Sunday 21 November 2010

retro kisch nostalgia

As it says on the label folks

It was 25 years ago today ..................

I have a brief confession to make ,I'm a 80's Child,oh yes.
And i love it, how bland was the 90s or the naught's ? some good music but that's it realy
Reason for this self wallowing blog?, I have just watched Back to the Future again at the Cinema and WOW !! What a movie brilliant 
Been looking back on some of the iconic greats from what is so far the last great generation
there was 50s,60s,70s and 80s for real teenage youth culture that's slipped merilly into kitsch retro funk and groove

AIRWOLF
A-TEAM
BATTLESTAR GALATICA
DANGER MOUSE 
DOGTANIAN AND THE 3 MUSKAHOUNDS
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
DOCTOR WHO
GARBAGE PAIL KIDS
SUPERMAN MOVIES
 SPIDER-MAN & HIS AMAZING FRIENDS
 HULK TV AND CARTOON
TRANSFORMERS 
 JAMIE AND HIS MAGIC TORCH 
M.A.S.K 
GI JOE ACTION FORCE
 SOOTY AND SWEEP
STREET HAWK 
ROD AND EMU
KNIGHT RIDER
 SPITTING IMAGE
 SUPERTED
 RED DWARF
 HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE 
THUNDERCATS
 HONG KONG PHOOEY
KNIGHTMARE
 TERRAHAWKS
 BATFINK
 THE TRAP DOOR
 TOMORROW PEOPLE
 ROLAND RAT
ULYSSES 31
RAGY DOLLS
WWF WRESTLEING
WACKERDAYS TIMY MALLET
Adrain Mole  
FRAGLE ROCK



Hows that for a list of iconic TV ?,couldn't list it all need a few blogs to do that alone ,ones highlighted in blue went on to set standards raise the bar and are still absolute classics today some went on to live action films some feature length cartoons some both and much merchandise and money is run off them then and now  "Money off old rope" as they say nostalgia for sure happy innocent halcyon days 

If not spoiled by re hashed remakes or ill advised updates,proof if any were needed there out of ideas and don't make them like they used to


The days of 'your' Cinema being in your town you could walk to it for me the old Palace my Dad went to or as i new it Tatton Cinema Big neo classical building Art Deco Egyptian so probably of the 30s era remember seeing
Ghostbusters Superman 2/ 3, Return of the Jedi, Star Trek 2, Flash Gordon,Back to the Future.and many more there,
The first Saturday kids shows, swap shop /Saturday superstore/ going live
  
Books ,well i wanted a "Famous Five" / "Secret Seven" gang with my friends."Target Doctor Who" books,Annuals and Panini sticker books swaps in school
Garfield was iconic
You ever had more than 10 sweets in a 10p mix-up.? ya know sneaked a extra one in, those bracelets, cola bottles ?
Cubs and the Scouts "Ging Gang Goolie" and camping 
towelling socks ,luminous clothing (This is one i didn't do or pastel shades more neutral and dark ) ,rolled up sleeves of my jacket (usually my Levis one) owned a American baseball jacket (still do,again Levis) 501's and laundry ads  ,white socks to school ,thin side of tie on show MUFC towel for PE, when i had the ball i was Mark Hughes
had my coat as a cape thought i was a superhero ,more gel than was normal on your hair, quiff s were cool
I loved Quatro ,Hollidays it was Orangina ,and Pepsi diet (white cans)
Angel Delight mmmm (now used to make smoothies ), Mash robots ,Saturdays were all about Grandstand and Conveyor belts regularly carried washing machines, deep-fat fryers and a cuddly toy.
Robin of Sherwood on TV and the Hulk was a real person and being both fascinated and freaked out at "Dark Season" that guy who looked like max headroomand, the Nazi's strait out of Indiana Jones and evil PCs (BBC computers remember them well) might go back and have a look at a episode remember having a thing for kate winslet off that ,nicola bryant was another hottie my Shakespears Sister poster Superman movie poster and original Star Wars one and the 4th Dr TARDIS & K9 black white picture on my wardrobe,

Rubik's magic puzzle you know the one with the three rings getting as well the jacks game and top trumps  commodore 64  the first video pirate movies 

I had a chopper that was 'pimped' by my Dad for my 7th birthday BRILLIANT bike so cool and had gears to ,black and blue ,i progressed to a BMX of course ice white black pads
My first HI FI ,separates a radio amp( In the kitchen now with the speakers i had) and my Akai record Deck,my first single was 7" radio ga ga from WH Smith first album queens the miracle and i do remember the Hits 7 double album and plenty of Cassettes including my walkman with strap  (Looked like something off Star Trek)

No remote controls, in fact our TV had a big dial you tuned the stations in to watch them had a wood frame to it to
In a word "Colourful" after the brown and beige 70s the 80s exploded,clothes TV everything was in vivid technicolor my bedroom was white and red including the furniture , grey carpet with pin stripe wallpaper (i remember the Superman and Flash Gordon wallpapers i had) and Playboy bedding with again more stripes my WWF bedding Superman ones and the funky 80s check number ,
I had a glass shelf to that eventually was home to various miscellaneous items, in particular the Dapol TARDIS and some pots and candles i made at school my lava  and fibre optic lamp and the cradle that had balls that knocked each other swinging and clicked ( my mate had the pin box used to love putting our faces in it )
technology got a foothold in our lives and we were off into the digital age i had a Casio watch, still do, there brilliant

Cartoons TV clothes everything shone and if like me any of this has made you smile or go i had or i did that then welcome to the 80s generation wasn't it brilliant




Sunday 14 November 2010

we will remember them

Positive words and gos for all those we loved that are now gone
dead or otherwise

Well its that time memorial day and well quick blog ,my family has been involved in the armed forces one way or another
Long story but due to generational gaps my paternal Grandfathers brother Henry (Cheshire regiment )served and died in WW1 sadly one month before the end and having read some of his(9) battalion entry's he saw some fierce fighting in the most brutal and bloody of wars
 My Grand farther on my maternal side was in the Royal Fleet Air arm in WW2  and served world wide from middle east to Egypt to Sri Lanka to Australia
Another grandfather was in WW2 he was in the Desert rats Africa campaign and D day
I minor league was in Army cadets and TA Cheshires / Royal Regiment of Fusiliers,Both Nans served in civilian core munitions factory's etc

I have lost good friends as well as family recent years so this is my day to just stop think and remember them and there influence upon me my life and what they meant to me
and to say Thanks