There's a movie opening soon called "The Wackness" (odd title) about New York City teenagers in the summer of 1994. Obviously I find this somewhat intriguing because -- you guessed it -- I was a teenager in New York City in the summer of 1994! Good grief. A time of my life when I was in high school is now viewed as an historical era. Gosh I feel old.
From what I've read about this movie in The New York Times, it's basically all getting high and hooking up. I guess that's what lots of New York City teenagers did in 1994 -- and still do today. I can't really say I can relate because 1) I've never been a stoner (not because I am or was morally opposed to smoking pot but because I didn't have any money and was never cool enough to hang out with drug dealers), and 2) I didn't hook up much (okay, okay at all) because I was and forever shall be a giant honkin' nerd (and not in the way "nerds" are cool today, I'm talking repellent, Napoleon Dynamite/Brian from My So-Called Life level nerdiness here). I can relate to what the director of this movie, on whose life it is based, means when he says, “Girls weren’t into me ... I wasn’t cool, and I was so nervous that I then fulfilled the prophecy and became even more uncool.” Hear hear, ad infinitum.
So what was I doing in NYC in the summer of 1994? I was working at a radio station called WPLJ who's tag line of the day was "No Rap. No Hard Stuff. No Sleepy Elevator Music. Just the Best Songs on the Radio." That basically meant Top 40 and the hit songs of the day were "Mr Jones" by Counting Crows and "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen -- and thanks to working at the radio station I heard those songs all the friggin' time.
It was a very hot summer, I remember. Giuliani had just taken office. The Rangers won the Stanley Cup. Baseball went on strike. Forrest Gump and The Lion King were the big hit movies. Everyone, everywhere was talking about the OJ case (remember that?). When I wasn't working during that summer, I spent a lot of time visiting colleges. All in all it was a good summer, but I don't think I would make a movie about it. If I did, however, instead of the "The Wackness" I'd call it the "The Dorkness."
From what I've read about this movie in The New York Times, it's basically all getting high and hooking up. I guess that's what lots of New York City teenagers did in 1994 -- and still do today. I can't really say I can relate because 1) I've never been a stoner (not because I am or was morally opposed to smoking pot but because I didn't have any money and was never cool enough to hang out with drug dealers), and 2) I didn't hook up much (okay, okay at all) because I was and forever shall be a giant honkin' nerd (and not in the way "nerds" are cool today, I'm talking repellent, Napoleon Dynamite/Brian from My So-Called Life level nerdiness here). I can relate to what the director of this movie, on whose life it is based, means when he says, “Girls weren’t into me ... I wasn’t cool, and I was so nervous that I then fulfilled the prophecy and became even more uncool.” Hear hear, ad infinitum.
So what was I doing in NYC in the summer of 1994? I was working at a radio station called WPLJ who's tag line of the day was "No Rap. No Hard Stuff. No Sleepy Elevator Music. Just the Best Songs on the Radio." That basically meant Top 40 and the hit songs of the day were "Mr Jones" by Counting Crows and "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen -- and thanks to working at the radio station I heard those songs all the friggin' time.
It was a very hot summer, I remember. Giuliani had just taken office. The Rangers won the Stanley Cup. Baseball went on strike. Forrest Gump and The Lion King were the big hit movies. Everyone, everywhere was talking about the OJ case (remember that?). When I wasn't working during that summer, I spent a lot of time visiting colleges. All in all it was a good summer, but I don't think I would make a movie about it. If I did, however, instead of the "The Wackness" I'd call it the "The Dorkness."
I saw the trailer and I don't feel like they captured the era, at least not visually.
ReplyDelete-Fellow 90s Teen (ok ok I could drink in '94)