# Fuck the 80's **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 18, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093 "2005-03-18T02:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/21 "2005-03-18T05:39:30Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Pet Shop Boys THANK you. (Well, and the other great groups you named too.) You realize that in 20 years, people are going to be going, DAMN enough 2000s nostalgia already, because all they’re going to be playing is the Ketchup Song and that stupid ripoff of _Fiddler_ by whoever it is. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/22 "2005-03-18T05:48:41Z")
I’m wearing my Purple Rain shirt as we speak. Shame on you, good sir. ---
**Author:** ![Foible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Foible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foible)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/23 "2005-03-18T06:10:03Z")
This thread has just named most of my CD collection. I will not become trapped in time like a fly in amber. I’m running out right now and buying the new CD from Interpol! By the way, does anyone else see retro new wave as kinda sad? New wave is the future that never happened, like the SF pulps from the 30’s. I can’t hear Jesus Jones without getting melancholy. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/24 "2005-03-18T06:18:28Z")
Uh…The Clash! Alan Parsons Project Pink Floyd - The Wall (I know, it came out in Nov. 1979, but it ruled the 80’s) Dire Straits The Cult The Ramones Talking Heads (I know…I’m starting to repeat others) ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/25 "2005-03-18T06:29:35Z")
…Dinosaur Jr., The Wedding Present, Husker Du (again; can’t mention them enough), Fishbone, Julian Cope, The Stone Roses, Robyn Hitchcock (& the Egyptians) (which also reminds me: The Soft Boys), The Godfathers, The Smiths (& Morrissey), Wire, They Might Be Giants, XTC, Big Black, Mofungo, Half Japanese, The Feelies, Gang Of Four, The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Replacements and X (again; can’t mention them enough, either), Midnight Oil, The Pogues… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/26 "2005-03-18T07:29:59Z")
The The, Oingo Boingo, Devo, Sugar Cubes, Violent Femmes, D.O.A., B52s– There was plenty of good shit to listen to. It’s not like you _had_ to wear the the rugby pants and the pink-and-green fluorescent jacket, and limit yourself to commercial radio. It’s just like today-- If it’s heavily promoted on commercial radio & television, it’s a safe bet that it’s mediocre shite. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/27 "2005-03-18T07:34:00Z")
> [@](#): > > By the way, does anyone else see retro new wave as kinda sad? New wave is the future that never happened, like the SF pulps from the 30’s. I can’t hear Jesus Jones without getting melancholy. There’s nothing quite so archaic as the previous era’s futurism. On the other hand, there was no such thing as New Wave. There was punk, from hardcore (Husker Du) to pop (Blondie, Duran Duran) and everything in between (The Clash, Devo, Talking Heads, etc.). New Wave was a marketing term to sell the poppier strains of punk on people who wouldn’t touch punk if their lives depended on it. Remember, after all, that Blondie, The Ramones, and Talking Heads all played the same dive in New York City (CBGB’s). The difference between them is one of degree, not genre. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/28 "2005-03-18T07:49:08Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > THANK you. > > (Well, and the other great groups you named too.) > > You realize that in 20 years, people are going to be going, DAMN enough 2000s nostalgia already, because all they’re going to be playing is the Ketchup Song and that stupid ripoff of _Fiddler_ by whoever it is. You mean that stupid song by the girl who thinks she’d have to have all the money in world in order to be wealthy? I’ve posted about that before. It drives me frickin’ crazy! It’s a bad as that stupid Diana Ross song where she says “Respectfully, I say to thee, I know you’ve been cheatin’.” Thee? Wtf? Respectfully? “Oh, I beg your pardon, my dear, but I thought you should know that I’m aware you’ve been boinking other women…but no offense, okay?” What the hell are people thinking when they write this shit? Is the procedure such that when you’re stuck and can’t think of a lyric or word that works, you just stick any old shit in instead? :mad: Ahem…sorry. I had to get that off my chest. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/29 "2005-03-18T07:54:58Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > It’s not like you _had_ to wear the the rugby pants. Rugby pants? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/30 "2005-03-18T08:04:48Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > There was punk, from hardcore (Husker Du) to pop (Blondie, **Duran Duran** ) Erm, Duran Duran? Punk? You have got to be kidding me. With regards to the OP - the 80’s were fecking cool. David Bowie, Talking Heads, The Clash, Blondie, Roxy Music, Prince, early Michael Jackson, Adam Ant, Public Enemy, NWA…hell, even if you just listened to mainstream radio you were spoonfed a whole pile of good tunes. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/31 "2005-03-18T08:10:23Z")
Uh, round these parts, “rugby pants” were fashionable in the early-to-mid '80s. Don’t picture proper rugger kit – these were full cotton pants with an awkward fit – seemed almost like they aspired to be jodhpurs. I don’t know why they were called that – they wouldn’t have been practical at all on the field. They were like regular pants (by which I mean trousers, or slacks :p) only dorkier. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/32 "2005-03-18T08:31:32Z")
Thanks for the explanation. I just about pissed myself at the image of the All Blacks in jodhpurs. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/33 "2005-03-18T11:46:32Z")
> [@Gary Kumquat](#): > > > [@Derleth](#): > > > > There was punk, from hardcore (Husker Du) to pop (Blondie, Duran Duran) > > Erm, Duran Duran? Punk? You have got to be kidding me. And you need to bone up on your reading comprehension. \*\*Derleth \*\*clearly states Duran Duran is **pop** , not punk. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/34 "2005-03-18T11:58:15Z")
There was plenty of good music in the 80s, as others have said. But nostagia-whores are stupid, and they pick stupid stuff to glom on to. It happened a few years ago when 70s nostalgia was big. Did they pick the important music that came out then? No, they picked disco. Stupid fucking dipshits. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/35 "2005-03-18T12:23:24Z")
> [@andros](#): > > …MattMcL hires trained killers, and Gobear _is_ a trained killer. Just FYI.) The man has biceps as big around as my head. I’m not even joking. He’s pretty cut. I happened to have enjoyed 80s music, and not just what was on Top 40 radio. I liked “Take on Me”. I was a 14 year old girl when it came out, and the fact that it’s 20 years later and the song makes me smile, I will add a very pleasant ‘fuck you’ - we’re all allowed to enjoy whatever we like. We walked down the aisle after getting married, to “Good Girls Don’t”. The groom and his attendants were in Chuck Taylors. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/36 "2005-03-18T12:31:49Z")
I was going to reply w/ all my faves but **betenoir** , **andros** and **woodstockbirdybird** pretty much listed all of them. I was 12 in 1980 and entered the decade still a fan of mainstream pop radio but somewhere near the middle of the decade I had to tune out for my own sanity. After brief flirtations with new wave and dance I went completely off the dial with industrial, local underground, punk, hardcore, thrash and jazz (some of John Zorn’s stuff encompassed all of these). Some favourites that haven’t been mentioned yet: _Ministry_, _Foetus_, _Test Dept._, _Metallica_ (these guys were actually _good_ in the 80s). And my favourite 80s band that _never_ gets mentioned in these threads: _ **Killing Joke** _. The best (and most important along with _The Replacements_) band of the 80s that nobody’s ever heard of. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/37 "2005-03-18T12:42:23Z")
Some 80’s music is great (The Stone Roses, The Smiths, James, The Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets (does Joy Division count?) etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/38 "2005-03-18T12:50:39Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > We walked down the aisle after getting married, to “Good Girls Don’t”. The album cut or the radio version? **Hodge** , Foetus was mentioned above. Thanks for adding Killing Joke. As for **new wave** , I think there’s a valid argument for using the term. In fact, I’d say The Cars were instrumental in ushering in the style of music that often goes by that name, tho they rarely get any credit. But of course, the true classic Cars (“The Cars”, “Candy-O”) were 70s records. Imho, 80s efforts like “Shake It Up” and “Heartbeat City” don’t quite measure up. My vote for best 80s record of all time, “The Golden Age of Wireless” by Thomas Dolby. I don’t think any other record is as consistently solid and listenable, and has held up as well, while still being instantly recognizable as an 80s album. ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/39 "2005-03-18T13:31:02Z")
The problem isn’t the music but the radio stations, media enterprises and record companies.- In the 50 and 60´s they promoted the rock and roll revolution, during the 70 they promoted Disco and in 80 Diana Ross and Whitney Houston… I won’t mention neither the nineties nor the 00´s. The fact is that each decade is worst, (culturaly speaking), than previous one. There is still a lot of good music out there, the only problem is that you can never listen to it.- A future Gibbon will title chapter XVIII of “The rise and fall of the western civilazation”: “The advent of MTV and the final fall of western society”, and he will conclude that it was Britney Spears and NOT the Third World War nuclear holocaust which caused the donwfall of our society.- 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093/40 "2005-03-18T14:12:47Z")
> [@pokey](#): > > If you hate stupid bullshit crappy music why are you watching VH1? Exactly. There was all kinds of good music that never got radio play like many others have already stated. If you’re watching VH1, you have nobody to blame but yourself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-80s/295093.md?page=3)