FEATURE:
Golden Years
IN THIS ILLUSTRATION: U.S. Hip-Hop group Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav and Chuck D/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Roger Andrews
Vinyl Reissue: Putting a Glorious Period of Music on T.V.
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THAT title might suggest…
IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in 1990/PHOTO CREDIT: Harper’s Bazaar
I am talking about David Bowie and his Golden Years track from 1976’s Station to Station. Rather, I am thinking about the late-1980s and 1990s. There have been documentaries made about the period before: from looks at the Madchester scene and Rave through to Britpop and Grunge, we have been given the chance to experience the music and culture of the time. I was born in 1983, so I got a first-hand experience of the times and was really drinking in everything. It was thrilling to be part of a time that was synonymous with experimentation, music scenes and absolute quality. There are many people who wonder why we can’t go back to the late-‘80s and ‘90s and see that sort of music come back. Certainly, they were simpler times, and we did have some remarkable music around. There have been shows where the 1980s and 1990s have been used as the backdrop. From Derry Girls and My Big Fat Diary, we have been able to enjoy the music of the time. I do not think there has been a show on T.V. that looks at the music of the late-1980s and 1990s in a very detailed and first-hand way. Whilst the shows I have mentioned brilliantly illuminate that time and perfectly back them with an astonishing score, I am thinking more in the vein of Vinyl – a short-lived show that was on HBO back in 2016. That concerned the record industry and featured artists around in the 1970s.
That time period was wonderful, and it was great to see a show that was about the records and culture of the 1970s. So many people are fascinated by the music and movements that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, yet we have seen very little in the way of television shows. Right now, we have The Goldbergs on: a show set in the 1980s that, at times, drops in songs from the decade. I was especially inspired by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. That has just finished its third season, and started life in the 1950s – at the end of the third season, we are in the early-1960s. I love the colour and sense of escape you get watching the show. I am not suggesting a 1980s/1990s-set show would be escape from the modern world, yet one could definitely get involved with an immersive and fascinating story and get so much of the music from the time – from the Dance of the late-1980s to the Britpop of the 1990s and, if there was enough longevity, the final days of the 1990s. It is clear T.V. is getting darker and, even at this time of the year, there is so much darkness and misery. People defend this as T.V. makers making our lives less bleak but, truly, we want T.V. to be an escape or project some positivity – why would anyone willingly tune into a show where they were being barraged by unhappiness and gloom?! I think a 1980s and 1990s soundtrack would not be all upbeat – there is Grunge to include! -, but there would be some truly terrific tracks and, with it, incredible scenes.
Mobile phones were getting slimmer and people were using C.D. players more. In spite of that, there were still a lot of cassettes and records being played. It was a fantastic time where scenes were being formed and there was a lot to be excited about. Not only that, but so many artists from today have taken inspiration from this time. I am not sure what the exact plot and store of the series would be but, in my view, Vinyl’s run was unfairly cut short after only one series. The premise focused on music scene in 1970s New York; one still awash in sex and drugs, but Rock 'n' Roll was giving way to an era of Punk, Disco and Hip-Hop. Desperately trying to navigate the changing landscape is American Century Records founder and President Richie Finestra, whose passion for music and discovering talent has gone by the wayside. With his American Century Records on the verge of being sold, a life-altering event rekindles Finestra's professional fire, but it may leave his personal life in ruins. That is the basic nub of the series but, with an epic soundtrack and a great cast (including Olivia Wilde and Ray Romano), it is a pity something like this has not been kicked back up. One can argue that 1970s time period was the most varied and exceptional but, as several T.V. series have shown, people have a lot of love and affection for the late-1980s and 1990s – when we had everything from Rave and the second Summer of Love to the excellent Alternative scene coming out of America.
There is an appetite for dramas and comedies that are set decades ago, because it is unusual and new and, for those who lived during that time, there is something nostalgic and comforting. Maybe it would not get the same budgets as an HBO show, but I see no reason why it could not be taken up by Amazon or Netflix. I have written about a comparative T.V. show before but, as we are stepping into a new decade, it is back on my mind. I think British T.V. is in a pretty poor state and, with only the odd decent comedy and a few dramas showing any originality and legs, the Americans are still leading the way. A new T.V. series could feature similar lines to Vinyl, whereby we concentrate on a record label or, maybe, friends that are pulled apart at the end of the 1980s. We could switch between the U.K. and America. Maybe the series could relate to a band navigating their way through different scenes and, again, we could take in the U.K. and U.S., to get a contrast in regards the various sets and sounds. All the while, there would be this epic soundtrack and, like Vinyl and series such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, we could have real-life characters and artists – maybe Oasis and Kurt Cobain walking alongside Björk and Public Enemy?! There have been various films, biopics and series that have touched on the music, but none – in this country at least – that have really used music as the central force and represented that changing time as their prime intention.
As we celebrate artists and albums from the 1980s and 1990s, I do think there would be a demand, granted the characters were compelling and there was a good story. As Vinyl had Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger helming it, there was a lot of excess and a lack of rawness. Maybe the lack of simplicity and focus was a reason why many critics did not warm to the show. Some noted how there was patchy humour and, when you needed structure and cohesiveness, that all went away. The lack of a compelling story and structure was, perhaps, a reason why Vinyl did not get a second series. If one were to put the 1980s and 1990s into a series, there has to be more than a biblical soundtrack and nostalgia. The story would have to involve the music industry in some way, whether that was radio stations, bands or record stores. The latter would allow for something grounded and relatable and, like Vinyl, we could see musicians and historic figures of the time come into this world. Humour would have to be a big part and, with an eclectic cast, I think that broadness would allow for natural humour without things being cluttered and unfocused. It would be exciting to think someone could bring this to the screens and, no offense to British companies, but I think it would need its fair share of American production, money and talent to make it a success. If the balance was struck and the story was arresting I think that, combined with incredible music and characters, could make for a series that would…
ENDURE for quite a while.