Why I wish I was a teen in the 80's

As i'm sure everyone is aware by my screen name and my previous posts, i'm REALLY into punk rock music and culture. The reasons for this are a topic for another thread. the topic for this one is why i wish i was a teen in the 80's.

Everything seemed far purer in the 80's underground music scene. Punk had not yet gone pop, its roots in rebellion and unity were still strong. Hardcore was not Hardcore-Metal S**T yet. Even rap was a good scene to be into. Rap and Punk come from the same basic ideals, yet now they seem to have nothing in common. but no one knew that back then.

Jocks/drunk frat boys had not infiltrated our scene. Kids could go to a show and not worry about being hurt in the pit. The scene was unified. Gilman St. in California was home to the best punk bands to come out since the ramones and the sex pistols (who were both still around, minus sid vicious), and great bands were popping up not only in SoCal but everywhere! The mainstream was still caught up in the shit of hair metal and synthesized bubblegum pop, so this wealth of talent really belonged to the kids!! It was theirs!! There was a sense of unity that doesn't really seem to be in the scene anymore.

I don't know if anyone else is involved in their local music scene, but its kind of my thing. my passion. and the responses i was looking for with this thread were

A) responses from people who WERE teens in the 80's, who can agree with me or smack me in the face and tell me how i'm WAY OFF (because i may be)

B) other people in the local music scene of their areas to see if the same problems (too much violence mainly, a lack of unity, etc) exist.

any other response is welcome too! thanks for listening to the ramblings of a scenester who doesn't know any better.

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Living in 1980's America would have been alright, but we would not have the technology we have today. No Internet, less computers, fewer CD's.

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I enjoy 80's music, as well, but today we can just buy it in addition to the good 90's stuff. I often fantasize about living in the 80's, but I'm not sure if I would really like to do it.

Some of my favorite memories are from my childhood, the early part of which was spent in the mid-late 80's.

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thing is, we wouldn' t care about no internet, less computers, or fewer cds, cause they wouldn't be around yet. we would think we were on the cutting edge of technology.

 

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Still, as a college student I would rather live now. Today I can just write a report on my computer instead of having to make 15 drafts with a typewriter. Plus I can just use the Internet instead of the library.

It's funny. A whole semester has gone by and I have not had to use the library one time because of the Internet. Sweet!

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It is my observation that most folks accept their "coming of age" time as the time.

For me that was the '60's. For you it is the '80's. Nothing wrong with that. It is the way of the world. Enjoy your time, it will still be precious to you years down the road. Trust me on this...

 

What exactly do you mean by "coming of age?"

 

I refer to the "coming of age" as the age when you reach the awareness that you are an individual that reacts with his society and that it matters. Be it hootenannies, raves, or whatever on the music scene. This is not a set time in ones life that can be arrived at by the ticking of the clock. It is a level of awareness of you the individual.

 

The 80's...

produced a lot of really good kick ass punk bands (DK being by fav

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) and uuuuummmmmmmmmmmm yup... if only that part of the 80's lived on... the rest of the 80's can DIE.

 

i'm only 16 now, i wish my coming of age time was the 80's! lol. unfortunately, its the late 90's. shitty eh?

 

And then there was Death Metal. Good old death metal.

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You are just getting started, reformedtopunk. Give it time. I suspect that opinion might change in a few years...

 

probably true. change is undavoidable. thanks for the words of wisdom.

I USED to be into real heavy Death metal, then i reached the age of reason.

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Did these bands you listened to involve Suffocation worship and lyrics of violence against women?

 

No?

 

I too was a teen in the glorious 80s. I had a Commodore 64(KB) one-point-something MHz computer complete with 300-baud modem. I used email! but not much because the service cost about $6 an hour as I recall, about double my wage. It was a great computer.

But I reminisce... I liked and still like a lot of the 80s music now considered classic. I wasn’t heavily into the music scene. In many ways things have not changed much since then. Of course I didn’t miss anything from the future; I’m glad I was a teen then but I wouldn’t wish that decade on any teen now. You have way more choices for one thing. You can listen to 80s or 90s music! On your computer!

I’m sure if you look around and take some action you will find a music scene that appeals to you. If it doesn’t exist, create it.

 

My first computer was a macintosh plus. wasn't that a piece of crap. but i loved it when i was little. lol. THe choices are a plus, but as far as the punk rock music scene is concerned, i think i'm romantisizing a bit. I have a good scene music-wise, my big complaint that i didn't clearly establish in the post was the people who fill it. Most of them are pseudo-jocks, the proverbial wolf in sheeps clothing. They jump in a mosh pit (which is supposed to be about letting out your aggresssion and love of the music in a friendly way) and just try to kill people. there is this group of local scenesters who try to turn everything into a giant popularity contest, like high school, they beat people up, hurt girls at shows, and go after kids who aren't even in the pit with their flying kicks and raging fists. The worst part is seeing the younger kids, new to the scene, who think that THIS is what its all about. The future of the scene is tainted by these individuals. its no longer about unity, music, a sense of belonging, or an escape from the trendies, it now IS the trendies, and is just another excuse to fight.

sorry for being so long winded. sciforums is pretty much my only outlet for this shit, and even though i doubt anyone here cares about the local maine scene, i still just like to vent. SO thanks again for dealing with my inane ramblings.

 

I was also a teen in the 80's but my musical taste was more inclined towards the British scene - new wave and techno-pop. Back then, it was groups like Depeche Mode, Haircut 100, Jesus Mary Chain, The Damn, OMD etc.

I did not know how to appreciate punk music then and missed out on the Clash, Sex Pistols and other acts. Strangely, it's only now that I begin to start checking out some of their CDs.

 

reformedtopunk - You could write a letter to club owner telling him/her about the situation and suggest better security so he/she doesn’t get sued and lose the club when a serious injury otherwise inevitably occurs. If you don’t get a response, tell the police who may scare the owner into submission. There’s no excuse for people getting beat up in a mosh pit. The owner will take action if you play your cards right. Try to stay anonymous though. If you so choose I’ll help you write the letter if you’d like.

 

the 80's were a cool time I unfortunatlly was not able to full appreciate when I experianced it....