1. R.E.M. – Everybody Hurts 04-1993 2. Aerosmith – Cryin’ 11-1993 3. Whitney Houston – Queen Of The Night 11-1993 4. Gabrielle – Dreams 06-1993 5. Ace Of Base – All That She Wants 05-1993 6. Billy Joel – The River Of Dreams 08-1993 7. Guns ‘N’ Roses – The Civil War EP 05-1993 8. Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way 02-1993 9. kd lang – Constant Craving 03-1993 10. M People – Moving On Up 09-1993 11. Sting – Fields Of Gold 06-1993 12. Ugly Kid Joe – Cats In The Cradle 03-1993 13. Meat Loaf – I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) 10-1993
And the also rans: Bon Jovi – In These Arms 05-1993 Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle – A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme) 12-1993 Mariah Carey – Hero 11-1993 Def Leppard – Heaven Is 01-1993 Haddaway – What Is Love 06-1993 Whitney Houston – I’m Every Woman 01-1993 INXS – The Gift 10-1993 Iron Maiden – Hallowed Be Thy Name 10-1993 Elton John & Kiki Dee -True Love 11-1993 Lenny Kravitz – Heaven Help 09-1993 Madonna – Fever 04-1993 Freddie Mercury – Living On My Own 08-1993 Metallica – Sad But True 02-1993 George Michael & Queen With Lisa Stansfield – Five Live (EP) 04-1993 Dannii Minogue – This Is It 07-1993 New Order – Regret 04-1993 Pet Shop Boys – Go West 09-1993 R.E.M. – The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite 02-1993 Roxette – Almost Unreal 07-1993 Sade – No Ordinary Love 06-1993 Take That – Pray 07-1993 Take That feat Lulu – ReLight My Fire 10-1993 Thunder – A Better Man Tina Turner – I Don’t Wanna Fight 05-1993 UB40 – (I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You 05-1993 Paul Weller – Wild Wood -09-1993
Top 90s brands included Calvin Klein, Guess Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, and Polo. Some of the sculpted, fitted looks of the 80s were replaced by natural shoulders and fluidly draped jackets, blouses and dresses. Oversized, loose-fitting sweaters and vests topped gathered skirts of varying lengths. Trousers were multi-pleated or gathered and cut with wide legs – harking back to 70s flares.
Aside from the “preppy” look, long dresses were teamed with wide belts, and splatter and sponge paint clothes with neon colours were popular among teens/young adults. Bright yellow, blue, teal, and hot pink knit tops, shirts, sweatshirts, pants, shorts, and dresses were simple pairings, usually with white or black bottoms/leggings.
Jeans – especially acid-washed – had pleated or paper bag waistband high rise / high waisted with a tapered leg. Gradually slim fit skinny jean (still with a high waist) and boot cut jeans came into 90s fashion in the middle to late years. The high waist dropped to hip hugger status too. These were often paired with crop tops.
Overalls were effortless and casual, considered a wardrobe staple in the decade, worn in a variety of ways and frequently paired with a classic white tee-shirt. They became popular after members of TLC wore them. A more edgy look pairs black linen overalls with a matching turtleneck and Doc Marten combat boots, accessorized with a mini leather backpack.
Hip hop had a strong influence on ‘90s fashion, and popular street style brands like FUBU emerged, making hip hop fashion even more mainstream. An iconic look inspired by Aaliyah’s sporty hip hop style included a bandana, athletic windbreaker, Calvin Klein sports bra, black joggers, and white Adidas. A Destiny’s Child-inspired outfit consisted of a Tommy Hilfiger logo top, low-rise jeans, and white sneakers.
Grunge fashion was inspired by icons like Courtney Love, Gwen Stefani and Kim Gordon. Foreshadowed by Madonna’s “Desperately Seeking Susan” look from the 80s, it featured layers and had lots of attitude: feisty, edgy, and authentic. Flannel shirts and distressed jeans are one look, alternatives are mini slip dress with fishnets and leather boots; ribbed tops with patterned cargo pants and platform boots or for extra sass a crop tank top, low-rise jeans and suede creepers with hair styled in space buns.
1. Richard Marx – Hazard – 05-1992 2. Manic Street Preachers – Motorcycle Emptiness – 06-1992 3. Jimmy Nail – Ain’t No Doubt – 07-1992 4. Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover – 07-1992 5, Guns N’ Roses – November Rain – 02-1992 6. Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe – Barcelona – 08-1992 7. Mr. Big – To Be With You – 03-1992 8. Bon Jovi – Keep The Faith – 10-1992 9. Def Leppard – Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad – 09-1992 10. Kiss – God Gave Rock And Roll To You II – 01-1992 11. Right Said Fred – Deeply Dippy – 03-1992 12. Shakespear’s Sister – Stay – 01-1992 13. R.E.M. – Man On The Moon – 12-1992
And the ones that got away: Bryan Adams – All I Want Is You – 07-1992 Michael Ball – One Step Out Of Time – 05-1992 Nick Berry – Heartbeat – 06-1992 Michael Bolton – To Love Somebody – 11-1992 Mariah Carey – I’ll Be There – 06-1992 Cher – Oh No Not My Baby – 11-1992 Joe Cocker – All I Know (Feels Like Forever) – 03-1992 Joe Cocker – Unchain My Heart – 07-1992 Crowded House – Weather With You – 03-1992 The Cure – Friday I’m In Love – 02-1992 Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart – 08-1992 Deacon Blue – Your Town – 11-1992 Def Leppard – Let’s Get Rocked – 03-1992 Del Amitri – Always The Last To Know – 05-1992 Celine Dion & Peabo Bryson – Beauty And The Beast – 05-1992 Genesis – I Can’t Dance – 01-1992 Annie Lennox – Walking On Broken Glass – 08-1992 Brian May – Too Much Love Will Kill You – 09-1992 Metallica – Nothing Else Matters – 05-1992 Roy Orbison – I Drove All Night – 08-1992 Roy Orbison With kd lang – Crying – 08-1992 Pearl Jam – Alive – 02-1992 Cliff Richard – I Still Believe In You – 12-1992 Lionel Richie – My Destiny – 08-1992 Diana Ross – One Shining Moment – 06-1992 Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch – 03-1992 Lisa Stansfield – Someday (I’m Coming Back) – 12-1992 Take That – Could It Be Magic – 12-1992 Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You – 05-1992 Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson – The Best Things In Life Are Free – 08-1992 Wet Wet Wet – Goodnight Girl – 01-1992 Vanessa Williams – Save The Best For Last – 03-1992
Following on from last week, here’s a more detailed look at my/our fave movies – all three of our kids have grown up with a glorious appreciation of movies and TV shows – when we got a copy of Scene-it the battles were hard fought, and both Jo and Steph quote lines at each other all the time – perfectly mimicking all the accents and able to remember entire scenes. And don’t get them started on Friends …
1. 10 Things I Hate About You Fave scene/line: When Heath Ledger serenades Julia Stiles to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take my Eyes off You,” (you may know it by Andy Williams). Or when Kat (Julia S) gets Patrick out of detention by showing the PE teacher “the distraction plan.”
2. Strictly Ballroom Fave scene/line: When Scott and Fran dance backstage to Doris Day’s “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.” Or the Paso Doble scene when the music stops and they dance just to handclaps.
Fran: “What happened to a life lived in fear and all that stuff? You really are a gutless wonder!”
3. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Fave scene/line: “Just taking a lady’s advice,” when Robin (Kevin Costner) is bathing in a pool. Side note – we walked behind that waterfall (at the back of a pub in Yoorkshire), and also found the waterfall where Robin challenges Little John (Nick Brimble) and Azim (Morgan Freeman) advises him to “move faster.”
4. Hook/Mrs. Doubtfire Bit of a cheat here, mostly because these both show off the fabulous talents of Robin Williams and they are proper kid’s movies. Fave scene/line: Hook – the food fight scene “You lewd, crude, rude, bag of pre-chewed food, dude!” Mrs D – “Stu? It’s more of a thick soup than a name.”
5. Galaxy Quest ‘99 Fave scene/line: “I see you managed to get your shirt off.” A fabulously cynical Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman) to Tim Allen’s scene-stealing hack (Jason Nesmith) after the fight scene with the rock monster.
6. The Mummy ‘99 Fave scene/line: Where Evie (Rachel Weisz) gets drunk around the campfire: “I may not be an explorer or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker or a gunfighter, Mr. O’Connell, but I am proud of what I am. I… am a librarian.”
7. The Mask of Zorro ‘98 Fave scene/line: Where Elena (Catherine Zeta Jones) challenges Zorro (Antonio Banderas) to a sword fight and he cuts all the ribbons so her bodice collapses. Or the Tango scene. Don Rafael Montero: “Did you recognize Zorro?” Elena: “No, but he was young and vigorous. He was very vigorous, father.”
8. True Lies ‘94 Fave scene/line: The one where Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) rips off the frills from her dress, slicks back her hair and attempts to dance for Arnie (playing her husband). Or the Tango scene. And the quote: “Kids – ten seconds of joy, thirty years of misery.”
9. Sister Act ‘92 Fave scene/line: When the choir first perform in the church, rocking up Hail Holy Queen, and the people walk in off the streets. Quote: Dolores (Whoopi Goldberg) “How can you say that? I worked my butt off with these women! They’ve given up their free time to do this, and they’re good! I mean, sister, we could, we could Rock this place!”
10. Independence Day ‘96/Armageddon ‘98 Another cheat, but I really couldn’t choose between them and they both tick a lot of high-octane Fave scene/line: Armageddon: “Well, we all gotta die, right? I’m the guy who gets to do it saving the world.” Independence Day: “I picked a hell of a day to quit drinkin’.”
11. Pretty Woman ‘90 Fave scene/line: When Vivian returns to the snobby shop assistant who snubbed her, showing off the dozens of expensive purchases from Rodeo drive. “You work on commission, right? Big Mistake. Big. Huge.”
12. Con Air ‘97 Fave scene/line: Poe (Nick Cage) comes across a dead body in the landing gear and tosses it out with a message for Larkin (John Cusack). He interrupts one of the convicts rifling through the cargo and is forced to kill him. “Why couldn’t you put the bunny in the box?
13. Die Hard: With a Vengeance ‘95 Fave scene/line: When John McClane (Bruce Willis) and Zeus, (Samuel L Jackson) try to solve a puzzle involving jugs of water to stop a bomb going off. Quote: Zeus: “Wait a minute. You mean to tell me I’m in this shit ’cause some white cop threw some white asshole’s brother off a roof?”
We had a tradition for several years when Bri worked shifts, that the kids would stay up until he finished work at 9pm on Friday. We’d have a carpet picnic including hula-hoops, mini cheddars and popcorn, but the star turn had to be the sandwiches with “billy-bear” processed meat. We always watched a movie – more often than not a Disney one, but many of those listed below found their way into our movie night.
1990 –Pretty Woman, Ghost, Home Alone, Kindergarten Cop, Bird on a Wire, Mermaids, Edward Scissorhands, Goodfellas, Dances with Wolves, Misery, Total Recall, Flatliners, Arachnophobia, Days of Thunder, The Hunt for Red October, Tremors, Die Hard 2, Gremlins 2, Godfather 3, Back to the Future 3
1991 – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Hook, Hudson Hawk, The Silence of the Lambs, Thelma & Louise, Beauty and the Beast (animated), City Slickers, Point Break, JFK, Cape Fear, The Fisher King, The Commitments, Father of the Bride, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
1992 – Strictly Ballroom, Sister Act, Aladdin (animated), Scent of a Woman, Batman Returns, A Few Good Men, My Cousin Vinny, Basic Instinct, Wayne’s World, Death Becomes Her, Reservoir Dogs, Under Siege, Patriot Games, Malcolm X, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Alien 3
1993 – Mrs. Doubtfire, Sleepless in Seattle, Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Schindler’s List, Groundhog Day, The Piano, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Remains of the Day, Philadelphia, Shadowlands, Cool Runnings, Carlito’s Way
1994 – True Lies, Pulp Fiction, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Lion King (animated), The Shawshank Redemption, Speed, Natural Born Killers, Leon, Serial Mom, Timecop, The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Forrest Gump, The Madness of King George, Body Snatchers, Clear and Present Danger, Star Trek: Generations
1995 – Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Desperado, Toy Story (animated), The Usual Suspects, Twelve Monkeys, Get Shorty, Braveheart, Leaving Las Vegas, Apollo 13, Babe, Seven, Sense and Sensibility, Dead Man Walking
1996 – Independence Day, The Rock, Mission Impossible, Romeo + Juliet, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (animated), That Thing You Do!, The Birdcage, Secrets & Lies, Stealing Beauty, Michael Collins, Matilda, Trainspotting, Scream, Jerry Maguire, The English Patient, Star Trek: First Contact, Mars Attacks!
1997 – Good Will Hunting, Con Air, As Good as It Gets, Men in Black, The Full Monty, The Fifth Element, Contact, Face/Off, L. A. Confidential, Starship Troopers, Donnie Brasco, What Dreams May Come, Jackie Brown
1998 – Armageddon, The Mask of Zorro, Truman Show, The X Files, The Big Lebowski, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Saving Private Ryan, There’s Something About Mary, The Thin Red Line, Pleasantville, The Negotiator, Antz (animated), A Bug’s Life (animated)
1999 – 10 Things I Hate About You, Galaxy Quest, The Mummy, Notting Hill, The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, She’s All That, Sleepy Hollow, Fight Club, The Green Mile, Analyze This, Eyes Wide Shut, Wild, Wild West, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Toy Story 2, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Blair Witch Project, American Pie, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Being John Malkovich, American Beauty, The Cider House Rules
1. Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It For You – 06-1991
2. Guns N’ Roses – Live And Let Die – 12-1991
3. Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life – 01-1991
4. The Clash – Should I Stay Or Should I Go – 03-1991
5. The Scorpions – Wind Of Change – 09-1991
6. The Waterboys – The Whole Of The Moon – 04-1991
7. Robert Palmer – Mercy Mercy Me / I Want You – 01-1991
8. Extreme – More Than Words – 07-1991
9. Chesney Hawkes – The One And Only – 03-1991
10. Queen – Innuendo – 01-1991
11. Right Said Fred – I’m Too Sexy – 08-1991
12. Simply Red – Stars – 12-1991
13. Zucchero featuring Paul Young – Senza Una Donna (Without A Woman) – 04-1991
And the bubbling unders: Paula Abdul – Rush Rush – 06-1991 Oleta Adams – Get Here – 01-1991 Marc Almond – Jacky – 10-1991 Rick Astley – Cry For Help – 01-1991 Bananarama – Preacher Man – 01-1991 The Bee Gees – Secret Love – 03-1991 Michael Bolton – When A Man Loves A Woman – 11-1991 Cher – The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) – 04-1991 Alice Cooper – Hey Stoopid – 07-1991 Deacon Blue – Twist And Shout – 08-1991 Jason Donovan – Any Dream Will Do – 06-1991 Guns N’ Roses – You Could Be Mine – 07-1991 Michael Jackson – Black Or White – 11-1911 James – Sit Down – 04-1991 Lenny Kravitz – It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over – 06-1991 Kirsty MacColl – Walking Down Madison – 06-1991 Madonna – Crazy For You – 03-1991 Brian May – Driven By You – 12-1991 Metallica – Enter Sandman – 08-1991 George Michael & Elton John – Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – 12-1991 Bette Midler – From A Distance – 06-1991 Dannii Minogue – Jump To The Beat – 07-1991 Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit – 12-1991 Alexander O’Neal – All True Man – 01-1991 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Pandora’s Box – 07-1991 Queen – The Show Must Go On – 11-1991 Chris Rea – Auberge – 03-1991 R.E.M. – Shiny Happy People – 05-1991 Diana Ross – When You Tell Me That You Love Me – 12-1991 Roxette – Joyride – 03-1991 Salt-N-Pepa – Let’s Talk About Sex – 09-1991 Seal – Killer (EP) – 11-1991 Simply Red – Something Got Me Started – 09-1991 Slade – Radio Wall Of Sound – 10-1991 Soft Cell featuring Marc Almond – Tainted Love – 05-1991 Sonia – Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy – 09-1991 Lisa Stansfield – Change – 10-1991 Rod Stewart – Motown Song – 06-1991 Tina Turner – Way Of The World – 11-1991 Midge Ure – Cold Cold Heart – 08-1991 U2 – Mysterious Ways – 12-1991 Paul Young – Don’t Dream (It’s Over) – 11-1991
The 80s was a busy decade and saw me going from a single journey away from the UK (to Brittany in 1978) to four wonderful trips to Greek Islands, the first being Rhodes in 1985. The second of these (Crete, May ’86) included an off-the-cuff proposed and a mere 6-months later, I married my wonderful hubby, Bri, and we honeymooned in Corfu. A year later saw our second trip to Crete, and we came back with our first addition to the family, a beautiful, bouncing son whose arrival in July meant we didn’t get away during 1988. After a short week in Yorkshire a year later, our daughter burst into the world on November 30th 1989, with merely a month to go before the new decade.
1990 – Returning to work after maternity leave was harder this time, but I found a childminder who was a national treasure (Auntie Anne) and she brought up our first two way better than I could ever hope to. May/June Tremorel, Brittany (a gite most memorable for the full-sized pool table which dwarfed Chris) + Limousin in the Massif-Central – land-locked, lake-district with oppressive humidity. September Dunoon, Scotland
1991 – Ambitious or what? A 3-week, 3-centre holiday took us to Tremorel (Brittany), Biarritz (Pyrenees) & Loire. Then in October, back to the Loire.
1992 – La Grange, Royan with a small pool heated by solar panels – way ahead of its time. Then in September, back to the Loire (again – we loved that river and its environs!)
1993 – 16th May our second daughter gave up the week-long struggle and finally emerged into the light – a massive 9lb 9oz and on the 90th percentile for height. She was only 3.5 months old when we took a 2 week holiday (Lorgues, Var) which ended up in Eurodisney where Chris blended with the cowboys, Jo got a beautiful Belle ballgown and Tigger made a big fuss of Stephie.
1994 – Flayosc, Var (pool) + Disneyland, Paris
Steph took her first steps amid the vine-covered courtyard where we shared many a happy candle-lit barbeque. And Brian made the second of his daily pan-run journeys into town, accompanied by Garth Brooks’ “Sail My Vessel.” Wonderful stuff. More fond memories of Jo singing “Little Town,” “A Whole New World” and her signature tune “Part of Your World.” Most of which we have on DVDs which I torture her with on a regular basis.
1995 – Flayosc, Var (pool) + Disneyland, Paris. Yep, a total repeat of the previous year’s holiday. Except this time, the fridge in the room had been switched off and turned around. Also, some rotten thief stole the camcorder (and Steph’s nappy bag including my purse) on the second day so we have no video footage. Plenty of pix, though.
1996 – Moraira (with views of Calpe), Spain
Our first taste of the Costa Blanca, this beautiful market town is almost midway between Valencia (to the North) and Alicante (South) . First time we went, the place was very much an upmarket resort-in-the-making, including a spit-and-sawdust funfair. We were absolutely smitten with the Crazy Frog – the funkiest ride ever which went forwards, backwards, spun, undulated and even hopped. Not for the weak-stomached.
1997 – (Vidiago) Llanes, N.Spain
The coast of North Spain is nothing like as crowded and Brit-centric as the Eastern coast – chalk and cheese spring to mind. It’s way closer to Brittany, with a similar climate, lush green vegetation and glorious beaches. We discovered the Beach of Caves (Playa Cuevas del Mar), and it drew us back to the area several times.
1998 – Marans, La Rochelle (pool) + Disneyland
A wonderful holiday, the highlights of which included Bri reprising his Indiana Jones role piloting a punt and a motor boat through Green Venice. The glossy sheen had definitely worn off Disneyland, with everything a tad care-worn, cheaper and less generous than the previous two visits. The fridge had disappeared completely from the room in the cowboy hotel, portion sizes seemed smaller and worst of all, they were no longer showing the Beauty and the Beast show in the main theatre (Videopolis) in Fantasyland.
1999 – Camango, N.Spain + Moraira (Norte Mer), Spain
Another ambitious one with a week exploring the mountains and after a two-day drive via Madrid, a week in the sun, including a trip to nearby Benidorm for a ride on a submarine.
The start of the decade saw me with two kids under 18-months, which meant I didn’t have the same opportunities to listen to music. Suddenly all the cool music from the previous two decades got booted out by tuneless techno-drivel and repetitive hip-hop with lyrics which could have been written by five-year-olds. And it just got worse as the decade played out.
1. Heart – All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You – 04-1990 2. Alannah Myles – Black Velvet – 04-1990 3. Roxette – It Must Have Been Love – 06-1990 4. Berlin – Take My Breath Away – 10-1990 5. Tina Turner – Steamy Windows – 02-1990 6. Aerosmith – Dude (Looks Like A Lady) – 03-1990 7. The Beautiful South – A Little Time – 10-1990 8. Del Amitri – Nothing Ever Happens – 01-1990 9. The Farm – All Together Now – 12-1990 10. Jon Bon Jovi – Blaze Of Glory – 08-1990 11. Go West – King Of Wishful Thinking – 08-1990 12. The B-52s – Love Shack – 03-1990 13. Kylie Minogue – Better The Devil You Know – 05-1990
And a few which deserve an honorary mention: Luciano Pavarotti – Nessun Dorma – 06-1990 Sting – Englishman In New York – 08-1990 Seal – Crazy – 12-1990 AC/DC – Thunderstruck – 09-1990 Chris Rea – Tell Me There’s A Heaven – 02-1990 A-ha – Crying In The Rain – 10-1990 Cliff Richard – Saviour’s Day – 12-1990 Betty Boo – Doin’ The Do – 06-1990 Belinda Carlisle – (We Want) The Same Thing – 10-1990 Cher – Just Like Jesse James – 02-1990 Natalie Cole – Wild Women Do – 04-1990 Deacon Blue – Queen Of The New Year – 01-1990 Deee-Lite – Groove Is In The Heart / What Is Love – 09-1990 Bruce Dickinson – Tattooed Millionaire – 05-1990 Jason Donovan – Rhythm Of The Rain – 09-1990 EMF – Unbelievable – 11-1990 Erasure – Blue Savannah – 03-1990 The Hothouse Flowers – Give It Up – 05-1990 Whitney Houston – I’m Your Baby Tonight – 10-1990 Iron Maiden – Bring Your Daughter… To The Slaughter – 12-1990 Chris Isaak – Wicked Game – 12-1990 Janet Jackson – Black Cat – 09-1990 Londonbeat – I’ve Been Thinking About You – 09-1990 Madonna – Vogue – 04-1990 MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This – 06-1990 George Michael – Praying For Time – 08-1990 Kylie Minogue – Step Back In Time – 11-1990 New Kids On The Block – I’ll Be Loving You (Forever) – 03-1990 Sinead O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U – 01-1990 Robert Palmer & UB40 – I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight – 11-1990 The Proclaimers – King Of The Road (EP) – 11-1990 Cliff RIchard – From A Distance – 10-1990 Jimmy Somerville – You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – 01-1990 Lisa Stansfield – What Did I Do To You (EP) – 05-1990 Status Quo – The Anniversary Waltz – Part One – 09-1990 David A. Stewart featuring Candy Dulfer – Lily Was Here – 03-1990 Rod Stewart & Tina Turner – It Takes Two – 11-1990 Paul Young – Softly Whispering I Love You – 05-1990
Who doesn’t love a Marvel Movie? My absolute favourites are the Guardians of the Galaxy, but the Thor movies are second fave. I’ve always been keen on Norse Mythology, so it was great fun for me to dive into a bunch of the stories, especially the ones involving Loki. Such an awesome character, and the parallels between his mischief and what Isaac got up to made for some great storylines. This should give a clue:
They say three’s a crowd. And Isaac doesn’t like crowds.
He likes his cousin Lizzie even less. So the day she invites herself to stay and he gains a third woman sharing his life, he’s not a happy bunny.
Based on bitter childhood memories, he imagines she’ll pick up her cruel torment where she left off. He’s not wrong. And there’s no safety in numbers as all his housemates are fair game for her particular brand of torture. Even work holds none of its normal refuge as his boss sics a Rottweiler on him to scrutinise his every move.
2022 wanes, diminishing his opportunities to use the Time Machine for his grand plan. The trouble is, it requires a level of cooperation from certain individuals. And Isaac doesn’t do people.
If you like The Big Bang Theory, you’ll see a lot of Sheldon in Isaac – and fans of Marvel’s Thor movies (especially Loki) will appreciate some Norse myths which haven’t yet made the cut.
Fifth in the Time Doctors series, this fun-filled romp could be read as a stand-alone, but readers will have massive spoilers in going back to read the previous stories. What can I say? Pretty inevitable in a serialised story.
Anyway, you can pick up your copy of Turn Back Time by clicking the link – a steal at £2.99/$3.49 or read for free on Kindle Unlimited. Continue the fun adventures of a bunch of 30-something geeks as they explore their familys’ pasts with the aid of a temperamental time capsule in the attic.
Unemployment in England in the 80s had reached record-breaking numbers, the highest it’s ever seen since The Great Depression. It caused mass hysteria, riots, rebellion against manufacturing plant shutdowns and protests. Much of these numbers were caused by the government’s monetarist policies to tackle inflation. Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher also cut benefits to state workers in half. Despite her being the least popular prime minister, she remained in office for 18 years. The highest unemployment rate exceeded 3 million in 1984, reaching almost 12%. It didn’t come down until the economic boom during the mid 1980s, dropping below 2 million in early 1989 and reached 1.6 million at 7% by the end of the year.
1980
Capture of “The Yorkshire Ripper”
The “Yorkshire Ripper” was identified as Peter William Coonan, who was a serial killer of 13 women and attempted to murder seven others between 1975 and 1980. He was found guilty on May 22nd, 1980, being sentenced to 20 concurrent sentences of life imprisonment, which converted to a whole life order in 2019. All of his murders took place in West Yorkshire and some in Manchester.
Death of John Lennon
On the evening of December 8th, 1980, John Lennon of The Beatles was shot dead in the archway of The Dakota in his New York City apartment. His killer, Mark David Chapman, was an American Beatles fan who travelled from Hawaii but was angered by his lifestyle and public statements. His statement regarding the Beatles being “more popular than Jesus” was what really got to him as well as the lyrics of his later songs “God” and “Imagine”. Chapman said he was also inspired by the fictional character Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman had also planned the killing for several months, waiting for Lennon at the Dakota since the morning of December 8th. He even met John Lennon who signed his copy of the album Double Fantasy. After coming back from a recording session with his wife, Yoko Ono, Chapman fired five hollow-point bullets from his .38 revolver, four of which hit John in the back. After being rushed to the Roosevelt Hospital in a police car, he was dead upon arrival at age 40. Thousands of music fans later held a 10-minute vigil in Liverpool in his memory.
JRo Author 