Wait. Should
it be “How Good Are the 80s?” Or is it okay for past tense? I mean, it is literally the past we’re talking about here. But we’re talking about it in the present and
the context therein soooooooooooo…
Ah, forget it.
I’m done thinking about it already.
So anyway.
I’m pretty sure that if you’ve got a working set of eyes and ears, you
know that Ghostbusters has made it
back into theaters. Again. And as preferable (if not easy) it would be
for everyone to just let it come and go, it’s been mired in controversy for
months on end thanks to the less-than-ideal trailer and the boat-rocking by
some Sony executives -- itself helped by the clash of opinions in nerd
culture. Now that people have actually
gotten to see it, results have been “mixed”, as far as I can tell. It had a good score on Rotten Tomatoes, which
implies that a fair number of critics gave it their blessing. On the other hand, plenty of internet/YouTube
personalities have effectively loaded the new movie with bullets. We’ll see what happens when
the dust clears, especially
in terms of money-making power (which is probably why Ghostbusters has been trotted out again in the first place).
But I’m not here to talk about Ghostbusters, because everyone else
already has. I have a more important
question in mind. Any guesses as to what
it is, person who read the title of the post?
It’s no secret that the media bigwigs are more
than willing to mine the past for attempts at success. Sometimes it seems like no matter where you
look, you’re bound to find remakes, reboots, reimaginings, and the like -- and
sequels tack on a whole new wave of unoriginality. It’s not exactly a situation worth envying,
considering that it’s way too easy for productions to go off the rails like a
greased-up locomotive with rocket boosters.
But we’ll probably keep getting re-entries for a while yet; if nothing
else (and that’s a generous spin), they garner attention. Any publicity is good publicity, as they say.
Still, there’s something that’s been on my mind
lately. The original Ghostbusters came out in 1984, meaning
that (sequel aside) we’re getting a new entry more than 30 years later. That’s a hell of a gap, even if you use the
argument of “it’s been dormant for ages”.
Still, it’s not the only one. Transformers is also in its 30s, but
that didn’t stop Michael Bay and crew from pumping it with gas back in
2007. RoboCop and Jem and the
Holograms have come and gone. The
original Indiana Jones came back to snag a crystal skull, but that’s basically
a mulligan since there’s another installment on the way. That’s by no means a complete list, but you
get the idea. Brand recognition, ho!
It’s easy to pin all of the re-entries on
nostalgia fever. After all, I’ve heard
that there’s a cyclical element to entertainment -- i.e. those in charge of
deciding what we see in the future have no problems looking to the past, especially
20 years ago, for “inspiration”. But
anyone with a basic understanding of math knows that we’re a ways away from the
80s. I guess the next step is to start
mining the 90s for content (see: the new Power
Rangers movie), but these days I can’t help but wonder about the mindset
behind these re-entries.
Maybe I’m overthinking things, or being too
naïve. Maybe it’s all just a matter of
bringing back stuff from the past that people liked, and hoping it’ll translate
to sales. And yeah, I guess that’s a
major factor. Still, I’m curious. Is it really
just about doing a bit of necromancy on some old properties and hoping for
the best? The optimist in me is starting
to have doubts. Could it be that there
was some secret to the 80s -- something truly magical about them -- that led to
some of the highest-quality content we’ve ever seen? Are the revivals simply a way to relive the
good old days, or is there a legit reason to bring them to the present?
If you’re reading this, you probably already have
a clear answer. I certainly don’t. I was barely a concept in that decade, and
didn’t become fully cognizant until 2011.
Plus, it’s not like there’s any easily-accessed
tool for finding all the information I could possibly want. So my experience with the 80s is horrifyingly
limited. Most of what I have to go on is
hearsay and passing jokes/comments. Big
hair! Shoulder pads! Bright colors! Synth sounds!
And so on. Really, my impression
of it is that it was a silly decade full of rational people doing stuff that
would become cringe-worthy the second the clock struck 12 and rung in January
1st, 1990.
Thinking about the 80s brings up all sorts of
questions about the decade. I prefer to
look at art based on its merit and particulars, but I know that sometimes said art
and its context are born from the circumstances of the times. A cursory look at
TV Tropes is quick to note that America was still in the Cold War, and the
world was starting to get into computers (and gaming!). The people of the era also had to deal with
AIDS, its relationship with LGBT individuals, huge crime rates, and literally all of the drugs. I know the phrase “the good old days” gets
tossed around a lot -- I just used it a little while ago -- but as I’ve said
before, they only become “the good old days” in hindsight. Every era has its issues, and even the
rosiest of rose-tinted glasses can’t mask them.
Maybe that’s why some people cling to the art of
the time. Granted some of those people
were probably too young to know about the world’s problems, but still. In a lot of ways, art is a respite -- a
chance at some soothing escapism -- that protects us from the harshness of
reality. That’s true of any era, past,
present, or future. Now, I’m not saying
that we needed stuff like Transformers or
Thundercats to ease fears of the big
bad world, especially since it’d be all too easy to scoff at certain
productions -- like Transformers being
derided as a toy commercial, for example.
But I think it’s a disservice to think of anything and everything from
that era as A) just a merchandise shill, B) a chance to make money off
unsuspecting masses, and/or C) products whose only worth would be nostalgia
decades down the line.
Confession time: even though this post started out
by talking about the new Ghostbusters
-- yet again continuing the trend of products that have the same name as the
original for hyper-confusion -- there’s an ulterior motive in mind. A secret impetus. As it so happens, I’ve been listening to the
radio more; I’m bummed by the fact that, near as I can tell, there’s no
dedicated metal station. (Well, maybe on
one of those XM Radio stations, but I’m a filthy plebeian.) In exchange, I went for the next best thing:
a station that plays no shortage of tracks from the 80s, with hour-long
segments dubbed “I Love the 80s”. And
based on what I’ve heard, I kind of love them too.
Okay, I’ll be fair. Unless it’s Aerosmith or Journey, I couldn’t
tell you the name of the song, the name of the band, the album, the release
date, or even a fair number of the lyrics.
But I’ve been enjoying the crap out of the songs that pop up, to the
point where I’m legitimately eager to pop over to YouTube and try to hear them
again -- and maybe think of a few of them as the theme songs of my
characters/stories. “Wild Boys”, “Living on a Prayer”,
and “Dreams” are some
personal favorites, standing shoulder to shoulder with a giant like “The Final Countdown”. I wouldn’t fault anyone for saying that those
songs -- and more of them, I bet -- are cheesier than a block of cheddar
stacked as high as the Empire State Building, but for me that’s part of the
appeal. The music is cheesy, but I can
feel the passion. The energy. And in turn, I feel the heat rise inside my
heart.
Maybe that’s the key to art from the 80s. Back then, its creators didn’t have to depend
so heavily upon nostalgia-baiting. I’m
not saying that it didn’t happen, but in a modern-day context where it seems
like execs are just pulling names out of a hat, it seems like the past had an
advantage. Rather than rely on brands
and name recognition, brave men and women had to make their own brands. As they should. And they did.
Were there decade-specific gimmicks being used? No doubt.
But for an outsider looking in, it doesn’t take much to see the passion,
creativity, and ingenuity being used to craft the best works possible. It’s no wonder people try to play to that
nowadays.
Good art is made with passion, and can help bring
out the passion in others. Sure, there
are probably tons of people out there who still have their Transformers on-hand
at this very moment. (Not that I’m
judging them, since I’m the same way with some Gundams.) But think about it: even if they have those
toys because of some glorified commercials, would they have had their parents
buy them if not for the delight offered by the TV show or movie? On a different axis, would “Spielberg” have
become such a hallowed name if not for the sheer power of his movies? Would Guns N’ Roses have received the highest honor of being referenced
throughout Mega Man X5 if not for
some rockin’ tunes?
I can’t spew any absolute truths, but based on
what I’ve experienced with the radio, I have a theory. A hypothesis of sorts; maybe the appeal of
the 80s (and probably the 90s in a little bit) isn’t some perceived purity of
the good old days, or a bile-spewing reaction to the productions of the
present. Maybe it’s just about accepting
and embracing the passion of yesteryear.
We’re talking about a time where men grew out their hair and screamed
like banshees, while armadas of children fell in love with a bunch of
pizza-munching warrior reptiles. But
guess what? Despite the weirdness, and
despite the snark-worthy nature, those pieces of art worked. The talent helped, but so did the passion
behind them. The courage to put
something out there, no matter how easily-derided it could be, helped them
build a legacy that’s endured for decades.
I know it’s easy to laugh about them, but
considering just how much stuff has been revived, it seems pretty obvious who’s
getting the last laugh, doesn’t it?
Like I said, though, that’s my theory. Probably not a very good one, if I had to
guess. So that’s where you guys come in:
how good were the 80s, really? An era of boundless nobility, or a chance to
shake your head and go “What the hell were they thinking?” Were the products of the era truly amazing,
or simply acceptable in hindsight? Any reason
why we see so much nostalgia-baiting these days? Tell all, because…uh…hold on, let me find
some fitting lyrics.
Oh yes, here we go. These will do nicely!
Buddy you're
a young man hard man
Shouting in
the street gonna take on the world some day
You got
blood on yo' face
You big
disgrace
Wavin' your
banner all over the place
Yeah! Wait,
I think I got that wrong somehow. Well,
I’m sure it’s fine.
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