Back when I was cool!!!!!?????

[ktmboy]

I was contacted by an old high school buddy the other day who found my web address on one of those reunion sites and as we remenised about what we'd been up to the last 20+ years it got me to thinking about all the stuff we did when we were young(er) and how cool we thought we were.
Now I know y'all know what I'm talkin' about: Elephant bell bottomed Levis', 'lamb chops' and shoulder length hair in the '70s; Puka shells?, those gawd awful wide neckties with the leisure suits for prom, complete with platform shoes.
In the '80s it was mullets, pastel colored tank-tops and 'Daisy-Duke' shorts! (On the guys!) Moto-X gear was also pastels and neons!
In the '90s we lost the mullets and just either cut our hair really short or shaved our heads. (Those of us with hair deficit!)
Some people went for the wild colored hair dyes. Our crotches got lower and our legs got baggier, and our shirts got bigger.
I think the turn of this Century became a free-for-all, just wear what ya brung era.
And that's just the styles we thought were cool. Our cars were hot-rodded, lifted in the back, then lowered all around; our stereo systems went from 8-tracks, to cassettes, then CD players, and now we've got freakin DVD players and TV sets in our cars. A 35W system just doesn't cut it any more!
And what about our haulers? Remember when you thought it was cool to plaster your back window with every sticker you acquired at the races? Now you see a truck like that and think, "what a dork". Yeh, we used to be that dork!
My first truck was lowered, then I lifted it when I got my first bike. My next truck was over-kill: F350 Supercab, 460, 4-barrell (Carter 625 CFM,) Lincoln heads, RV torque converter, shift kit, trans. cooler, and who knows what else I didto that beast. Now I'm on my second SUV! (The station wagon of the new millenium!)

What's this ramble about? It's because I'd like to hear some of the stuff you-all have done in the past that seemed cool at the time, but now looking back you're actually a little embarrassed. C'mon y'all, fess up! ;)

 

[VintageDirt]

Very astute observations there ktmboy. I've never been cool. Dad wouldn't let me grow my hair long, now I don't got none. I wore my older brothers hand me downs, and he was a calculator-on-his-belt kind of guy. I put my best Penton sticker (the one that just said “PENTON” in green letters) on the back window of the old '67 Chebby stepside, then my little brother wrecked the damn pickup and I ripped the stupid sticker trying to get it off. Only listened to KRZY AM Country radio on the pushbutton radio with the torn speaker (till the pick up got wreckeded and I still don’t know the first thing about music). But I did know Kirby Ogden, and he was cool. I’ve got my 30 year high school reunion this summer and I can’t seem to talk myself into going. If that girl that lived across the street from me would go, I would go. . .wonder what she looks like after 30 years?

 

[truespode]

Parachute pants and mullet.

Ivan

 

[dirty~d~]

I went for the skater punk/garage band groupie in a flannel shirt look WITH the bobbed hair that was shaved underneath (dyed blackest black.) Oh yeah, I was totally swass my sophomore year in HS. :aj: It's a good thing I snapped out of it by my junior year.

 

[E T]

In the '80s it was mullets, pastel colored tank-tops and 'Daisy-Duke' shorts! (On the guys!) Moto-X gear was also pastels and neons!
In the '90s we lost the mullets and just either cut our hair really short or shaved our heads.

...actually i dont think people ever lost the mullets. theres quite a few of 'em creeping around. :)

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

Hmmmm.... I wonder if when I'm old like you guys I'll look back and think ' wow I was such a dork' ...lol :nener:

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

And yeah there are still mullets 'creeping around'

 

[High Lord Gomer]

My first car, a $225 '66 Valiant with a slant six looked *so cool* with B60 13s up front and shock entenders in the back so I could fit those G60 14s back there!

 

[gwcrim]

We used to slap air shocks on our hot rods and paint the undercarriage white. Some of the more gawdy guys put lights underneath. Then we had N50 tires sticking WAY out from the side of the car. If the air shocks went down.... there went the fender!

We only ran straight header mufflers too. And if you didn't keep the rear windows down, you'd get asphixiated.

And what about those ka-razy love vans. The ones with the murals of scantilly clad women riding on unicorns, etc.....

 

[XRpredator]

dang, I look back at how much I haven't changed my style, other than I don't have said mullet (otherwise known as the shlong = short front, long back) and I'm a hundred lbs heavier . . .

I still got time before the 20th . . .

 

[Ol'89r]

but now looking back you're actually a little embarrassed. C'mon y'all, fess up! ;)

BUWWAAAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :laugh: Good one ktmboy. Thanks to my selective memory, I can't remember none of that stuff. :nener: :moon:

 

[ktmboy]

........And what about those ka-razy love vans. The ones with the murals of scantilly clad women riding on unicorns, etc.....

........that came with the requisite bumper sticker; "Don't laugh, your daughter may be inside!" :laugh:

 

[Ol'89r]

........that came with the requisite bumper sticker; "Don't laugh, your daughter may be inside!" :laugh:

Or, 'Don't come a knockin' if this van's a rockin' :ohmy:

 

[JasonJ]

Lets see, child of the 80's here, big checkered sunglasses, yeah the whole Mical Jackson phase, Parachute pants, Break dancing in the suburbs on a refridarator box blairing Run DMC, and Dougie Fresh on the big Boom box. Remember those boom boxes, like 2 feet tall, took 100 batteries to play it, LOL.
I was a Freestyle bike rat too, neon colored canves Converse All Stars, Oh who remembers those awefull Clam digger pants? Dont forget the MC hammer pants, the Boof hair cut when the girls teased thier bangs like 8" up. The Valley girl look and talk, gloss lipstick molly ringwald wnat a bees. Girls wearing work boots that didnt really do any,,,,, work? Jolt soda, Nerds candy, pop rocks, and tape gum by the foot.
Then in the 90, Meatal and grunge, flanel, leather, ripped geans, loud heavy Meatal, dont even show your face if you dont have Metalica Black album BAAAAALAAAAIRIN!!! :yeehaw: :aj:

Enough?

 

[KiwiBird]

Ours was the first senior year in high school where we could wear something other a white shirt and black tie for our dress uniform - fortunately there are no surviving photos of my black satin bellbottoms with purple shirt and lavender tie - and Elvis sideburns too.

I regret to disclose my first car was painted metal flake frog green.

And yes, riding gear consisted of jeans with a pair of corduroys underneath, leather gardening gloves, football jersey and steel toe working boots with sox rolled over the top.

 

[XRpredator]

Ours was the first senior year in high school where we could wear something other a white shirt and black tie for our dress uniform - fortunately there are no surviving photos of my black satin bellbottoms with purple shirt and lavender tie - and Elvis sideburns too . . . [and] riding gear consisted of jeans with a pair of corduroys underneath, leather gardening gloves, football jersey and steel toe working boots with sox rolled over the top.

but we all gotta remember, Kiwi went to high school with Jesus . . . :rotfl:

 

[OKKX'er]

Ditto on the "Hi-Jackers" air shocks (although to hold the car up, they had to be almost rigid, not a bad thing as it encouraged poor hookup to facilitate the all-important wheelspin). The seals in the shocks would give out and your fender would chew up the white block raised letters on your tires. I never got past L60's though.
Some one else would upgrade their rims, and you would buy their old ones, passing yours down the line. First just chromed rims, then ET type rims, then CRAGAR SS's.

 

[JPIVEY]

My entire life I wore nothing but Levi's and Katin board shorts, my hair was 10 miles long and my beard was so long I could tie it behind my neck so it looked short, I was told I looked like Neptune when I came in.

When I got married, my wife ( Sherri ) didn't want me to scare her grandparents, but also, didn't want me to cut my hair, so she talked me into to a Afro and Levi's were out no matter how new they were, so I had to buy a Angle Flight Suit ( Gay ), anyhow, I looked like a major Disco Dork, which in the late 70's everybody was a disco dork.

I had to hide our wedding pics, cause I couldn't handle that rashen of Sh*t I was geeting from my ( now grown ) kids

 

[rickyd]

I can remember wearing checkerboard Vans, members only jackets, thse hats w/the built in mullet :ohmy: Also, Vaurnettes (or the like) w/the ropes.. My 1st car was/still is cool a 65 Impala SS :worship: Wish i still had it..

 

[Jaybird]

Gabriel Hi-Jackers, Hurst Shifters, Cragers, and Cherry Bombs!
Our cops had a fetish about giving us tickets for our rear bumper being too high and our tires sticking past the fender more than one tread.

I had the Schrader valve ran up front on my 72 Nova so if I got pulled over I could let the air out to no-ticket height.
We were very creative with Bondo in those days as well. I loved my N-50's....all 400 sets of them!
Cragers! Had to be either Cragers or Rally Sports, there were no substitutes.

Our attire consisted of flare jeans raveled at the bottom and no knees left, white tee shirts, and colored (school colors of course) low rise Converse All Stars and NO socks.

Our riding gear was everything above, but with those pull on boots with the rings on the sides.
Our formal attire was everything above, but with those pull on boots with the rings on the sides.

 

[Treejumper]

Man i remember those days!

First was the 80's rapper look that JasonJ described to a tee. Remember the Phat laces craze around 85'? I lived in Germany at the time and had my Grandma sent me those wild colored fat shoe laces to sell since they werent available overseas yet. In Germany we were 6 months behind in the fad department of the States but had our own style that later appeared a year or so down the road in the States. I think my Grandma and i made $200 off selling shoe laces. :ohmy:

Next came the skate/freestyle bike punk. I carried or rode my board everywhere i went. Your levis 501's werent cool til you had a hole in the side of them from where the grip tape on the board wore through the pants. Also if you didnt have more scabs than hairs on your shins, you werent cool!

Now i got the drivers license and the long hair. I had more of a Kenny G mullet since i had curly hair. Use to use straightener to alteast make it a wave instead of curl. Clothes switched to the all black metal and my jean jacket lost the RunDMC patch to a Ratt patch. Remember those band patches the size of your jean jacket? Got a 71' Pontiac Lemans with a 350 4bbl and hit the cruize strip in Omaha, Nebraska (rated 10th best spot in the USA by Hot Rod and Car Craft magazine in 88). I would of been cool but the LeMans was a 4 door! :(

Kept the mullet for about 3 years after high school til i started riding again. It was just too hot and took to much time to look "pretty" after removing the helmet. I remember the neon stage of life and had an 82' Trans am with hot pink/chrome wheels and a lavendar strip. I look at that now and wonder what i was thinking? :rotfl:

I think i mellowed now and only have afew stickers on the truck. The hair is short and i wear semi normal clothes. Not to worry as in about 7 years i can do it all over again when i hit my mid life crisis. :)

 

[GREENBEAN]

Memories, I learned riding on two Benelli's around 79' then a Yamaha GT80. Early 80's it was KISS. I had Dingo Boots and a white Members Only Jacket detectable Mullet showing promise. Dont forget Glacier Glasses.. Then a Yamaha DT100, I built a Kaw KE125 with my dad from at least 5 full boxes of parts given to us. Riding gear was army Jungle boots, Jeans, Work Gloves, and Ski Goggles then it was only Iron Maiden, Priest or Sabbath with my painted Maiden Jean Jacket. Mid 80's I had turned to Skate Punk building half pipes and going to all ages shows. Hair in dreads. My bike then was a DT400. HA! I even had a Fiero in the mid-late 80's, along with a 66' Bronco with headers out side exhaust, coil airbags and a Hurst floor shifter with a little steering wheel. I really miss that Bronco... Late 80's I had an XT250 and an XL600

 

[gwcrim]

.....in the late 70's everybody was a disco dork.

Ahem. Speak for yourself. My favorite line back in the day was 'death before disco'. Nothing has changed there.

Speaking of music.... does anyone remember "Mind Blowers"? Or the Pioneer Super Tuner (w/8 track of course)?

Cragar S/S were definitely Da Bomb. But on my limited high school budget, I had to settle for some used 14x10 Keystone Classics.

My attire consisted of Levis and t-shirts for everything but church. Toss on an unbuttoned flannel shirt over the T when it got cold. (Still a great wardrobe, IMO.)

 

[JPIVEY]

Ahem. Speak for yourself. My favorite line back in the day was 'death before disco'. Nothing has changed there.

LOL, Now you know why this was the most huemiliating 3 hrs of my life, I was back in Levi's before the reception was over :aj:

And the hair never forgave me, in protest it decided to leave and never came back


Oh yeah, and I too had a super turner, I now have a super turner CD player

And American mags were the tits

 

[dirty~d~]

My entire life I wore nothing but Levi's and Katin board shorts...

Wait a minute, you mean my Katin board shorts are no longer cool? :yikes: Dagnabbit, I paid $30 for those things. :bang: