Merry Christmas to the Analog Resurgence
The Latest Edition of The Gen X Newsletter from The Jennifer Chronicles
Jeff, 1978. Seated on the couch in his best 1970s paisley pajamas, Jeff holds the legendary Archer 150-in-One Electronic Project Kit. Long before STEM was a thing, these Radio Shack kits were how we learned the magic of electricity.
The Committee Names Gen-Xer of the Month
Mr. Tom Ward, Unintentional Style Icon, is the only influencer Gen X actually trusts. Recently featured in People, the 7th-grade Nebraska history teacher posts his daily outfits on TikTok and Instagram. They feature fashion touchstones from days gone by often with a contemporary twist. And, like any good card-carrying Gen-Xer, he’s thrifting his way to tenure.
Ward grew up in the Cornhusker State thrifting at Goodwill with his 13 brothers and sisters. That early immersion into all things vintage shaped his lifelong love of clothing that tells a story. Born in 1967, (yea, baby), he pairs pieces from the 1950s through the 1980s with creativity, smarts and attitude. He cracked the Creator Economy Code just by being himself. Therefore, he has been named Gen-Xer of the Month. The Committee (me, in my pajamas) was unanimous. While this is currently a one-man, one-time designation, I’m not ruling out a permanent Hall of Fame. Expect more high-stakes declarations here on this Substack, currently being devoured by literally dozens of people.
👞 Thrifting
I love a good thrift store and Ward features a few in his TikToks including Vanishing Point in Oakland, California. I would love to visit there someday! I, too, grew up going to Goodwill and Salvation Army out of necessity. Here’s a picture of me as a Stepford Wife Child wearing my red Salvation Army tennis shoes. Man, I loved those shoes.
I have featured many of my flea market and thrift store finds in posts over the last 20 years. My interest in thrifting grew exponentially during my college years when I was influenced by a variety of fictional slacker icons like Andie Walsh (Pretty in Pink); John Bender (The Breakfast Club); Cliff Poncier (Single); Lelaina Pierce (Reality Bites), and Tai Fraiser (Clueless). In the late 1980s, a series of white bungalows on Northwest 23rd Street in Oklahoma City formed a collection of vintage stores where I shopped for clothes and jewelry, especially old-lady clip-on earrings.
Another favorite store was the Community Thrift on Portland Avenue, just north of 36th Street. Back then, you couldn’t make the trek to Community Thrift without grabbing a bite at The Bricks, a restaurant that served popcorn with every meal. What I wouldn’t give to have a digital archive of my youth.
The $100 International Call
I also wish I had all the treasures I acquired during the 70s and 80s. Two thrift store items that survived those decades are a print of Hans Zatzka’s Guardian Angel that my father bought me at a Goodwill in Colorado Springs and a copy of Martin Gray’s For Those I Loved. I discovered the Holocaust memoir at that Community Thrift while I was reading a mimeographed copy of it in a college class taught by a Jewish Rabbi. There were no Internet booksellers back then as there was no Internet, and the book was out of print. It felt like a small miracle finding it. Later, I tracked down Gray and called him from my dorm room. That international call cost me nearly $100.
Buffalo Exchange
Recently, while visiting Seattle’s Ballard Neighborhood, I made my first visit to Buffalo Exchange, a chain of stores specializing in vintage and gently-used clothing. Below is a picture of my husband Robert carrying his thrift store find, a vintage Woolrich buffalo plaid jacket. Also, on this trip, I snagged a pair of purple Uggs for my youngest. It was a perfect find as she attends white and purple-clad TCU. Go Frogs!
🎶 My Top 10 One-Hit Wonders from the 1980s
Here is a one-hit wonder playlist to remind you who you are and fuel your dormant slacker. Do you like these songs?
Life in a Northern Town by Dream Academy. One of my all-time favorite songs, full of fog and memory. It takes me back to some of the happiest days of my life when I was full of hope and wonder. One of my dreams is to visit Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, UK. To this day, the song sounds ancient and futuristic at the same time. I miss so many people from these days. Perhaps most of all, my tender self. Click here to read my 2011 post about this song.
99 Luftballons” / “99 Red Balloons by Nena. The German New Wave song (and its English version) is about war anxiety triggered by a sea of red balloons. In my mind the balloons magically multiplied and floated straight from Paris to Germany. Which makes sense if, like me, you watched The Red Balloon (Le ballon rouge) in grade school a dozen times. (Here is a post I wrote in 2015 about this film.)
Rock Me Amadeus by Falco. This rare pop hit was the genius of Falco who died an untimely death at the age of 40. Rock Me Amadeus was a tribute to Mozart and framed him as the rock star of his time. Even my Gen Z kids know this catchy tune, which is in German with English lyrics scattered about.
Er war Superstar
Er war populär
Er war so exaltiert
Because er hatte Flair
Er war ein Virtuose
War ein Rockidol
Und alles rief:
Come on and rock me Amadeus
Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles. Forever remembered as the first MTV video this song was a warning we did not take seriously enough. It was a cheerful prophecy about technology replacing intimacy, set to a synth hook I still know by heart.
(I Just) Died in Your Arms by Cutting Crew. A very memorable song that just so happened to be my high school bestie’s favorite song at our senior prom.
Hey Mickey by Toni Basil. Hey Mickey was pure cheerleader chaos in pop form. It was impossible to hear this song without clapping and chanting. …What you do Mickey, do Mickey. Don’t break my heart, Mickey…
Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners. Fiddle-driven. Urgent. Defiant. Pleading. This song crossed every genre boundary and struck a contrast between generations. The overalls are still a mystery, but the chorus remains undeniable.
Take On Me by a-ha. The falsetto still hits like a freakin’ time machine.
Nobody by Sylvia. A country crossover hit that dominated radios and roller rinks alike. I loved the clever lyric, “Your nobody called today…”
Daddy’s Hands by Holly Dunn. The least ironic song on this list. It remains a solid favorite of mine and will always remind me of my father.
🎄Merry Christmas
I pray this holiday season finds you at peace and surrounded by those you love. Our days are filled with news of incomprehensible tragedies. For some of us, this news has reached beyond headlines to become reality. I’m very sorry for the losses you may be enduring. This life is so very fragile, friends. My prayer for all living generations is the same as it has always been: That we grow in wisdom and understanding, mercy and love. That we are not controlled by what is temporary, fragile and passing but are anchored in the Divine and all that is good and eternal. Merry Christmas!
Our painted old nativity
is fragile like the lives we lead
Silently reminding me God is with us
Another Merry Christmas
--Amy Grant, 2016
This was so fun to read. Thank you.