I <3 the 80's!

On this lovely Sunday morning I found myself watching a monotonous hour of Vh1 Classic which allowed Dad T (my father) and Mom (my mother) to reminisce and argue over the groups whom were held responsible for the selections deemed “one hit wonders”. Following the conclusion of this special was yet another attempt to revive the 80’s entitled "AC/DC’s Top Ten," or something like that. In this hour I watched and learned more about the band than I ever needed and/or wanted to know.

Like most of the music videos produced during that decade, the instruments received more attention than the band members themselves. And, when the unkempt leader singer was actually seen it was only for a few seconds- thanks to the seizure-educing camera angles. But, no worries, the oodles of jumpsuit clad women kept the male audience involved whenever the redundant chords failed to do so.

But, believe me, I’m not being critical. I mean, who doesn’t love the bassist with the mess of hair or the vocalist with his partially unbuttoned shirt and deep, piercing lyrics? Finding a balance between hell and his unfulfilled desire to rock is not easy. Something more than that attached America to the band that went through two lead singers and still managed to make each of their billboard toppers sound exactly the same. The problem is, I have no idea what that something is. Even Dad T who, following the completion of his undergraduate finals, went with his collegiate buddies to a celebratory AC/DC concert and failed to express anything especially remarkable about the band who made the list of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.

The self-proclaimed “pioneers of heavy metal” who have lost popularity both in the United States and down under, are surprisingly still performing (seen above) and producing albums today. Obviously their fan base has joined them on the highway to hell. There is hope for redemption, but it’s a long way to the top.



-ChelC/DC