Did You Also Try To Look As Cool As Your Favourite Pop Star?

The fun of being a teenager!

All I can say is that thankfully we didn't have the Selfie / YouTube / or FaceBook back in our day. It sounds long ago, but was actually only about a decade or two ( well, sort of ).
Bob and I were driving to town the other day and as opposite as our music tastes are, there is one genre of music we both love and know by heart. The music of our teens.

Driving with the Chief means either listening to his CD of spine-chilling music ( I think it's currently Nick Cave and remember I love Frank Sinatra! ) or there is one radio station he tends to like as well. 88.6 plays a mix of music that includes our common musical ground. The pop songs of our youth. Oh, for a hardened alternative music fan, I am amazed how Bob can sing along word perfect to pop songs of the 70's and 80's.

The DJ announced one of those 20 minute play-affairs which included a Billy Ocean number. Oh, it was too classic. Both of us instantly mentioned Loverboy . I recalled dancing to it at the local disco ( yes, that what a club was called back in the middle ages ) and Bob regaled me with his fond memory of dressing up like Billy Ocean. He and his best friend Ian used to gap it to town to try and get the right outfit: the shiny jacket with the sleeves pushed up halfway.

Aha, some of you dear readers did the same, didn't you!!

Do you remember the various trends:

• Wearing white socks with black shoes and the red leather jacket made us stand out as Micheal Jackson fans.
• Ripped fishnet stockings over short skirts, ripped t-shirts, heavy eye make-up and teased hair. Madonna fans indeed. Vintage Madonna that is.
• The longish, highlighted hair of George Micheal in Wham!
• The ridiculously low riding pants. In fact, they should have been called almost hippsters but definitely thigh'sters. N'Sync and their new look of the early 90's. How on earth could those boys even walk with their trousers halfway down their thighs. Usually that look only happens when you need to urgently run to the toilet...

Luckily for a lot of us, the school yearbook, or the dusty photo album ( with real photos ) are the only evidence to show our wild teenage crazes. Now and again a funny photo of our youthful style indiscretions might be shown at our weddings or at round numbered birthdays, but thankfully ( & hopefully ) we look different now and can laugh along.

Biggi