Blame it all on ‘Guitar Hero’
In the good old days
– that is, when we baby boomers were growing up – there was this
idea that when we got to the 21st century, we’d all be dressed like
the Jetsons, in futuristic-looking, space-age styles made out of
some still-to-be-invented metallic fabric.
So here we are, and what do we get? Not the future. Just the
opposite
– we’re getting fashions thrown at us from the past.
The past few years, clothing has revisited the 1960s and ’70s
with bell-bottom jeans (they call them boot-cut now), peasant
blouses, platform shoes and sequined tops. And the heavy use of
eyeliner also has an early ’70s vibe to it.
Blame it all on ‘Guitar Hero’
In the good old days – that is, when we baby boomers were growing up – there was this idea that when we got to the 21st century, we’d all be dressed like the Jetsons, in futuristic-looking, space-age styles made out of some still-to-be-invented metallic fabric.
So here we are, and what do we get? Not the future. Just the opposite – we’re getting fashions thrown at us from the past.
The past few years, clothing has revisited the 1960s and ’70s with bell-bottom jeans (they call them boot-cut now), peasant blouses, platform shoes and sequined tops. And the heavy use of eyeliner also has an early ’70s vibe to it.
Now it’s time to recycle the ’80s. In magazines and on fashionistas, I’m seeing skinny jeans, oversized tops and the dreaded leggings. Even big hair is making a minor comeback. Oh, the horror!
Please, can’t we just leave the ’80s in the past? I’ve lived through it once, and once was enough. I think most people my age would agree with me. The problem is, however, that for some strange reason, young people find the ’80s enchanting.
I blame it on “Guitar Hero.”
My son wouldn’t even know a single Metallica song if it weren’t for that video game. “Guitar Hero” and its various versions are video games in which you play a plastic guitar-shaped controller, trying to match notes on the screen by pressing buttons on the controller.
The songs used in the game are either by the original artists or by artists trying very hard to sound like them. The illusion the game creates is that you are, in fact, a rock ‘n roll star playing in a real band. It’s become an incredible phenomenon in the video game world, earning Activision, the company which makes the game, more than $1 billion. Four versions, including “Guitar Hero – Rock the ’80s” have been released since 2005; “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” is due out sometime this month while “Guitar Hero IV” will hit the stores later this year.
It’s also introduced teens to a wide variety of rock music, much of it from past eras. When the songs are good, this is a good thing. When the songs are of dubious quality, well …
My younger son, who is almost 15, is devoted to “Guitar Hero.” As a result, he is now a fan of every cheesy 1980s rock hit that exists.
I’ll admit I liked some of these songs when they first came out. But that was a long, long time ago.
“Don’t you want to listen to something a little more current?” I asked him the other day when he was listening to “Don’t Stop Believing'” by Journey.
“But I like this,” he told me earnestly. “It’s awesome.”
Actually, Journey is not bad compared to some of the other stuff he’s listening to. There’s a really dreadful one called “The Final Countdown” by Europe (remember them? I don’t) and of course, the truly horrible “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor.
Then there’s this whole Metallica fixation. He grilled me at length the other day: “Were you a Metallica fan? Did you go to their concerts? Well, did any of your friends go to their concerts?”
No, no and no. I was never the heavy-metal type.
So I suppose I will have to put up with the ’80s for a little while longer. A few years, I figure, and then probably we will get to relive the 1990s.
But I’ll tell you one thing: No Metallica for me. Leggings, either.
How do you feel about the ban of cell phones while driving? How will it impact your life? Let me know, and I’ll put it in a future column! Write to Kathy Nichols at
ou************@ya***.com
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