1. What was being an 80s Star Wars fan like?

The great thrill was Empire Strikes Back, exceeding all expectations, and worth the lengthy waits in line. Followed by the disappointment that was Return Of Jedi.

3. Which technological developments excited you? Which didn’t excite you? What did you think was coming soon, but was actually far off?

Compact disc. The sound was wonderful. Or, at least, we all thought it was wonderful. After my first player, I upgraded my speakers.

Zelda and I married in ’78 and bounced around the States throughout the 80’s. Consequently, money was precious and we would be considered poor by today’s standards. There was less stigma, and no peer judging back then for being poor. Everyone our age struggled, it’s the way it was. Early 80’s we bought maybe one record album a month, late 80’s one CD a month. I grew our own reefer. Politically, there was a rising Conservative movement and real consequences if you were perceived as an “outsider”.

Pick and choose, the 80’s was a decent time for music, although MTV would have a corrosive influence. Artists focused more on a video presentation over songcraft. While there were styles (hair metal bands) and specific artists I enjoyed, overall I preferred the 60’s and 70’s era. To be fair, I still prefer the 90’s over the 80’s.

I suspect most of us who recall the 80’s are halfway to the graveyard.