What Makes the '80s so Appealing to You?

Inspired by "Hot Tub Time Machine," my sick-of-the-80s disease only got worse. Not a day goes by where some kind of '80s mention or reference isn't brought up. I was born in 1983, but I always consider myself a '90s child. Part of my own personal commentary involves personal comments whether people like them or not. I make my own comments and not really want to be anybody popular who makes popular comments. So I would imagine that I will have people who will greatly disagree with me for this blog entry. That's probably why my blog entry on jeans tucked into boots became such a hot topic before my long hair blog post became massively popular.

So what are you about to read? I'm here to talk about my own thoughts on the '80s, but I also want to ask you what you think makes the '80s so good to begin with. This is also somewhat of a tell-all of what I do like about the '80s even though I've gotten so tired of this decade and the constant focus and re-focus on this decade.

Like I really need to do so for this topic, let me set the mood with a picture or two:


^ from: Discovery Options, by way of stlouis.about.com

--- Basic '80s Thoughts ---

The problem that I've had is that so many people just have nothing else to focus on or around than the '80s. Being part of a fashion-themed message board, I've vented on and on about people always being crazy about the '80s. To me, only one great thing came out of the '80s for me- video games.

Maybe the latest rant I've had was about the upcoming movie, "Hot Tub Time Machine," in which a bunch of guys are relaxing in a hot tub... that sends them back in time to... RIGHT! The '80s! I've always fancied the '70s and '90s, but mostly just got sick of all the '80s material. Almost as if you can't get away from the '80s. Someone will ALWAYS bring it back to bore and annoy you. I have somewhat high blood pressure, so I don't know how long I can live knowing I get tired of all these '80s revivals.


The rest of this is mostly a piece-by-piece deal on the '80s across a number of different topics.  So please read on to see more piece-by-piece material.

--- The '80s in Fashion ---

Boy... where do I start? The recent re-revival of '80s fandom kind of originated back in the mid-2000s. It would begin for me in an epic multi-year debate over leggings under skirts (my blog entry). If you like some of the fashions I may trash in this section, I'm sorry. May not be popular opinions, but I'm not here for popularity.

Let's take a look back.


Leggings Under Skirts.
The mini skirt is an example of hotness. Adding leggings, however, equals a hot mess. I've been very much against mini skirts worn over legging pants because the beauty of mini skirts are practically destroyed. This look was a very popular '80s look. It looks okay with little girls, but almost pointless on most girls whose ages are north of age 12.

Of course, I would eventually accept the look after disliking it for so long. I actually thought that wearing a short jumper dress with leggings and ballet flats was a cute look. One girl from my college days wore a white T-shirt, a black short jumper dress, black leggings, and black ballet flats. It was a very cute and fun look!


Rompers/Playsuits (my blog entry on them).
Unlike leggings under mini skirts, I didn't have a quarrel with people on these. I was most in love with rompers/playsuits that looked very much like dresses because I love illusions with fashion. I could probably say that rompers and playsuits were for femmes who couldn't confidently wear a mini dress. Thing is, a hot playsuit/rompers can be every bit as sexy and fun as even the most daring mini dresses.


Acid-Wash or Bleached Denim.
Someone wants me to be permanently blinded after gouging my eyes out seeing acid-wash jeans. I don't think I've EVER seen a pair that I actually like worn on ANY girl. You know someone tries to bring things back from the '80s I dislike, and this is one of them.


Leg Warmers.
I'm actually okay with leg warmers. In fact, I liked leg warmers as an alternative to jeans tucked into boots when I've viciously dislike that look.


If you want to relive more '80s fashions, check out skooldays.com. It's a a very cool site that's about fashion from various decades. The specific link takes you to '80s fashion.

--- The '80s in Music ---

I do have some favorite songs from the '80s. However, some annoy me to no end. One of them (while I don't hate it) is "Girls Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper. I don't know who constantly opens the '80s time capsule to release Cyndi, but "Girls Wanna Have Fun" (while I don't hate it) gets annoying when you keep on hearing it and constantly hearing it.

Little Known Music Fact About Me: To be honest, as a hip-hop fan and listener, I've never liked Run-D.M.C. This, even though "It's Like That." I've also never really liked "It Takes Two" from Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, which is also another very popular '80s hip-hop song.


But are there HITS from the '80s that I like? I won't name all of them, even if a few favorites of mine become added to this blog post. Here are some of my favorite songs released/recorded between January 1, 1980 and December 31,1989) among others:

PLEASE NOTE: This blog section may be updated to include more material.


* "I've Been Waiting for a Girl Like You" - Foreigner
I remember this from GTA: Vice City.

* "Africa" - Toto (1982)
Here is a soft tune with lovely vocals and instruments.

* "Sweet Dreams" - Eurythmics
I actually like this song, and I am also starting to appreciate it as a slow progression and evolution in the future of electonic pop (and electronica in general).

* "Can You Feel It?" - Mr. Fingers
This song was from 1989. With all the Cyndi Lauper and other overplayed '80s songs, how come THIS wasn't played often? Absolute favorite song of mine from "GTA: San Andreas."

* "I Just Called to Say I Love You" - Stevie Wonder (1984)
You may remember this song from my all-time favorite songs blog entry. I'm probably impartial to '80s R&B, but this song was just incredible, and its message is wonderful. Does it have to be a holiday or something to share your love for someone? Absolute classic. Maybe one of my all-time favorite '80s songs.

* "God Blessed Video" - Alcatrazz (1985)
Because rock music people would bitch on me if I didn't mention any rock music, here's one for you for a guy who doesn't listen to rock music religiously. "God Blessed Video" from Alcatrazz is... yes, another "GTA: Vice City" song. This is probably my favorite rock song from the '80s.

* "I Want Candy" - Bow Wow Wow (1982)
This song is quite fun to me. Bow Wow Wow made probably the coolest version of this song since the Strangeloves first did this song back in 1965.

* (the theme to "A View to Kill") - Duran Duran (1985)
I didn't want to finish any '80s music post (like I'm going to do these often) without mentioning something from Duran Duran. You see, I respect Duran Duran.

* "Girls Wanna Have Fun" - Cyndi Lauper
Okay. I trashed this song and Cyndi earlier. But remember- I didn't HATE it. I've just gotten sick of constantly hearing it. Cyndi's a one-hit wonder to me, with this being her biggest hit. In case I draw some criticism, name me at least one song of hers that has garnered as much popularity and appeal as "Girls Wanna Have Fun."

* "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" - Whitney Houston (1987(?))
Another track from my all-time favorite songs blog entry, this is also one of my all-time favorite Whitney Houston songs.

* "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?" - Michael Bolton (1989)
Michael Bolton truly delivered like never before with this song. If ever there was a love song masterpiece of the '80s, this song (which is also in my all-time favorite songs blog entry) would be my answer. Maybe not a masterpiece to rival the likes of Mozart or somebody, but this was an '80s masterpiece. Michael Bolton sings boldly and impressively in this song. Even if you don't like Michael Bolton, you have to admit that this is purely epic. It's a great song, but after the bridge, it's glorious.

* "Straight Outta Compton" - by NWA ("Niggaz with Attitude") (1988)
NWA was one of the most notorious hip-hop groups of all time. I'm a big Ice Cube fan, but I think Ice Cube was at his finest for hard-hitting lyrics and rhymes. Of course, Ice Cube is best known as the first rapper to leave NWA to the dislike of other NWA people like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Easy-E. Ice Cube was plenty slammin' with his rhymes here.

* "Smooth Operator" - Sade (1984)
Jazz, anyone? Smooth Operator is one of my personal favorite jazzy songs. There's no denying the awesome and (not to use the title's name) smooth appeal.

* "Truth" - T-Square (1987)
I mentioned T-Square in a past blog entry of mine. This is a song that probably wasn't played on any radio station in the United States. Many people still think this is one of the coolest F1 songs. You need only listen to this Japanese jazz fusion song to know why.

* "In This Country" - Robin Zander
This is a pretty cool song as I've heard of this song before, but never heard the full version until listening on YouTube. Cool song.

* "The Final Countdown" - Europe (1986)
Here's a song you've probably heard of a lot recently.


Of course, these songs only represent a certain few that I want to give mention to. As of the date of this blog entry's completion, more may be added that I didn't mention.



I would go one step further to mention '80s TV and movies in this section you're reading here.. However, I'm not a movie buff, so I'll let this go. And I don't know too much about what '80s TV shows were popular.

Well, then again... "Married With Children" is one of my all-time favorite TV sitcoms. So if you want some '80s TV or movie influences, DEFINITELY into "Married With Children" as the show began back in 1987. Oh... did you know that I'm a game show fan? That's right. One of my favorites was "Press Your Luck," hosted by the late great Peter Tomarken.

--- The '80s in Sports ---

I have to keep being reminded about the University of Houston falling to North Carolina State in 1983, followed by Georgetown in 1984. BOTH games for the National Championship. I know ESPN has a deal with the Jimmy V Foundation, but damn it... DO YOU HAVE TO FREAKING REMIND ME OF PHI SLAMMA JAMMA FALLING TO N.C. STATE ALL THE DAMNED TIME? CBS is like that too, but ESPN is more of the "Always Hate Houston" network, where they can rarely show any good highlights of Houston teams. It always has to be when my Houston sports teams are losing that they are shown on TV. Like they get a kick out of seeing my Houston teams lose. That's even as ESPN likes having foursomes with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Lakers.

Now on to much kinder notes.

Houston Sports in the 1980s.
A thing I love about '80s sports- some of those lovely uniforms. I sometimes wish the Astros would go back to their classic rainbow colors of the past. Even back in the times when Nolan Ryan threw that no-hitter in 1986.

Also in 1986 was that of the Houston Rockets upsetting the highly-favored Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals of 1986. More stunning was how the 1980-1981 Houston Rockets, at 40-42 heading into the NBA Playoffs, would upset the Los Angeles Lakers, then the Spurs, then the [Kansas City] Kings to play in the NBA Finals. The Rockets didn't win the title, but shown that the playoffs have an effect of giving teams power they didn't think they have. Among the past Rockets of that team were Calvin Murphy, Ralph Sampson, Moses Malone, and Rudy Tomjanovich among others.

Let's not forget football. Does "Love 'ya Blue" mean anything to you? Before the move to Nashville and changing the name to the Titans, the Houston Oilers was the football power of H-Town. I didn't get into football soon enough (2002 was when I became a fan) to know what the Oilers were all about.


Other 1980s Sports.
These are random ramblings on '80s sports. Each section is seperated by asterisks.

* You of course can't forget about the battles of Larry Bird back then. Whoever thought that Indiana State University would produce such a player like Larry Bird? Don't forget about that guy named Michael Jordan, either. * On the football end, I usually like the University of Miami in college football. Though I like the University of Miami as one of my favorite college football teams, Doug Flutie's Hail Mary comes to mind when Boston College knocked off Miami at the storied Orange Bowl. * My only boxing memory of the '80s is just how awesome Mike Tyson was. * In racing, I do love the IMSA days with the awesome GTP race cars of the '80s. Joest Racing was an underdog in sportscar racing then until Joest Racing's Le Mans triumph in 1985.

--- The '80s in Sports ---

I've already admitted that the best thing to come from the '80s (to me) is video games and arcades. Games like the following are '80s favorites of mine:
* Super Mario Bros.
* Super Mario Bros. 3 (all-time favorite Mario game)
* The Legend of Zelda
* Metroid
* Blades of Steel
* Qix
* Excitebike
* Ninja Gaiden (NES version)
* Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
* Hang-On
* Super Hang-On
* OutRun
* Tetris (Game Boy and NES versions)

Here's a story from me... I've ALWAYS wanted a Game Boy when it first came out! Tetris for the Game Boy was one of those reasons. My cousin had a Game Boy that he let me and my brother borrow. But really, I've always loved playing the Game Boy. Still do.





Overall, I've just gotten sick of the '80s. It's like too many people just look at the '80s and think it's the best ever. I've honestly just gotten tired of it all. Like it's the ONLY decade people talk about. That's why I've gotten so sick of everything '80s once people continually pounded in the '80s into my head. I guess since a lot of the '90s wanted to look back on the '70s, that 20-year cycle had us going into '80s fandom. I'm still a '90s child, so I'm sure the 20-year cycle will mean a lot of '90s fandom will come. Most of the early '90s continued what the '80s started.

Then as much as I've been sick of the '80s, I do admit that it's been one of the biggest cultural shifts since Woodstock and the Summer of 1969. So many of current fashions have been so predicated on the '80s. It's why I've hated seeing stuff like leggings under skirts (my blog entry) when it was in vogue among femmes. It was even why I crack peoples' (especially the fashion disasters) in "GTA: Vice City Stories." That even included the women that wore jeans tucked into boots (my blog entry) in the game.



But the main question I've wanted to ask all of you readers and viewers is...

What makes the '80s so appealing to you?

This is something I HAD to type up after ANOTHER '80s-inspired deal came along with the soon-to-be-released movie, "Hot Tub Time Machine." I'm like... WHY THE '80s? Isn't there any other favorable decade you can look back on besides the '80s? What makes this decade appealing to you? Please comment so we can have a little discussion!

Anri

(UPDATED: February 21, 2012)

While I love MISIA's singing, singer-songwriter Anri is a goddess. Her voice is divine and beautiful from the many songs she has done in her music career. Her real name is Eiko Kawashima. If you've never heard her music, her voice is as close to heavenly as you'll ever hear in Japanese pop music. The (as of March 25, 2010) 48-year old (born Aug. 31, 1961) from Yamato, Japan is a Japanese pop goddess with a fantastic voice and beautiful music. After seeing the YouTube videos I'll provide, you might agree with me that she is a fantastic singer.


^ from: asiapopidol.com - Anri from her "Anri Again" CD.

--- The Music of Anri ---

Here are a bunch of YouTube videos I've found featuring the voice of Anri. I think you'll love this blog entry if you want to hear some beautiful music from a lovely Japanese singer. I'd like to thank everyone who allowed their videos to be embedded.

"Heavenly Garden."

^ "Heavenly Garden" - This song from 1993 is accompanied by a video of various sights around Lani in Hawaii. Still, the start of this video is Anri's beautiful voice.

"Summer Candles."

^ "Summer Candles" - While I usually hate on the '80s, this is a sure hit. "Summer Candles" is the name of this song. Again, Anri's beautiful vocals deliver again.

"Dolphin Ring."

^ "Dolphin Ring" - Here is another beautiful song along with a very lovely video piece. This was the best-quality video I could use and embed. It's still a very enjoyable song.



Those are all songs that immediately come to mind for me as far as favorites of mine. Here are more songs I've found on YouTube:

"Saigo no Surf Holiday."

^ "Saigo no Surf Holiday" (Live Version) - Anri's lovely singing is accompanied by a nice funky song. This was from 1988 (I was five years old then).

"Piece of my Wish."

^ "Piece of my Wish" (Live Version) - I've never heard this song before, but I've seen YouTube comments from people saying this is a great song. Well... I agree. It's a great song.





If you would like to get some of her music CD's, you can check out Amazon's Anri Store to get some of her music. Thanks a lot for reading my blog entry on this wonderful singer!

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What if ALL Big East Schools Played Big East Football?

There are eight teams that play football in the Big East. But what if some of the non-Big East football teams played football in the Big East? That even includes the non-football schools in the Big East. Some teams are teams you may not know had football. Here are the current Big East football schools (as of 3/22/2010):

* West Virginia
* Pittsburgh
* South Florida
* Rutgers
* Syracuse
* Connecticut
* Cincinnati
* Louisville

And here are the current schools that are in the Big East, but not for football:

* Notre Dame
* Villanova
* Georgetown
* DePaul (non-football)
* Marquette (non-football)
* Providence (non-football)
* St. Johns (of Jamaica, NY; non-football)
* Seton Hall (non-football)

So what if the above schools played football in the Big East, and what would happen if current non-football schools played in the Big East for football? Let's do this!

--- What If: Non-Big East Football Schools in Big East? ---

This section concerns teams that sponsor football, but doesn't play their football in the Big East.

Notre Dame.
Ahh, Notre Dame. America's most famous Catholic university. They are football independents in the FBS division and are a BCS team. There's likely a good reason why Notre Dame isn't in any conference in football... because they're Notre Dame, motherf... (watch your mouth!)! Unless Notre Dame football thinks they are too good to fit into any conference, the Fighting Irish probably would be a weird fit for the Big East. The rivalries they have with Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College, and USCal would have to remain intact, and a conference schedule would kill having some of these rivalries.

Villanova.
Temple was once the Big East market for Philadelphia, but in Temple's campaign, they floundered terribly. Villanova would truly be a great candidate for the Philly market. It would be interesting if Villanova had to go against Temple for playing games at Lincoln Finanical Field. At least the Wildcats know how to put up a fight in almost any sport.

Georgetown.
The Hoyas are not a good football team in FCS. They play in the Patriot League for football. Their stadium would have to be built up to BCS school standards to seat more people. That's if they were to play in Washington, D.C. If not an in-city stadium, they would probably play at where the NFL's Washington Redskins play for Hoyas' football.

--- What If: Big East Non-Football Schools Sponsored Football and Played in Big East? ---

Now is a look at where the Big East non-football schools would play at or how they would do if they had football and played in the Big East.

DePaul.
This religious school in Chicago would be the only other Chicago-area Division 1 football school along with Northwestern University. The Blue Demons of DePaul would probably play their football at some campus stadium, or probably play at Soldier Field (Chicago Bears' stadium).

Marquette.
Marquette University has football on the club level. The Milwaukee-based Jesuit school would make Marquette the only other Division 1 football school in the state of Wisconsin (the University of Wisconsin-Madison is, of course, the other). Even if to get more NCAA football in the state of Wisconsin (including getting Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wisconsin-Green Bay to start football), why not? They'd probably have the Milwaukee football market all to themselves. That is... unless that NFL team up north rules football in the Badger State. I just hope Marquette's football team has better-looking uniforms than what Marquette has now (their simplistic blue and gold colors before going to their current uniforms were beautiful).

Providence.
Providence College is the only other school in Rhode Island's capital city besides Brown University. Providence rocks black and white beautifully in all of their sports. One of my personal favorite color combinations for sports teams is black and silver. A Friars' football team would look pretty cool with black jerseys and white pants. There would be one more cool reason to have a football team for Providence- the Big East offices are in Providence, Rhode Island. Unless Providence isn't a favorable-enough market, then this would be cool to see. Then again, this school has had a number of financial problems. Some Providence sports teams were sacked in their history.

Seton Hall.
Even though the state of New Jersey has one football team, in fact... the birthplace of college football- Rutgers, Seton Hall would make it two New Jersey schools. The South Orange, NJ-based religious school would be only a few 10 or 15 miles from New York City. The Pirates would probably play in some on-campus facility or maybe play where the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets play their football at.

St. John's University (in Queens, NY).
The Red Storm are the kings of Queens. Many people best know St. John's as one of the most successful basketball schools in history. St. John's is good at the other football (soccer to many of us). It used to be that St. John's used to have a football team when they played football in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). When their program was sacked, football was gone. New York City is a special case for football. It would be weird to have a proper football team in the New York City without having to play their games in New Jersey or something. I think they still have their on-campus football stadium. They would probably have to build it up to BCS school standards if they want football in the Big Apple.

--- Other Considerations ---

Sorting All Schools.
A sixteen-team football conference would be hellishly crazy. Maybe the biggest thing to look at would be two divisions of Big East football. Each conference represents Big East regulars and the non-original Big East football teams. If the Big East wants ALL of these schools to play for Big East football rights, they may (and this is going to offer a head-turner) a four-team playoff for the highest-ranked teams from each divisions. So as an example, imagine if West Virginia and South Florida comprised the best B.E. regulars, while Marquette and Notre Dame comprised the best of the other division. What would happen is that WVU and South Florida would play for the right to to play in a Championship Game for the Big East championship. And of course, BCS Bowl berths would be on the line. Or of course, you'd have a deal where you have tie-breakers and stuff. That's the classic method for football teams.

The only other consideration? Split the Big East into two different conferences. That's what's on the table for the Big East. I've been hearing and reading all along about a rumored Big East split to where there's a conference for the private schools.





I may consider doing other blog entries on if current non-football schools had proper football teams (whether scholarship or non-scholarship). For now, those are my ideas on if ALL Big East teams had football programs and played in the Big East. What do YOU make of all of this? Feel free to comment away!