Throughout the academic year, my column has reflected on history. From Napoleonic wars to men of character who laid the first train tracks, there is so much to learn from those who lived decades ago. However, the dawn of the 1970s was over 40 years ago. As much as those who were raised in the ’70s and ’80s would like to deny that their childhood is now considered “history,” I believe that enough time has passed to look at some of the wonderful, whimsical creations of their time. In light of “Retro-Bution,” here are the greatest creations of the ’70s and ’80s.
Mork & Mindy: Mork & Mindy aired from 1978 to 1982 and starred Pam Dawber and Robin Williams. For those of you who haven’t been graced to view this this show, Mork & Mindy followed the lives of Mork (Williams), an extraterrestrial who lands on earth and Mindy (Dawber), his human roommate. This was Williams first gig and, although the show was great in itself, it was Williams’ gateway into the industry. God bless Mork & Mindy.
The DeLorean: Whoever thought stainless steel would look good boxed around a motor is a genius. The pointy edges on this iconic car are still recognized today due to the sensational film “Back to the Future.” Being a “car guy” myself, let’s talk about the specs on this bad boy: they are terrible. This is a car you don’t want to buy. The car was released with a load of problems, which were fixed around 1982, but by that point, the reputation of the steel beauty was already in the tank. Speaking of terrible design…
The Power Glove: Released in 1989, The Power Glove was designed by Abrams/Gentile Entertainment and made by Mattel. This monster to plugged into your Nintendo Entertainment System and promised to “make you one with the game” — at least that’s what they intended. This thing was pure trash. In the advertisement (which might just be the best part of this atrocity. I highly recommend looking it up on YouTube), they couldn’t even get the glove to work correctly. The idea was ahead of its time, but it’s safe to say the glove was a critical failure.
The Best Rock n’ Roll the World Has Ever Seen: I really don’t have to sell this at all. With artists like The Rolling Stones, Queen, The Who, Aerosmith, I don’t know — The Beatles? Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, AC/DC and Boston, you honestly can’t go wrong. I could fill this entire article with legends from the music industry. Thanks for defining our culture for the next century.
Popularizing Terrible Facial Hair: Handlebar mustaches, chops and anything Tom Selleck did to his face helped bring overwhelming acceptance to iconic facial hair to pop culture. I’m not sure if there was an underground oath that all men swore to abide by stating that they would only shave 40 percent of their face at a time, but it seems that in the ’70s and ’80s this was the case. These men braved the frontier of facial hair for the coming generation — we salute you.
