Tag Archives: 1980’s

(The) Star Wars Revisited

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Tom Garrett

This is an expanded version of an article that appeared on A New Voice last week, regarding the latest iteration of George Lucas’ venerable franchise . . . How a person feels about Star Wars is probably dependent largely upon when that person … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Literature, Movies, Reviews | Tagged 1970s, 1980's, Annikin Starkiller, Commentary, Dark Horse Comics, George Lucas, Literature, Movies, Reviews, Star Wars, The Star Wars | 2 Comments

Not Creepy Enough

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Tom Garrett

This 1988 ad for a local optical shop seems misguided at best. The concept is that their low prices allow customers to purchase two pairs of glasses for the same price that their competitors charge for one pair assembled (is that … Continue reading →

Posted in General Culture and News, Pictures | Tagged 1980's, Advertising, Bret Michaels, Cultural Artifacts, Glasses, Humor, Mutants, The 80's | 2 Comments

An Untimely Knight Rider Rant

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Tom Garrett

Can we talk about Knight Rider’s premise for a minute? Anyone who reads this website on a consistent basis knows I have a high tolerance for suspension of disbelief. Talking car with advanced weaponry? No problem. I’m all in. Run … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Television | Tagged 1980's, Commentary, David Hasselhoff, KITT, Knight Rider, Michael Knight, Rants, Television, The 80's | 7 Comments

A Simpler Time (to Pay Players to Hurt Other Players)

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Tom Garrett

Three thoughts came to mind when I heard the shocking news about the New Orleans Saints bounty fallout today: 1. All of the penalties seemed to be some degree of excessive. Sean Payton being suspended for a full year is … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Sports, Videos | Tagged 1980's, 1989, Bounty Bowl, Buddy Ryan, Commentary, Gregg Williams, Jimmy Johnson, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL, Roger Goodell, Sean Payton, Sports, The 80's, Tim Tebow, Videos | Leave a comment

Awkward Moments in Entertainment History: Rock Me Tonite

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Tom Garrett

As our cultural integrity continues to buckle under the weight of exploitative “reality” programming and mindless pseudo-documentaries, it’s difficult to recall that MTV (f/k/a Music Television) was once the arbiter of success in the popular music industry. It isn’t merely … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Music, Videos | Tagged 1980's, Billy Squier, Commentary, MTV, Music, Rock Me Tonite, The 80's, The Stroke, Videos | 3 Comments

Awkward Moments in Entertainment History: The Worst Sitcom Joke of All Time

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Tom Garrett

Sitcom fans born during the last twenty years have no idea how good they’ve had it. The ebb and flow of conventional wisdom changes the tone of the genre every generation or so. The early days of television had fanciful … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Television, Videos | Tagged 1980's, 80's, All in the Family, Cheers, Commentary, I Love Lucy, M*A*S*H, Mr. Belvedere, Newhart, Seinfeld, Sitcoms, Television, Til Death Us Do Part, TV, Videos | 2 Comments

This Strange, Twitterfied World

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Tom Garrett

The profound changes to our culture wrought by the rise of the Internet as a whole are obvious to all. But I’m fascinated by one very surprising and strange way in which Twitter specifically altered the manner in which we … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Music, Sports | Tagged 1980's, Boogie Nights, CM Punk, Dare, General Culture and News, Internet, Music, Sports, Stan Bush, The 80's, The Touch, Transformers, Twitter, WWE | 2 Comments

The Last Toy

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Tom Garrett

I recently helped my mom prepare for a yard sale by going to her house and sifting through my childhood toys so that she could label and group them more accurately. As an only child in a middle-class family, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Television | Tagged 1980's, Bandai, Cartoons, Childhood, General Culture and News, Hasbro, Intellectual Property, Jetfire, Licensing, Macross, Megatron, Nostalgia, Patents, Robotech, Television, Toys, Transformers | 3 Comments

Ghostbusters: A Narrative Lyrical Analysis

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Tom Garrett

In honor of our impending Halloween weekend* and the zombie Moammar Gaddafis and slutty-fill-in-the-blanks who come with it, I thought it only fitting to scrutinize arguably the greatest sort-of-Halloween-themed song of all time. The song I Want a New Drug … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Music | Tagged 1980's, Commentary, Ghostbusters, Huey Lewis and the News, Humor, I Want a New Drug, Lyrical Analysis, Music, Ray Parker | 2 Comments

The ‘Bot Who Saved Video Games

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Tom Garrett

Robot History Month is a time to celebrate the unsung heroes woven into the rich tapestry of this proud community. One such hero is the Robotic Operating Buddy. “ROB” for short. ROB the Robot was born in Japan* in 1985. … Continue reading →