B1ue Posted February 3, 2013 Posted February 3, 2013 I don't think there's been a time in my life where I didn't own at least one pair of flip-flops, and pretty much wore them out every summer. Mine now last a wee but longer, but maybe just every other year. I didn't know they weren't synonymous with sandals until I was a preteen, I don't think. I second the puka-shell and hemp necklace. I had a hemp necklace the tail part of the nineties. Necklaces are sort of my thing; I've gone through dozens over the years. And I cannot stand the years that massive bead arrangements are "in," I prefer simple pendants or at most a couple charms. They are annoying to shop for when people want to look like they're wearing curtain beads. Leather bands, I think I recall. Didn't go for them myself, so I don't know. I've seen that brand for Ruca, but I couldn't tell you when. It only started up in 2001, so it's doubtful I ran across the label in college. Perhaps I've seen in stores more recently.
methodwriter85 Posted February 3, 2013 Author Posted February 3, 2013 Another late 90's/early 00's trend that Mark missed...the wifebeater. Man, on the right guy the look could be so hot. It seems like these days college guys are mainly leaning stripped tank tops or neon tank tops. I miss the simplicity of late 90's fashion. Will, Matt, and Ryan seem like they should be the type to be rocking that look.
methodwriter85 Posted March 3, 2013 Author Posted March 3, 2013 (edited) Hey Blue, I'm wondering... Mark has his characters saying "that's raw", as in "that's awful" or "that sucks", quite a lot. Do you remember ever saying that with your friends? I'm racking my brain trying to remember it, but I don't. I feel like I would have heard and said "that bites", "that sucks", or "that's a dick move" in place of how the characters seem to be using "that's raw." Mark, where are you getting the "raw" thing from? Off of a website, or personal memory? It doesn't feel like something that would be anachronistic, but I'm curious about it, because it's not a slang word I remember using that much. Is it possible that it's actually 80's slang that wasn't that popular with my generation? Or is it possibly slang that's particular to your area and just didn't hit my area, Mark? Edited March 3, 2013 by methodwriter85
B1ue Posted March 12, 2013 Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) I don't remember "raw" being used in that way. Maybe on TV, but I don't think I've ever used it like that, unless I was saying the full phrase "raw deal." Edited March 12, 2013 by B1ue
methodwriter85 Posted March 12, 2013 Author Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) Yeah. "Raw deal" makes sense, but the "raw" thing feels off. Mark, is it possible that this is slang you used with your friends back when you were young in the 1980's and it's just not the kind of 80's slang that carried over to the next generation like awesome did? I'm honestly pretty curious about where you got "raw" from, and why you have the characters using it a lot. Edited March 12, 2013 by methodwriter85
methodwriter85 Posted April 23, 2013 Author Posted April 23, 2013 Were California stoners in 2001-ish prone to use the word "dank" to describe particularly potent weed, or was that just an East Coast thing? I didn't smoke pot, but I had friends who did, and I remember hearing the word dank getting thrown around in the early/mid-00's, but not so much recently. Also, did "sick" replace "the bomb" yet by 2001?
sat8997 Posted April 23, 2013 Posted April 23, 2013 Honey, I've been smoking weed since the 70's. Good weed, trash weed, really potent weed. I've even had the pleasure of some excellent Humboldt gold. And I have lived on the East Coast my whole life. I have never heard anyone use the term 'dank'. 1
methodwriter85 Posted April 23, 2013 Author Posted April 23, 2013 Yeah, I was thinking about it and realizing that it might have been just a local thing. I mean, "sick" was and is everywhere (I can't wait til these kids start saying things are "sick"), but I'm willing to relent on this one.
B1ue Posted April 25, 2013 Posted April 25, 2013 (edited) Yes to sick in 2001. I'm fairly certain it was being used ironically in movies at that time. I'm not certain about dank. I've heard it used, but I didn't really hang out with habitual marijuana users until college, so that wouldn't have been until 2003 at best. Edit: *blinks* I am an editor? This is news. Edited April 25, 2013 by B1ue
methodwriter85 Posted April 25, 2013 Author Posted April 25, 2013 (edited) I always thought it'd be cute if a character said someone's car was "sick", and the mid-Western boy asked what was wrong with the car. What an incredibly cute call-back that would be. I first heard "sick" used in the context of being cool on the O.C. in 2003; it also gave us "rager." Laguna Beach in 2004 confirmed that Cali teens were using sick and rager, so I figure that "sick" should be around by 2001. On the other hand...does anyone remember saying things were "the bomb" in 2001? I'm from a state that lags behind culturally behind states like California and New York, and I don't remember anyone still saying things were the bomb in 2001, but Mark insists that his research shows that teenagers in the early '00s were still saying that. I guess maybe it's one of those things where people just kept saying old slang words. I'm starting to cringe a little when Will's saying things are the bomb, because that feels so 1997. Maybe Will's just kind of a dork who doesn't keep up the latest slang? Because we did have JJ and Kristin saying something was beast, so it's possible that Will's just a quirky guy who's attached to an outdated slang term. I had a friend named Steve in college who insisted on saying things were "dope" and "fresh" in 2010. Edited April 25, 2013 by methodwriter85
Mark Arbour Posted April 25, 2013 Posted April 25, 2013 Yes to sick in 2001. I'm fairly certain it was being used ironically in movies at that time. I'm not certain about dank. I've heard it used, but I didn't really hang out with habitual marijuana users until college, so that wouldn't have been until 2003 at best. Edit: *blinks* I am an editor? This is news. Congrats on being an editor. Spend some time with Sharon. She'll break you in.
sat8997 Posted April 25, 2013 Posted April 25, 2013 At the moment, I'm at 96... When I hit 100, I turn into a pumpkin (aka retire). Did I forget to tell you that B1ue was taking over?
methodwriter85 Posted April 27, 2013 Author Posted April 27, 2013 (edited) Since by virture of it being Matt and Wade's graduation year, I'm assuming we'll hit that year, too... I think of 2002 as being the Year of Avril Lavigne, as the trend of the pretty blonde pop pwincess went out, although not nearly as fast as the boyband fanom . Avril represented the anti-dote to that, as the "punk" girl who was supposed to be more "real" than the Britney Spears/Christina Aguilera/Mandy Moore/Jessica Simpson brigade. Although the pop deal did continue in the U.K., it felt pretty dead in the U.S. In terms of '02 pop culture references, I'm looking forward to , The Osbournes, Maroon 5 (shut up- was an awesome song), (okay, I know), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and Chicago. I also really liked Far From Heaven, which I caught at the local university cinema in early '03. Dennis Quaid was pretty damn hot for an old guy in that film, I thought. (You might remember him as Lindsay Lohan's dad in the Parent Trap.) Edited April 27, 2013 by methodwriter85
PrivateTim Posted April 27, 2013 Posted April 27, 2013 How anyone can remember when "bitchin'" or "rad" (was it Summer of '85, Fall of '91?) is beyond me. I suppose I could dig my junior high and high school yearbooks out of the closet in my room at my parents house and see what the comments were. It is easy with the pop phrases that come out movies ('show me the money', 'a frickin' shark with lazers'), but even if I can remember what year I first said "gnarly" that doesn't mean that word was endemic to California, So Cal or even Los Angeles. Beach kids talked different from Valley kids (818ers), barrio kids, ghetto kids and Inland Empire kids. A word or phrase that was popular at the beach in 1995 might not have reached Claremont (CA) until 1997, by which time it was no longer popular at the beach. Kids at Menlo would have a very different local vernacular than Harvard Westlake kids, not a lot of words, but some, but when someone like Will shows up he will bring the latest So Cal/Malibu words to the Menlo School and when he is with Ryan and Alistair he'll use the new Menlo words that are part of his new vernacular they will take that to HW. If I can retire soon maybe I'll take up a study of how slang words spread.
methodwriter85 Posted April 27, 2013 Author Posted April 27, 2013 (edited) Yeah, that's what is pretty fascinating about this- it's really hard to pinpoint the spread of slang, especially once we get to the post-MTV era. The movie Clueless in 1995 was extremely influential- that movie basically signaled the end of the Grunge Era, and how people talked throughout about 1995 to about 1997. TV is also pretty big- The O.C. and Laguna Beach had a lot of slang terms that spread pretty fast in 2003 and 2004. Then there was Jersey Shore that influenced slang in 2010 and 2011- suddenly people were saying things like "grenade." Have you ever seen the 1983 movie Valley Girl? It was pretty cool, because it showed the differences in slang between Valley kids and Hollyweird kids, kind of what you're getting at. In my case, I tend to think if it's something I heard in Delaware, it was probably in California at least 2-3 years before, because Delaware tends to be behind in slang. What's even funnier was when I lived in Western Pennsylvania,and people were still wearing popped collars and Livestrong bracelets like it was the mid-2000's. It was a weird time-warp. I remember when Mark started writing Bloodlines, he asked Adam about slang terms he used when he was an 18-year old jock in 1998. Of course, the slang wouldn't be exactly the same, since Adam is from Texas and Matt is from Ohio, but it should probably come close. That's part of what this thread is all about- sussing out slang words we've used that might turn out to be just things that were particular to our friends/region. We can't ever really get it perfect, but it's fun to try, because part of what Mark tries to do is recreate the particular mindset of a time period, and slang is part of it. Edited April 28, 2013 by methodwriter85
methodwriter85 Posted April 28, 2013 Author Posted April 28, 2013 Hey, Blue, you're closer to Matt and Wade's age group than I am...I'm curious...in 2001, were the upcoming Harry Potter films a big deal, or were things more about The Lord of the Rings? I was in 9th grade in 2001, and I remember both movies being pretty huge, but my age group was leaning more towards Harry Potter. I'm absolutely positive Harry Potter would be a big deal for people Will/Marie/JJ/John's age, but I'm not so sure about the Matt/Darius/Wade college-aged group.
Mark Arbour Posted April 28, 2013 Posted April 28, 2013 Hey, Blue, you're closer to Matt and Wade's age group than I am...I'm curious...in 2001, were the upcoming Harry Potter films a big deal, or were things more about The Lord of the Rings? I was in 9th grade in 2001, and I remember both movies being pretty huge, but my age group was leaning more towards Harry Potter. I'm absolutely positive Harry Potter would be a big deal for people Will/Marie/JJ/John's age, but I'm not so sure about the Matt/Darius/Wade college-aged group. Plus you were a total dork. Just saying.
methodwriter85 Posted April 29, 2013 Author Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) Plus you were a total dork. Just saying. Nah, the thing about Harry Potter was that hot girls were into it, too. I've seen sorority college girls talk about Harry Potter. It really did appeal to everyone, especially after the movie came out in November of '01. And we've already established that Marie and her friends are major Harry Potter fans, so the upcoming movie should be a big deal to them. The fact that Marieand her friends were big fans of the books is what convinced Robbie to make the incredibly wise decision to invest in the film series, is it not? Edited April 29, 2013 by methodwriter85
B1ue Posted April 29, 2013 Posted April 29, 2013 I'm not certain, to be honest. I felt I was kind of old for Harry Potter; most of my friends that were into the series were quite a bit younger than I was, and mostly the little brothers or sisters of my teammates. That may have more to do with circumstance though; most of my freshman dorm's floor trooped out to go see the second Harry Potter movie on release day (Dorks rule), but I couldn't have paid the other seniors at my high school to see the first. My cousin excepted; it was a big family outing with her mom, mine, my sisters, my cousin and I heading out to go watch. Also, neither Matt, nor Wade, nor Will really strike me as the "read for pleasure" type. Harry Potter may pass all of them by, until the films start gaining momentum. That was another thing I remember; a bunch parents had to ask their kids what was going on while watching the first movie, and so made sure to actually read up before the second came out. Matt and Wade may fall into this category. Last point, I was still in high school in 2001. No female my age at that time, again my cousin excepted, would have admitted to knowing how to read under torture. I was really, really weird for my social group, you have to understand. Under any circumstances but the tiny town I grew up in, I'd have been a social pariah, but as it was I was tolerable (if only just) because I grew up there. 1
methodwriter85 Posted April 29, 2013 Author Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) Last point, I was still in high school in 2001. No female my age at that time, again my cousin excepted, would have admitted to knowing how to read under torture. There are times when I feel like I must have gone to high school in an alternate universe, because at my school, the bitchy Mean Girls type totally embraced being in AP classes. It wasn't seen as dorky to care about your grades and to actually read. It was seen as wanting to go to a decent college. Then again, I did not go to a traditional public school. Then again, neither do these kids. That could be kind of an interesting contrast, if Wade/Darius/Matt didn't get what the big deal about Harry Potter was, while Marie/John are going apeshit over it. And then later on, Courtney is going apeshit about Twilight (she'd be 13 when the first movie comes out), while Marie and John just don't get it. Anyway, these characters are a little younger than you- they were born in 1986 and '87 respectively...plus, didn't you also skip a grade? In any event, while it might not be a big deal to Will and Wade, we do have it established as cannon that Marie is into the book series. From Chapter 25 of Millenium, set December 1, 1999: “It is. And we got into looking at our new projects and I’m fucking stoked. We’ve got some great movies in the pipeline. These last two bombs are history. I was hanging out with Claire and Marie yesterday, and Marie was reading this book called Harry Potter and some bullshit. She was completely into it, and she says all her friends are too. Seems like it’s this sensation or something. They’re turning them into movies, so I made a few calls, and it looks like we have a chance to be part of the production group.” I'm guessing it was Harry Potter and the Prison of Azkaban. (Released in September of 1999.) I think the high school people who were into the books pre-movie got into them when they were in middle school(the books came out when Marie/John were 11 and 10, respectively) and then after the movies were released, you started seeing the older people like Wade and Matt getting into the movie series/books. It's kind of similiar to what's happening with the Hunger Games triology right now- it was mainly the domain of middle school kids, then when the movie was getting ready to premiere older people jumped on the bandwagon. (Myself included.) t'd also be funny to get in the Lord of the Rings stuff, the other big franchise about to debut that year. Apparently, Elijah Wood was the major boywhore of Hollywood at that time. I do think it'd be weird to by-pass Harry Potter entirely, because Robbie is producing the movie, the stakes are pretty high because this was not a cheap movie to make, and with it being June/July 2001, there should already be promotion efforts underway for the movie, which premieres in November. (It was originally supposed to premiere in July, but that got pushed back, which likely would be frustrating Robbie and worrying him a little.) Edited April 29, 2013 by methodwriter85
Mark Arbour Posted April 29, 2013 Posted April 29, 2013 God, Jeremy, don't tell me you're a Twilight fan. Sigh. They got anther one.
methodwriter85 Posted April 29, 2013 Author Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) Nah. I only saw the first two movies because I thought Cedric from Harry Potter was hot and stopped after I realized how blatantly sexist the movies are. I tried to read the first book, and couldn't get through the first chapter because Bella came off as a humorless, stuck-up little bitch. I do have friends my age that watched it because they liked to make fun of it. Hunger Games all the way! Seriously though, how freakin' awesome is Katniss Everdeen as a feminist heroine? Loads better than Bella Swann, for damn sure. In any event, Ace's daughter does hit at exactly the right demographic to be into the Twilight craze. Courtney's 13 when the first movie comes out in '08, I believe. Madison and Riley might be a bit too young, though. It'll be interesting to see what Courtney is like when she's Marie's age- methinks as bad as Marie's Princess complex is, Courtney will be much worse, given that she's the only child. Edited April 29, 2013 by methodwriter85
B1ue Posted April 29, 2013 Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) I didn't skip a grade. In fact, due to my birthday in February, I was usually one of the older kids in my grade. Which, hey, worked for me. Until Harry Potter got really big, about book four or so, most teenagers didn't read. That book series, and the Twlight series which followed hard on it's heels, in a very real way paved the way for the entire young adult genre as we know it. I don't think there were any mean girls at my high school. Or if there were, it was my cousin (she ruled my grade with an iron fist). Reading just wasn't that common a hobby. The closest library was a thirty minute drive away, the nearest big box bookstore (which has since gone out of business) a ninety minute drive. My parents and older sisters are all big readers, so we made the trek, but I don't think many kids that I grew up with had that kind of opportunity. Edit: I only just noticed the second half to your question. If Matt and Wade are into nerd culture at all, which I can't remember any evidence that they are, then Lord of the Rings is probably what they're looking forward to. My dorm floor also made a trek out to see that while in theaters. We all swooned when Orlando Bloom rode the shield down the stairs, and one-handed pulled himself onto a horse. Edited April 29, 2013 by B1ue
methodwriter85 Posted April 29, 2013 Author Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) I didn't skip a grade. In fact, due to my birthday in February, I was usually one of the older kids in my grade. Which, hey, worked for me. Until Harry Potter got really big, about book four or so, most teenagers didn't read. That book series, and the Twlight series which followed hard on it's heels, in a very real way paved the way for the entire young adult genre as we know it.opportunity. Edit: I only just noticed the second half to your question. If Matt and Wade are into nerd culture at all, which I can't remember any evidence that they are, then Lord of the Rings is probably what they're looking forward to. My dorm floor also made a trek out to see that while in theaters. We all swooned when Orlando Bloom rode the shield down the stairs, and one-handed pulled himself onto a horse. The fourth book is out- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was released in July 2000, and with the first movie coming out, Harry Potter mania should be in full-swing in summer 2001. So you just agreed with me that the books should be huge at this point. Cool. I love it when we agree. I just remember you saying that you graduated from college early- that must be why I thought you skipped a grade. Just when DID you graduate from college? My guess would be like December '05. We would have just barely overlapped- I started college in August '05. And wow, you just reminded me- Orlando Bloomania is coming up soon. Remember this commericial? I think it's from '02- Edited April 29, 2013 by methodwriter85
methodwriter85 Posted May 18, 2013 Author Posted May 18, 2013 I ran across this photo randomly, and it made me laugh. As much as I've dedicated this thread to changing fashion and trends, there are some things that are eternal... Like how frat guys dress. Seriously, with the exception of hair (I think in Private Tim's mid-90's day, the hair was floppier ala Leo's 1996 hair), the preppy frat boy look never really changes. I bet Mark remembers frat boys dressing like this even back in 1982 at his college campus. Although I will say that pastels and colored shorts seemed to have made a big comeback around 2007, as the ubiquitous cargo shorts of the late 90's/early 00's started to lose ground to them. The subdued tones of men's wardrobes in the 90's really started brightening up with pastels around '03, and neons started coming back in around '07, usually paired with 80's throwback sunglasses. I don't remember when "bi cool" and "gay hip" became things, but I do remember a time when it seemed like every guy I met was at least "bi something". Quite a contrast to the 1960's world JP and Stef grew up in. With teenagers/college kids, it became cool in the early/mid-'00s. The whole metrosexual craze of '03 definitely helped.
Recommended Posts