NOTE: Well, where the hell have I been? Check out my other blog later this week for details if you care, but hey, I’m back. Sorta. Fresh, new posts this…
Lost in the ’80s
264 Articles
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Remember my totally serious and without irony campaign to be named host of VH1 Classic’s “The Vault”? Well now, someone’s heard the news: I realize it would be totally crass…
John C. Hughes
4 Min Read
My junior year in high school, a few friends and I decided to form a New Wave band. Our inspiration? R.E.M.? The Smiths? The Replacements? Not exactlyÁ¢€¦ Try Animotion. We…
John C. Hughes
5 Min Read
SITE NOTE:Thanks everyone for pitching in with the clicks to help defray server costs. I won’t give you the hard sell, promise – just remember, if you download a track,…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
While weÁ¢€â„¢re tackling the question of who Á¢€Å“inventedÁ¢€ New Wave, letÁ¢€â„¢s ponder another query: Who pioneered Turntablism? Possible answer: One of the most bootlegged early turntablism records Á¢€” a three-part…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Here’s a question that may not have an answer: What should be considered the first New Wave song? First, we have to decide on a concrete definition of “New Wave”,…
John C. Hughes
4 Min Read
Sometimes I wonder why certain songs, even if they hit Number One on the charts, are never heard from again. The Stars on 45 Medley is one of those songs….
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Hey, remember when I was pining for old episodes of “Just Say Julie”? Well, guess what I just ordered?
John C. Hughes
2 Min Read
Note: Okay, IÁ¢€â„¢m stretching it a bit on this one. When I conceived Á¢€Å“Depeche Clones WeekÁ¢€, I had three bands in particular in mind and set about writing all three…
John C. Hughes
2 Min Read
I have a special place in my heart for Red Flag Á¢€” you see, they were the first Á¢€Å“realÁ¢€ rock band I ever interviewed, back when I was a Broadcast…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Via The Onion’s AV Club review of the new Archie collections:
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
ThatÁ¢€â„¢s right — all this week, Lost in the 80s will focus on artists who, in leiu of marching to the beat of a different drummer, chose rather to program…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Well, over here mostly. Don’t worry, I’ve got something for you here later today.
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Recently-discussed Sparks will be on the Gilmore Girls season finale tonight on the WB. This is not a joke. Oh, and I’m back from vacation in beautiful downtown Cleveland, Ohio,…
John C. Hughes
2 Min Read
I’ve had a stormy relationship with VH1 Classic since we first met about five years ago. I’d see him now and then over at a friend’s house and became sort…
John C. Hughes
3 Min Read
This post is sort of about Tracey Ullman, but is more about Kirsty MacColl and the Boomtown Rats. At first I thought Tracey Ullman was a little too well-known for…
John C. Hughes
3 Min Read
Quiz Á¢€” complete the following statement: SparksÁ¢€â„¢ heyday was/is Á¢€” (A.) In the mid-70s when, as part of the glam movement that included Bowie and T. Rex, they scored several…
John C. Hughes
5 Min Read
Growing up in northeast Ohio, it was easy to hate the constant grey skies, suburban boredom and West Virginia/Kentucky hick mentality that migrated northward. But when it came to music…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Hey, Blondie! Congrats on making it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! What are you gonna do now? Awk-ward. So, anyhoo…questionable lapses in acceptance speech taste aside, Debbie…
John C. Hughes
4 Min Read
1982 was a big year for the J. Geils Band Á¢€” after 13 albums, hundreds and hundreds of live shows and a few scattered Top 40 hits, they became overnight…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Another band Melbourne from punkÁ¢€â„¢s ashes, Hunters & Collectors began life in 1981 as a raucous, horn-fueled live act, feeding off audience participation and feel more than songwriting. Over the…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Originally presented on April 28, 2005. Another Lost in the Á¢€Ëœ80s oddityÁ¢€¦thereÁ¢€â„¢s not much biographical info or background floating around about The Other Ones, a Scandinavian-ish group who put out…
John C. Hughes
3 Min Read
Originally presented on May 4, 2005. Turn on any local Á¢€Å“Hits of the Á¢€Ëœ80s, Á¢€Ëœ90s and Today!Á¢€ radio station, and within an hour, I guarantee you will hear either of…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Originally presented on December 13, 2005. “Rollercoaster” was the b-side of the Bunnymen’s most aggressive stab for a U.S. hit, the immortal “Lips Like Sugar”. While the a-side was an…
John C. Hughes
5 Min Read
Originally presented on Feb. 24, 2005. Once upon a time, Bob Geldof was an asshole, and infinitely more interesting. IÁ¢€â„¢m using the term Á¢€Å“assholeÁ¢€ in the most complimentary, and admittedly,…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Lost in the 80s is one year old this week! In one short year, I’ve seen my little hobby and obsession with 80s emphemra grow from about 10-15 visitors a…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
When they both hit the Top 40 in 1983, it was a common debate: Who was better, Madonna or Cyndi Lauper? While Madonna had the sex appeal, looks and dance…
John C. Hughes
3 Min Read
Allow me to get something off my chest first, if I may: Modern EnglishÁ¢€â„¢s Á¢€Å“I Melt With YouÁ¢€ was not a hit back in the day. No matter how many…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Shona Laing was fairly well known in her native New Zealand for years before finally scoring an American record deal in the late 80s with fledgling indie label TVT Records…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Oh, Corey Hart. YouÁ¢€â„¢re trying so hard to say something meaningful and deep here, but weÁ¢€â„¢ll be damned if we know what youÁ¢€â„¢re on about. Is it about James Dean,…