LP, EP, Vinyl, Cassette. "Huh?"
CD, DVD, MP3, iPOD. "Yes."

I dozed off Magpakailanman's Manilyn Reynes bio-feature last night. By the time I wiped the drool off my mouth and crawled to bed I knew that I've had my dose of 80's for the week. Bought some cliched Nostalgia Wax and I'm off stripping to Soft Cell's "I Feel Love" cover in the bath this morning. The good thing about hearing Marc Almond then and now is the convergence of theory and application. Oh well.

Remember the time when piracy meant dubbing tapes on clunky dual-deck cassette players we used to call Boom Boxes? And recording NU107 broadcasts only to be frustrated at the end because the DJ would resume his spiel? Or how to correctly spell Walkman? We didn't need a computer to pass illegal music along--we didn't know that it was illegal back then. And raids in Quiapo for fake Jose Mari Chan cassettes were not as sensational.

To say that the 80's was a great decade is already passe, but it wouldn't be what it was if not for "satanism", Manila ripe for a revolution and Loveli-Ness. Shoulder pads were yesterday's boob job and mint green was the black of soirees. What am I arriving at?

I danced. Secretly. The wife did not know. Orchestral maneouvres in the dark. The swish of Shake Body Body Dancer. Crotch-grabbing Jacko's Bad.

I pulled out my drawer full of cassette tapes (too bad I don't have a turntable anymore--I miss my Information Society LP), still in their rewinded states, some still in their plastics and had their receipts. The beginnings of an OC frozen in time, too bad it didn't work for the fungus encroaching, and seeking their CD equivalents is now a lifetime obsession. I play DJ on a battered player I won during a poetry contest back in high school. There were no such words as "playlist" or "shuffle." Cassette tapes stacked on one another, waiting for the Play button to be pressed.

And I danced.

***

Children of the 80's (well, everybody's invited), hulaan na! If you can name the artist, so much better. And sorry, no Madonna's here. Most used to be called New Wave.

Ang mag-Google, may tae sa pwet.

1. Bring the wheels of time to stop, back to the days when life was so much better. "Turn Back the Clock" Johnny Hates Jazz

2. This one goes out to the one I left behind. A simple prop to occupy my time. "The One I Love" REM

3. I wanna know what you're thinking. There are some things you can't hide. I wanna know what you're feeling.

4. You know I don’t believe you when you say that you don’t need me. It’s much too late to find. You think you’ve changed your mind. You’d better change it back or we will both be sorry. "Don't You Want Me?" The Human League

5. Will you give it to me? Will you take the pain? I will give to you again and again and will you return it? "Strange Love" Depeche Mode

6. Every time I see you falling, I get down on my knees and pray. I’m waiting for that final moment you say the words that I can’t say. "Bizarre Love Triangle" New Order
(Note: Ang magsabi ng Frente panget!)

7. High time we made a stand and shook up the views of the common man. And the lovetrain rides from coast to coast. DJ’s the man we love the most. Could you be, could you be squeaky clean and smash any hope of democracy? As the headline says you’re free to choose, there’s egg on your face and mud on your shoes. One of these days they’re gonna call it the blues. "Sowing the Seeds of Love" Tears for Fears

8. You always wanted a lover, I only wanted a job. I’ve always worked for my living. How am I gonna get through? "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield

9. Shape it up. Get straight. Go forward. Move ahead. Try to detect it. It's not too late. "Whip It" Devo

10. On the floor of Tokyo or down in London town to go, go. With the record selection, with the mirror reflection. "Dancing with Myself" Billy Idol

11. I walk into an empty room and suddenly my heart goes boom. It's an orchestra of angels and they're playing with my heart yeah. "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" Eurythmics

12. When I'm a-walkin' I strut my stuff and I'm so strung out. I'm high as a kite I just might stop to check you out. Body and beach I stain my sheets I don't even know why. My girlfriend she's at the end, she is starting to cry. "Blister in the Sun" Violent Femmes

13. Yesterday I got so old I felt like I could die. Yesterday I got so old it made me want to cry. Go on go on, just walk away. Go on go on your choice is made. "In-Between Days" The Cure

14. Johnny played guitar, Jenny played bass. Name of the band is "The Human Race". Everybody tell me have you heard? "Pop Goes the World" Men Without Hats

15. You run, run, run away. It's your heart that you betray. Feeding on your hungry eyes. I bet you're not so civilized. "The Warrior" Patti Smyth

16. Hey listen, treasure. You know I'm waiting for you. I want some pleasure. I love those things that you do. "Motion of Love" Gene Loves Jezebel

17. On heavenly rain, you fell into my life. Unforgettable smile, unforgettable lies. In the name of the cross or a banner of love. With the hand of a friend or under a blanket of trust.

18. It's time we should talk about it. There's no secrets kept in here. "Wishful Thinking" China Crisis

19. But if I had your faith then I could make it safe and clean. If only I was sure that my head on the door was a dream. "Close to Me" The Cure

20. Ain't it just like rain? And love is only heaven away. "Ghost in You" Psychedelic Furs

21. We were at the beach. Everybody had matching towels. Somebody went under a dock and there they saw a rock. It wasn't a rock. It was a _____! "Rock Lobster" The B-52's

22. They offered me the office, offered me the shop. They said I better take anything they got. Do you wanna make tea at the BBC? Do you wanna be, do you really wanna be a cop?

23. Standing in line with a dirty mind. Clean it up on Sunday morning. I don't wanna do it anymore. "Sunday Morning" The Bolshoi

24. I've got a secret I can't explain and all the time I've waited for this day. All along I was never in doubt. I always knew it would never get out. There are things that I cannot tell and there are things that you know damn well. "Secret" Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark

25. Life it seems, slips away, just like any dream. All I want, is all I need. Still I ask for more. "Everytime I See You" Fra Lippo Lippi

This entry was posted by sky, on Friday, April 22, 2005. You can leave your response.