Guys aged 65+ what was it like to be a young man in the 80's?

[TinyEvel]

Something to take my mind off the events of this past weekend....

Older dudes, what was it like to be an adult the 80s?

Was it like printing money?

Did you have a Camaro? A van? A Nissan Pulsar?

Did you try the cocaine?

Did you go to US festival?

Other than the Chiefs being in the abyss, what was it like?

Give us all the good stuff.

[LongSufferingToady]

80's had the best movies, best music, and best parties.
Outside of that, I don't remember much.

[LongSufferingToady]

Originally Posted by tmax63

I graduated HS in 1979. Started college pre-med at NWMSU. Had a blast as a freshman but my dad was diagnosed with cancer and died in 1981. College wasn't that much fun after that. GPA dropped and switched majors and graduated in 1985. Went job hunting and joined the Army because they matched what I could make with the Bachelor's I'd just gotten. Was in uniform until 1997 then worked as a Army civilian until I retired in 2017. Topless schwimmbads in the late 80's in Germany were fun but for every 10 there was 5 1's. 80's ended on a high note when I married my first wife but the 90's cratered when she died in 1992. 2 bad anniversaries this month.

I'm so sorry about your dad and your wife. Those things never leave a person.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by LongSufferingToady

80's had the best movies, best music, and best parties.
Outside of that, I don't remember much.

It was a rip roaring, live it up era no question about it

My currently sad and decaying small town was actually pretty cool back in the day

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by LongSufferingToady

80's had the best movies, best music, and best parties.
Outside of that, I don't remember much.

You're definitely right about the movies. Empire Strikes Back, Excalibur, Conan, Blade Runner, Star Trek II, American Werewolf in London, Terminator, Highlander, Aliens, Predator, Die Hard, those are just the first few the pop into my mind. No CGI, all practical effects, and they all hold up (for the most part) today.

As for the music, the best of it was just a continuation of 70s rock. Of the strictly 80s bands, my favorite was probably Night Ranger.

And yes, the parties. A lot of them I don't remember. I wasn't much into drugs back then - I never liked pot and didn't try coke until much later, but goddamn I drank and drank and drank.

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

Reading all these posts make me realize how much of a goody 2 shoes i have been in my life...

Never smoked.....nor tried illicit drugs. I stopped drinking at age 26 in 1982 but was never really a power drinker to begin with. Played a lot of softball from age 24 till I retired in my 50's.

Family really became my focus during the late 80's and early 90's.

The one constant in my life was the Royals and the Chiefs....could actually afford to go to the games back then.

P.S. - My one absolutely silly purchase i ever made was a Smokey and the Bandit car...sold it 2 years later.

Dayum man, you need to get out and live a little. Go smoke a joint by the ocean at sunset or sunrise, or something...

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by scho63

The recurring theme in this thread: cocaine, lots and lots of cocaine.

I was definitely hanging out with the crowd that was doing coke.

But I went from alcohol to pot to LSD to shrooms to ecstasy and skipped the cocaine phase.

And then saw a bunch of people spiral down on meth.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

I was definitely hanging out with the crowd that was doing coke.

But I went from alcohol to pot to LSD to shrooms to ecstasy and skipped the cocaine phase.

And then saw a bunch of people spiral down on meth.

Only tried LSD once. I did NOT like it. The people who were with me did not like it. I freaked the **** out. Let's just say I keep way too many inner demons at bay to let them out all at once.

As for pot, I never cared for it. It stank like ass, and just made me hungry, sleepy and stupid. I doubt if I smoked that shit even a dozen times, and only if I was around others who were doing it.

Loved me some coke, though. But as I said earlier, that's a story for another decade.

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by scho63

I was just thinking about Molly Hatchet! Loved that 1st big album.

That Cars album was huge too. Many many others

1978, but I still listen to some of those songs when they come across my YouTube recommendations.

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by Frazod

Only tried LSD once. I did NOT like it. The people who were with me did not like it. I freaked the **** out. Let's just say I keep way too many inner demons at bay to let them out all at once.

As for pot, I never cared for it. It stank like ass, and just made me hungry, sleepy and stupid. I doubt if I smoked that shit even a dozen times, and only if I was around others who were doing it.

Loved me some coke, though. But as I said earlier, that's a story for another decade.

LSD is a tricky one to get right and there are a lot of ways for it to go poorly. When it goes good, it can be great. When it doesn't...

Doing a few shrooms and a half hit of ecstasy or whatever the current street name for MDMA is, in my opinion, a better way to start with psychedelics.

It is really, really hard to have a bad trip on X.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

1978, but I still listen to some of those songs when they come across my YouTube recommendations.

I still own that album on original Elektra vinyl

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by CapsLockKey

Don't know what it was like as an adult it the 80s, but growing up in that decade was a blast. Malls, arcades and movie theaters seemed like the babysitters of the 80s. Way more sociable environment than what kids have now where everything seems like it is through a screen with helicopter parents. Sure we played our fair share of video games, but you actually went to people's houses to do it.

My youngest daughter spent a lot of time at the skating rink during the 80s. The eldest was into playing softball and riding her unicycle.

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

No one bought a T-Top Trans-am for the motor.

Well when you said what you did about them "those were the hottest car ever" it would indicate fast and it would take some power to be the hottest car ever.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

I was definitely hanging out with the crowd that was doing coke.

But I went from alcohol to pot to LSD to shrooms to ecstasy and skipped the cocaine phase.

And then saw a bunch of people spiral down on meth.

Booze, some pot, hash (which I really like) and coke for about a 12-18 months.

Way too afraid of any hallucinogenic drugs and no desire for meth, speed, shrooms, heroin, acid, uppers, downers, crack, crank, or any of the other crazy stuff like Angel.Dust. That shit was so bad they had 4-5 people jumping out of the windows every ****ing day in NY City and other major cities.

[KINGPIN CHIEFS FAN]

Originally Posted by scho63

I was just thinking about Molly Hatchet! Loved that 1st big album.

That Cars album was huge too. Many many others

I actually bowled and played softball with the guy who did the album covers for Molly Hatchet. His name was Frank Frazetta and he was a really cool guy with a wild imagination. The 70's and early 80's were the best years of my life with the great music, cars, women, and drugs. I wasted a lot of money on all of those vices but I wouldn't trade those days for anything. We had such a good time just enjoying being young and carefree and we never thought that we would ever have to be responsible. Then I got married and had kids and reality set in real fast. Those years were the best time to be alive.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Easy 6

I was 9 years old in 1980 and apologize for nothing

The coke

The booze

The formaldehyde soaked joints, red and yellow hash, and everything else... at age 14 I was experiencing a life that was at times ten years above my pay grade

The 80's, what a ride

[PHOG]

Not me, I was sqeaky clean.