Customer Reviews

Totally Awesome 80s: A Lexicon of the Music, Videos, Movies, TV Shows, Stars, and Trends of that Decadent Decade

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I was six years old going into the 80's and sixteen coming out of them and I swear I remember how glad I was when that decade finally ended. Now I find myself gripped by nostalgia (gasp!) and I'm buying books like this. Go figure. I wonder, though, will the opposite be true? Will I eventually HATE the 90's, a decade I thought was pretty great? Maybe, but I digress...

Rettenmund does a tremendous job of categorizing the culture, music, movies, and tv shows of the 80's, placing them into neat little lists like "Ten Albums You Threw Out In Embarrassment in 1990 That You'd Give Anything To Have Back" or "Ten Big Action Flicks Of The 80's." He also adds a nice set of appendices at the end in case you'd like to see who won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1982 (Men At Work) or the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1986 (John Larroquette). Very thorough.

I do have a few compaints, though. The greatest complaint being the absence of an index, for those of us who want to know where all of the Tears For Fears references are RIGHT AWAY. And I suppose the lists were the easiest way Rettenmund could present an overview of ten years of pop culture, but lists of this nature are always subjective in nature, aren't they? I mean, he calls Madonna's "Into The Groove" The ULTIMATE 80's Song (a great song but the ultimate one? I'm not sure...) and says "Rain Man" was one of the most overrated movies of the decade ("Out of Africa" being at the top of his list). Still, I doubt anyone is going to throw the book down in anger because Rettenmund thinks "Out Of Africa" was the most overrated movie of the decade (except for Meryl Streep maybe).

Also, Rettenmund either starts or finishes almost every listing with glib one-liners which do get a little tiring, especially if you read a lot of the book in one sitting. But they do their job and add to the light-hearted mood of the book, which is the point of all this anyway, right? Of course. And in that respect, Rettenmund succeeds and has put together the best pop culture book on the 80's I've found so far. Definitely a worthwhile purchase for everyone in the MTV Generation. Radical!

As a child of the 80's, I looked forward to this book after reading it's great reviews.
If you are looking for a book that will take you back to to the decade of Flashdance, Miami Vice, etc, this is it! The book certainly hits all the highlights (and lowlights) of the 80's; covering movies, music, and tv in separate sections and starting it all off with an overview of people and events.
However the commentary of the author all but ruined it for me. As a fan of snark, I am all for poking some fun at a decade filled will targets. But few of the comments are fun. They are either not funny, barbed, or just plain out of line and wrong! For those who want to remember a decade teaming with quirks fondly, to have the author taking rude potshots at everything and everyone in a patronizing way just sucks the fun right out of it.
Also there were glaring errors to be found even in a casual read through. Add that to the authors very annoying tendency to make assumptions about things such as a bands motivation for writing a song or naming themselves something without any basis for his observations takes all credibility out of the information. This book must have taken a lot of time, too bad the research was done on the bias, and so is the final product.
Bottom line: this book is a great way back machine for all 80's-philes. But a more accurate title would be "One Person's Opinion of Everything 80's", because that is what it is. A more impartial and accurate touch is needed.

Do you love the 80's like I do? This will bring it all back to you in one book. The topics covered are current events, fashion, music, TV, and movies. Special attention is paid to the last three especially. I think fans of 80's music will love this the most. It covers everything from Lionele Richie, to Madonna, to Depehe Mode. As for movies, don't forget E.T., The Breakfast Club, and Back to the Future. In the realm of TV, The A Team comes on strong, the Dukes of Hazard wreck their car, and Arnold says "Whatchootalkinabout Willis?"

This will be a great gift for anyone who was a TV child in the 80's. If you're a child of the 80's, you should get it for yourself.

Ever wanted to re-vist the 80s and relive all the wonderful memories? Or perhaps learn about that time you might be too young to remember? Matthew Rettenmund's "Totally Awsome 80s" is the best place to start. At just over 160 pages, it gives you loads of trivia in such areas as important world events, pop music, movies, TV shows, scandals, and other items of interest.

The entire book is an easy read, since most areas are broken down into top 10-20 lists, with brief and often humorous commentary from the author. The most amusing section bar none is the "80sSpeak: The Idioms and Idiocies of 80s speech", which is an alphabetical dictionary of sorts outlining various 80s slang that was all the rage back them. From the teen slang ("Rad", "Gnarly", "Tubular"), to the annoying valley girl slang ("Fer Shur", "Gag me with a spoon", "Spazzing"), to the sexual innuendos ("Do The Wild Thing", "Get Horizontal", "Do The Nasty"). The list goes on. The book also covered more serious topics, like the greatest historical events (collapse of the Berlin Wall), and the biggest disasters (the AIDS epidemic). Also, for your reading pleasure, there is a look at the trends in fashion and art, which will either have you saying "Oh, fond memories" or "What the @#$% were we thinking?"

The most useful sections are the music and movie chapters. The music chapter has a great list entitled "The 80 Quintessentially 80s songs", which has a list of some of the best tracks from the decade - great for people looking to get into the music and who don't know where to start. The movies chapter outlines the best in action, drama, comedy, horror, and the best and worst of the decade. Each is broken down into a top 20 list for easy reference. The commentary from the author, while not overly helpful or informative, is fun to read nonetheless. Matthew Rettenmund has a very sardonic approach to looking at the topics covered, and his commentaries are like those witty captions they have in magazines. After all, this is not a textbook.

"Totally Awsome 80s" is a fun read that you will likely revisit over and over again, either for the memories or to reference movies and songs listed therein. I'm sure there are other books that cover the decade better, but I have yet to find one. Though it is best appreciated by those who experienced the 80s, it is easily accessible to anyone who is interested.

What a cool book! Even though I was very, very young during most of the '80s, I can actually remember a lot of the things Matthew Rettenmund discusses in this book - especially the music. Top 40 radio was always lots of fun during the '80s, before big corporate conglomerates took over most radio stations. The '80s was such a great time - the music rocked, and so did everything else! (The '80s saw Cyndi Lauper and Madonna rise to fame - what else can I say?) This is a funny book that makes for great dinnertime reading. I wonder, though, why one of my favorite '80s TV shows - You Can't Do That On Television - was never mentioned? Still, this book is a near-perfect and very witty reference to anything and everything from the "Me Decade." Like, totaly radical!

The 1980's are my pop culture reference point, and what better way to go back and reflect time and again with Matthew Rettenmund's reference book, Totally Awesome 80's? Because they were awesome. He covers pop music, movies, TV shows, and trends in my decade.

Yes, the 80's were the Reagan years, the year AIDS entered our vocabulary, MTV, back when it was good, VCRs and thus the video rental boom, the War on Drugs, Yuppies, and given her longevity and legendary status, Madonna. Love or hate her, you gotta admit she was the biggest star of the 80's-sorry Michael Jackson and Prince. But we lost a lot of people who made it big back then. John Lennon, Orson Welles, Mae West, and Alfred Hitchcock, to name a few. And games and pastimes such as Trivial Pursuit, Rubik's Cube, classic arcade hits like Pacman, Frogger, and Q*bert.

The list of 80speak, inspired by valley girl talk, stuff from TV shows, "<add your term>-o-rama," "have a cow," "space cadet," or "rad," takes me back as well.

In the music section, included are special text sections on Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Wham!, Madonna, Prince, and others who were essentially 80's figures. The Billboard chart figures for them are also included. However, the section on We Are The World, which lists the reasons for why the artists sang, is a bit jokey, making me wonder if the event's impact isn't as big as it is now.

The list of the top music videos, hit songs, and movies of the decade.

I'll list the Top Five of each:

Music videos:
1. Eurythmics: "Sweet Dreams"
2. Buggles, "Video Killed the Radio Star"
3. `til tuesday "Voices Carry"
4. Duran Duran, "Hungry Like The Wolf"
5. Madonna, "Material Girl."

Quintessentially 80s songs:
1. Prince and the Revolution: "Let's Go Crazy"
2. Kajagoogoo: "Too Shy"
3. Animotion: "Obsession"
4. Asia: "Heat of the Moment"
5. Simple Minds: "Don't You (Forget About Me)"

Quintessentially 80s movies
Ultimate: The Breakfast Club
1. Risky Business
2. Airplane!
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. Flashdance
5. Purple Rain

I'm not sure about the top two entries, but of the ones I really liked, Dirty Dancing came in at #10, Fast Times at Ridgemont High at #19, Ghostbusters right behind it, Back to the Future at #38, insultingly way behind at #62 instead of being in the Top Five, both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi-like, I'm so sure-and Gremlins at #70. There are sublists of funny movies, hottest movies, horror, action, camp, overrated and underrated movies. And things aren't complete without a small section on the Brat Pack, i.e. the stars of the Breakfast Club. But yes, the 80's were also a decade where the teen market was exploited in a major way, via comedies and horror flicks. The same market is being mined right now, but the output today makes the 80's oeuvre like Oscar winners. And movies that were PG got an extra edge with that PG-13 rating, where there was more violence and other stuff in non-R movies.

Of the TV shows I watched regularly, The A-Team came in at #11, Diff'rent Strokes at #34, my brother watched Knight Rider religiously (#54). And come to think of it, I don't think I ever watched any of the so-called "Disease of the Week TV movies."

The appendix in the back lists the top Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy, and MTV winners, as well as a list of who sang in Live Aid, in order.

I find myself in somewhat of a midlife crisis, as much of the music I'm trying to get is stuff from that era that I'm still missing. Hey, I had to undergo the transition from cassettes to CDs unlike many Gen Y whippersnappers out there!

Overall rating: Even though I wasn't cool with the movie stuff, I found it like, totally tubular, in a major way. Done with this review, now it's off to play Pacman, or maybe listen to some Cyndi Lauper or watch some Gremlins or Ghostbusters.

This Book Is A Good Look At The 80s For Those Who Remember It And Those Who Are Wanting To Know About The Decade. I Found It To Be An Excellent And Humorous Primer About The Time Of "E.T",Ronald Reagan And Break-Dancing. Those Three Subjects Are Covered In The Book Along With Tons Of Others. It Is A Great Book To Buy. Crank Up Your Copy Of "Thriller" And Enjoy This Book.

Being an 80s junkie, I liked this book a great deal. It is arranged as a series of lists (e.g. 10 hottest foods of the 80s), so it's very easy reading and you can quickly find what you're looking for (although it lacks an index). You'll find lots of great 80s music, movie and TV references in here, and I'm sure you'll get a good laugh out of it too (which may be the book's greatest asset).

A good collection of 1980s trivia, looking at a few of the fads, TV, music and videos. There were some things I thought might have belonged in this book but wasn't, while other things I never heard of were. Some of the comments seemed a bit out of bounds as well (the language is strictly PG-13). Oh well. If you're interested in 1980s pop culture this is certainly a good reference.

Like the title says, Matthew Rettenmund's book on the 1980's is "totally awesome"! He takes us on a trip back to the 80's and gives us a funny and witty commentary on everything from "Yuppies" to Annie Lennox. His commentary made me laugh, wince and even get really angry! There are some few factual errors here and there but that doesn't stop the book from being a great read. Any fan of the "Reagan Era" should totally check this book out!

Taylor Hodgkins, 7/3/2008