Reading an article about Seinfeld recently, it was pretty clear that he was one of the people I will always think of when I am asked about life in the 1990s.
He’s the TV guy of the decade. Who else captures each decade? Not necessarily a popularity contest, but who captures the decade best (sometimes the same thing):
Here are some categories:
Politician:
Athlete:
TV Star:
Movie Star/Director:
Music Star or Group:
Writer:
Villain:
Newsmaker:
15 Minute of Famer:
My picks:
1970s
Politician: Carter ( this category will also be the US president for me. Carter and malaise go hand in hand)
Athlete: Muhammad Ali. Though he was in decline, he was still the face of the decade.
TV Star: Caroll O’Connor. 70s TV=Archie Bunker/
Movie Star/Director: George Lucas. Because I was born midway through the 70s, most of what I remember about the decade revolves around Star Wars.
Music Star or Group: The BeeGees. Do I need to explain this one?
Writer: Hunter S. Thompson (Peter Benchley was considered)
Villain: Ayatollah Khomeini- Remember when radical islamists were scary?
Newsmaker: Woodward and Bernstein (could be writers of the decade, but it was about more than literary prowess).
15 Minute of Famer: Too young to remember this one.
Fad: Disco
1980s
Politician: Ronald Reagan (tied with Gorbachev)
Athlete: Mary Lou Retton- 1984 Olympics were a big part of the decade.
TV Star: Bill Cosby. There is no other answer than “Bill Cosby.”
Movie Star/Director: Sylvester Stallone. I’ve heard the 80s called the Rambo decade. Spielberg could be placed here as well.
Music Star or Group: Michael Jackson (Madonna is a possibility)
Writer: Tom Wolfe. Bonfire of the Vanities was the ultimate 80s novel.
Villain: Ivan Drago- fictional, yes. But epitomized what Americans feared most.
Newsmaker: Mother Teresa.
15 Minute of Famer: Baby Jessica. The dawn of sensational “journalism.”
Fad: Parachute Pants and leg warmers.
1990s:
Politician: Bill Clinton (plus Hillary)
Athlete: Michael Jordan (is there anyone else?)
TV Star: Jerry Seinfeld (this did give me the idea…)
Movie Star/Director: Tom Hanks (Au-nuld could fit in here as well)
Music Star or Group: Nirvana.
Writer: John Grisham
Villain: OJ Simpson (heh)
Newsmaker: Bill Gates (made nerds cool(ish))
15 Minute of Famer: Kato Kaelin. All-time 15 minute guy.
Fad: Grunge fashion.
2000s:
Politician: Bush (for better or worse)
Athlete: Tiger Woods (with some consideration to Lance Armstrong)
TV Star: James Gandolfini (I had a tough time with this one).
Movie Star/Director: Shrek. Not Mike Myers, but Shrek. The biggest movies these days are steeped in CGI. Why not think of Shrek?
Music Star or Group: Britney Spears. Symbolizes a worthless era in music.
Writer: JK Rowling. Harry Potter mania swept the decade.
Villain: Osama Bin Laden (some will put Bush or Cheney…I just know it!)
Newsmaker: Brinn and Page. The Google guys.
15 Minute of Famer: Star Wars Kid- the 15 minute famers of this decade were all on YouTube.
Fad: Tattoos.
Without reading anyone else’s answers, here are mine:
70s:
Politician: Spiro Agnew
Athlete: Mark Spitz
TV Star: Alan Alda
Movie Star/Director: Robert Redford
Music Star or Group: KISS
Villain: Nixon
Newsmaker: Howard Cosell
80s:
Politician: Reagan
Athlete: Doug Flutie
TV Star: Ted Danson
Movie Star/Director: Steven Speilberg
Music Star or Group: The Police
Villain: Reagan
15 Minute of Famer: Baby Jessica
90s:
Politician: Clinton
TV Star: Seinfeld
Movie Star/Director: The Coen Brothers
Villain: Bob Dole
00s:
Politician: Bush/Cheney
TV Star: Simon Cowell
Movie Star/Director: Julia Roberts
Music Star or Group: Britney Spears
Villain: Cheney
’60s
Politician: JFK
Athlete: Ali
TV Star: Ed Sullivan
Movie star: Liz Taylor
Director: Kubrick
Music Star or Group: Beatles
Writer: Updike
Villain: Goldwater
** '70s**
Politician: Nixon
Athlete: Pete Rose
TV Star: Mary Tyler Moore
Movie Star: Warren Beatty
Director: Lucas
Music Star or Group: BeeGees (“Saturday Night Fever”)
Writer: Vonnegut
Villain: Nixon
Newsmaker: Nixon
15 Minute of Famer: Watergate burglars
’80s
Politician: Reagan
Athlete: ???
TV Star: Tom Selleck
Movie Star: Harrison Ford
Director: Spielberg
Music Star or Group: Duran Duran
Villain: “the Evil Empire”
15 Minute of Famer: Clara Peller (“Show me the beef!”)
’90s
Politician: Clinton
Athlete: Michael Jordan
TV Star: Seinfeld
Movie Star: Michael Douglas
Director: Oliver Stone
Music Star or Group: Prince
Newsmaker: Kenneth Starr
’00s
Politician: Bush/Cheney
Athlete: Tiger Woods
TV Star: Oprah
Movie Star: Brad Pitt
Director: Christopher Nolan
Music Star or Group: Britney Spears
Villain: Karl Rove
15 Minute of Famer: Anna Nicole Smith
1970s
Politician: Nixon.
Athlete: Secretariat.
TV Star: Carroll O’Connor
Movie Star/Director: Burt Reynolds
Music Star or Group: Starland Vocal Band / Debby Boone
Writer: Alex Haley
Villain: The Ford Pinto
Newsmaker: Iran Hostages
15 Minute of Famer: Patty Hearst
Fad: Pet Rocks
1980s
Politician: Ronald Reagan
Athlete: Carl Lewis
TV Star: Bill Cosby
Movie Star/Director:
Music Star or Group: Michael Jackson
Writer: Stephen King
Villain: Communism
Newsmaker: John Hinckley/Mark Chapman
15 Minute of Famer:
Fad: Members Only jackets
1990s:
Politician: Bill Clinton
Athlete: Michael Jordan
TV Star: Cast of “Friends”/Jerry Springer
Movie Star/Director: Tom Hanks
Music Star or Group: Hammer / Vanilla Ice
Writer: John Grisham
Villain: Newt Gingrich
Newsmaker: Monica Lewinsky
15 Minute of Famer: Kato Kaelin
Fad: AOL
2000s:
Politician: Bush/Karl Rove
Athlete: Peyton Manning
TV Star: Reality TV
Movie Star/Director: YouTube Stars
Music Star or Group: Mass produced “alternative” music
Writer: JK Rowling
Villain: Osama bin Laden
Newsmaker: 9/11
15 Minute of Famer: Paris Hilton
Fad: iPods
Politician: Reagan
Athlete: Mary Lou Retton, Greg Louganis, Pete Rose
TV Star: Cosby, Larry Hagman
Movie Star/Director: John Hughes
Music Star or Group: Michael Jackson, various British pop bands
Writer: Stephen King
Fictional Villain: Gordon Gekko
Real Villian: Claus von Bulow
Newsmaker: HIV/AIDS, cocaine, corporate tools
15 Minute of Famer: Surrogate Baby M,
Trial of the Decade: Jean Harris and the Scarsdale Diet Doctor
Wedding of the Decade: Charles and Diana
ETA: after peeking, :smack: Madonna, of course. And the fads are too many to list! But probably Cabbage Patch Dolls.
My slightly more global, and perhaps Canadian slant on things, from the top of my mind.
70s:
Politician: Pierre Trudeau
Athlete: Muhammad Ali
TV Star: Rowen and Martin
Movie Star/Director: Robert Redford
Music Star or Group: KISS
Villain: Idi Amin
Newsmaker: Oil prices
15 Minute of Famer: Ray J. Johnson
Fad: Disco
80s:
Politician: Reagan
Athlete: Wayne Gretzky
TV Star: Michael J Fox
Movie Star/Director: Harrison Ford
Music Star or Group: U2
Villain: Mark David Chapman
Newsmaker: Mark David Chapman
15 Minute of Famer: Mark David Chapman
Fad: Roller Skating
90s:
Politician: Clinton
Athlete: Tiger Woods
TV Star: Seinfeld
Movie Star/Director: Tarantino
Music Star or Group: Nirvana
Villain: Timothy McVeigh
Newsmaker: Princess Diana
15 Minute of Famer: ?
Fad: Line dancing
00s:
Politician: Bush
Athlete: Michael Schumacher
TV Star: ?
Movie Star/Director: Leonardo DiCaprio
Music Star or Group: ?
Villain: Osama bin Laden
Newsmaker: Osama bin Laden
15 Minute of Famer: Scott Peterson
Fad: ?
1970s
Politician: Richard Nixon
Athlete: Bruce Jenner
TV Star: Brady Bunch
Movie Star/Director: Burt Reynolds
Music Star or Group: Village People
Writer:
Villain: Darth Vader
Newsmaker: Iran Hostage Crisis
15 Minute of Famer: Shaun Cassidy
Fad: Bell bottom jeans
1980s
Politician: Ronald Reagan (and the Thatcher / Gorbachev triangle)
Athlete: Joe Montana
TV Star: Michael J. Fox
Movie Star/Director: Harrison Ford
Music Star or Group: Duran Duran
Writer:
Villain: Commies / Ruskies / Evil Empire
Newsmaker: Challenger Disaster
15 Minute of Famer: William Perry / Tiffany
Fad: Pac Man / Video Game Arcades
1990s
Politician: Bill & Hillary Clinton
Athlete: Michael Jordan
TV Star: Jerry Seinfeld
Movie Star/Director: Mike Meyers
Music Star or Group: Pearl Jam
Writer:
Villain: OJ Simpson / Saddam Hussein
Newsmaker: Rush Limbaugh / Howard Stern
15 Minute of Famer: Lorraine Bobbit / Nancy Kerrigan
Fad: Slackers (Beavis & Butthead, Clerks, etc.)
2000s
Politician: George Bush
Athlete: Barry Bonds
TV Star: John Stewart
Movie Star/Director: George Clooney
Music Star or Group: Britney Spears
Writer:
Villain: Osama bin Laden
Newsmaker: War on Terror
15 Minute of Famer: Howard Dean
Fad: Youtube
The problem with the Simpsons, Madonna, and any other long successful show/celeb is that they have been successful so long, they transcend any one decade.
80s:
Politician: Reagan
Athlete: Mary Lou Retton
TV Star: Michael J. Fox
Movie Star/Director: Stephen Spielberg
Music Star or Group: Michael Jackson
Villain: Qaddafi
Newsmaker: Challenger Disaster
15 Minute of Famer: Baby Jessica
90s:
Politician: Bill Clinton
Athlete: Michael Jordan
TV Star: Jerry Seinfeld
Movie Star/Director: Quentin Tarantino
Music Star or Group: Nirvana
Villain: Saddam Hussein
Newsmaker: Monica Lewinsky & O.J. Simpson
15 Minute of Famer: Amy Fisher
Politician, Newt Gingrich
Badguy, Timothy McVeigh
Athlete, Michael Jordan
Movie Star, Tom Hanks
TV Star(s), the cast of Friends
Music Group, Backstreet Boys
Newsmaker, Somalia
15 Minutes of infamy, Monica Lewinsky
Politician: Dwight Eisenhower
Athlete: Mickey Mantle
TV Star: Ed Sullivan
Movie Star/Director: Marlon Brando/William Wyler
Music Star or Group: Elvis
Writer: Mickey Spillane
Villain: Nikita Kruschev
Newsmaker: Charles Starkweather
15 Minute of Famer: We didn’t have that in the 50’s.
Politician: Margaret Thatcher
Bad guy: Brezhnev.
TV: Paul Eddington
Movies: Spielberg
Music: James Galway
Newsmaker: Margaret Thatcher
15 minutes of fame: John Nott.
