Where's the Love for the 80's?
Dale Murphy. The Breakfast Club. Hall and Oates. The Trans Am. Spiked hair. Blade Runner. Dave Parker. Run DMC. The Merkur XR4Ti. What do they all have in common? All born of the 80's, a decade that doesn't get near the respect it deserves.
If the 90's was a decade of innovation, and the 70's was a decade of turbulence, how would you define the 80's? A hangover?
Let's look at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Oh sure, George Brett, Nolan Ryan and Paul Molitor are in. They were shoo-ins. But what about players that were the mark of their decade, a pitcher like Jack Morris or a power hitter like Dave Parker? Don't even get me started on Jim Rice. (He ought to make it next year, but dear Lord!)
What about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Madonna, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Grandmaster Flash, U2 and the Police are obvious. Is there no room for Hall and Oates? C'mon! "Rich Girl"? "Man Eater"? Who wasn't humming those songs? And Aerosmith, I hope you send royalty checks to Run DMC, because without their cover of "Walk This Way," critics would mention you in the same sentence as the New York Dolls (which would be appropriate for additional debates in the ongoing Boston vs. New York rivalry). And, has any band that got its start in the 80's been bigger than the Beastie Boys? "No Sleep 'Till..." And, say what you will about Duran Duran, but didn't that band define New Wave the same way the Sex Pistols defined Punk Rock?
And what about cars? If we were to start a Cars Hall of Fame (for automobiles, not the band), which cars from the 80's would make it? Here are my first-ballot Hall of Famers:
- Delorean: the Nirvana of cars. Better to burn out than to fade away.
- Trans Am: If you compare the mid-80's Trans Am to the late 70's Trans Am the Smokey and the Bandit version wins every time. But if you compare the mid-80's Trans Am with other American muscle cars of its era (Mustang—yuck, Camaro—eh) it definitely gets my vote.
- Porsche 944: 80's Pop Quiz. What car did Jake Ryan drive in "Sixteen Candles?" That's right, and don't tell me you don't know who Jake Ryan is. Some would argue that the 911 better defined the Yuppie generation, but the distinctiveness of the 944 screams 1980's.
- Jeep Cherokee: It was the first mainstream SUV, and spawned a legion of copycats. If not for the Cherokee, 50% of the U.S. population would be driving wagons, or worse—minivans (also introduced in the mid 80's thank you very much).
You can certainly make an argument for other cars: BMW 3 Series, and the emergence of the Murder's Row of sedans—Taurus, Camry, Accord. The Ferrari Testarossa (I'll get out my white suit and aqua blue tank top right now) would certainly be worth mentioning.
But you can't deny that the four cars above had an indelible impact on an industry and a decade.
Hey, the 80's may not have been the most impactful decade. It wasn't as tumultuous as the 70's. It wasn't as innovative as the 90's. But as you go to put on that new pair of Vans you just bought, stop and give the 80's the respect it so rightfully deserves.
