A Past Reborn
It happened, folks, Bon Jovi snuck back in.
Bon Jovi, famed '80s rockstar, recently reached number 1 on the charts with his new single, Who Says You Can't Go Home. Tip of the hat to you, Mr. Jovi. It would seem that our big-haired, ballading rocker has, to quote Alan Jackson, "gone country." Abandoning his hard-hitting roots, Bon Jovi recently re-invented himself to cater to an aging fan base. In his most recent album, Have a Nice Day, Bon Jovi makes no attempt to hide his less-than-seamless transition to a newer brand of country, labeled "escapism" by Jimmy Buffet, and popularized by singers including Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and Alan Jackson.
Not too many other artists survived Hands Across America, Kurt Cobain, and the synthesizer backlash. But now, 15 years later, Bon Jovi is creeping back in with the rest of the proverbial '80s gang: Gary Coleman, Ozzy Osbourne, George Bush (v1.0) Darth Vader, and Alf. And, to be totally honest, I can't blame him. In fact, I would go so far as to shake Bon Jovi's hand. Everyone else who made an '00s come back did so with a hint of sensationalism. Madonna kissed Britney Spears (coat-tails, anyone?), Flava Flav stopped smokin', and Molly Ringwald spoofed herself. Bon Jovi, on the other hand, jumped back into the swing of things with conscious forethought and talent. He kept an ear to the track and determined the perfect time to trim - not cut - his big hair, slide into the tight jeans, and start jamming.
But my specific admiration of Bon Jovi is not a general acceptance of everything '80s. I don't think pop culture can survive another decade of that nonsense. What we can stand, however, is a controlled blending of then and now. Like the upcoming Indiana Jones film, we should keep ourselves honest by borrowing from the past without attempting to hide our wrinkles. Ultimately, we have to accept the '80s rebirth, all the while remembering, like Bon Jovi, to trim the hair and account for two decades of unprecedented progress.
Bon Jovi, famed '80s rockstar, recently reached number 1 on the charts with his new single, Who Says You Can't Go Home. Tip of the hat to you, Mr. Jovi. It would seem that our big-haired, ballading rocker has, to quote Alan Jackson, "gone country." Abandoning his hard-hitting roots, Bon Jovi recently re-invented himself to cater to an aging fan base. In his most recent album, Have a Nice Day, Bon Jovi makes no attempt to hide his less-than-seamless transition to a newer brand of country, labeled "escapism" by Jimmy Buffet, and popularized by singers including Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and Alan Jackson.
Not too many other artists survived Hands Across America, Kurt Cobain, and the synthesizer backlash. But now, 15 years later, Bon Jovi is creeping back in with the rest of the proverbial '80s gang: Gary Coleman, Ozzy Osbourne, George Bush (v1.0) Darth Vader, and Alf. And, to be totally honest, I can't blame him. In fact, I would go so far as to shake Bon Jovi's hand. Everyone else who made an '00s come back did so with a hint of sensationalism. Madonna kissed Britney Spears (coat-tails, anyone?), Flava Flav stopped smokin', and Molly Ringwald spoofed herself. Bon Jovi, on the other hand, jumped back into the swing of things with conscious forethought and talent. He kept an ear to the track and determined the perfect time to trim - not cut - his big hair, slide into the tight jeans, and start jamming.
But my specific admiration of Bon Jovi is not a general acceptance of everything '80s. I don't think pop culture can survive another decade of that nonsense. What we can stand, however, is a controlled blending of then and now. Like the upcoming Indiana Jones film, we should keep ourselves honest by borrowing from the past without attempting to hide our wrinkles. Ultimately, we have to accept the '80s rebirth, all the while remembering, like Bon Jovi, to trim the hair and account for two decades of unprecedented progress.
posted by Dr. Cook at 6:20 AM
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