20 years ago, we were celebrating the last summer of 80s, while ushering in the final decade of our favourite century. It was big. As were our pants, shoulder pads, Doc Martens and even moreso, our hair.
Musical tastes (What? Did you think I was going to talk about fashion?) were more widely varied than at any other time in history.
"Alternative" music had ironically become mainstream making way for "Grunge" which was another way of saying "We're more progressive than alternative...and we shave and shower less to prove it."
"House" music brought an evolved form of Disco back from the underground to which it had reverted at the beginning of the decade. The Bee Gees and Village People were released from prison (figuratively speaking) and allowed to resume touring, only this time as something of a novelty act. That is, until everyone realized that they all enjoyed the same guilty pleasure, and stopped being ashamed of it. Their songs have now all been re-mixed a hundred times over so that we never have to go without a modern version of In The Navy for as long as we live. Phew!
"New Wave" brought all the weirdos out of their basements. This fusion of punk and electronic dance music bore some unique and catchy sounds, not to mention some of the craziest hairstyles ever. Seriously, what kind of advice could that Flock of Seagulls dude provide his kids and grandkids, that they will listen to. "Why, when I was youre age...." ....you looked like a monstrous dweeb. Groups like the Pet Shop Boys, New Order and the Cure were the defining sound of the 80s, but the list is endless and includes Modern English, Squeeze, Madness and would go so far as to include Bowie and The Police.
"Rap" music enjoyed it's adolescent heyday in the late 80s, with now classic acts as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane, and the kings...Run DMC. where would showbiz be today without 80s rappers Ice T, Ice Cube, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys and his royal higness, the "Fresh Prince", Will Smith?
The Jacksons deserve their own category for no other reason than Michael and Janet's successes. Sure, Latoya entertained us in small intervals, while Jermaine and the rest of the brothers took turns being arrested for various forms of domestic violence, but that was really just their cute way of saying, "Look at me. I used to be famous."
Sorry guys. O.J. one-upped you.
"Punk" was rockin' by now. Billy Idol had opened the average listeners ears to what had already been great in The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and Iggy Pop. I remember frequenting the Thunderdome in Montreal for the ritual "Monday Night Jello Fights" and enjoying a good beat-down in the mosh pit (I think this is where Fight Clubs were started). The music was great, but alas, the lifestyle was not for me as I really didn't have the right hair, was clumsy with studded bracelets, and found that black lipstick over-emphasized my facial flaws.
"Rock" had become a nothing term as if you were a rock group, you were probably in one of the categories above, except for guys like John Cougar Mellencamp, whose career nosedived because no one ever knew which name to look for at the record store.
In 1989, the Pop charts were dominated acts such as; Michael and Janet Jackson, George Michael, Madonna, Sting, Bon-Jovi, U2, Annie Lennox, the hard-rockin' Guns N' Roses, the once-punk B-52s, and the soon to be pathetic Bobby Brown.
So, from the beginning of the last decade to the end of the first, what has changed?
"Indie" rock is essentially the new "Alternative", but it's really all the same. Young rockers saying they want to change the world, convince you they're not posers or sell-outs, but who eventually turn into some version of Avril Lavigne, unless no one likes their music, in which case, they stick proudly by their principles until the day the bandmembers end up slandering and killing each other (and not always in that order).
Rappers are becoming movie stars at an alarming rate.
We can pronounce the name "Prince" again.
No one still thinks that Bobby Brown has "potential".
Ice Cube isn't all that "Bad-ass". Whitney ain't so cute.
Neil Young still has no idea how old he is, and neither do his fans, as his concerts still rock hard. That said, the audience are now on much harder drugs to prevent, heart-attacks, strokes, Alzheimer's and they still dance, but all the while mindful not to break a hip.
INXS found a lead singer who prefers to breathe while he masturbates. (What? I'm just saying...)
Janet is the only Jackson left with any chance of a hit, but since her famous "Wardrobe malfunction", she has lost the title of "the only normal Jackson". The world has given up that search.
You can't say it hasn't been a blast.
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