Living in a Time Bomb

Some of us never recovered from the death of the disco dancer. But in disco’s wake, came something much heavier, indifferent and profoundly seminal- the 80s. And still yet, the era so deeply imbued in war, technology and cultural transgression has left a stain on us that we can’t seem to wash out. One need not look too hard to see the eighties entrapment.

Fashion Week's empresses: London/New York, were strident in 80s novelties- tights, ballooning pants, and even the Tess McGill power suit. Diane Von Furstenberg dresses for success, while United Bamboo slipped into after-work attire-- poofy sleeves and suspenders in a dandy Duran Duran fashion.

The quickest way to investigate the crimes of the 80s style revival is to accuser le rock-star. Paul Weller says it best in the April Q issue, that the only things that matter in life is: fashion, rock 'n' roll and wankin'. Taking from him, the young guns that don’t usually like to be suits, are cool in them provided their 80s skinny ties. Hipster bands, Franz Ferdinand and the Strokes don them regularly just like The Jam used to. And not to be cut off, The Jam made the mullet, hot. And now you can expect to get the mod-mullish at any PBR barber cum salon shop. Just walk right in, pause just a moment to filter out noise pollution and listen to the music steaming over the hot air.

As for tracing that 80s sound, the history is spotty with resurrections of post-punk and new wave revivals that a semiotic music critic can sort out and explain the namesake of today, a post-post something movement. It's difficult to discern between Interpol's spastic feel with the original Joy Division demigod, Ian Curtis.

Or while we're at it, Karen O or Joan Jett?

The parallels of here and then are numerous and sometimes shocking. But why should we relive in the past for a good party?

Perhaps because we are reliving the same time as the eighties in a time of war, ultra-conservative politics, tense foreign relations, sour economy, religious upheaval and technological triumphs.

Spontaneous Special Operations

Have you or anyone that you have loved been in a flash mob? For those of you that might have been witness to one (without realizing that the earth never shook,) a flash mob is the aggregation of people who share a lot in common- more than they would admit to- in a public space, and their momentary dispersal. But forgive those cutie hipsters who know not what they do, but do so looking cool. Now that the mob creator, Bill Wasik of Harper’s Magazine has come out from the curtain of his schadenfreude, and admitted his design and also, humbly, how his idea was superceded by others. Namely suits paid to track the number$ like Ford Motors. But now that the flash mob has gotten oh-so-mainstream, the idea has morphed into something equally pointless, albeit good, clean fun- pillow fight mobs.

The Pillow Fight Club has been a spectacle of feathers and mayhem around the world in Madrid, Tel Aviv, Toronto and most recently, in Portland. It is a benign club with rules for fair play. Simply show up at the EXACT time and PLACE and be inconspicuous as possible—-with your pillow.