Drownout France

The State of Springsteen, Radio Stars, and the 1980s

MacDo

The new album is out and they reviewed it in Le Monde. The opinion: it sucks. (Obligatory notings of blue-collar character and all.) The Economist was crueler -- pointing out the irony of the classically American "for profit" memorial album. Oddly, and you may already know this, the American press has been cloying. It's hard to criticize good intentions. Le Monde review of Springsteen.

If only it were a question of over-wrought memorials. Springsteen is back, after a 2 decade hiatus, to make some dough. Evidence: the record company didn't distribute critics copies of the album, because they were worried about Napsterization before release. Sign of the times.

Which brings us back to the 80s, in full force here in Paris 2002. Call me out of touch, but have you seen these trends on your side of the pond?
- mohawks, all over Paris youth. Not egg-yolked up, but sort of a skunky puff down the middle and often highlighted blond.
- jeans ripped, patched and sometimes with graffitti; and of course also with the patchy-fading stuff
- trench coats on girls (the tan ones, especially at clubs)
- 80s music -- dead-end/deep stuff like Rick Astley, Flock of Seagulls, Kylie (retro), i.e. not the stuff like New Wave that evolved into indie/emo/90s punk.
- I haven't seen it but it's got to be on the way: the Rubik's Cube.

Posted by amol at August 9, 2002 12:28 PM