For many people the 1980s were a time of enjoying the “vibe” of an America and popular culture where money was being made, Image was radically refashioning itself into myriads of forms, and models of ways of being seemed to be multiplying. This America and popular culture was Dynasty, it was Duran Duran, it was pastel sweaters and mediocre designers. It was novels by Tom Clancy and Stephen King.
There was another 80s. I remember my first struggling with expressing my sexuality coincided with a still then unknown cause to what was then called, “the gay cancer”. It seemed being sexually active would mean certain death. When scientists found out more about the HIV virus, this unleashed much of America’s puritanical rage and hatred towards the homosexual.
Then there were the twin poles of modern capitalism, Reagan and Thatcher. Their economic policies both in their own countries and abroad was ruthless. The undercover wars America lead then in Central America were particularly brutal. A culture of resistance built in the 1960s had died. More appropriately, it was killed.
Early on, something happened. The punk movement had shaken up corporate complacency in music, and in popular culture. While on one hand this problem was rather quickly addressed (and fixed) by the same corporate powers, the bands that briefly reigned then served as radical information systems. Much of what I learned about 20th century art, radical movements and philosophy came from these sources, whether it was from a still taken from a film, used as an album cover, or references in lyrics, or interviews with the young people in these punk bands, a line was drawn as to what type of society we wanted to live in, and a line was drawn to a history of radicalism, that stated we were not the originators, and that we were not alone, or merely petulant.
As this all began to become exhausted from its own momentum, and was also defanged by having learned to be packaged, marketed and sold, there was also a whole generation of folks my age, either on the executioner’s block, or next in line because of HIV. This generation had many in its ranks who grew up in recent memory of punk, and who also had their own artistic/moral outrage to spew forth. In San Francisco there were dozens of short-lived clubs, galleries, bookstores and such where this all played out. Almost any given night of the week you could go out and participate in, or watch a great and radical gesture be lived out in public.
It occurred to me to make this list for a young friend who is the age I was then, and who is interested in this lesser known 80s culture of resistance. Thanks Taylor, for leading me down memory lane.
A brief list of meaningful recordings from bygone days
The Birthday Party-Mutiny in Heaven
Cabaret Voltaire-Mix Up
Chrome-Half Machine Lip moves
Creation (record label compilations)
Z’ev-One Foot in the Grave
Rip, Rig and Panic-God
Diamanda Galas-Masque of the Red Death Trilogy
Marc Almond-Torment and Torreros
Butthole Surfers-Locust Abortion Technician
The Cramps-Bad Music for Bad People
Gang of Four-Entertainment
Throbbing Gristle-Journey Through a Body
Various-No New York
On U (record label comps)
PIL-Second Edition
Mark Stewart and the Mafia-Learning to Cope with Cowardice
Violent Onsen Geisha- Shocks, Shocks, Shocks
De La Soul-De La Soul is Dead
Sonic Youth-Bad Moon Rising
The Contortions-Contort Yourself
Pussy Galore-Exile on Main Street
The Swans-Cop
The Smiths-Hatful of Hollow
Coil-UnNatural History
Psychic TV-Dreams Less Sweet/Themes
Barry Adamson-Moss Side Story
Historical ephemera and artists who spoke about them
Georges Bataille, Accursed Share vol.1-3-Marc Almond
William Burroughs-Throbbing Gristle
Early 20th Century avant garde film-Rip, Rig and Panic
Oscar Wilde-The Smiths
Critique of Everyday Life-Gang of Four
Jean Genet-Patti Smith
Arthur Rimbaud-Patti Smith
Andy Warhol/Jack Smith-Tony Conrad
16th Century Utopianism-Derek Jarman
1960s conceptual art and performance-Yoko Ono
The Harlem Renaissance -Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Spike lee
Art Brut-SPK, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten
Surrealism-JG Ballard
You know, the story could go on and on…..how to begin to list all the African /American artists of the early 20th century, or all the writers surrounded by Georges Bataille, the painters and historians associated around a Critique of Everyday Life? And how to explain the gratitude to all of them from an entire generation of like minded youth from 1978-1988?
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