Introduction: 19861986 was the year the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl power plant blew up, the Challenger shuttle blew up after take off, science fiction author and religious leader L. Ron Hubbard passes on as well as Carry “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn” Grant. A talking duck by the name of Howard was starring in his first and only movie, Howard the Duck, and our favorite alien life form, ALF, was eating cats and taking names on the small screen. Punky Brewster was influencing young girls fashion sense, and the majority of The Skyline View staff members where sitting around in diapers and drinking from sippy cups.
Big Time NewsThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which plays hosts to the shrines of hundreds of musical legends, inaugurated its first group of inductees ever in 1986.The museum itself inducts those individuals who the judging panel feels are the most influential rock and roll artists, producers, or other affiliates to the genre who made the greatest contributions to not only music, but to the culture and society of it as well.The first ever group of individuals, consisting of sixteen people, were inducted on January 23. The group included the likes of Fats Domino, James Brown, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lewis. Although the museum faced controversy over its first ever induction ceremony, it automatically set the bar of who is or isn’t a viable option to be inducted. Located in the quiet confines of Cleveland, Ohio, the museum has remained strong and continues to induct legend after legend, year after year.
Best CD1986 marked a year of change within the music industry. A clear line began to be drawn in the sand for what sound would continue on to the next decade, and what sound would get left behind. Some bands released their best albums in 1986, including Huey Lewis and the News (Fore!), Genesis (Invisible Touch), and the Beastie Boys (Licensed to Ill). All these albums were great in their own right. However, there is one album that is set aside from the rest, because the artist didn’t have the same amount of success until 2000. Jon Bon Jovi’s album “Slippery When Wet,” was his first major success, though his debut album faired well, songs like “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and “You Give Love a Bad Name,” made Bon Jovi, more than just a pretty face to his fans. Bon Jovi mixed the hair-band, power ballads with the softer pop music of the day to make an album so complete it made for a more diverse fan base. “Slippery When Wet,” has songs on it that people born after 1986 know every word to, which goes to show the power of this album. Bon Jovi went on to have many other great albums afterwards. “Slippery When Wet,” was his hallmark album, nothing else he ever came out with was close to the power of “Slippery When Wet,” with the exception of “Crush,” released in 2000.
Best MovieTheir elongated heads, sharp teeth and acid blood haunted people’s dreams in the first film, then everyone relaxed a little at the end when everything seemed hunky-dory. But in 1986 when Aliens first hit the screen, the movie-watching masses witnessed a brand new horror. As the tagline for the movie suggests, “This time there’s more.”Half a century after Warrant Officer Ripley and her cat find themselves the only survivors of a horrible battle with ugly space-creatures, they wake from hypersleep to discover that the planet upon which the aliens originate has been colonized by humans. The Company, the ones ultimately responsible for the carnage on Ripley’s first ship, strips her of her rank and forces her to return to the alien planet. She acts as an advisor to a group of space marines who return to the planet to answer a distress call. They soon discover that they were much too late… the colony was stripped of life except for one little girl named Newt. The film quickly becomes a race against time and a fierce battle with the ruthless aliens ensues, but when the dust is cleared not everyone survives. In fact, most of them don’t.Aliens, as it’s prequel did before it, delivers a thrilling ending that leaves the haunting question lingering-are the aliens really dead? You’ll have to watch Alien 3 to find out… but it doesn’t come out until 1992.
Best Television ShowSeveral top TV shows in 1986 were The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, The Golden Girls, and Growing Pains. Additional programs watched were ALF, MacGyver, and Punky Brewster. Some other children shows that made their debut TV broadcast include Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, Double Dare, and Dennis the Menace. A favorite among these debuts is Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. In the intro of the show, there is a sign in the clay-animated woods that reads PEE-WEE’S PLAYHOUSE with an arrow pointing to the right and a squirrel is chomping away on that wood post. The camera strolls along and we finally see this peaceful playhouse with a swimming pool on the outside. Then all of a sudden, Pee Wee freakishly glides across the TV screen with a huge smile and an unforgettable chuckle. He then peeks into the window of the playhouse and every non-living object in the room comes to life! He joyfully walks in and the puppet chair, Chairry, starts singing the theme to the show. She sings it best when she says “It’s wacky in Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” because it really is. There’s a puppet band who plays in a little alleyway and spoke in rhymes, Jambi the genie who lived in a jewel box and granted wishes, Globey the spinning globe, Mr. Window who would let in Pterri the green pterodactyl, flowers who sing, the picture phone, a family of toy dinosaurs, Mr. Kite who rarely flew by, Conky the robot who gave out the “secret word,” Magic Screen who played films, Cowntess the cow who wore a fashionably pearl necklace and spoke in good manner, and many other wacky characters that I did not notice were wacky until now. But who could also forget Laurence Fishbourne, who we all know as Morpheus, as Cowboy Curtis?
Best Video GameThe evil Ganon, also known as the Prince of Darkness, has bestowed dark terror onto the land of Hyrule. In a quest to gain all power of the Triforce, he kidnaps the princess Zelda who divides her segment of the Triforce (of Wisdom) into 8 parts scattered across the land. It is now up to the brave young warrior, Link, to travel across the world and search in the deepest and darkest dungeons to collect all 8 pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom and bring peace back to Hyrule. The single player action adventure of the old school NES is perhaps a favorite of any Nintendo fan. With state of the art digital graphics, incredible story and plot twists and with a videogame soundtrack as good as it is, no wonder it’s a legend.
FashionThe 80’s was a decade that saw a lot of cultural changes. An era of extremes. Nothing was more extreme than the fashions. Spandex pants, frilly shirts, and feathered hair; and that’s just the men’s fashion. But in 1986, men’s fashion took some wiser, yet just as bold, steps. Following the banning from advertisements of a style of men’s undergarment known as the Y-front, said to be too indecent, ads started featuring models in boxer shorts. Soon the boxer trend would skyrocket. Another interesting step in men’s fashion was bedroom decorations for men only. No, not trophies and taxidermy game, but all matching bed sheets, curtains, wall paper, and even rugs and carpet. What a bachelor pad that would be!