Nostalgia
by Patricia Busa McConnico
August 2003
BACK TO THE FUTURE For those of you mid-thirtysomethings and early-fortysomethings who think you're still cool, I've got news: Not. But this month, you can relive your glory days—the eighties. First, rent a few flicks (
Sixteen Candles, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and
Valley Girl) to set the mood. Then, like, put on your favorite color Swatch (to match your
Miami Vice outfit), fluff up your 'do, and, omigod, you're totally ready for a megaconcert:
Joan Jett—in all her black-eyeliner glory—belting out the hit single "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" and
Pat Benatar, one of the most-played artists on the nascent MTV network, doing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" in Houston (Benatar will also perform in El Paso and Fort Worth); or
"Weird Al" Yankovic, who has parodied every song from "My Sharona" to "Beat It," in Dallas and Houston. Of course, the eighties wouldn't have been the eighties without video games. At the University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio, the exhibit
"Videotopia" subjects your misspent youth to scrutiny by examining the links between technology and society—if you tire of the history lesson, take the brief gaming quiz, where you can win tokens for every question you answer correctly, and then use them to play Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, or Tempest until your fingers get stiff. Awesome! (See
Dallas: Music/Dance;
El Paso: Music/Dance;
Fort Worth: Music/Dance;
Houston: Music/Dance;
San Antonio: Music Dance.)
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