Interplanet Janet

Following up on the last two posts, heres one more Schoolhouse Rock segment, in tribute to the last shuttle mission. One of the catchier ones, and one of my faves.

Note that this was back when Pluto (little Pluto) actually was still a planet.

(Thanks to http://childhoodmemorykeeper.blogspot.com/ for this youtube vid.)

Back to the '70s: Schoolhouse Rock

I'm a bit late with this, but the 4th of July weekend brought to mind some memories of growing up in the '70s. Particularly of those Saturday morning educational segments called Schoolhouse Rock. They were animated musical segments dealing with some topic, such as science, history, language, etc.




Heres the segment that came to mind amidst the July 4th fireworks and festivities. Called "fireworks," it was a wonderful way to inform kids about U.S. History, and the music made it all the more memorable.



Heres my favorite Schoolhouse rock segment. I still think its an excellent way to teach about the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.

I think these historical Schoolhouse Rock cartoons showed a rather positive view of the U.S., at a time (i.e. the '70s) when America was still reeling from the effects of Vietnam, Watergate, racial strife, gas lines, and the like. Perhaps these wonderful features helped to remind people of the good in America, amidst all the doubt. It did so for kids, at least.

For those who are reading this blog in the U.S., a belated Happy 4th !!   

A Beautiful Dream

We are coming soon to the end of the Space Shuttle era, with only one more shuttle flight left. But long after its over, the Space Shuttles will remain a strong and fond memory for me. A gleaming flashback from the 1980s, when they were new and considered technological marvels. They would become a central part of human space travel during the end of the 20th century, and the beginning of the 21st.

I remeber very vividly when the era began, on April 12, 1981 when the first space shuttle, Columbia, blasted off from Cape Canaveral on its maiden voyage for a short mission which restarted U.S. human space missions after an absence of a few years. Columbia landed again on April 14, 1981, on a dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base in California. I was 11 at the time, and I remember it as the very first time I ever knew of a U.S. manned space mission while it was actually occurring (the last time such a mission occurred was in 1975, when I was just 5 years old and more aware of re-runs of Lost in Space than in the real thing). It seemed like part of a new dawn then, as the '80s were beginning and ushering in a seemingly more positive era of optimism: shortly before this, the hostages had been released . . . maybe it all signalled something better ahead.

There would be a total of five shuttles built: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor. . .  even the names seemed hopeful. There would be many triumphs ahead, as the shuttle program ventured forward on missions that ranged from scientific research, to satellite placement, to assisting in the construction of the International Space Station. 

And tragedy as well, first with the Challenger in 1986, and then Columbia in 2003.

And now the final fade away to retirement.

The space shuttle era was a beautiful dream. . . one that came true for just awhile, and then left, receeding into a wonderful memory.

Second British Invasion: Madness and Thomas Dolby

The Second British Invasion of 1983 is most often associated with its most popular acts, like Duran Duran, Culture Club, Eurythmics and the Police. But the launching of MTV brought exposure to a large number of quirky bands from both sides of the Atlantic. And the new art form of music videos generated a lot of creative, quirky and fun-loving masterpieces. Heres two such examples from the UK:



The Second British Invasion of the early '80s really did open the door for Americans to access a wide range of arty British musical culture which had not made it to the USA before. A lot of it was from the various subgenres which sprung up in the New Wave aftermath of punk in the '70s and early '80s. One example is the group Madness. Madness originated in the ska reveival which took place in Britain around 1978-79, but which didn't really obtain too much exposure in the United States. Finally, in 1983, Madness joined the British Invasion to hit it big with the chipper, catchy song "Our House," a big hit in '83.  The writer Simon Reynolds, in his book, "Rip It Up and Start Again" compared this song to the Beatle's "Penny Lane."




The Second British Invasion also brought the quirky, creative synth-pop of Thomas Dolby. A good example of it is the sonf "She Blinded Me With Science," which actually became more of a hit in America than in the UK. And a big hit it was. The video is an excellent example of how creative and fun-loving video could be during the early '80s. It kind of reminds me of the Beatles films in the late '60s, with its quirky humor and smile-inducing imagery.

"Little Sister": '80s McDonald's Ad

Since were on the topic of '80s commercials, here's a memorable one from 1983. This touching ad is one of the more memorable commercials for fast food, and it still brings out some emotions seeing it today. I got a little misty myself watching it.

It also fit well, both back then and today, with my interest in nostalgia which was present even when I was a young nerdy teen in middle school. I always try to guess which years each stage of this commercial takes place in.

'80s Ant-Drugs PSA

Check out this '80s anti-drugs PSA.

There are no words . . . really . . .

'80s Perfoming Arts Awesomeness

"You've got big dreams? You want fame?

Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying ... in sweat."

- instructor Lydia Grant, Fame

The 1980s are sometimes (wrongly) derided as a time of Wall Street greed and Alex Keatonesque selfishness, but this is simply wrong. The '80s, as is the case with any decade, has its faults, but there was so much more to the '80s than just that materialistic stereotype. Take, for example, what a remarkable era the '80s was for the performing arts, and those of us who love the performing arts.

The '80s was the decade of Fame, a wonderful program that followed the ambitions and dreams of aspiring artists at a school for the performing arts. As a former drama kid during the '80s, I drew inspiration from the characters on this show: creative young people out to show the world their talent. In the '80s, didn't we all think we were talented and creative?

And the '80s was the decade of Cats (1981). An unusual musical based on a T.S. Eliot poem, Cats was an example of the quirky creativity of the '80s, and showed a sensibility that was at time in awe of life and the world, at times melancholy and aware of life's sadness, and at time quite uplifting. In the '80s, didn't we all have a more wonderous awe of life possibilities?

The '80s was also the era of Flashdance (1983), a movie about a dancer, and her hopes and dreams. Of course, its always easier to dream that to actually make reality conform to your desires, and perhaps one of the faults of the '80s is that it was all too easy to dream amidst such hopeful pop culture. But what a wonderful set of dreams they were while they lasted.