Eighties Blog – 1980s Retro Movies Fashion Music

The BBC car lovers tv series began in 1977 as a somewhat conventional and short 30 minute motoring magazine program that evolved over time to incorporate it’s present funny and off beat longer format. Being a big fan I was happy to find this mid 80s Top Gear video online. Although there’s no Stig and it is sadly lacking in high speed drifting and rare supercars there are some cool parts and it gives a taste of the European 1980s automotive scene. Check out their high tech computer graphic titles!

In this first episode of 1986 presenter Chris Goffey cruises in to the mid 80s with style in a sweet BMW 7-series while Sue Baker takes an exciting look at the second-hand tire market. William Woollard gives a cold war examination of cheap but cute Eastern-European Cars: the Skoda 105 S, the FSO 1500, the Yugo 45A and the Lada Riva 1300SL and sees if you could do better buying a second-hand West-European car. The Best part is when Chris Goffey asks the popular 80s reggae band UB40 why they sponsor rally-driver James Prochowski and interviews the driver.

The heart warming story of when swell folks go punk and how their family learns a valuable lesson in understanding and bla bla bla fake but funny! Look for familiar seventies and eighties stars Jay Underwood (Uncle Buck,Fantastic Four), Bernie Kopell (The Love Boat) and James Noble (Benson) in this corny After School Special. Some of the 80s values expressed here include the value of conformity, selling out for cash and big hair.

(Sorry, YouTube deleted the video)

Don’t worry, no one was falling for that family friendly slop except naive parents – real punk rock thrived in the 80s and there was no love for the phony suburban posers that became punk overnight in appearance but not attitude. Here are some punks that weren’t faking it – The Dead Kennedys with their hit Holiday in Cambodia performed live!

Music Videos were a big part of 80s culture with the birth of MTV and music video TV shows on local stations. The video format also provided new opportunities for creative experimentation. While in the past we listened to lyrics for the story we could now also see the song interpreted on video. Now what if we flipped things around and had the singer literally interpret the video instead? Watch these re-made eighties videos to see the hilarious results!

Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Video Version

Tears for Fears – Head Over Heels: Literal Video Version

Billy Idol – White Wedding: Literal Video Version

These creative 80s parodies are the work of Dustin McLean of Dust Films. Dustin is an award winning animator, film maker and musician whos comedy and viral videos have been featured on G4, Bravo, BBC, MSNBC and RollingStone.com. So what do you think? Is there a classic 80s video you would like to see re-recorded literally?

I am posting today in the sad wake of Michael Jackson’s passing, an event sending emotional and cultural shock waves around the world as people react to the loss of this influential figure who has touched so many lives. Will you always remember where you were when hearing of his death? Feel free to share in the comments.

In memory of The King of Pop the Eighties Blog brings you The Jacksons: An American Dream. Originally broadcast as a two part mini-series in 1992, this five hour biography of the Jackson 5 follows Michael Jackson, his parents and siblings from their beginnings in Gary, Indiana to their rise to fame and how it affected them individually and as a family. The mini-series was very popular with fans and critics garnering high ratings and taking home an Emmy Award for the choreography and many other accolades.

The movie will play continuously and is divided in to 25 parts so you can always continue watching later.

The miniseries starred Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as the Jacksons’ father Joseph Jackson, Angela Bassett as the mother Katherine Jackson, Jason Weaver and Wylie Draper played Michael Jackson in different eras, while Bumper Robinson and Terrence Howard played Jackie Jackson in different eras, Angel Vargas played Tito Jackson, Margaret Avery as Katherine’s mother Martha Scruse, Holly Robinson-Peete as Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams as Berry Gordy and Vanessa L. Williams as Suzanne de Passe. Bumper Robinson won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a Television Movie, and Alex Burrall and Jason Weaver both won a special award for Outstanding Young Performers Starring in a Mini-Series.

We all remember Arnold from Different Strokes but did you know Gary Coleman also had an animated cartoon show?  It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired on NBC in 1982-1983. The series featured Gary Coleman as the voice of Andy LeBeau, an apprentice angel, who was dispatched back to Earth to earn his wings by helping others. The half-hour series was based on Coleman’s 1982 made-for-TV movie The Kid with the Broken Halo. Each 30-minute episode consisted of two 15-minute segments. Thirteen 30-minute episodes were produced. In each episode, Andy was dispatched to help a child in need and resolve his problem.