About the only congruity of the 80′s music scene was funky hair. Talent (or lack thereof) had little to do with making a name for oneself – it was more the ability to create a stir. In hindsight, we see it was the artists who had reached cult status back then who are the cultivated legends we honor and mimic today. From the New York Dolls to Journey to Run DMC – genre, fashion and style were knee deep in diversity in the 80′s as it truly was the schizophrenic decade of music history.

It goes without saying that MTV played a major role in the mixture of the music scene. From the pop icons of Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince to the thrash of Heavy Metal, Punk, Rap and Prog Rock. If an artist was catching fire you could be sure to find the visual attached in the form of a music video.

Music videos broadened the spectrum and stretched the scene to unimaginable boundaries. Gone forever were the handsome crooners and dainty songbirds. Even the peace-loving, long haired Hippies quickly took the back seat to Punk Rockers and their Mohawks; Headbangers and their leather and the New Wave Romantics with their pompadours and super broad shoulder pads. What artists lacked in good looks they made up for in ingenuity – a bold statement of fashion to accompany their music’s passion.

The 80′s was undoubtedly the decade that women dominated the scene. Aside from the well known favorites, artists like Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bow Wow Wow, Suzanne Vega and the Eurythmics to name a few, broke new ground with aggressive performances in both recordings and live shows. In addition, they boldly tackled controversial topics dealing with abuse and injustice from a woman’s perspective.

Perhaps it was the mitigating social circumstances of the 80′s such as the Cold War, Reaganism and crack cocaine that left artists with no choice but to emerge with untamed angst. But one thing is for sure, promoting anarchy will never be the same.