DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER:
THE ‘80S MUSIC PARTY GAME
MARTIN JOSEPH QUINN
PETER CAT BOOKS
Copyright © Peter Cat Books, 2012
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0811-8
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Writing this book was more fun than a Kid Creole concert. I would like to thank the following people for contributing to my love for music and the creation of this book.
Michael Buening for his dedication to the project and for keeping me in line.
Music teacher Mr. Hartman for playing “Ladies Night” by Kool & the Gang at the end of 5th grade music class.
Casey Kasem and anyone who has ever worked for the American Top 40 radio show.
Terry, Fred, Marisa, and Monica for letting me dominate the car radio as a child, and for their unwavering support and love.
Kevin Murphy for help with the questions.
The staff at Posman books for keeping me sane.
All my friends and random barflies that served as my focus group.
Jon Sugar for his friendship, and for exposing me to “Jet Boy, Jet Girl” by Elton Motello and “Jungle Jezebel” by Divine.
Ken for weeding out the ‘90s questions and for the constant pop music streaming from the cheap Emachine.
INTRODUCTION
‘80s music sucks. Synths are soulless, the lyrics were as hollow as Stacey Q’s skull, and MTV promoted musicians that were more pretty than talented, right? Why fill a book with this crap?
Our favorite decade didn’t have the Beatles or Janis or Zeppelin, but somehow the years between the death of disco and the onslaught of grunge makes us smile on a bad day. Why is that?
Freaks Come Out At Night. The outsiders that got wedgies in the locker room and spitballs in their hair avenged themselves by becoming pop stars. Cyndi Lauper wore skirts made of newspaper and hit the Top 10 with a song about masturbation. Annie Lennox shaved her head and cavorted with cows. Boy George became the world’s most popular transvestite, Prince sang falsetto AND played a vicious guitar, and the most popular musician of the decade, Michael Jackson, rest his soul, in a sense was the freakiest of them all. Musicians and their young fans rebelled by showing their true colors. It was liberating and fun.
Video Killed the Radio Star. Part of the reason the freaks took over was because music was now being televised, and the medium demanded that its stars be more eye-catching than Barry Manilow and the Doobie Brothers. Some of the best videos were excellent by accident. Toni Basil and a bunch of big-boned cheerleaders created arresting, red-white-and-blue beauty against a stark white backdrop. And some clips were corny but so entertaining that we could watch it 100 times in a month. When Pat Benatar switched from icy, mean rock chick to slutty, shimmying rock chick in the “Love Is a Battlefield” video, we were mesmerized.
Fight the Power. The ‘80s introduced a new art form to the masses. Rap was the new folk music and it was easier to dance to than Joan Baez. KRS-One, Public Enemy, and Run-D.M.C. recorded complex, sonically explosive albums. Rap’s in-your-face lyrics, funk beats, and smooth flows influence the entire musical spectrum from Anthrax to Ziggy Marley and new jack to Northern Soul. By the end of the decade, when Paula Abdul danced with a rapping cat, the commercial aspect of hip hop started to cloud the creative. But in the ‘80s, rap was still groundbreaking and explosive.
Walking on Sunshine. The B–52’s ,Wham!, and Kool and the Gang were ‘80s Prozac. Songs like “We Got the Beat,” “Rio,” “Girl U Want,” and “Push It” are catchy, bouncy, pure fun. When you heard them sitting in traffic, moping in your room, or on MTV, the mostly nonsensical lyrics put a smile on your face. Even supposed sad sack bands like the Smiths could induce laughter with wit and style. ‘80s music will retain ultimate popularity because it has a unique ability to bring joy to people’s lives.
Don’t Dream It’s Over: The ‘80s Music Party Game attempts to conjure up this joyous atmosphere by digging deep into the decade and pulling out the familiar and forgotten. Here’s hoping our game/book unearths some great memories and contributes to some really great parties, road trips, and skips down memory lane.
RULES OF THE GAME
OBJECT: To score the most points by answering the most questions.
(Note: if you don’t feel like playing in a game format and would like to answer questions willy-nilly, skip to the sets of questions).
For two or more players. While there’s nothing wrong with playing alone, the game is best played with a bunch of people at a party.
All ages can play. It helps to have lived through the ‘80s, but New Wave-loving youngsters who want to learn more about the Go-Go’s and Culture Club are encouraged to join in the fun.
HOW TO PLAY
If more than two people are playing, divide the participants into two teams—say Team Kajagoogoo and Team Loverboy.
Before you start, designate one person on each team as “the reader” and one person as “the writer.” Don’t worry—both reader and writer get to play like everyone else.
Choose who goes first. Roll a die, flip a coin, or thumb wrestle.
Let’s say Team Kajagoogoo goes first. The Team Loverboy “reader” reads the first question, waits for Team Kajagoogoo to answer, then the Team Loverboy “writer” records their answer. Do this for all 10 questions on the first page. Allow each team to deliberate before coming up with a final answer, but you don’t have all day so feel free to egg them on.
After Team Kajagoogoo answers all 10 questions, the Team Loverboy “reader” turns the page, reads the answers, and the Team Loverboy “writer” values assigned for each question—the first two questions are worth 1 point, the second two are worth 2 points, and so on up to 5 points. The higher the point value the harder the question. There are occasional bonus questions throughout the book—they are always worth 2 points.
Now switch teams and repeat the process.
Keep going until each team completes the quiz set (100 total questions, 50 per team). The team with the highest score wins and gets to do an ‘80s victory dance (Cabbage Patch, the Running Man, the Pee-Wee Herman, etc.) for no longer than 1 minute.
VARIATIONS ON THE GAME
The “Absolute Beginners” version. If the people playing are just learning about ‘80s music or know some, but not a lot of trivia, stick to the 1, 2, and 3 point questions on each page.
The “Let’s Get Serious” version. If the players really know their stuff, stick to the 3, 4, and 5 point questions on each page.
