Читать книгу Don't Dream It's Over: The 80s Music Party Game - Martin Joseph Quinn - Страница 4

‘80s music sucks. Synths are soulless, the lyrics were as hollow as Stacey Q’s skull, and MTV promoted musicians that were more pretty than talented, right? Why fill a book with this crap?

Our favorite decade didn’t have the Beatles or Janis or Zeppelin, but somehow the years between the death of disco and the onslaught of grunge makes us smile on a bad day. Why is that?

Freaks Come Out At Night. The outsiders that got wedgies in the locker room and spitballs in their hair avenged themselves by becoming pop stars. Cyndi Lauper wore skirts made of newspaper and hit the Top 10 with a song about masturbation. Annie Lennox shaved her head and cavorted with cows. Boy George became the world’s most popular transvestite, Prince sang falsetto AND played a vicious guitar, and the most popular musician of the decade, Michael Jackson, rest his soul, in a sense was the freakiest of them all. Musicians and their young fans rebelled by showing their true colors. It was liberating and fun.

Video Killed the Radio Star. Part of the reason the freaks took over was because music was now being televised, and the medium demanded that its stars be more eye-catching than Barry Manilow and the Doobie Brothers. Some of the best videos were excellent by accident. Toni Basil and a bunch of big-boned cheerleaders created arresting, red-white-and-blue beauty against a stark white backdrop. And some clips were corny but so entertaining that we could watch it 100 times in a month. When Pat Benatar switched from icy, mean rock chick to slutty, shimmying rock chick in the “Love Is a Battlefield” video, we were mesmerized.

Fight the Power. The ‘80s introduced a new art form to the masses. Rap was the new folk music and it was easier to dance to than Joan Baez. KRS-One, Public Enemy, and Run-D.M.C. recorded complex, sonically explosive albums. Rap’s in-your-face lyrics, funk beats, and smooth flows influence the entire musical spectrum from Anthrax to Ziggy Marley and new jack to Northern Soul. By the end of the decade, when Paula Abdul danced with a rapping cat, the commercial aspect of hip hop started to cloud the creative. But in the ‘80s, rap was still groundbreaking and explosive.

Walking on Sunshine. The B–52’s ,Wham!, and Kool and the Gang were ‘80s Prozac. Songs like “We Got the Beat,” “Rio,” “Girl U Want,” and “Push It” are catchy, bouncy, pure fun. When you heard them sitting in traffic, moping in your room, or on MTV, the mostly nonsensical lyrics put a smile on your face. Even supposed sad sack bands like the Smiths could induce laughter with wit and style. ‘80s music will retain ultimate popularity because it has a unique ability to bring joy to people’s lives.

Don’t Dream It’s Over: The ‘80s Music Party Game attempts to conjure up this joyous atmosphere by digging deep into the decade and pulling out the familiar and forgotten. Here’s hoping our game/book unearths some great memories and contributes to some really great parties, road trips, and skips down memory lane.