Kocer is a first-year magazines and English major and can be contacted at stephanie.kocer@drake.edu.
I have long since believed that I was born in the wrong decade. From what I remember of the ’90s, it was a better time. But my memory has grown cloudy and my youth is now just a distant memory.
I am extremely jealous of anyone who got to live in decades past. They had better clothes, better hair, better music and better movies. I remember that one of my high school history teachers told us that history has a way of repeating itself. Well, so does pop culture. Past crazes are coming back.
Hollywood is remaking classic movies like “Footloose.” Now, I know people were upset about the remake because it wouldn’t hold up to the original, and it didn’t. It did, however, surprise everyone because even though it wasn’t as good as the Kevin Bacon version, it wasn’t half bad either. Not too shabby for a Hollywood remake.
And what about “21 Jump Street”? It was Johnny Depp’s 1980s TV show, but Jonah Hill took that idea and wrote it into a killer funny movie. It was the first movie I have seen in a long time where I laughed out loud in the theater. It also focused on the classic John Hughes idea of high school anxiety, which we can all relate to.
There is, of course, the revival of classic music. I am a self-proclaimed music fanatic, so I have always listened to the so-called “oldies,” but the rest of the world is finally getting on board. There is a movie version of the Broadway musical “Rock of Ages” coming out in June. “Rock of Ages” is all about the Sunset Strip and ’80s hair metal. The musical features songs from Bon Jovi, Foreigner, Poison, Twisted Sister, Night Ranger, Whitesnake and Journey. It sounds like a great time to me. And don’t boycott the movie just because Tom Cruise is in it. After all, he is one of the biggest stars of the ’80s, right? I have no doubt he will be brilliant as the movie’s rock star.
In keeping with the musical theme of the 1980s, some great bands are going on tour this summer. Kiss with Mötley Crüe and Poison with Def Leppard are headed for the road, as well as Aerosmith. Van Halen will also be wrapping up its tour in June. The ’80s aren’t the only music scene being revisited either. Artists like The Black Keys and Adele are mixing older styles of music and turning it into amazing pop/rock songs that have made headlines in our world of rap and lip-syncing.
We are also in the middle of another British invasion. If you haven’t heard of the British boy band One Direction yet, then you need to come out from under your rock. They are the newest obsession of many young girls. They sing, they dance, they dress incredibly well, there are five of them and did I mention they are British? It is like having five Justin Biebers serenading you at the same time, which can only mean one thing: boy bands are back. I grew up on the Backstreet Boys and judging by the loudness of junior high girls’ screams everywhere, One Direction is here to stay.
So I suppose living in this decade isn’t as unbearable after all since we are bringing back all of the pop culture highlights I envy from past decades. Even though movie remakes might not be as good and band members have gotten older, our history and pop culture have a way of repeating themselves. And as long as Britney Spears keeps making music, it is good enough for me.
