New Wave Treasures

Going back to the box of treasures, where I found my childhood teeth, I discovered some important archaeological artifacts:



All of these items are from the early 1980s, and reference the New Wave period at it's height.

Let's start with the upper left specimen. A yellow Rock Lobster button from the B-52's - could there be a more iconic symbol of New Wave? Note the squeezed, over-bold font used for the text and the primary colors - bright yellow background and super saturated red lobster. All an homage to the seminal song "Rock Lobster" and the band who created it. I submit there was never a New Wave dance where Rock Lobster wasn't played. Surely this is an important New Wave relic. As a reminder, view the Rock Lobster music video or this early live performance:



Let's move on to the upper right item. Another button - black background with "THE TAKE" written in a pink, urban font. Very little in the research (aka Google) on this reference, but it could be a punk/post hardcore band from Wales. There is no record of how this button came into my collection (I probably got it from a friend). A mysterious artifact from a chaotic and fractured era. (No, I was not on drugs.)

And finally the MTV guitar pick. MTV was born in the 80s and rose in fame and prominence by playing music videos, as indicated under the MTV logo. The slogan on the back, "YOU'LL NEVER LOOK AT MUSIC THE SAME WAY AGAIN" is obvious, but true. I can still see and hear the MTV theme in my head. Does MTV play music videos anymore?

BONUS: A black leather skinny tie.


These artifacts are making me nostalgic. I'm not sure I can restrain myself from buying a pair of classic checkerboard Vans.

Oooh, red!