81, 83, 85.

My vintage Minolta

I have recently grown a liking for the 80s. I didn't see that one coming, at all. It all started when I began my search for a new camera, happy times! I got a Nikon Coolpix P100 and it is a pretty advanced little thing. When I got home, that's when the magic happened. I was in a camera craze and I remembered that I had an old broken one sitting in my closet that I got from my yearbook adviser, but I had not really looked at it since. I bring it out and it is OH SO spectacular. It is a Minolta XG-M which I found out was made in 1981. The after-market zoom lens is extremely large and probably takes some really incredible distance shots. The only downside, it's broken. It's okay though, I am thoroughly willing to have it fixed.

Then the next discovery one of my friends told me about, the musical stylings of Daniel Johnston. He was quite an unusual chap, staying in his basement studio for hours upon hours making up songs and creating lots of short films. He released his first cassette tape Hi, How Are You? in 1983, having to rerecord his music every time he wanted to get a new tape to a record label. He was first truly discovered when he appeared on MTV in 1985 and from there received high regards for his soul stirring songs. Despite many personal battles, his fans have remained loyal and other artists continue to cover his work, from the Karen O and the Kid version of Worried Shoes, to Bright Eyes' rendition of Devil Town. Just phenomenal.

Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club
Also for the year 1985, the movie the Breakfast Club. Now I know it's a little cliché to like this, but I just recently watched this movie and I really admire the work of John Hughes. He connected to teenagers in a way that few adults had done before and he highlighted a time in aperson's life that most film makers choose to skip over. He is a legend.
So because of cameras, quirky music, and certain teen flicks, I have decided the 80s were not so bad. If I can just get over the shoulder pads...
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