The 80s, myth and reality?

[belfastboy]

That was a time in my life when I practically lived in nightclubs.

Awkward to see those same entertainers, still trying to do the same act today. I'm not the only person clinging to lost youth. Grandmas are producing music videos for songs that they had 30 years ago, and cramming themselves into revealing clothes to climb back on stage to lipsync.

Some still perform for the dozens of fans at the Fuddrucker stage by the Guest Services wing of The Mall.

Over the past 6 years my wife and I have spent much time travelling the back roads of the US west....driving through a no mans land of desert wasteland we will come upon huge roadside billboards (in lights) advertising a native casino and that week's headliner. Now we are talking about the middle of nowhere, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico......so many times our response in reading the headliners name......"damn, I thought he (she) were dead"

 

[green papaya]

1980's fads didnt last long, they went out just as fast as they came in , especially fashion , hair styles , music

the shaved head would have looked ridiculous back then, also the long bearded style with a shaved head so many men have today

the DISCO dance clubs and the music seemed to have died out by 1985 , Punk Rock was a common style back then

todays modern clothing styles , hair styles seem to have lasted longer than the 1980's styles

body building was very popular back in the 1980's everybody lifted weights, people ask how much can you bench press?

the more you could bench the more macho you were, Arnold Schwarzenegger started the body building boom of the 80's

 

[Fifty150]

In 1987, Natalia Wolfgramm was born into a family of musicians with hit songs. Today, she is a lead vocalist for the family band. In 1989, Franne Golde and Tom Snow wrote a song for this family band, which the band rejected. The song was shopped around and finally recorded in 1995. It became a huge hit. Ms. Wolfgramm still performs the song today.

 

[LostInTyme]

I pretty much let the eighties pass me by. I had a carreer that took up 6 days a week, sometimes more. My wife raised the kids, kept the house and even had time for an affair. I just worked to keep the ship afloat. I never heard any 80's music, I was already listening to the oldies radio stations.

 

[Turnip]

Been quite nice in 83…

 

[Trenchfriend]

Had First Blood a significant influence in 1982? I mean, was there a kind of positive psychological effect going on, maybe people started talking louder "about" or something like this?

I mean, if the movie would be shown in cinema again, here in Germany, it would be still "Age 16 Restriction" (!), so the audience majority wouldn't be action-hungry 12 yo.

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

Saw a recent Lady Chatterley's Lover done two or three years ago. After France and I needed something
to take my mind away from football, so gave it a go. A timeless classic and very well done throwback about
landed gentry angst over class issues, love knowing no bounds, to manor born child cast out.
Lawrence packs a lot inside the novel so timeless and true.

 

[Edward]

Had First Blood a significant influence in 1982? I mean, was there a kind of positive psychological effect going on, maybe people started talking louder "about" or something like this?

I mean, if the movie would be shown in cinema again, here in Germany, it would be still "Age 16 Restriction" (!), so the audience majority wouldn't be action-hungry 12 yo.

It was a controversial film here in the UK, for no reason other than that it was considered to be sufficiently violent to be widely blamed as the inspiration for Michael Ryan's August 1987 shooting spree in Hungerford, which saw him kill sixteen people (including his own mother) and wound at least fifteen others before turning the gun on himself. Somewhat inevitably, this association, given much tabloid coverage, stuck for a long time, despite the fact that there was never a shred of evidence that Ryan had even seen the film, much less the tabloid claim that he had watched it on video two hundred times or whatever (Ryan didn't even own a VCR).

The BBFC rated the first two Rambo films as 15 for UK cinema release; in those days, that would have meant an automatic upgrade to an 18 for the home video release.

 

[Frunobulax]

Had First Blood a significant influence in 1982? I mean, was there a kind of positive psychological effect going on, maybe people started talking louder "about" or something like this?

I mean, if the movie would be shown in cinema again, here in Germany, it would be still "Age 16 Restriction" (!), so the audience majority wouldn't be action-hungry 12 yo.

I had to think about this a bit before I put it into words, but to me, Rambo First Blood represents a cultural transition. It was the tail end of the Psychotic Vietnam Veteran trope (see Travis Bickle), but the US was on the cusp of the Reagan era, when the national psyche was moving on from the bad economy of the 70s and all of the self-flagellation we inflicted upon ourselves during that period.

People rallied around the character because they wanted to rally around the soldier who, despite his problems, was "doing good." Within a few years (and certainly after the first Gulf War), being a soldier began to be seen in a positive light, which Hollywood had not really embraced since the early 60s.

As for the violence, I have no theories. Some sort of sociological cathartic effect? I looked at many of the popular movies from that era, and it looks to me like violence was actually waning. There was an increase in graphic violence in movies in the 60s and 70s, but 1972 was Tootsie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, An Officer and a Gentleman, Annie, etc. It seems to me optimism was creeping back in.

I dunno, just spitballing here.

 

[Trenchfriend]

I had to think about this a bit before I put it into words, but to me, Rambo First Blood represents a cultural transition. It was the tail end of the Psychotic Vietnam Veteran trope (see Travis Bickle), but the US was on the cusp of the Reagan era, when the national psyche was moving on from the bad economy of the 70s and all of the self-flagellation we inflicted upon ourselves during that period.

That's, what I meant with my question, if the (as we would say in Germany) "Vietnam trauma" was louder discussed than before, after the movie started. And maybe the PTSD topic, too. But as you say, the topic probably went a little under surface, at this point of time.

Sure, it naturally has a different effect in old Germany, I think more than ever.

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

It was a controversial film here in the UK, for no reason other than that it was considered to be sufficiently violent to be widely blamed as the inspiration for Michael Ryan's August 1987 shooting spree in Hungerford, which saw him kill sixteen people (including his own mother) and wound at least fifteen others before turning the gun on himself. Somewhat inevitably, this association, given much tabloid coverage, stuck for a long time, despite the fact that there was never a shred of evidence that Ryan had even seen the film, much less the tabloid claim that he had watched it on video two hundred times or whatever (Ryan didn't even own a VCR).

The BBFC rated the first two Rambo films as 15 for UK cinema release; in those days, that would have meant an automatic upgrade to an 18 for the home video release.

Looked at with distance and mature focus Ryan forced American gun violence to UK front page.
And it wasn't American criminal kills but homespun woven insanity.

 

[green papaya]

1980's movies had a lot more "nudity" and love scenes , very embarrassing not family friendly , also more foul language

FIRST BLOOD was a big hit in the USA , I heard a lot of people joined the military after seeing movies like RAMBO, TOP GUN , APOCALYPSE NOW

the motion picture soundtracks back in the 1980's were some of the best music , these days they use to much ghetto rap in movies.

 

[Edward]

Looked at with distance and mature focus Ryan forced American gun violence to UK front page.
And it wasn't American criminal kills but homespun woven insanity.

It was certainly an unusual event, but nonetheless causes shockwaves that it could happen in the UK; I think it best left there on basis of House Rules on Politics.

 

[Frunobulax]

That's, what I meant with my question, if the (as we would say in Germany) "Vietnam trauma" was louder discussed than before, after the movie started. And maybe the PTSD topic, too. But as you say, the topic probably went a little under surface, at this point of time.

Sure, it naturally has a different effect in old Germany, I think more than ever.

No, as I said, by 1982, the damaged Vietnam vet trope had been well established. Prior to this we had Coming Home, the Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, and a host of other flicks exploring the subject. If anything, Rambo put a positive spin on it.

 

[Fifty150]

Rambo put a positive spin on survival knives. If you lived in The U.S.A. during the 80's, you will remember the infomercial. Suddenly, survival knives which were really useless for survival, were turning up everywhere. I knew a guy who had one in his office desk drawer. People were putting them into the glovebox of their cars. Kids in school kept them in their lockers. Girls had them in their purses. Guys would go to nightclubs with these hideous things strapped to their thighs. Rambo should have carried a Pocket Fisherman.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Wow, I'm surprised, that Dave Gahan is actually just 60!
I had no idea, that they were not far from being teenagers, when they had their breakthrough. Impressive long career for middle-aged guys.

But for the original synthie stuff, I prefer Bowie's and Eno's LOW. Seems to be the first evil 80s "trip", already in 1976.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Mrs Holiday and I stayed up late NYE after the big family BBQ and played a host of old 80s songs. A lot of them were national hits by big Australian bands. Here are a few of them. Not sure how many of these would've made it overseas, but some great songs and some great memories here:

Mental As Anything, Too Many Times

The Hoodoo Gurus, Like Wow, Wipeout

The Models, Barbados

Split Enz, One Step Ahead (New Zealand band that moved to Australia in the mid 70s)

Joe Camilleri and the Black Sorrows, Chained to the Wheel

Paul Kelly, Dumb Things
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR-eTR3Dcps

Australian Crawl, Errol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpxgn01rwjE

Many more out there, just a taste of the hits from my teenage years. Funny how songs can make you feel 15 again.

 

[belfastboy]

And Rambo - First Blood was filmed in Canada. About an hour up the freeway from me. I think the town still has the sign making the claim to fame.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Aside from the Disco, was Saturday Night Fever a good impression of reality in NYC-Brooklyn 70s/80s?

 

[Turnip]

Watch „Red Dawn“. Could hardly get more 80s and some coming stars like Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen … to be admired…