Your coming of age by decade

[badrose]

My concept for this thread isn't that well-defined. Looking for experiences, world events, music, politics, sports, religion...whatever influences comes to mind. It doesn't have to be expressed in one post either. Just too much, I think, for any of us to be that concise and cover it all at one time.

I came of age in the '70's, graduating high school in '75 there had been the Vietnam War, Watergate and the draft. Popular music was all over the place. In those days leading into the mid-70's radio stations weren't as specialized as they are now. You could hear hard rock, mainstream rock, some country, R&B, and more in any given hour. More on music later.

It was an odd time for clothing fashion. Bell-bottom, or flair bottom pants were about all you saw on young guys but were available in denim or polyester. :Christz_pillepalle: During my first two years of high school the dress code for guys was the hair couldn't go past the ear lobe had to show and couldn't go past the collar. No mustaches and sideburns couldn't go past the ear lobe. My dad was a barber and probably felt a little threatened by the longer trends so my hair was something of a compromise. I was pretty comfortable with it all anyway. The real issue and influence was the girls' dress code. Couldn't wear pants of any kind and dresses and skirts couldn't be 6 inches above the knee. Coming out of junior high and seeing all these girls at different levels of maturity showing a lot of leg was a huge, but fascinating distraction, even the younger female teachers.

So I guess fashion and music were common influences among my piers and went a long way toward how we all related to one another. I think fitting in for kids that age has always been a major factor. Those two factors went a long way toward accomplishing that.

[BigBlueBrock]

Child of the 90s, with my formative years being from 95-2001 (12- to 18-years-old). I'm pretty sure I'm one of the youngest people on the forum.

[PedroDaGr8]

I'm the same decade as you brock (I was born in 81).

So similarly my decade spans the 90s:

It was a decade of strange, much of the decade seemed to swing from extreme to extreme. In fact, extreme sports became big during this era. It was the era of the Gulf war, the Super Soaker, grunge rock, gangster rap, electronic music, Monica Lewinsky trials, compassionate conservatism, the Oklahoma City Bombing, rise of the internet and global connectivity.

Music in this decade was very eclectic, the weirder and more extreme the better. There was a HUGE pressure to not sound like anyone else (or be accused of biting their style) and the weird and unconventional were fully accepted. You had gangster rap which was a very violent reaction to the horrible conditions found in South Central LA slums, you had Grunge rock which was an absurdist rejection to hair-metal before it. On the electronic music front you see the electronic music scene EXPLODE in diversity. The advent of styles like Detroit Techno, Trance, Jungle, Happy Hardcore Drum And Bass, Downtempo/Chillout, etc. So basically the 90s spanned the range from "F*** the police" by NWA to "Peaches" by Presidents of the USA to "Saltwater" by Chicane to "Everyone's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by Baz Luhrman.

Politically, the climate was dominated by the rise of the Republicans, the Gulfwar and Clinton. Not much to be said there that isn't remembered.

Toys wise we had videos games, the internet, things like nerf footballs, slap bracelets, etc. That's all I can thnk of rightnow

[BigBlueBrock]

Video games really dominate the 90s for people my age. It's what we remember most.

[blueboss]

I'm closer in age to BRose, I graduated high school in 76, but the ride really got interesting from the late 70's to the late 80's. I'm not going to bore anyone with the details but that era was pre-politically correct. People seemed to be more tolerant of each other with mutual respect. IMO racism was something that happened in the late sixties in the deep south and inner big cities. The police force was overall very tolerant of course not every other person was pack'n, as long as you were reasonably respectful you really had to try to get locked up. It seemed like the stigma of police brutality that was associated with the previous era was a thing of the past along with the race riots. When there were disagreements it was settled worse case scenario with some chesty stuff and gun play was unheard of.

Politically it was the end of a really bad Carter term, being in college with very little money coupled with IMO the worst recession ever made for some very lean times. I was in S. Fl my parents were paying my ride but there was little or no fun money (30 bucks/month) fortunately it was still safe to hitch hike as I couldn't afford fuel. On into the 80's Ronnie Ray-gun took over and everything seemed to start righting itself at least in my mind. We had a no nonsense president that wasn't going to take sh%$^t from any country/leader in the world which after Carter was very refreshing and there seemed to be a resurgence in national pride. The nation was on the mend, of course the deficit was measured in some new made up word that was more than a billion zillion or something, but then that was always just some kind of intangible number that didn't really seem to matter anyway since we were king-of-the-world again.

Somewhere along in the early to mid 80's my friends and I realized that those few years of our young adult formative years were going to probably be the easiest, most carefree and happiest times in our lives. I started the part of life where you start making your own money and making decisions on how you wanted to spend it. The music was good it was still transgressing from the great music of the 70's until it played out and turned into the top pop in the early to mid 80's but it was still okay to listen to the 70's stuff.

Socially the era was on fire and life was good ..that's about all I can/allowed to comment on. However since I'm sure the statute of limitations has expired on any of my alleged transgressions, there was never no loss of life or limb and are fondly remembered and reminisced when appropriate.

[uklandrn]

I was born in 71 - graduated high school in 89. College in the 90's. I remember lots about the 70's - but the 80's is my decade. I did love listening to the Cats on the radio = having Cawood call both the football and basketball games was something I always looked forward to. Have to say I love the music and fashion from the 70's more than the 80's. Fashion in the 80's was scary!! It is very interesting looking at my son now and realizing he never grew up in a home that didn't have a remote for the television or computer. Now days I think not having these two things in your home constitutes child abuse! Never will forget tuning the tv in and being the remote (aka - "turn up the tv - turn down the tv - change the channel!")

[MickintheHam]

Video games really dominate the 90s for people my age. It's what we remember most.

Hell, we had video games when I came of age. Pong was a big hit at the Butchertown Pub!:tongue08:

[blueboss]

Hell, we had video games when I came of age. Pong was a big hit at the Butchertown Pub!:tongue08:

Butchertown Pub!! What a hoot I had forgotten about that era.

[MickintheHam]

Butchertown Pub!! What a hoot I had forgotten about that era.

It was where I spent a good part of my life. i miss Louisville!

[BigBlueBrock]

Hell, we had video games when I came of age. Pong was a big hit at the Butchertown Pub!:tongue08:

You had a video game

http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/dedicated/superpong10.jpg

but we had video games

http://www.90smovies.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/1991_super_nintendo7.jpg

http://origin.arstechnica.com/articles/culture/sega-genesis-turns-20.media/genesis_system.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/6966474740_53643f3ee3_z.jpg

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Features/2008/06/Consoles%20of%20the/90s/Game%20Gear--article_image.jpg



http://www.topdesignmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Original-Nintendo-64.jpghttp://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02440/PlayStation_2440942k.jpg



:rockon:

[MickintheHam]

But we had it first!

[blueboss]

It was where I spent a good part of my life. i miss Louisville!


No doubt we crossed paths

[badrose]

A little sumpin' sumpin' from back then


http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RD02XS-gwb8eSc0&v=lSIw09oqsYo&feature=player_detailpage

[badrose]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gr_eVcCAUXo&list=RD02XS-gwb8eSc0

[badrose]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RD02XS-gwb8eSc0&feature=player_detailpage&v=gCXQycyN_Vs

[KeithKSR]

Graduated from high school in '82; the formative years were the 70's and early 80's. We are the last generation that had record players and 8 track tapes. We recorded music off the radio with our portable cassette players. We were among the first to embrace CDs.

Our first computers were Commodores. We rushed in the age of the video arcade, then watched it die when Atari's interchangeable cartridges revolutionized the video industry.

We played with Tonka trucks, Matchbox cars, Hotwheels and a red, white and blue Spirit of '76 train set.

We rode bikes without helmets, and without fear. We caught lightning bugs and put the in glass jars, played in the rain, and watched TV until the channels signed off for the night, both UHF and VHF.

We watched first runs of the Brady Bunch, The Waltons, Happy Days, and Little House on the Prairie. We watched as Fonz became the first to jump the shark, there have been many since.

We were the last of the baby boomers, entering the world about the same time the Beetles invaded the U.S. We listened to the day the music died, remember the death of the King, and watched reports in horror as our President was shot, but lived; and John Lennon was killed by a crazy on a cold winter day.

We cheered as the wall came down, and witnessed the dissection of the USSR.

On the big screen we saw Jaws, Star Wars, Fast Times, Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers and Mike Myers. We had excellent adventures with Bill and Ted, visited the future and the past with a Fox over a period of years, all in 1984.

We began the day with the Pledge, learned about God in school, even with no AC we were really cool.

We stood and rode in the back of pickup trucks feeling the wind as it rushed past our faces, while our parents sat inside with no worry about seatbelts.

We watched on TV as Armstrong made a giant leap, the Vietnam Vets came home, Johnson was laid to rest, and Nixon resigned. We were too young to know why people were fussing about bussing, forcing kids into schools where they didn't want to go.

We saw disco born, then watched it go.

We saw the Bubble Boy star in Welcome Back, Look Who's Talking, then mature into a major role in Pulp Fiction.

We know Clapton shot the sheriff, but didn't shoot JR.

We have watched as families have gone from one phone for all, to all with a phone.

Three decades after Tutone 867-5309 remains the most famous number to phone.

[blueboss]

Even though I was a little ahead of you KKSR you just nailed it spot on and brose supplied the background music that was playing.

Thanks!!!