The 80s

[9-10ths_Penguin]

What's your favorite thing about the 1980s?

These are the things i like.
... Mullets, Big Hair, Flat-tops.
... Earrings worn by men in their left ear.
... Lace Fingerless Gloves for women.
... Bright vivid colored clothings.
... Synth and Rock music.
... Oh, and the porn too was great.

For me: childhood.

There were some gems for music, but the music generally sucked. Alternative music was called "alternative" for a reason: the radios generally didn't play it. Mostly, we got stuff like Christopher Cross, the Pointer Sisters and Whitesnake.

There's one thing that I associate with the 80s more than anything else: the nasty cigarette smell in every public place. Not the smell of smoke itself, but that smell that drywall, upholstery and paper give off after absorbing cigarette smoke for a few decades. I don't smell that smell very often any more, but when I do, I'm instantly transported back to the 80s.

 

[Sand Dancer]

What's your favorite thing about the 1980s?

Clothes, music and tv.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Probably my worst decade, given that I was on medication (anti-anxiety) for much of the time and that didn't really help my issues - which I kept from any friends - but I did most of my alpine climbing then so some positives.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Soundwave. This was one of the first Transformer toys. It transformed into a boom box, and its tapes were little animal shaped robots. In 1983 this was the ultimate toy. Ultimate! Unfortunately I didn't own one; but I got to hold one.

 

[F1fan]

The music. Club life. The clothing design is laughable now, but it was like nothing before or since.

 

[The Crimson Universe]

One of my favorite genres of music currently is Synthwave (especially Darksynth like Perturbator and Mega Drive). The 80s had a significant impact on its style and sound.

Me too. :=) Dynatron, Dance with the Dead, Perturbator, Kalax, Hello Meteor, Absinth3, Sellorekt/LA Dreams are some of my favorites.
Its good to meet a Synthwave fan here on RF.

 

[The Crimson Universe]

Probably my worst decade, given that I was on medication (anti-anxiety) for much of the time and that didn't really help my issues - which I kept from any friends - but I did most of my alpine climbing then so some positives.

I feel you bro. Anxiety is a pain in the ***. I've been taking anti-anxiety pills for a year now. But every now and then it manages to creep up on me.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I feel you bro. Anxiety is a pain in the ***. I've been taking anti-anxiety pills for a year now. But every now and then it manages to creep up on me.

I think I was on Oxazepam or something similar, and for about seven or eight years. I gradually weaned myself off them by slowly reducing the dosage. I shouldn't have been on them for so long and my doctor didn't seem to bother, just giving me further prescriptions. I believe I did have a brain seizure (in bed) after I tried too quickly the first time - like having an electric shock to the head. My doctor poo-pooed the idea when I told him about it much later but I found out that this could be a symptom of getting off them too fast.

 

[Shadow11]

Definitely music - sitting in a friends basement listen to the newest rock bands and going to concerts. Everyone tried to out do each other with their stereo systems and all music came from records on a record player. No sound like it.
Best concerts I saw and I saw many were AC/DC with Bon , Van Halen's first concert tour , Alice Cooper , George Thorogood , Ted Nugent wango tango tour he came with the Scorpions and Eric Clapton, 2 home town bands called Harlequin and Streetheart , Def Leopard and of course KISS to name just some that i saw. Oh yes Queen also.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

As a Gen Xer, I love this thread. It's nice to feel nostalgic now and then. I was a teenager during the 80s, and I was really into music, television shows, and movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. In fact, the only modern group I liked at that time was New Kids on the Block. I was head over heels in love with Jordan. Other than NKOTB, I preferred the Beatles, the Monkees, CCR, and the Bee Gees. I absolutely loved oldies, and I still prefer oldies to all other genres of music. And I was really into 'flower power,' as far as the kind of clothing I liked to wear and the music I listened to. I was a bit odd in that respect because other teenagers I knew weren't into this kind of stuff as I was. They didn't listen to oldies music or watch shows from the 60s on Nick At Nite. Honestly though, I had a pretty rough childhood, so I would listen to the Beatles' music, and other oldies, because listening to this music made me feel better.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Ahhh....gotya.
I was thinking you meant Grand Theft Auto, but that was a nineties game. But yeah...Vice City was all about that 80s setting.

 

[Wu Wei]

80s huh..... I was a biker, a drinker, and auto mechanic..and an occasional college student then.... nuff said

 

[The Crimson Universe]

I think I was on Oxazepam or something similar, and for about seven or eight years. I gradually weaned myself off them by slowly reducing the dosage. I shouldn't have been on them for so long and my doctor didn't seem to bother, just giving me further prescriptions. I believe I did have a brain seizure (in bed) after I tried too quickly the first time - like having an electric shock to the head. My doctor poo-pooed the idea when I told him about it much later but I found out that this could be a symptom of getting off them too fast.

Omg. Was it too bad? The brain seizure? How long did it last? ... I too stopped my my anti-anxiety medications abruptly. Not taking them for the last three weeks or so.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Omg. Was it too bad? The brain seizure? How long did it last? ... I too stopped my my anti-anxiety medications abruptly. Not taking them for the last three weeks or so.

It was quite sudden and just like I had had mains electricity applied to my head for a few seconds but it then went away and no after effects. Nothing further happened. I probably realised that it was likely to be a withdrawal symptom and I never went to the doctor about it at the time - silly me. Long before the internet of course. I couldn't think of anything else that might have caused it.

I was quite fit and healthy otherwise and have never suffered anything like this before. It might have been related to how long I had been taking the medication more than anything else ( 7 or 8 years), and I can't recall how quickly I tried to stop taking such. I definitely slowed down the process of quitting after that and it worked out OK. I didn't have the doctor monitor this probably because of my other issues - such as avoidance issues.

As to the reasons why I needed them, well it seems I had some kind of crisis, and probably should have had some kind of counselling or other treatment but that never happened. Overall though, they (the anti-anxiety meds) didn't help me much and just got me addicted to them. Like many probably, I'm not a fan of medication particularly when there might be other options.

But please don't take anything I say as being anything other than my own personal experiences, and I hope things work out for you.

 

[crossfire]

Long coats.