Yeah, I think everyone knows the 80s are back.
At first, I didn't think it would be a huge thing.
It was more like a fad.
But then, I watched a Mimimidias video that articulates very well the hows and whys of it
and I started to analyze it more closely.
Leonardo: We see it not just in large media formats
but also in everyday fashion.
Walking down the street I see mullets -
that's right, mullets -
denim jackets with embroidered patches,
some 80s prints like Memphis patterns
and vibrant make up,
with strong colors and shining silver or gold.
We can't deny: the 80s are back
and its elements are everywhere.
Contrary to what I thought,
it goes beyond the sudden success in the selling of Stephen King's books,
or the hyped up release of IT in theaters,
and Stranger Things, the most anticipated show of the year.
Actually, the aesthetics, music,
and world perspective of the 80s and 90s
are, in a certain way, shaping and influencing us again.
Probably, the most extreme and fascinating phenomenon that came from to this
was Vaporwave.
Or should I say...
To explain how and why it is so different from the rest,
first let's talk about a rising TV show
that has this 80s vibe.
For those who don't know,
Stranger Things is about a group of kids
where one of them, Will, is abducted to another dimension
and the others are trying to bring him back.
Much of its appeal comes from the plot being carried by kids
doing kids stuff.
This doesn't mean that it's childish, at all.
Actually, those kids are facing a cold and dark world
and the fact that they are creative and have that childhood innocence
end up being their biggest advantage to face problems.
They are able to explain the supernatural with a fantasy game.
It's here that Stranger Things best uses our nostalgia.
For example, anyone can hear a music note,
smell a scent,
feel a texture,
that brings up a nostalgic feeling.
It's not just about remembering the scent or texture
but also catching a glimpse of a specific experience.
As if our mind went back in time for a second.
We feel that way because of the amount of references and allusions
Stranger Things does to 80s and 90s movies and stories.
Not only the clothing and the soundtrack,
but it makes us want to be a kid again,
to relive all that.
Go back to a time where everything is magical
and is printed in our minds like a dream.
That is a very effective way to captivate people,
messing with our unconscious.
It's not a coincidence that a lot of producers are capitalizing this.
But things totally change when we talk about Vaporwave.
Oh, Vaporwave...
I spent a long time trying to define this music style for you guys.
We can try this:
Imagine the calmness of a rainy Japanese city,
after a very tiring day,
and the excessive visual stimuli given by the city.
It's very similar to what lo-fi hip-hop represents.
Now,
imagine all that mixed with hyperconsumerism that marked the 80s,
elevator music, exaggerated advertising,
shopping mall noises,
old computer sounds,
and we have an idea of what kind of music this is.
The first major difference between Vaporwave as cultural movement
and other works that references the past
is its political sense.
Its reference to consumerism
and the utopian idea of technology from the old times
is more of a parody than a homage.
This genre is very self-conscious
and its elements are very prone to become memes.
Actually, Vapowarve itself is kind of a meme.
The movement was born and exists on the Internet.
When there's a Vaporwave meme is like the Internet is making fun of itself.
But the funniest thing is how Vaporwave criticizes something.
It uses all available elements to put us in a state of escapism,
nostalgia,
and naivity towards the idea of consumerist utopia
present in previous decades.
These are its main critics:
Collective numbness caused by consumerism
and fetish in products, technology and media.
It exercises these critics by drowning in these elements,
giving the same feelings as them.
Vaporwave relaxes, numbs,
and brings back a nostalgic feeling.
An exercise of metalinguistic
and also irony.
As the American writer David Wallace says,
and Vaporwave illustrates this social phenomenon better than any other genre.
It subverts the mainstream use of nostalgia while causing this effect
and depends on it to exist.
Another huge irony is that it can never be used for profit.
The genre doesn't try to adapt
or to become more accessible for mass consumption.
In fact,
as soon as it becomes a mass product
the meaning behind its existence would disappear.
Now we understand why it is apart from this trend of capitalizing nostalgia.
I'm not saying that doing this is a problem.
Actually, Stranger Things is very good.
It has nice metaphors and subtexts that I intend to discuss here.
Even Stephen King's IT remake is a very good movie,
despite some problems.
I just think it's important to worry about why certain trends are happening.
Netlfix and the general market as a whole are aware of the demand for old content
and are exploring it in every possible way.
A lot of people say that Stranger Things is a product of Netflix algorithm,
that analyzes what we enjoy watching and then recommends something.
If the market is just delivering what we want,
is relevant to ask 'why do we want it?'.
It is a complex question with hard to find answers.
Vaporwave may be one of them.
It makes us face the failure of the utopias from past generations
and criticizes this failure.
But not because it celebrates or takes advantage of it.
It shows how the 80s world was different and good to reminisce
at the same time that it points out how current its criticism is.
There are other works and movements that somehow subvert these utopias from the 80s,
where instead of having kids that find as solution not growing up
and staying innocent,
they come from a world where growing up is the only possible solution.
Probably, that's why there are some many Vaporwave videos featuring cyberpunk shows
like Akira or Ghost in the Shell.
For better or for worse,
beyond music and cinema,
the 80s are back.
My name is Otavio
and this is it for today.
If you want to know more about this,
I recommend the Mimimidias video about the 80s.
It's very good and inspired a part of what you saw it here.
We're are very close to the end of the year,
the first year that Henrique and I spent almost every week reading and writing
and it has been an amazing experience.
I want to thank from the bottom of my heart those following the channel
and wish a good end of the year.
Thanks to you guys that Quadro em Branco keeps on living.
Thanks for watching and see you!
