Mod memories

Kirstin Sibley became involved in the Sydney Mod scene from the early 1980s while still in high school, until about 1986. During this time, Sibley photographed her friends, wrote of mod events in her school diary, saved press clippings about Mod fashions and collected fanzines and flyers relating to Mod events and bands. Sibley originally intended to use this material to compile her own magazine. However this did not eventuate and to the Powerhouse Museum’s benefit she donated the collection in 2009. Kirstin Sibley’s collection provides a fascinating view of the lives and lifestyle of a vibrant alternative youth culture of the 1980s in Sydney.

Kirsten writes about being a mod…

Formative Years
My interest in mod, and youth cultures in general, really stemmed from a love of ‘new wave’ music coming out of the UK and the associated fashions. I was never going to be part of Sydney beach culture being pale, freckly, quirky and un-athletic (my idea of torture was lying on a hot, sandy beach!) and I was instinctively drawn to the alternatives. I remember being avidly glued to Countdown in my mid teens, using an old-fashioned cassette player to tape the songs that took my fancy. In 1978 my family visited the UK and we spent a week in London, where I was intrigued and transfixed by the new wave and punk street fashions. After my return to Sydney I began to listen to JJ and buy singles at a number of record shops in the CBD – including Phantom Records and another in Town Hall station. I loved frequenting markets (Paddington and Balmain) and independent shops, including those in the Crystal Palace Arcade on George Street. I was in search of both vintage clothing (shoes and accessories from the 1920s to 1960s) and anything contemporary that was a bit different. I remember purchasing a pair of 1960s winkle-pickers (flat, white and sling-back) from Paddington Market and wore these with a tiny white print mini skirt covered in peppermint green and black scribbles. There were a number of bemused and disapproving looks when I wore the outfit on the Frenchs Forest bus home to Roseville!

I first became aware of the UK mod scene probably back in 1979 and in Sydney certainly from 1981 via articles in the press. Two girls in my year at North Sydney Girls, Sarah and Rebekah, had similar taste in music and it was through them that my interest in the Sydney mod scene developed. I also remember listening to a 2JJ program on mod music and being inspired by both contemporary UK bands and also more obscure 60s soul. While I first became involved in 1982 it was in 1983 that I really took it all much more seriously and as a result my friends at school nicknamed me ‘Kirsty-Mod’.

Mod Life
Life as a mod was a social whirl – gigs, nightclubs, scooter runs and shopping. There was always something on and somewhere to go. Life was fast-paced (fuelled by any number of stimulants – coffee, prescription amphetamines or speed) and terribly exciting, especially in my formative years. The weekend usually started on a Friday night at The Quarryman’s pub in Ultimo and often progressed from there to a gig (bands included The Reasons Why, The Go, The In Crowd and Rescue Squad). Social highlights included the Newtown Leagues Club Dayniter (Sept ’84), a trip to Melbourne (Easter ’85), seeing the Style Council play in August 1985 and watching Quadrophenia for the first time. On Saturday mornings I would frantically scour op shops and markets with the aim of finding a new outfit for that evening. My favourite was a grey silk suit made by Conte’s at 14 Kings Road in Newtown (double-breasted three-button jacket with a short straight skirt, which I wore with black and grey sling-backs). The ‘holy grail’ was a pair of Courreges-style white go-go boots (calf length and flat heeled) – alas it was only a number of years later that I eventually owned a pair, but only in black.

Mod Houses
I moved out of home at 19, in 1984, into a rather run-down terrace in Gibbes Street, Newtown with two fellow mods. None of the floors or walls were perpendicular – our lounge sloped down towards the TV, which sat on a milk crate – and my father arranged for a friend to cut some doors to size so they would fit into the lop-sided frames. I remember I held my first mod party there. One of the neighbours was most upset afterwards as his lovingly-tended and mature marijuana plant had been stolen by one of our crowd.

I later moved to Ferndale Street Newtown where Ben, Michael and Fiona lived – another insalubrious address with green mould growing in the bathroom! I had a tiny bedroom – just a single mattress and a clothes rail. It was a mixed social group: working and middle classes; students (I think Ben was at Sydney College of the Arts at the time) and wage earners. Unfortunately at the time half of my records disappeared down to Melbourne, where one mod, who I now hear had a gambling problem, sold them to fund his habit (including my beloved picture-cover singles by the Purple Hearts and Secret Affair).

My last mod residence was on the corner of Station Street and Rawson Streets in Newtown. It was a large tumble-down Victorian mansion, affectionately known as ‘Mutant Manor’, with a vast number of bedrooms and a ‘secret’ tunnel running under the street. A group of younger mods, including Jane, Fiona and I lived there. It became unofficial ‘mod-central’ after the clubs or pubs had closed and random bodies would sometimes turn up in the small hours of the morning. We held a party there in January 1986 but I know at this point that I had moved on from a strictly mod style. While I still wore some 1960s outfits they were rather more flamboyant in style – embellished cocktail dresses with high-heeled winkle-pickers.

When Involvement Ceased?
My main involvement in the mod scene ended some time in 1986. I was beginning to find the ‘rules’ too restrictive, life too repetitive and had became interested in other music and fashions. I moved to Thomsen Street in Darlinghurst with a couple of friends, who had also moved on, and started dating Christopher who was a number of years older and was into the wider Sydney music scene.

I moved to London in 1990 and ultimately lost contact with most of the scene, although Don Hosie and I remained good friends. We went to a series of Hammond organ gigs at the Jazz Café in London in February 2000, bought John Smedley sweaters at Berk in the Burlington Arcade and visited Sherry’s clothing shop off Carnaby Street. It was great hanging out with someone so enthusiastic about all things ‘60s and I know Don really enjoyed the general resurgence in ‘mod’ style and music in London at the time.

What Sub-Cultures Involved In After Mod?
After moving away from the mod scene I was fleetingly involved with the rockabilly crowd. An ex-mod friend was going out with a Teddy Boy at the time and I went to a few gigs. However, while I did try and dress the part I wasn’t keen on the music, couldn’t jive and my heart wasn’t in it. It wasn’t a natural development for me and it felt too contrived jumping from one group scene to the next. To this end I have still maintained my interest in all things 60s and I guess the old mod scene had and still feels like a good ‘fit’ for my tastes and interests.

Rationale for Taking Photographs?
I recorded the mod scene from March 1984 until January 1986, just under two years. I had become interested in photography in my last couple of years at school and photographed friends for my final HSC art project (sometimes with a spattered paint back-drop a la The Face). Taking photos of the mod scene was partly an extension of this but there were other reasons. I was very shy and it was a way of getting involved without having to have a big personality or being one of the elite crowd. Recording the scene was also very much part of the mod ethos – we were very aware that we were doing something different and were incredibly conscious of how we presented ourselves. My photographs were circulated quite widely within the scene – I printed them myself (albeit awful technically!) and sold them at cost price to others. For a relatively small scene there was a proliferation of mod magazines and flyers which were illustrated with photographs of our group and also vintage images that fitted our style. I had always been an avid reader of magazines (including The Face and i-D) and at the time wanted to produce my own fanzine (I starting collecting mod ephemera and photos for this purpose) but unfortunately never got round to publishing. I had always collected from an early age – stamp, shell and rock collections – but this later developed into a love of magazines, books on pop culture and vintage fashion. Perhaps it was ultimately part of making sense of things – collecting, categorising and documenting my surroundings.

Read more about the Sydney Mod scene in the 80s in the Powerhouse Museum Collection.

Tim West – Frozen Doberman

Frozen Doberman formed in 1988, smack-bang in the middle of the halcyon days of the Sydney thrash/hardcore punk scene. Originally from the Central Coast of NSW, Frozen Doberman quickly became favourites on the Sydney live metal scene, playing regularly with thrash and punk stalwarts Mortal Sin, Addictive, Cromok, Hard Ons, Armoured Angel, White Trash and Detriment. Frozen Doberman were no sneaker-staring band. Their shows raised the energy levels of already highly charged gigs. Doberman released three albums – all independently – and were featured on five compilation albums. They also supported Motorhead and Sepultura on their Aussie tours. Tim West, ‘Westy’, was a founding member and bass player of the still highly regarded Sydney metal band.

What were you doing in the 1980s (your job/where you were living, etc)?

I left school in 87…my first job was an assistant boat builder. Up to my neck in fibreglass and resin and they were pretty woeful conditions in the factory, it was on the Central Coast of NSW, Gosford, where we grew up. Access to the music we listened to was very limited and we wore our music like a badge. In fact, it was a badge, lots of them, on denim jackets. The Central Coast was a emerging satellite city of Sydney and lots of teenagers were surfers or into rugby league, being a bit of both with long hair, metal shirts and punk jackets. We attracted a fair share of attention.

What are your strongest impressions of the 1980s?

That I didn’t like a lot of the mainstream music and the celebrated, but woeful fashion, the New Romantic movement and the androgynous pop music/fashion. To me it a lot of it seemed to have zero substance. Electronic music was new and clunky, its an important development in modern music, I just didn’t want to hear it. In the music we listened to there were a lot of apocalyptic themes, not just music, movies and books. I remember the 80s and the nuclear threat that seemed to hang over like a cloud it left a strong impression. I kinda remember thinking it seemed a relief to get to the 90′s. I was attracted to the darker elements.

What historical event of the 1980s has most resonance for you? Why?

More a vivid TV memory I distinctly remember the first Space Shuttle disaster and watching the first televised tragedy for NASA, and the seven astronauts dying. We were on holidays and a family member had passed away the day before and my father had to fly home for a few days. It intertwined the two events, and it’s a clear memory all in the surreal surroundings of Surfers Paradise. We also started our band, Frozen Doberman in 1988.

What was an event/party/gig of the 80s that stands out?

Seeing Iron Maiden in 1985. It was at the end of their ‘World Slavery Tour’ and the crowd before they came on, and during, was electric. I have seen them a few times since and they always generate this great electricity in the crowd. Also Metallica in 1989, after the previous ‘Master Of Puppets’ Tour got canceled due to the death of bass player, Cliff Burton, finally they arrived and locals ‘Mortal Sin’ were playing with them.

Any memories (fond or foul) of what you were wearing in the 1980s?

Denim jackets that we painted and drew on when we couldn’t get, or afford, real ones. Buying studs and badges and totally ‘designing’ your jacket. They are referred to as ‘Battle Jackets’ which is pretty funny in hindsight. Black jeans and white high-top sneakers. Shirts were almost always black and had a band logo or design. Tour t-shirts were the most sought after.

What movies/TV engaged you in the 1980s (and did you takes sides on VHS versus Betamax), and now?

Star Wars was the single biggest influence in that regard. It changed everything. It was 77 when it was out here and the sequels were in the 80s. I am still amazed how it stands up but also set such a high bar for classic sci-fi movies. VHS all the way.

What were you listening to – and was it on a Walkman?

Iron Maiden, Kiss, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Deep Purple, Midnight Oil, Metallica, Death Angel, Slayer, Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols, DRI, Suicidal Tendencies, The Bad Brains..lots of metal and punk. San Francisco Bay area thrash tetal and Californian and Washington DC Punk…and I loved Sydney’s The Hard-ons and Massappeal, Mortals when we were seeing bands live.

I had a Walkman but it never represented good value buying all those batteries when you could buy a new album and listen in bedrooms. We all had boom boxes of various sizes and I proudly absconded with the folks turntable when they upgraded to a new Teac double tape deck stereo in an 80s style glass cabinet.

What did you do for entertainment/leisure then and now? (Did it include computer games or the Rubik’s Cube?)

We spent a lot of time listening to music and reading magazines. We got guitars when we were 15 so organising band practices and literally carrying amps to friends houses took time and effort. I can’t believe that I lugged amps up hills across to the other side of the suburb. We never had an Atari but we had that ‘pong’ TV game that had the gun connected with a cord to shoot skeet targets. I did have a Rubick’s cube for a short time, but lost interest. Surfing took a great deal of time in the late teens, often greeted with ‘headbangers can’t surf!’

What event (personal or public) in the 1980s would you either revisit or undo if you could?
Corporations running out of control.

Check out Frozen Doberman’s ‘Frozen Once More’ album on iTunes.

Ray Ahn from The Hard-ons

Ray Ahn, bass player from the Hard Ons once said to Sydney punk fanzine ‘B-Side’, “being misunderstood is half the fun. It’s such a shit stir. I mean, calling a band The Hard-Ons. When you think about a hard on you think of big macho men with bulging muscles and a big hard on between their legs. We’re not a macho band. We like taking the piss out of macho people. In Punchbowl, where we come from, every second dude’s got a Ford Falcon with mag wheels and burns up and down the street impressing the girls…We’re not like them. We’re puny migrant kids into punk.”

What were you doing in the 1980s (your job/where you were living, etc)?

I went to school at Punchbowl Boys’ High then to The University of Sydney from 84-87. I joined Hard-ons at the end of 1981 and that band played right throughout the 80s. I did not have any job for the whole of the 80s, I relied on money made from the Hard-ons to live.

What are your strongest impressions of the 1980s?

The absolutely shithouse drum sounds on most records and the moronic dress sense and haircuts. Acid wash…what the hell is that?

What historical event of the 1980s has most resonance for you? Why?

To me, nothing beats the Dead Kennedys’ tour of Australia in 1983. I loved their records but seeing them live was something else.

What was an event/party/gig of the 80s that stands out?

See above.

Any memories (fond or foul) of what you were wearing in the 1980s?

I used to like stretch black jeans, a lot of kids into heavy metal were wearing them. Also white basketball shoes by Nike. Then I discovered that Nike used slave labour. So I switched to Vans as they were made in USA at the time and although they were hard to find they were very durable (at the time) so were worth looking for. We toured USA in 1988 and 1989 so I stocked up when we got there.

What music/movies/TV engaged you in the 1980s (and did you take sides on VHS versus Betamax), and now?

TV: I liked Married With Children.
Movies: Everything.
Music: I liked thrash metal, speed metal, power metal, some hair metal and most hard-core and punk. I hated a lot of indie pop. The things in the charts sickened me, except Debbie Gibson.

What were you listening to – and was it on a Walkman?

I had a Walkman and I listened to all the things mentioned above, as well as 60s psychedelic rock, acid rock, classic rock, 70s punk, folk-rock etc.

What did you do for entertainment/leisure then and now? (Did it include computer games or the Rubik’s Cube?)

I never had anything to do with Rubik’s cubes or computer games. I loved pin-ball machines, and mainly, watching live bands, shopping for second-hand records. We spent many months on tour so that took a lot of my time.

What do you think are the main differences between the 80s and how the world and/or your life is today?

80s were completely carefree for me. Not a worry in the world.

What event (personal or public) in the 1980s would you either revisit or undo if you could?

We played Europe and USA in 1988 and 1989 and met Hard-ons fans from other countries, for the first time in person. It was a great humbling experience and made me realise how universal rock n roll music is. I’d like to relive those tours.

Anything else you’d like to share with us about your 1980s?

Parramatta Eels 1981, 82, 83, 86.

Check out The Hard-ons on iTunes.

Chris Doheny – Geisha

What were you doing in the 1980s?

I was playing in a band full time (which means gigging maybe once a week and rehearsing five days a week). Going to bed at 3AM and sleeping in until midday. Doing it pretty hard on the dole living in a one-bedroom flat that cost $55 per week in rent!! That was in an inner suburb of Melbourne called Richmond. It was a pretty rough neighbourhood back in the early 80s. I would go and meet someone using public transport such as tram or train wearing my 80s finery and my hair would be gelled up to the sky! People would either stare in amazement or hurl abuse.
 
What are your strongest impressions of the 1980s?
Most of my memories of the 80s revolve around the fact that I was in a successful band and all the peripheral garbage that goes with that. I think that people in general were much more interested in music and band culture back then. I always joke with my friends that these days all the rock stars are athletes and not musicians and singers!

Definitely the music and fashion were fun and exciting and the feeling of innocence in a pre internet society.

Geisha’s first video, ‘Fool’s way’, 1985, directed by Karl Stienberg
 
What historical event of the 1980s has most resonance for you? Why?
The morning I woke up to see the Challenger space shuttle blow up in the sky was such a shock. The terrible loss of life from something we had come to take for granted as safe and mundane as space flight. All of a sudden the whole world stopped for a moment and we all seemed to be watching it. In a time before instant news reporting, the internet and mobile phones, we still all sat glued to the TV and reeled in horror.

What was an event/party/pub session/nightclub of the 80s that stands out?
There was so many! Generally venues didn’t seem to be open as late as they are now of course. But quite often after a show we might go and have a drink or a dance at nightclubs such as The Ritz in St Kilda. Also The Ivy in Melbourne City.

The Ritz was this sleazy strip bar where we could go and have a quiet drink without being bothered by fans. We also knew quite a lot of the “dancers”, so it was a very friendly atmosphere. There was also a famous nightclub in St Kilda called The Razor Club – we used to love going there after a gig and usually not emerging until broad daylight!

Any memories (fond or foul) of what you were wearing in the 1980s?
Oh yeah! Pointy-toed leather shoes, coats with padded shoulders. Baggy high waisted trousers with braces. Neon coloured singlets! Junk jewellery. bangles and earrings. Eyeliner and mascara (sometimes even eye shadow!).
 

What music/movies/TV engaged you in the 1980s (and did you takes sides on VHS versus Betamax), and now?
I didn’t watch TV soap only news and ‘Sale of the century’ with Tony Barber. But I loved the ‘Back to the future’ movies also ‘Raiders of the lost ark’ etc….

I actually owned a Beta recorder and I still think it was a better quality picture than VHS – too bad the world went VHS as the 80s wore on; it got harder and harder to get Beta movies!

What were you listening to?
I used to listen to albums by bands like The Fixx, INXS, Simple Minds, Japan, Angels, Flowers (Icehouse), David Bowie, Peter Gabriel.

What did you do for entertainment/leisure then and now?
I think everything I did for leisure back in those days was something that got me out of the house as opposed to now where we have everything we need at home. I was never a big computer game kind of guy. I did spend a lot of time home recording music in my studio.

What do you think are the main differences between the 80s and how the world and/or your life is today?
In the 80s there were no mobile phones no internet and no immediate news coverage. To be a successful musician/singer/writer you needed to go out and travel around the country/world and sing your heart out every night to empty rooms until you caught a break. I also think that fame and talent were interlinked.

Nowadays we have the cult of celebrity. You can talk to someone on the other side of the planet from your car or canoe. You can make a record and video in your bedroom and post it on youtube for global broadcast without leaving the house!

Personally, I’m still involved in music with Geisha. We’re currently signed to Oz label Diamond Dod Records and we’ve just released a new album, ‘Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’.

What was a prized object you owned then (and do you still have it)?
My Kawai baby grand piano that I bought with my very first publishing cheque in 1985; it had been a personal goal of mine to own one from the age of ten.

 

Geisha’s 2010 video, ‘Mystery writer’, directed by Liam Firmagher
 

What event (personal or public) in the 1980s would you either revisit or undo if you could?
I had another personal goal when I was a kid which was to appear on ‘Countdown’ (music show in the 80s presented by Molly Meldrum).

By 1987 I had been on ‘Countdown’ more than a dozen times. I would love to relive the feeling of the first time that I got to appear on that iconic show!

Listen to Geisha songs on iTunes

Thin Em – Cambodian refugee to Australia 1986

Cambodia to Sydney
Thin Em’s hometown in Cambodia was repeatedly bombed during the civil war. He escaped in 1985 at the age of 12. For almost two years Thin Em lived in a United Nations refugee camp in Thailand. A Vietnamese family looked after him. They had a relative in Australia and Thin was sponsored to migrate with them. He arrived in Sydney in 1986.

Thin Em interview produced with the assistance of the Powerhouse Museum’s NSW Migration Heritage Centre.

Mother Inferior – Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

(Alter ego of Fabian LoSchiavo)

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence began in San Francisco in 1979 as a small group of gay men who protested against and drew attention to social problems (such as prejudice against gay people) by wearing nuns’ habits when protesting. In the 80s the order spread around the world and was enthusiastically taken up in Sydney, where the Sisters achieved significant media coverage through their humorous and highly entertaining presentations – which included singing satirical lyrics in Gregorian chant. Mother Inferior was an influential founding member of the order whose Sisterly contributions included sewing costumes, making props, writing songs and spiritedly playing her piano accordion in their performances.

 
What were you doing in the 1980s (your job/where you were living, etc)?
My job was as an archivist in government archives. I had completed my Diploma in Archives Admin in 1980 and started work in 1981.
 

What are your strongest impressions of the 1980s?
My strongest impression of the 1980s were of a time of big changes in my life, away from feeling vaguely guilty about being gay or apologetic at the least to a stance of being quite assertive and ‘out’. These were the years when I was on the Anglican Diocese of Sydney’s Synod, and being radicalised by the homophobia I saw there, and the moving away from being a well-behaved discreet homosexual to a public homosexual.

There was AngGays, the Anglican gay group, and then the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and the Gay Liberation Choir, and the Mardi Gras ….. all combining to push me away from invisibility.

Also the experience of being bashed up by homophobic thugs …. but matched to the extraordinary experience of being the focus of an ‘Encounters’ programme (like ‘Compass’ – ABC-TV religion dept) in 1985 .… And the focus if the ‘Monsignor Porcamadonna’ affair when Don Dunstan resigned after a book launch I attended ‘in persona’ – which was even reported in the European media.

Getting arrested for demonstrating against the visit of Pope John Paul II. Going to court and getting convicted. And the beginning of the Safe Sex teaching which the Sisters initiated in Sydney.

The 90s and after have been sleepy times indeed after all this 80s stuff!

Duration: 5 minutes
A longer video is available below.

What historical event of the 1980s has most resonance for you? Why?
Ordination of women in the Anglican Church and the first women bishops (it said so much about the Church moving towards inclusion and the future it would hold for the inclusion of gay people. And the decriminalisation and anti-discrimination legislation affecting gay people in 1985. The fall of the Iron Curtain. Lockerbie bombing and shooting down of KAL by Russians.

What was an event/party/pub session/nightclub of the 80s that stands out?
The rally against Jerry Falwell at Top Ryde in 1983.

Any memories (fond or foul) of what you were wearing in the 1980s?
Putting on the habit for the first time in public…that was THE clothing of the 80s for me!

What music/movies/TV engaged you in the 1980s and now?
E M Forster’s gay novel, ‘Maurice’, which he wouldn’t allow to be published until after his death. It was an early gay novel with a happy ending, and the film version was excellent!!! There was also a book, ‘The youngest director’, which was an 80s British book …. a coming out story with a HAPPY ending.

What were you listening to – and was it on a Walkman?
When not listening to myself singing in the parish choir, I was listening to gregorian chant and byzantine chant and bagpipes and country folk and ethnic. I was learning belly dance for three years in the 80s.

What did you do for entertainment/leisure then and now? (Did it include computer games or the Rubik’s Cube?)
I did a hell of a lot of sewing: banner, flags and habits.

What do you think are the main differences between the 80s and how the world and/or your life is today?
Now I don’t care to go out a lot…. I like to stay at home, sewing, reading, listening to music, watching TV. I will go to rallies and even go on my own to make a political statement…. like walking the whole length of Oxford Street and Elizabeth Street from Taylors Sq. to the Rocks at afternoon peak hour in my habit as Mother Inferior with a big sign ‘ANNOYING’ because the government was going to pass laws making it illegal to ‘annoy’ pilgrims to the World Youth Day…. that made me sooooo angry. I thought, ‘I can’t let THIS pass’. Otherwise I have a very quiet, anonymous, peaceful life now…. not like the 80s.

What was a prized object you owned then (and do you still have it)?
The pink triangle flag I was carrying when I was arrested at Sydney Uni for telling the Pope: ‘Anti woman, anti gay, fascist Pope go away’. It’s ripped, but the police gave it back to me in the court room.

In the following video, Mother Inferior and Fabian LoSchiavo reminisce the 1980s
(This is an extended version of the video above.)

Duration: 13 minutes 24 seconds

What event (personal or public) in the 1980s would you either revisit or undo if you could?
The first live safe sex demonstration at Ken’s Karate Klub at Kensington in 1985…. that was great fun for old Mother Inferior. Although the habit was hot inside the sauna, I felt very satisfied with my presentation and commentary (I don’t know about the two poor ‘performers’!!). I could revisit it with pleasure. I would like to undo some of the media coverage around the ‘Monsignor Porcamadonna’ affair, but I suppose even that had some good outcomes. It certainly put our poor parish on the map!! (whether they liked it or not). And it made sure the book ‘Being Different’ (an anthology of Australian gay men’s stories) was widely publicised and sold out its first edition!

My 1980s were a time of big change…. I think I had had enough of trying to convince the Diocese to be kinder to gays…. life was short enough, especially with people dropping dead from AIDS…. I would have liked to continue to irritate them (the homophobes in the churches) but.… well…. there is more to life!

Stephen Roberts, designer

What were you doing in the 1980s (your job/where you were living, etc)?
In the 1980s I was living and working in Sydney, in the field of design. In 1987 I was a founding member of the design group and registered architects D4DESIGN, along with set designer Michael Scott-Mitchell and architect Bill MacMahon. During the five years we were together we completed many types of projects, including the Rockpool for Neil Perry. (In 1992 we disbanded and I moved to New York.)

What are your strongest impressions of the 1980s?
Perhaps it had something to do our innocent nature at the time and of being in our 20s and the fact that I had moved down from the Blue Mountains at the end of the 70s, but Sydney in the 80s was a magical place where it felt like anything was possible, creatively and otherwise. In the first half of the decade we were all still in college and by the second half doing million-dollar projects.

What historical event of the 1980s has most resonance for you? Why?
The recession at the end of the 1980s. For most of us the party was over and it felt like things would never be the same. It was a major reason I left for New York.

What was an event/party/pub session/nightclub of the 80s that stands out? For me it all started with The Exchange. The club and pub scene in the 80s, probably because it was built on so secure a rock as the fantastic music that seemed to come out every week, was really unmatched. Even when I moved to New York in 1992 I found nothing like it. Perhaps the easy merging with the large gay scene in Sydney helped? Certainly it helped general creativity.

Any memories (fond or foul) of what you were wearing in the 1980s?
After spending 3 months in Tokyo in 1986 I like to think that most of my sartorial influences were purely Japanese but of course I am reminded all the time that in trying to be ‘creative’ we usually pushed the limits of what is now considered good taste.

What music/movies/TV engaged you in the 1980s and now?
‘E.T.’, ‘Blade Runner’, ‘The Last Emperor’, ‘The Shining’, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, ‘Empire of the Sun’, ‘Moonstruck’, ‘Out of Africa’, ‘Dangerous Liaisons’, ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’, ‘Ordinary People’, ‘Poltergeist’, ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘Aliens’. Some of the best movies in the last two years include ‘District 9′, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, ‘Public Enemies’, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘Revolutionary Road’, ‘Doubt’, ‘The Reader’.

What were you listening to – and was it on a Walkman?
No Walkman…. If not in a bar or a club, playing music in my car driving somewhere by the water. Mostly British but some American music – ABC, Bryan Ferry, The Clash, The Cure, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, Eurythmics, Fine Young Cannibals, Heaven 17, The Human League, Japan, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Psychedelic Furs, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Soft Cell, Spandau Ballet, The Style Council, Talk Talk, Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, Violent Femmes, Blondie….

What did you do for entertainment/leisure then and now?
We first bought Apple computers back in the late 1980s and I remember throwing one in the back of the car when we went down to my partner’s weekender because it seemed so small and portable. Now even laptops are too big to pack in your luggage.

What do you think are the main differences between the 80s and how the world and/or your life is today?
Of course it was a much simpler time and even though we tried for a world view, I don’t remember it so much as a political world view. Today we are much better informed but also, unfortunately, tend to feed ourselves bad news far too quickly. A problem with instant access to too much information.

What was a prized object you owned then (and do you still have it)?
My BMW 2002. I sold it when I came here and ended up with a 911S, also from the ’70s. Now, like most New Yorkers, I use a Zipcar instead.

What event (personal or public) in the 1980s would you either revisit or undo if you could?
Nothing really. Even the Recession led to me coming to New York, so that very rough ending opened up much better doors, in the long run.

Senator Bob Brown, Leader of the Greens

What were you doing in the 1980s?
At the beginning of the decade I was still doing rare locum general practice work as a doctor but most of my time was spent on the campaign to save Tasmania’s magnificent Franklin River from damming.

Along with a group of other dedicated volunteers we managed to bring the Franklin’s fate to the attention of the rest of the country and in 1983 the federal government overrode the Tasmanian Government to stop construction once it got the go-ahead from the High Court.

For a while I camped in empty houses and raided food bins behind restaurants at night and my pensioner mother sent me $20 per month.

In the same year the river was saved I became a member of the Tasmanian Parliament. After being arrested for protesting against the dam I discovered on the day I was released from prison that a recount of the seat of Denison had put me in Parliament.

What historical event of the 1980s has most resonance for you? Why?
Obviously the saving of the Franklin River was a momentous decision that has continued to provide benefits to Tasmania’s tourism industry and opened up the beauty of the state’s wilderness from people across the globe.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was also a great testament to democracy and the power of people to bring about change.

Meanwhile, peaceful opponents of the Argentinian regime were being arrested, drugged and dropped from planes over the Atlantic Ocean.

Any memories of what you were wearing in the 1980s?
During the Franklin River campaign I was often on the move between the blockade at the river and the demands of the media. As a consequence I kept a few suits in wardrobes around the state that I could pull on for a last-minute TV interview. I wore one of these pin-striped suits at the recent 25 year anniversary celebration of the Franklin campaign – and now pin-striped suits are back in fashion!

What do you think are the main differences between the 80s and how the world and/or your life is today?
There are two billion more people, millions of hectares less forests, scores of fisheries have collapsed and Greenland’s ice cap is melting. But I’m a little wiser. Optimism beats pessimism. Human intelligence can save us from ourselves and so the future beckons in a world in which, unlike the 80s, we are all connected in one global community.

Darian Zam – artist, designer, illustrator, social historian, writer

Darian Zam is an artist and designer who has exhibited and published his work for over 20 years in Australia and New Zealand. He has been commissioned by the Powerhouse Museum to design the merchandise for ‘The 80s are back’ exhibition.

What were you doing in the 1980s?
I was the best, most fun thing you could be if you lived in the 80s – a teenager!

I was living in New Zealand at that time so it was isolated and fairly limited, and still more tied to the UK culturally than the U.S. Any music that wasn’t at the very top of the charts had to be ordered as import vinyl from the record store and would take weeks or months if you could get it at all. We also eagerly anticipated our order of music mags like ‘No1′ (Britain) so we could find out what was happening in London, or ‘Smash Hits’ (Australia) for what was going on there. Literally the only way to find out about music releases and fashions was from ads and photos of pop stars in these publications. If it wasn’t on the Saturday night top 20 or on the radio’s Sunday top 40 then forget it. If you wanted cool shoes you had to wait for someone to go overseas and get them for you. I was stuck in West Auckland so I was surrounded by boring suburbanites or hippies. It wasn’t my idea of glamour.

What are your strongest impressions of the 1980s?
Music and fashion. It was an exciting time with a lot of experimentation for us teenagers. A lot of it was kind of do-it-yourself, as I mentioned, it was hard to get stuff down the bottom of the world and it was pretty dull for choice – we couldn’t Google anything or check websites or even buy online. It was pitiful when you think back! Computers and CDs, let alone MP3s weren’t part of our lives. It seems quite isolated now, and a whole planet away even though it’s only 20 years or so.

So there was a lot of fabric painting and refashioning vintage clothes, which were just becoming an idea in the mid 80s. It was considered shocking to wear ‘old clothes’; it was such an upwardly mobile environment where everything was shiny and new – it was all about convenience. A lot of safety pins, badges and jewellery to customise the look. Forget the accounts of how outré the decade was. It was so conservative really – people would just gawk at you if you so much as blonded your hair, like you’d just arrived from outer space. To me the decade is clearly gradated from one end where it was daggy, clunky, and hideous (‘Footloose’ still makes me shudder) to the end where it was actually quite cool, glamorous and exciting. Perhaps that had to do with my age as well.

What historical event of the 1980s has most resonance for you? Why?
I remember there being a huge amount of excitement over every detail of the wedding of Charles and Diana. Everyone was obsessed with that big meringue of a dress! How many smaller countries of the British Empire were bankrupted over that thing? It was disgustingly decadent, not in a good way, when you look back at it.

I also remember the shock of the Rainbow Warrior bombing as it happened right in my city only 20 minutes drive from where we lived – people were just sick with disbelief and outrage.

Also there was a lot of development as huge areas of the city were razed ‘in the name of progress’, (ie corporate greed), and subsequent protests over the demolition of historic buildings. I went to the His Majesty’s Theatre protest to demonstrate, for one. People were up in arms – but they pulled it down anyway.

I remember being roused in the early hours of the morning to see Halley’s Comet which was all blurry because I was half asleep and entirely grumpy. I was a teenager so I really didn’t give a toss about current events or politics, but I really cared about my hair!

One event I think that really changed everything for me was a student exchange program at school. We got this kid from Los Angeles, a punk. He had an overcoat and studs and an American drawl and brought all his records with him. He was bad ass, and we got on like a guitar on fire. We were desperate for anything American then, believe it or not – anything different.

What was an event/party/pub session/nightclub of the 80s that stands out?
There were a lot. We would see just about any live act we could get a ticket for because it was so limited. Imagine how many overseas acts came to that little country then. Nobody! Mostly we were just fantasising about it! I remember seeing ‘The Jesus and Mary Chain’ and getting on the front page of the paper because it qualified as ‘news’ of interest. One club I remember was called The Fingerpop Club and everyone would get there before it opened on Saturday nights and parade around in the courtyard in front of everyone showing off their new look. It was a lot of fun creating your clothes and hair for that night and seeing how much you could shock or outdo everyone. Such poseurs!

Any memories (fond or foul) of what you were wearing in the 1980s?
Where do you start? You could write an essay on it. It was punk, it was romantic, it was Goth, it was retro Americana, it was a combination of a bunch of things. Lots of accessories, bandanas, hats and little suitcases, doctor’s bags or children’s lunch boxes. Back then you could get amazing stuff from op shops without trying too hard. I had just about every colour and style of hair. I was always in trouble at school for what I was wearing or my fringe and almost got expelled a couple of times for my dress sense. The headmaster despised me and thought I was the end of civilization. I found it so frustrating being stuck in that town in that little country when there was all this excitement going on in New York and London and Sydney. If you ask any of my friends about the 80s, they have story after story of some ridiculous hairdo I had, or some obscenely over-the- top outfit I wore. There were some basics that were a must-have though, like Doc Martens boots, army surplus, especially overcoats, and a vintage cardigan. The rest you could mix and match. I never went anywhere without a can of hairspray and am personally responsible for part of the hole in the Ozone Layer. That said, for all the unconventional looks people remember, there was just as much disgusting dagginess and humdrum junk – that hasn’t changed.

What music/movies/TV engaged you in the 1980s, and now?
Just anything on New York, London or Sydney and the clubs. The ones that stood out for me were movies about anyone who was ‘different’ like ‘Pretty in Pink’, Molly Ringwald wearing vintage clothes which as almost unheard of. Ally Sheedy as the introverted artist and all the other misfits in ‘Breakfast Club’. I was completely taken with the style of Melanie Griffith’s character in ‘Something Wild’ and Madonna in ‘Desperately seeking Susan’. All those bangles and necklaces, and the hatbox with all the grafitti and decoupage! I also remember being really excited about ‘Mondo New York’, which was about the downtown Manhattan scene, featuring The B52s, Joey Arias, John Sex, Lydia Lunch and Karen Finley. It was SO exciting. I just wanted to jump on a plane and move there to do performance art.

What were you listening to – and was it on a Walkman?
I had a turntable as well as a Walkman, of course. Mostly I was interested in more alternative music, or electronic music like The Cure and Depeche Mode – neither of which are considered outrageous now, in fact almost the opposite. But then it was very different and shocking, and people thought it was just noise, crap. I would be heaped with abuse!

What did you do for entertainment/leisure then and now? (Did it include computer games or the Rubik’s Cube?)
I remember those little hand-held games like Donkey Kong. Definitely a lot of Space Invaders. Roller-skating was big. Going to the movies to see ‘Fright Night’ or ‘Poltergeist’. Mostly it was sitting at friends’ houses listening to the latest 12 inch mix of a single that had just come in, if we were lucky to get our hands on something. There was a lot of hair teasing and cigarette smoking and sneaking drinks from parents’ cocktail bars. As the 80s progressed, we were more sophisticated: Japanese cuisine was new and extremely glamorous, or a café, then maybe a nightclub. No, we certainly didn’t sit around playing with Rubik’s Cubes! Are you mad?

What are some of the major changes for you from then to now?
In the 80s I was obsessed with Andy Warhol and all I wanted to do was go to New York, and befriend him and become a famous artist. Then in 1987 he died and I was devastated. I would never get to meet him and become one of his superstars! I also remember Black Monday the same year being the cap of a rather a glum period, especially for people who were business entrepreneurs like my father, but as a kid you couldn’t really understand. All I could see was Haring, Basquiat and Kostabi becoming feted and rich in Manhattan, and so being creative seemed like a very feasible and glamorous career. It’s simply the difference between being a teen and being nearly forty! Now experience has just ground me down and I have a horrifyingly definite reality of how the business works… if only we could stay that naïve forever!

What was a prized object you owned then (and do you still have it)?
I have a handmade badge I painted that I wore for years that said ‘CULTURE HERO’. I thought it was the coolest thing. I still have some beautiful, handmade vintage waistcoats I had then. The little old ladies at Vinnies would see me coming, and say, ‘Something came in this week we saved for you dear…’ I mean, nobody else wanted it. I still have them but of course now I can’t fit into them…

What event (personal or public) in the 1980s would you either revisit or undo if you could?
If anything I wish I had been far more outrageous and cared less what people said and even less what they thought of me. In youth you can get away with just about anything but of course then, you don’t know that everything eventually sags, expands, and falls apart. You just don’t have the experience or power to stand up for yourself or what you believe in when you’re young a lot of the time. There’s a few teachers I would tell to go screw themselves if I could travel back in time.

Anything else you’d like to share with us about your 1980s?
I think that people look back and package the 80s up as this very superficial decade of excess, where we all just pranced around with enormous hair and ra-ra skirts drinking chardonnay at French bistros. They look back at a decade where they think all the political work of the 60s and 70s was undone by ‘greed is good’. This is not necessarily true. I remember a lot of political action. Look what was going on with Thatcher and Regan. It was rather grim really, not to mention the AIDS crisis which dear Ronald deliberately ignored. It was quite conservative and dull unless you were prepared to seek out things that were exciting. It wasn’t all fruity cocktails, chromed highrise bars and celebrities. But it was all there to be had if you really wanted it, with mile high hair moussed on end.

What do you think are the main differences between the 80s and how the world and/or your life is today?
Obviously the main difference is the Internet. It very much determines how we shape our lives, and how we are in turn approached. In the 80s, as I’ve outlined, we had no freedom in comparison to now – there just weren’t the avenues. Because there is so much to explore and discover without even leaving the house – I think that big corporations and organisations don’t have a stranglehold on limited information highways with product or beliefs. It’s great for creative people like bands because they can promote themselves, build up a fanbase and sell records without a big company behind them. On the down side, people are a lot lazier physically and probably mentally because so much is delivered to them on a platter. People are a bit more environmentally conscious, but how much are they actually doing about it? The jury is out on that one, but still, I shudder to think what we were doing back then that we didn’t have a high awareness of the ramifications. Chernobyl, anyone?

Something amusing is that teenagers today are wearing exactly what we were wearing 20 years ago, thinking they’ve invented the wheel. The flat canvas shoes, saggy cardies, stovepipes and oversize tees, quirky hats. They smirk but they don’t know we invented it. Been there, done that, kids. There’s a lot of noise about teens today being the new conservatives. What a hideous idea. Live it up while you can I say.

Brian Canham – Pseudo Echo

What were you doing in the 1980s (your job/where you were living, etc)?
Fronting Pseudo Echo and living in Melbourne’s inner city South Yarra.

What are your strongest impressions of the 1980s?
The fashion & music.

What historical event of the 1980s has most resonance for you? Why?
Death of John Lennon… was driving down the coast for a holiday with a group of friends (including my, now, wife), and heard the announcement on the radio… seemed surreal.

What was an event/party/pub session/nightclub of the 80s that stands out?
Inflation, The Jump Club (inner city Melbourne), and Benny’s (Kings Cross) Sydney.

Any memories (fond or foul) of what you were wearing in the 1980s?
Pointy suede boots with lots of buckles, studded belt, frilly shirt, and headbands.. . sandblasted leather jacket… Chinese (kung fu) slippers.

What music/movies/TV engaged you in the 1980s (and did you takes sides on VHS versus Betamax), and now?
Music produced by Trevor Horn.. The movie ‘Blade Runner’… VHS for me… well Betamax was a better format… but the good guy doesn’t always win.

What were you listening to – and was it on a Walkman?
Simple Minds, Spandau Ballet, Durran Durran, Human League, Ultravox, Jean Michel Jarre, Japan. Etc… I think mainly in the car, or on my ‘Silver’ ghetto balster.

What did you do for entertainment/leisure then and now? (Did it include computer games or the Rubik’s Cube?)
There was an arcade game (in Bondi) called Astron Belt… (a Star Wars knock off)… loved that… and also in a venue in called The Jump Club – Collingwood (Melbourne) there was an arcade game called Moon Patrol, had the coolest electro 12 bar sound track… I also rode trail bikes too.

These days I still ride motorcycles, and I scuba dive any time I can too.

What do you think are the main differences between the 80s and how the world and/or your life is today?
Technology has changed (among other things) how our youth are entertained.
I don’t think kids are that excited over a ‘pop star’ these days… seems like it’s no big deal… they see ‘Joe Average’ become a star overnight on things like ‘Idol’.

What was a prized object you owned then (and do you still have it)?
My black suede boots (I still have), and also my father’s car (Datsun 280ZX) had a huge impression on me… I own a beautiful original 280ZX these days.

What event (personal or public) in the 1980s would you either revisit or undo if you could?
Definitely Lennon’s assassination would be something I would undo.
I’d also rewrite all of my lyrics to say something worth saying.

Anything else you’d like to share with us about your 1980s?
I was a teenage rock star! I had hit records, was chased by screaming girls, toured the world, met the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke (and hung out with him in his office)…
I married my true love and had our first child. It was fun, if not a bit of a blur…

Check out Check out Pseudo Echo albums on iTunes.

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