The book for this month’s book club was Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield. As is often the case with the club, some people read all of the book , some read some, and some read none. Fortunately, all came prepared to celebrate the book driven theme: the eighties.
Being in a hurry between work and club, I rushed home, threw the Riunite and Arbor Mist in the freezer, wrapped some pigs in a blanket and threw them in the oven, then went downstairs to assess my costume box. A few minutes later I was donning a fitted navy sequined dress with shoulder pads, blue and pink eyeshadow, gold heels and a side ponytail hairpiece. I called this ensemble, ‘school dance.’
I arrived to find the host decked out in day-glo fishnet leggings, a tutu, a shirt tied in a knot at the waist, oodles of bangles, a lace headband and crimped hair. As the other guests arrived so did the flashbacks. We all gathered around the counter where we had access to some of the best eighties snacks: Doritos, pigs in a blanket, Reese’s Pieces, Skittles, Chee-tos (they were hyphenated in the 80s), and other fine assortments. Our drink selection was equally as promising: Riunite, Arbor Mist, Boones Farm, Bartles & Jaymes, TaB, Rum, and other wines. Missing from the picture were several of our club members and several prime drinks from the eighties: Seagram’s Wine Coolers, Orange BANG!, Slurpees and the ever popular Orange Julius.
As we listened to the great tunes of the eighties and sipped on our headache inducing beverages, we came to a few conclusions:
1. Eighties music is great.
2. The fact that anyone got laid or drunk is surprising – the clothes weren’t flattering and the drinks were like punch.
It’s no surprise, however, that a common term used to emphasis that something should not or will no longer be happening references the eighties. 86ed. Mmmm hmmm. Put your shoulder pads and punch-based beverages away, they’re so last three decades ago, so 86ed.