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| Totally Awesome 80s : A Lexicon of the Music, Videos, Movies, TV Shows, Stars, and Trends of that Decadent Decade | | Author: | Matthew Rettenmund | ISBN: | 0312144369 | Format: | Handover | Publish Date: | June, 2005 | | | | | | | | | Book Review | | |
Who could forget the decade that brought us AIDS, Milli Vannilli, teen slasher movies, and a sitting U.S. president with an advanced case of Alzheimer's disease? Well, I guess that question answers itself, but for those who wish to remember, no finer source can be found than Totally Awesome 80s, by Matthew Rettenmund, the man who brought us Encyclopedia Madonnica. This loving but ironic catalog of the most important cultural events of the 80s is fittingly slim, flashy, and shallow, covering mostly the poppiest movies, songs, and political actions of the era that told us "greed is good."
Review "Matthew Rettenmund, with his sharp eye and his knowing prose, sounds like one of the freshest voices on the block."--The New York Times Book Review
"Matthew Rettenmund not only gets it all down, he gets it all right."--Kurt Loder, MTV News, on Encyclopedia Madonnica
"Matthew Rettenmund is a clever and witty new writer."--Greg Johnson, author of Pagan Babies
Book Description The 80s revival starts here!
The 80s ended only a few years ago, but already the days of Dynasty, skinny ties, and Valley Girls beckon. In Totally Awesome 80s, Matthew Rettenmund drops the touchy-feely 90s and dredges up the garish, glorious 80s. He's captured it all, from Culture Club to Men at Work, parachute pants to Members Only jackets, E.T. to Porky's, Moonlighting to The Cosby Show, and much more.
Deliciously wicked and unnervingly hip, Totally Awesome 80s holds a mirror up to that indulgent decade and lets us laugh at the all-too-familiar reflection.
About the Author Matthew Rettenmund is the author of both Encyclopedia Madonnica and Boy Culture. He is a freelance writer living in New York City.
Totally Awesome 80s: A Lexicon of the Music, Videos, Movies, TV Shows, Stars, and Trends of That Decadent Decade FROM THE PUBLISHER The first pop reference book to capture the spirit of the 80s experience, Totally Awesome 80s chronicles not only pop music but also the faces, places, fads, fashions, movies, television shows, toys, and videos that defined the "Greed Decade." From skinny ties to Valspeak to the birth of MTV, no 80s cultural trend is overlooked in this comprehensive tribute to all things 80s. 300 photos.
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