The Eighties, the decade in which I progressed from a schoolboy to a mature student. The decade were in I developed my taste in culture, especially in music. I started off as far as I can remember with taping from the radio. Well I think every kid did that. There are three songs I still remember which I taped, they are, starting with the worst one: Mull of Kintyre / Paul MacCartney; Denis / Blondie and Egyptian Reggae / Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. I am wondering: "does this mean something?"
The next episode was under influence of my big brother and then student. Typical Seventies stuff like Steely Dan and 10CC. Next up were the Sixties together with a friend of mine, Pieter Falkena. I dived into the Doors, Hendrix and Cream. Especially Cream was a favorite. Funny, for Steely Dan and 10CC I stil have a soft spot but for these Sixties bands not. Why?
But at the ripe old age of 16 or 17 ('81/'82) I discovered for the first time music of the Eighties I liked: Fear of Music / Talking Heads, Joy Division and not to forget Rip, Rig & Panic! Next stop was Groningen and here I discovered most of the music I still like. Thanks goes to friends like Martin and Gert-Jan, for Test Dept, Laibach and Einstürzende Neubauten. Through the radio: the one and only VPRO, -well in those days-, (especially Luke Jansen), VERA, the venue were I saw loads of (guitar)bands and their two-weekly magazine were invaluable.
A question which remains unanswered: why is it that your taste developse the way it does? Why didn't I like Howard Jones, Thomas Dolby, U2 or even more crappier 80ties-music? Is it really something basic you take with you from your upbringing and you develop into something of yourself?
Maybe because I did hit 35 last year or was it the year 2000? Anyway I did get this idea of making a compilation tape of my favorite 80-ties bands as a kind tribute. It turned into a Minidisc full of sentiment and the best radioshow. It was hard to create: how do you press 10 years into 74 minutes? Find it out on the next page: