Pajiba

GAAAH! Smithy, Cyndi Lauper was from your parents' generation?!! Oh, lordy, I am old...last thing I need to be reminded of two weeks before my 30th....

However, your comment rings true. That is some pretty horrible tripe you've listed. Please continue to de-lurk; you amuse me, young'un.

Hey! What's wrong with Dire Straits? I'm 23 by the way.

Hey, we've got to have something to do between aquarobics and dinner, and the orderlies have Cinemax blocked.

Todd: it's my opinion that if you have to ask that question, you probably won't understand the answer.

So now we're dismissing Blondie, is it? Too good for a little classic bubblegum surf punk now? Oy.

Wait...dissing Dire Straits too? Have you never heard Romeo & Juliet?!?!?

Maybe we should define old, because, the last time I checked, over 25 is still pretty damn young.

So says the chick who's 2 days from 30, ;).

Hey, Mr. Kolby & my friends threw me a surprise party on Saturday. I'm still shocked, y'all.

And I LOVE Blondie. Cyndi Lauper? Not so much.

I think this is maybe the time to reveal my real age (21) and to mention that I doubt any real discussion on the horrors of the 80/early 90's is needed. All anyone my age or younger has to do is google the highly amusing oxymoron "80's fashion", sit back, and giggle.

I know it's fighting dirty, but Paris sure as shit does not speak for me, and anyone implying such gets what they deserve.

Here's a solid way to separate the aged from those who merely think they're old because they get to vote for the first time this year:
How many Pajibans know the (awesome) film that inspired Socalled's Pajiba name(s) and how many were still pre-pubescent when it came out?
Answers on a post card please (because I'm old and refuse to read texts unless they're in complete sentences).

if all the Eloquents could please line up according to age, we'll begin handing out the silly hats. socalledonlycousins you're up first.

I'll have the propeller beanie, please. Back in the 1890s, when I was becoming acquainted with "moving pictures" and Dire Straits on the Olde Tyme Nickelodeon, that's what I wore. Strangely, no one paused to wonder why the aeroplane hadn't been invented yet.

Paddy, if you manage to spur a revival for that film, I'll e-shop you the whole set. If the director re-surfaces from the Witness Protection Program, I'll invite you to the cast reunion.

And everyone, take note: AtO's drinking game is linked on the masthead! [Was this discussion already had? Am I the only one excited by this? Where's my Metamucil?]

*slowly rocks in his chair listening to Rush Greatest Hits*

Jumping Jehosaphat!! Hey you blasted kids *trembles* GET AWAY FROM MY LAWN!!

*shakes fists, feebly*

And on a related note, I heard Joan Jett likes "the rug"....

*in Charlton Heston persona*

I know people who've fought for this country, and have spilled their blood to make America what it is. And I'll be GOD DAMNED if I'm gonna let some Clearasil smeared, Generation D hipster who's barely out of high school, tell ME about the 80s.

BarbadoSlim, if it's any help, I once saw Joan Jett playing a Pride festival. The lesbians in the crowd knew every word and nuance of delivery in every song... (The best part: her male lead guitarist was making Awesome Guitarist Face [tm], trying to impress some attractive young women in the front. Apparently he didn't get the memo.)

MO, in our defense, we did not INVENT day-glo "fashion". That being said, you can't fix stupid. There's always going to be that kind of person who will wear whatever is popular, no matter how big of a jackass it makes them.

Anyway, who do we get to blame for Bret Michaels, Scott Baio, and Flavor Flav? Because the 80's made them famous but the Oughts have refused to let their rightful obscurity continue. I think we all share the blame there.

Hee! B-Slim, I had a t-shirt when I was 9 that would change from pink to purple from body temp...I spent much of the day covered in hand prints and looking like I tried to feel myself up.

Kolby and MO I am turning the big 3-0 this year. How is it? Does it suck? I might have to stay 29 another year.
Geez I must've missed the 80s thing. I was still a kid in the 80s though the early 90s were heavily influenced by the 80s. I know I had huge hair until about 93.
Genny: I think that those people are still famous because of what trainwrecks they all are. I have to say I love Rock of Love. It cracks me up that all those 22 year olds "love" him. They probably love him from Rock of Love 1. And this might be what the debate was about. Dang I need to go back and read.

Don't dis the GenX-ers. It was our feeble slacker-ness that paved the way for the simulated irony of the current generation. ;)

Smithy: they grumble because they love :) "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was pretty much me and my friends' unofficial theme song, but I went to an all-girls college, so the girl fun having was inevitable.

And on the whole age break down of Pajiba, I am moved to comment (for what it's worth) that it seems to be the older and not the younger contingent who have indulged in quite a bit of sophomoric dialogue lately.

Julie: Which one? My username is pretty much a giveaway as to mine.

Julie:
Perhaps we can persuade Socalled to do a review. I'm fascinated by what he might choose as an accompanying beverage. Although I confess, ever since I first saw the name "socalledonlycousins" on Pajiba (and don't ask me how long ago that was) I have had visions of this man (whom I have never met) dancing around his apartment reading the bible while Glenn Miller plays in the background.
Make of that what you will.

FYI

Note also: This. (What's the opposite of a meat market?)

Ah ha, Paddy, my favorite scene from the movie!

Also, "my self-help regime lent itself to the facile mocking of halfwits."

Hold up now; I don't recall giving up any of MY vitals stats to the site. Who's been sneaking looks at my driver's license?

Really REALLY bad ideas in fashion from late eighties/early nineties: Hypercolor shorts. They didn't seem all that bad until the first time you stood up after sitting, cross-legged through your first class. It proved to be a looong day.

Bama: Our site has special cookies so that readers who dial up the old www pajiba address actually have their eyes scanned by specially-designed lasers in our masthead (in Seth Rogen's eyes) which allow us to parse your DNA structure, download your vitals, as well as your bank account information, Social Security number, and Netflix queues. It's pretty cool technology, actually. It tells me, for instance, that three years ago this month, you were bitten by a dog. -- DR

pish.... all you zygotes....... i must be the wandering yoda, agewise. i think i'm 46? i've seen crap come and go thru the decades. as i understand, it is every successive generation's quest, to find the most reprehensible noise with which to foster some juvi sense of themselves separate from their 'rentz. but OMG.... it's gone beeeeyond the pale.

from chaperoning a 7th grade dance a coupla wks ago, i can now, w/o any doubt say... the culture/country have ceased their swirl round the bowl, and are well beyond reach down the tubes. it's over.. go home and listen to whatever modicum of music past you can muster w/o being hauled into court for cc'ing onto your ipod.between the disneyzombiebands and the niggaz/cholo'z 'n ho'z..... 'cest fini.

p.s. generationally of the 70/80's i take no personal responsibility for pop/kiddyrock/screamdreambadhairbands/slutmadonna or blondie.
my early youth was spent on zep, santana, eagles, seeger, elton john, doobies, t-rex, beatles, ccr, doors,tull, sting, phil collins.....and i'll even cop to the occasional KCsunshine "Boogieshooz".

the past 2 decades hav added... cc music factory, black crows, collective soul, johnny lang, andreas vollenweider, spyrogyra, harry connick, jesse cook..and rogue traders.... few others.

may ya all live ta see the music you grew up w/selling cadillacs and or only found on what will now be known to you as "oldie stations" :P HAHA :)

crap, oldfogie brainfart - didn't add @.. i guess this will post twice... sigh....

Maybe this has already been said, but Genny, your argument does not hold a lot of credibility when your generation is bringing back tapered (oh excuse me, skinny ) jeans, and I've even seen leg warmers out there. There are a lot of wannabe Pat Benatars roaming around these days too. For shame young'ins, for shame.

As a little kid growing up in the late 80's, I do remember some of those fashions. I had LA Gear sneakers, stirrup pants, and one of those shirts that tied in a knot in the corner.

And I'll be honest: I loved it.

However, I do not remember hypercolor shirts. I'll have to look those up.

Julie & LyricalCatt:

How about:

"I won't replace a half-bottle of Old Crow
with a full Jim Beam. I'm not an idiot."

Or:

"They're against NATO.

What are they for? Soviet troops racing
across Europe, eating the croissants?"

If that doesn't do it for you, we'll have to persuade Socalled to do a review in the Underappreciated Gems category.

Ah, Brie, was there anything so simple as the stirrup pant? It was a backdrop to all the accessories, the leg warmers, long shirts with the circle do-hicky that held part- just part- of the shirt back. That's style. That's class. Add a sideways pony and good god, you're gorgeous!

So I'm not the only one just a tick away from 30? I was excited about it until about 2 months ago, and the weight of it. THIRTY. It seems... yeah. thirty.

Is it Barcelona? I have seen the movie, but it was recently, (I turn 22 this year, if anyone wants to know) As far as age goes, I think it has more to do with how you were raised. Lots of Rush, yes, Stix and Queen in my house. Lots of art too, and I watched crazy David Lynch films with my dad when I was in middle school (finished therapy in high school!)

Oh, so I was wrong then? What movie is it? I thought Barcelona for sure...

Theresa, that's it -- you when the prize, which is a 100-pack of Depends from Costco. I'll talk to DR about an Underappreciated Gems review -- my love for this film is too deep for just a weekly Boozehound.

Lilliana, I managed to skip the side ponytail, but I was all about the butterfly clips. Headaches didn't matter when you were looking cute.

I actually saw a pair of leg warmers at a dept. store a couple years ago, so the 80's are definitely coming back. If they weren't so ugly (leopard print) I would've bought them. For the warmth factor, anyway.

From fucking Barcelona?!?!?! WHAT. DA. FUCK. man, I suuuuck.

And I was watching Metropolitan just yesterday.

"But I feel a responsibility to recount the horror my parents' generation has wrought: Cyndi Lauper. Joan Jett. Dire Straits. Blondie."

I sure hope this whole Miley Cyrus thing works out for you.

I love Metropolitan! I saw it in middle school and had crushes on redheads ever since then. Tom Townsend was my first crush :D

Damn mb, I'm 19, not 9. I refuse to take responsibility for Miley fucking Cyrus.

B'Slim: I forget where you fall on the Austen issue. Are you a Janeite or not? Because you do know that Metropolitan was Stillman's ode to Jane Austen, right?

Mmmmmm, not a Janeite, but I can see why some might be. Didn't know Metropolitan was a homage though, it certainly gives me a new perspective on it.

"All those people killed in shootings in America?"
"Oh, shootings, yes. But that doesn't mean Americans are more violent than other people. We're just better shots. "

Heh.

Actually, people will be defending Hanna Cyrus Miley Montana in twenty years...but we can just ignore them since they'll be the descendants of the people who are defending the Spears' sisters.

the wierd part is how different Miley seems to be from her father. a couple of years ago i was working as a PA and one of my details was to take Billy Ray on a 5-hour roadtrip to a gig he was doing- just me 'n' Billy Ray in a Navigator motoring along I-90. and i was really suprised at how genuinely humble and down-to-earth the dude was. we sang along to old Bruce Springsteen tunes and he even bought me Popeye's at a pit-stop because "[I] just have to try it!".

he seemed like a guy who had really learned from his experience with the fickleness of fame and the entertainment industry- of being one of the biggest household names for 15min, then becoming a punchline and falling into obscurity and then picking himself up and starting again.

it seems though, that he hasn't passed any of this on to his daughter. shame.

causaubon, Billy Ray sounds more like a regular person and a good guy. You're right, it is a shame his daughter didn't pick up on the lesson he learned. But that's what being a teenager is all about, right? Me?

So I guess it's like this, huh? Alright. I'm over 35. And I refuse to apologize for Joan Jett, Dire Straits or Cyndi Lauper.

Rebate checks are being issued, however, for Debbie Gibson and New Kids on the Block.

...Sorry.

Now until you young chitlins decide to own up and do something about Avril Lavigne you can get the hell up of my lawn. NOW.

It's totally weird how so many of us are right around 30. I just turned 30 in November. For those of you who have it coming soon, it's not bad, really. I celebrated by making people go to Chuck E Cheese, where we got drunk and played stupid games. Honestly, I think it was a lot weirder turning 25 than it was turning 30. Admittedly, it probably helps that I look really young for my age, and still get carded for everything...sometimes even R-rated movies.

let's hear it for 30 being the new 20!

OK, but only if 210 lbs can be the new 170....

Weird. I went from reading this age-obsessed thread over to Pop Candy and the top story was... Molly Ringwald turns 40.(I'm almost there.) Can't we all just get along/find some common ground? How about Willie Nelson? That fucker's timeless.

Sarina: You leave the house when you're high?

It's not at all hypocritical to make the cold, logical assessment that a 12- or 13-year-old getting high looks slightly ridiculous, while at the same time concluding that, since you really don't need it like a plant needs sunshine and just use it as a mechanism for "coping" and "fun" and "not dying," there's no justification for someone reaching the same conclusion about yourself. Not that I engage in those sorts of rationalizations.

27 this year for me. Gah... Maybe by 30 I will see the end of school.

NKOTB, why did someone have to remind me? Did anyone else hear that they are reuniting, thus bringing back all of the bad from the late 80's and early 90's?

I hated them then and I still do.

Just to leave it in the official record:
"I Love Rock'N'Roll" is still intense fantasy fuel for me. Only Suzi Quatro can top that.

I'm 32.

Hey, hey, hey! I've still got two more days of 29 people! Let's not rush things!

Now, it's time for me to apply my Ben-Gay and creak to bed.

I'm a little late to the game here but I really wanted to add my two cents to the age discussion. I turned thirty just this past summer and it changed my life. I know that sounds drastic but for me it was! I took stock and realized that I wasn't happy and the only person who could change it was me. So now I live in a new town with a new job and friends and I have never been happier than I am right now. (insert smiley emoticon here) So don't be afraid of 30, embrace it!
p.s. Girls just wanna have fun is sitting on my table right now and I just got my 12yr old daughter to watch it and she loved it!

According to the statistics, the majority of Pajibites (DRINK!) are young educated white female heathen drunken democrats. Hmm...let me see...I think I fit...aside from the white democrat part.

I demand a full book on Scrabblesex, like the Kama Sutra of nerdy people. Julie! Get on it. Oh and your "girl fun having" made me giggle. I went to a catholic boarding school (All girls of course) and there was quite a lot of fun girl-having.

I may be 25, but that doesn't mean I have to grow up.

According to that definition I am the perfect Pajibateer (drink) joker (drink again).

I totally agree Samantha, Debbie Harry has always been (and will continue to be) awesome.

Indeed I am, Joker, but I agree with the Democratic stand points on reproductive rights, healthcare and education rather than the Republican ones, so I consider myself a token Democrat.

Actually I know way more about American politics than I do about the state of play in the UK. It's tragic, and something I'm trying to change, but that's the way it is. I blame Slate, QuizLaw and Feministing.

Oh and that's a drink for the emboldening (whee, inventing new words is fun), two drinks for the two off topic politics posts and a fourth drink for:

The exceeding of three paragraphs!

Yep, it's like we have our very own Pajiba playground!

I've noticed that I'm only ever active on the trade round ups that are posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays (I'm in the office all day so I can post right from the start) and I tend to hang out at the end of box office round ups and reviews.

I really shouldn't be able to dissect my posting habits in this much detail.

I also wish I had alcohol - I'm gigging it tonight so will be heading to the pub at 5 but it seems so far away... or not. Ouch, only 2 hours to go - I should really start working!

Do you work with bees dear joker? Bees are currently the bane of my life. They haunt me on a daily basis.

Although I did get to have a look at motion sensitive neurons in the bee brain the other day. That was kind of rocking.

Ooooh insectoid metaphors for security systems, I like it.

The brain is indeed a very cool machine - I wish I understood it better from the programming side but my electrophysics was always a little bit shaky. Alas, my understanding is slightly more abstract although that didn't stop me from gawping at the screen like an idiot when my hand movements produced a visual response. Very cool.

Bees are out to get you though, they're in cahoots with the chickens.

I work in vision now as a matter of fact, we do all manner of funky things with motion perception and colour processing.... unfortunately my lab is grantless and so we haven't acutally done anything in years (hence the leaving of the job to go and do something worthwhile - yey teaching!) so I tend to hang out in other labs and try to soak up what they do.

Last year they cured a mouse with congenital blindness. Now that was awesome. My daily task of scanning papers? Not so much.

Hehe CasKo...yea there should be a rule about "comm-versations"

Wow...teaching, that IS worthwhile. Well you can uh...become a labrat. Give yourself to science. That way you get to be in labs ALL the time. And they would do trully awesome things to you.

Last time I was someone's "lab rat", it was my neuroscience prof who was doing some weird stuff with vision. Anyway, it involved a giant electrode in my eye.

How long do you suppose we can keep this up before someone throws something at us?

Oh the fucking electrode was terrifying. The worst part was whatever they use to widen pupils. It took much longer with me because my eyes are almost black. And they had to anesthesise my eyes to prevent me from blinking. And then of course, I couldn't see shit afterwards.
I'm cool with leaving my body to science, it's not like I'll be using it.

I think you should teach them the joys of scrabble sex. It is biology. Sort of.

Oh yes, witty and sparkling...we're talking about sticking things in our eyeballs and bee brains!

Well I didn't know I would have something stuck in my eye when I agreed to it. After my pupils were fully dilated, I just decided to go with it. Also, there was a morbid fascination about having that huge thing in my eye. OK, that sounded really dirty.

So what's with the dilated pupils, need more light than others? Or is it the drugs?

I have literally no idea. Maybe I really did permanently damage my eyes from all those years of sitting next to the TV screen just like my mother told me I would.

It's probably the drugs though, in retrospect.

Indeed! Although alas, now my comment thread hi-jacking is over.

For I must head to the pub! We're going to see emo music this evening and I have a feeling we're going to be surrounded by fourteen year old hipster kids - an alcoholic safety blanket is in order I feel. I'll have an extra drink for you Joker, something strong.

Ok, Dustin. Would you like to watch?

AtO and Joker: love the international hijacking. Speaking of dilated pupils, I just came back from the eye doctor, and the dude standing across from me on the subway would not stop staring at me. I should probably wear a sandwich board home reading "No, I am NOT on acid." I look like I'm straight out of Requiem for a Dream.