80's Cover Art is Celebrated in Put the Needle on the Record

Journey with me, if you will, back a few decades. Back to the time of Pac-Man, Pee-Wee Herman and parachute pants. The decade of rubber bracelets, Rubik’s cube, and Reaganomics. Now go ahead, fire up the ole iPod and reflect on the music that provided the soundtrack for all of that. One problem though... You can use your iPod to listen to your 80's music, but it can't provide the experience of picking up your old 45s and enjoying the original sleeve artwork while you listen.

That problem has been solved (somewhat) by Matthew Chojnacki's Put the Needle on the Record, a 272 page book celebrating the artwork of 45 and 12-inch singles from the 1980's. In addition to the original art, the book provides the visions and stories behind the images and offers plenty of first-hand commentary and other information about the individual recording artists, graphic designers and art directors involved.

And they're all here. Retrospectives on the cover art for singles by the Clash, Cindy Lauper, Duran Duran, Madonna, Pat Benatar, B-52's, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and of course, The Smiths (remember all their retro black and white covers?)

The book left me with an uncontrollable urge to go into my closet, dig out my old singles and reminisce. So I did. Still waiting on my copy of Put the Needle on the Record from Amazon, so to whet my appetite, I recently spent time studying the cover art of my personal collection of 45s from The Pop Culture Fiend Archives. Here are a few faves:

Quintessential 80s chick Patti Smyth was pouty on the cover of Scandal's "Beat of a Heart".

The artwork for ABC's "Be Near Me" was as stylish as the band itself.

The "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" cover superimposed the Pet Shop Boys with an old photograph of blue-eyed soul legend Dusty Springfield.

It was a huge collaboration that created a smash hit single, but the cover shot of Paul and MJ looks pretty amateurish and informal -- like it was hastily taken just outside the recording studio.

Madonna plays peek-a-boo on this original pressing of "True Blue", which was a limited edition single issued on blue vinyl.

Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You" from 1984's Streets of Fire used the same graphic art as the movie poster.

Why Pop Culture?

Why pop culture?...

I got asked that question recently. There are a million blogs out there and a fair amount of them are devoted to popular culture. But when I was asked why I started PopCultureFiend.com, I thought it was important to reiterate my feelings on the subject. (It's a great time to do it, what with this being the first post of the new year.)

Well, first and foremost, when I write about pop culture, I'm following the old adage, "Write what you know."

So then the next logical question is, "What is pop culture and why is it important?"

Over the last 30 years or so, American movies, music, books, magazines, TV shows, celebrities, fashion, toys and games, advertising, etc., have been elevated from being merely frivolous diversions that (entertaining though they may be) have little or no lasting significance. Instead, these things are reflecting and indeed shaping our society, as they underscore who we are and what we care about, and bind us together through a common experience and shared appreciation.

By examining our popular culture, studying it, you create a window into the hearts and minds of American society and see concrete examples of what we've come to value, accept and embrace.

Think I’m overstating things? Why then, is it our popular culture that continues to endure and permanently etch itself into our memories, even as other (seemingly more consequential things) pass away? Why are movie quotes like, “Show me the money,” as easily recognized as “Ask not what your country can do for you."?

How is it that most people know more lines from Caddyshack than they do bible verses?

And why are events from the 80s like Iran-Contra and the US invasion of Grenada -- events that had not only national, but global implications -- practically forgotten, while movies and TV shows from the same era (like The A-Team, 21 Jump Street, Miami Vice, Footloose and Die Hard) are still beloved and continue to live on remake after remake, sequel after sequel?

Because it's the miscellanea of popular culture that’s providing cohesion for us in this, the most diverse society on the planet. So many of us are of different races, religions, economic statuses. We live in vastly different geographies, have different political ideals, enjoy different cuisines; and the list goes on and on. Because of this, any given American’s experience can be completely foreign to that of the next. And yet we’re able to find common ground in our shared remembrance of a popular TV show, song lyric, music video, or children's game. Or in our recognition of a funny movie scene, or a one-liner delivered by a stand-up comedian. Or in our mutual admiration (or disdain) for a particular celebrity.

Popular culture has now moved beyond fad or trendiness, beyond the realm of the short-lived, and beyond the moment. It has ingrained itself in our society and now influences the way we communicate, how we act, and what we value. And we're certain to continue perpetuating our pop culture the same as we do our religious rituals, political history, family traditions, and all the other things that make up traditional culture. And finally, through all of this, pop culture continues to be one more thing… uniquely and undeniably, it's just plain fun. Enjoy...

Robin Scherbatsky Is Pregnant!... No Wait, Cancel That

After noticeably beginning to lose steam last year, How I Met You Mother has been really good this year. But then, in the middle of what is probably its strongest season in years -- a season featuring the "The Blitz", "The Ducky Tie", an old video of Marshall as "Beercules", and the return of the "Slutty Pumpkin" -- the HIMYM writers nearly sabotaged the whole thing with an apparent misstep that could have ultimately meant the end of the long running CBS series.

What I'm talking about is the character of Robin (Colbie Smulders) announcing that she's pregnant. When this happened two episodes ago I had terrible visions of what lay ahead. I figured they'd keep us on the hook for weeks as we wondered whether the father was Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) or Kevin (Kal Penn.) I figured they might even throw us a retcon curve and reveal that Robin hooked up with Ted (Josh Radnor) late one night, so the baby could also be his.

Robin would then go through turmoil as she decided when and how to tell the father; Lily would be supportive and thrilled because she had someone to be pregnant with; the guys would somehow bond over this new development and the whole show would start to look an awful lot like Thirtysomething.

Fortunately none of this happened. In this week's episode, Robin declared that she wasn't pregnant after all. In fact (and we know this because the entire premise of the show is that it's one big recollection) Robin will never become pregnant because she can't have kids.

It seems the whole pregnancy thing was just a red herring. I'm not sure why the HIMYM writers went this route but the most likely answer is that they threw the show's viewers this curveball strictly for the hell of it and because they're smart enough to know the perils of sitcoms that pursue pregnancy storylines.

If television history has taught us anything, it's that when it comes to sitcoms, pregnancy represents a "Hail Mary play" for a creative team that's running short on new ideas. What happened to Rachel on Friends and Jamie on Mad About You are good examples of how adding a pregnancy (and a resulting baby) to an established show doesn't work toward its betterment. It definitely wouldn't have worked for HIMYM.

For one, pregnancy and parenting, at their core, is for grown-ups. It's serious business only made comical onscreen when the parents of the kid are unprepared or have no idea how to deal with a child (and just how many times can we watch the old cliche'd gag of someone not knowing how to hold a baby or change a diaper?)

Making our beloved Robin Scherbatsky pregnant would have killed the light-heartedness of the show. Also, a good deal of HIMYM's comedy is derived from the fact that Robin, Ted, and Barney are all single; and that they hang out together in a bar and they each have their respective romantic entanglements that often turn comically disastrous. Robin being pregnant (with Barney and Ted as possible fathers) would have ruined all that. As a mom-to-be, Robin hanging out in a bar, hooking up with assorted guys would have gone from funny to "ewwww" pretty quick.

Plus, part of the reason Robin is so endearing is because she repeatedly demonstrates that she hasn't got it all figured out yet. We identify with that and we laugh at (and at the same time, root for) her as she stumbles through relationships and career moves. Many of us have had that time in our lives when we were just like Robin -- seemingly a grown up who's got it all together but deep down we're really just confused and trying to find our way.

Sure, a pregnant Robin would have created opportunities for a few funny plotlines in future episodes, but what the writers really would have done is fundamentally and permanently altered the entire mood of the show, while simultaneously painting themselves into a corner. Because, let's face it, with a baby in tow, Robin, Ted, Barney and the rest of the gang were going to be limited in what kind of wild shenanigans they could get into. And they certainly were going to have to change... most likely for the worst.

Trailer Friday for November 25, 2011

An all new set of trailers... and hearty commentary. Enjoy.

The Sitter (December 9)

"Adventures in Babysitting meets Superbad with a smattering of Sex Drive."

"Adventures in Babysitting is right. The movie's already drawing tons of criticism around the internet for copycatting. And deservedly so -- it's the exact same movie, only with tons of f-bombs!"

"It really is disgraceful how much they stole from that movie -- reluctant babysitter, same number of kids (3), taking them into the city to an all-black nightclub, criminals chasing them... The list goes on and on."

"This seems really raunchy. What kind of parent would let their child act in a movie like this? Still, I did laugh when he whispered, 'I f**king hate you too. I'll destroy you,' to the little girl."

"Bruh, I want 'Soul Baby' to be my new nickname!"

Melancholia (Now playing)

"Melancholia is the perfect title for this film. I wanted to like that trailer but it was really depressing."

"In fairness, it's a movie about a shaky marriage set against the backdrop of a rogue planet crashing into the earth. So what's there to be happy about?"

"By the way, Kirsten Dunst won Best Actress at Cannes for this."

"That's also where the director Lars von Trier sabotaged himself by making jokes about Nazis during a press conference. It's painful to watch."

"Nazi jokes to a roomful of Frenchmen?... Dude, know your audience!"

New Year's Eve (December 9)

"Ensemble pieces like this (Valentine's Day, He's Just Not That Into You) that have the multiple storylines going on at the same time, always seem really gimmicky to me."

"Box office poison Ashton Kutcher in the same movie with box office poison Katherine Heigl... Why didn't they throw in Nicholas Cage too? This film has no chance."

"Zac Effron, Jon Bon Jovi, Carson Daly, Seth Myers... I can't imagine any heterosexual men would want to see this."

"My focus is on the women. Halle Berry is still hot. Jessica Biel looks great too. But someone needs to tell Sofia Vergara that her spicy Latina schtick is wearing thin."

"I guarantee you, Robert DeNiro will only be in that one scene you saw at the very end."

The Hunger Games (March 23)

 "I know this movie's based on a popular novel but there's not a lot of originality here. I see elements of Orwell's novel 1984, Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery", "The Most Dangerous Game", Stephen King's "The Long Walk", and The Running Man."

"It's also very similar to The Condemned, which was distributed by the same studio -- Lionsgate."

"The release date is what concerns me. March and April are typically months where studios clear the decks for summer releases they think are going to make a lot of money. Scheduling this for March 23rd makes me think execs in the know don't believe this movie's any good."

"Stunt casting Lenny Kravitz and featuring him so prominently in the trailer should also be a warning sign."

My Week With Marilyn (Now playing)

"So I heard this is based on a supposed real-life incident that took place when Marilyn was filming The Prince and the Showgirl."

"I'm planning on seeing it. Michelle Williams is the new Jennifer Jason Leigh. Young actress who started off doing light, teen-oriented stuff. You didn't think much of her at first but she turned out to be really talented."

"Absolutely. Shutter Island, Blue Valentine... She always chooses interesting roles and she's always really good."

Related Posts:
Hey Everyone, It's Trailer Friday!
Trailer Friday for November 11th, 2011

USC-UCLA "I Love L.A." Music Video

With college football season starting to wind down, this weekend features a full slate of games between the sports' biggest rivals -- Alabama/Auburn, Pittsburgh/West Virgina, Georgia/Georgia Tech, Ohio State/Michigan, Florida/Florida St., and one my personal favorites, USC/UCLA.

In honor of the occasion, I dug into the Pop Culture Fiend Archives and tried to find something relevant. What'd I come up with?...

Two things. An old "Beat UCLA" button I got at the USC bookstore, and this VERY old video of an ABC-TV produced promo for the game.

There was no date on the tape I culled this from but I'm pretty sure it's circa 1989. I was able to deduce this based on clues in the video -- shots of Larry Smith (USC head coach from 1987 to 1992), USC 1989 All-American defensive back Mark Carrier (#7 in the group of players you see at the very beginning), and a cameo from Richard Lewis and Jamie Lee Curtis from the ABC comedy Anything But Love, which premiered in 1989.

I have to say, no matter who you root for in this rivalry, you gotta love this video's highly apropos use of Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." Also, if anyone sees this and can identify the blonde majorette grooving in front of the UCLA band, please hit me up on email cause I've had a crush on her for 20+ years!

Oh, and in case you're wondering, this game ended in a 10-10 tie -- the seventh and final tie in the 82 year old rivalry.

Related Links:

USC-UCLA Football Rivalry on Wikipedia