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Thoughts that spring to mind when thinking of 80s music are tight pants, big hair and an air guitar backed up with some air drumming. Barry Drake’s Lecture was all that and more.
Drake set the mood early, dimming the lights in the North Pod of Memorial Union and adding the sweet sound of the once-loved synthesizer. The voices of Billy Joel and Phil Collins wafted through the air as they sang about not starting fires and feeling it in the air, tunes we’ve all heard and sung aloud when alone in the car.
During Drake’s introduction, it was pointed out that he was a five-time winner of “Best Lecturer Award” by the National Association for Campus Activities. The introduction went so far as to call Drake “a walking encyclopedia of Rock and Roll.” He certainly lived up to that title as far as 80s music is concerned.
Barry Drake showcased his knowledge of 80s music for the next hour and a half. It should be noted that Drake is a gregarious gentleman who could place at least third in any decent Woody Allen impersonation contest. His affinity and appreciation for 80s hits was clear, seeing as he is, perhaps, the only person in the continental United States that has bobbed along and lip-synched to artists such as Grand Master Flash, Madonna and Metallica in a single sitting.
The show began with Drake playing a short parody about a “ready-made” 80s rock persona kit, complete with long blond wig and tight, acid-washed jeans. Drake then began his lecture, citing the beginning of 80s music with the election of Ronald Regan and the death of John Lennon.
Evoking only a minimal amount of sarcasm, Drake led us on an honest and impassioned journey through the decade that “may go down as the most flamboyant era in music.” For those of us who may have been too young to fully remember the nuances of the 80s, Drake pointed out how the advent of MTV and later VH1 provided a whole new means of experiencing music – shifting the context of musical performances from our ears to our eyes. It was the first era where image “mattered” in rock and roll.
He broke down 10 years of music into a simple explanation of the various genres coexisting in the 80s. He spoke about topics from new wave to heavy metal and hair bands, pop to rap and hip-hop, showing clips of music videos and interviews with the more commercially successful artists.
Blake wound down his lecture by explaining how music appeared to lose its way at the end of the decade. Music listeners became dissatisfied with groups such as The New Kids on the Block, M.C. Hammer, Vanilla Ice and eventually the international scandal caused by the now infamous duo Milli Vanilli that resulted in the only Grammy Award ever revoked. Due to the overall discontent in the music industry, alternative rock was brought mainstream, as shown by the success of bands such as Nirvana – but that’s a whole different lecture.
“The music of the 80s wasn’t that bad and it’s the roots of today’s music. Now, we’re all cut loose,” he explained, pointing out how many musical choices we have today.
“I want to give [students] a basis to fall back on,” Drake said of his motives for the lectures. “If you like something, find their influences. Keep chasing it until you’re done!”
In an effort to be more like the DJs of Drake’s youth, he wants to educate people in what music is today and where it came from. If you don’t like what mainstream music is now, “screw it,” Drake said, “Find something you love and dive into it for the next five years.”
As the room filled with artificial light and the words of Billy Ocean singing about his Caribbean Queen, students made their way toward the doors of the Union with the unmistakable dance of torso wiggling, arm flailing and minimal foot movement. Although the 80s may be “the most flamboyant era in music,” it seems to have no trouble producing smiles and laughter.
Bangor Daily News