I Lived the 80s

A Gen X Life and the Pop Culture That Defined It

De: B Harrison Smith

Narrado por: B Harrison Smith

Gen X is the “forgotten generation.” We made our own meals after school and Saturday mornings, we got dirty, played miles away from home with no way to reach us, we told offensive jokes, we built and jumped bike ramps, broke bones and drank from garden hoses, we had three network channels, we didn’t “mediate” with bullies—we kicked their asses, we had land lines, house phones and cordless phones that you could beat someone with, MTV showed music videos, Steven Spielberg and Michael Jackson ruled, we knew who we were gonna call, girls had big hair, guys popped their collars, there were clogs, and penny loafers, you chose Beta or VHS at the video store, high school lunch could be hell, we partied like it was 1999, teachers were off the wall, we had nerds, preps, stoners, burners, geeks, jocks, we drank Malt Duck, White Mountain wine coolers and Mickey’s Big Mouths, we got our permits at 15 and learned to drive on stick shift, the malls were our hangouts. There was no Internet or social media.

And we liked it.

(Oh yeah, we also had AIDS, terrorism, crack, racism, homophobia, subway shootings, cocaine, corrupt politicians, pollution, book banning, political correctness, TV preachers, climate change, stranger danger and Can’t Stop the Music.)

©2023 B Harrison Smith (P)2023 BearManor Media

A story that could be from anyone I grew up with

I enjoyed how real and normal this story was in that it could have been written by anyone I knew back then or even myself. Little details that I had forgotten about or reminded and that was fun too.

An enjoyable trip through time, especially if you loved through it.

I really enjoyed this book. I listened to it over several months traveling back and forth to Iowa during the 6 hour drive from Chicago.
It was a great time capsule from a wonderful time to be alive as well as many heartwarming and heartbreaking stories. Thank you for sharing that window into your life.

His story evokes many memories from my own experience.

Amazing how much he remembers from that time. Guess I should have kept a journal.
Loved hearing the songs and movies that were the soundtrack back then.
Didn’t know who he was before I read it, but now I have to go watch all his movies!
I also cringed at nucular, and was dumbfounded at the numerous editing mistakes or lack of editing, especially for a movie guy’s book.

I lived it also but I’d LOVE to see THIS movie!

I graduated High School in 1983, just two years before (Bruce) Harrison Smith in rural Ohio; not dissimilar to the author’s own formative environment. All I want to say, aside from I thought it was brilliant and perfectly evocative of the times, is that his story, “our” story left me feeling melancholy, nostalgic and wonderfully proud all at once. HARRISON, if you’re reading this (go find something better to do ;) PLEASE consider writing the screenplay and make YOUR “Fast Times”/John Hughes film…I’ll see it, rent it, buy it…on VHS of course!>Thank you for sharing your youth with us ❤️

Worse than a college production

I really enjoyed the writing in this book and the story was great and nostalgic. However, the performer often trips over, and swallows words And sometimes repeats lines stops and repeats them again. It’s almost as if nobody listened to this before they released it. it really is a shame because it takes away from the story.