The 80's were great & that's when I really started opening my ears to music. Before the 80's rolled around I was strictly into bands like Kiss,Aerosmith, Nugent,Judas Priest,Blue Oyster Cult,Rush,Triumph,April Wine, Nazareth, AC/DC,UFO,Sabbath...etc. Once I got into the Stones around 78 it opened the doors for more Blues/Rock stuff but for the most part it was Metal/Hard Rock. I hated Punk & didn't care too much for the new wave stuff. Things drastically changed for me when Alice Cooper released "Flush the Fashion" in 1980 & because I was a Cooper freak no matter what he released I liked. Flush the Fashion had more of a new wave/Punk style to it & the next thing I know, I'm discovering songs like Jim Carroll's "People Who Died",The Ramones "I Wanna Be Sedated", & "What I Like About You" by the Romantics. Then things really changed when I seen a Pat Benatar show.David Johansen opened the show & he blew Pat Benatar away(Benatar was good but Johansen was unbelievable & for the record Neil Geraldo was sporting a cast from a broken wrist). I heard of Johansen bit had no idea who he was.All I know was he played Personality Crisis & Stranded in a Jungle & although I never heard the tunes I loved them. I bought a couple of his records afterwards & later realized he was the singer of the NY Dolls & I wouldn't be caught dead buying one of their albums until I seen those 2 songs I liked from the show were from the Dolls.Boom!!I now was getting into Punk which I vowed never to get into.
MTV also had a major impact on me.Between songs like Quiot Riot's "Metal Health" & Ratt's "Round & Round" they'd play videos like "Mexican Radio" or "Blinded Me with Science" so I got into all of those video hits.
I also loved the whole Metal Scene especially those first 2 Motley Crue Records,Iron Maiden's "Number of The Beast","Piece of Mind",& "Power Slave", All of the Anthrax albums,Metallica's "Kill'em All" & "Master of the Puppets",Twisted Sister, & of course Kiss.As I said Cooper kind of helped get me into the new wave/punk thing & I liked his early 80's releases but he was out of the hardrock loop by then.Kiss actually fell out of the loop with & after Dynasty.The Elder & Unmasked went totally unnoticed here. Rock was in need of a new Theatrical God & with the bite of a bat head there was Ozzy to jump in with perfect timing to take over Metal/Hardrock & I loved those first 3 Ozzy records.
I was in Montreal for a Sabres Canadiens game & that was the first time I heard "99 Red Balloons" by Nena & I loved the groove of it."I Wanna be a Cowboy" by Boys don't Cry & "Peter Gunn Theme" by Art of Noise also went over big in the clubs up there.
I was reading about Guns & Roses in Kerrang & I spotted their "Live Suicide" EP in a record store & the main reason I bought it was because they covered "Mama Kin". A few months later I picked up their Appetite For Destruction album & loved it.About a month later the record was pulled off the shelves because of the cover so I got one of the original covers. From their I got into Hanoi Rocks, the Dogs D'amour, & London Quireboys.For me there was a connectiomn with all this music & my guitar hero from the NY Dolls ...Johnny Thunders. I bought a Johnny record because I thought he looked cool as hell on the NY Dolls albums but the album was live & I thought he sucked but there was something there so I gave him another chance & that was it I was a Thunders Freak. I got to see him in 1986 with Green Jello opening.It was my first time at a Punk club & the club was sold out.I was up front with some friends & as I'm throwing my fist in the air this guy next to me who I didn't know kept bumping into me.I finally got pissed off so I started throwing my 6'3" 260lb body at him.All of a sudden I realized...I was slam Dancing!!! I never liked mosh pits but some of the wildest ones I seen back then were...at shows by the Goo Goo Dolls!!! Yes,back in the 80's the Goos were something to see.Johnny & Robbie would run around on a stage of broken Beer Bottles screaming out revved up covers of "Sunshine of Your Love","Gimme Shelter", & "Born to be Wild". If you haven't heard their very first 2 albums check them out & you will not believe it's the same band.In 1986 I seen a wild show & the reason...Punk & Metal didn't mix well in my area at that time. The show was Motorhead with Wendy O Williams & the Cro Mags.Wow,I couldn't believe all the fights & spitting at each other between the The Mowhawk & Skinhead Punkers & the Bikers!
I also seen Kim Mitchell & Joan Jett at least 10 times eachduring the 80's & was never disappointed especially being front row for one show where I was front Row for Joan Jett & her opening act Chuck Berry.The highlight being brought up onstage with about 10 others during Chuck Berry where I got to stand right next to him.
I better stop here!!!!