhero — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:33:33 -0800

What Claudia Wore A blog devoted to the outrageous outfits of Claudia Kishi from The Babysitters Club. I discovered this blog after deciding there should definitely be a blog devoted to the wardrobe of Claudia Kishi, and vowing to start one if I couldn't find it. Traditional clothes look boring and are boring to put on. So I never wear them. I like bright colors and big patterns and funny touches, such as earrings made from feathers. Maybe this is because I'm an artist. I don't know. Today, for instance, I'm wearing purple pants that stop just below my knees and are held up with suspenders, white tights with clocks on them, a purple plaid shirt with a matching hat, my high-top sneakers, and lobster earrings. Clothes like these are my trademark.