Live Aid Benefit Concert

1985 Live Aid

Live Aid was a benefit concert held on July 13th, 1985. The purpose was to provide funds to aid Ethiopian famine. 

Live Aid was held simultaneously at two venues. London's Wembley Stadium and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.

Organized by Bob Geldof, this was a huge event, literally the world was watching. Via MTV and satellite link ups. an estimated 2 billion people watched, in an estimated 150 countries.

Live Aid was a smashing success, and raised more money than Geldof and the other organizers could of imagined. A total of over 283 million dollars was earned.

Huge rock acts were booked to appear, and most did, however some were no shows.

Billy Joel, Boy George, Waylon Jennings, Paul Simon and Huey Lewis and the News, were all included on the promotional poster, but failed to show.

Michael Jackson did not make an appearance, nor did Bruce Springsteen , who was hugely popular at the time, on the heels of 'Born In the Usa'.

Every other huge act in 1980's, and before was there. The Who, Queen, Madonna, U2, Sting, Dire Straits, and others.

Led Zeppelin played a reunion set, but Jimmy Page was unhappy with the sound he got out of his guitar, so the performance was removed on subsequent replays.

Madonna was famously quoted as saying 'Im not taking shit off today', as Live Aid took place soon after her nude pictures were leaked on Playboy and Penthouse.

1980 US Hockey Team Captures Gold

The Miracle On Ice

At the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York , the United States Men's Hockey team captured the gold medal.

The team was made up of mostly collegiate players, and no one gave them much of a chance to skate by the powerhouse Soviets and Finland.

This tremendous sports achievement became known as the Miracle On Ice. 

This miraculous event captured the hearts and minds of all Americans, as it came during the intense period of the Cold War. It was a welcomed distraction to the turmoil at the time that our nation was embroiled in.

1981 Ronald Reagan Assassination Attempt

Attempted Ronald Reagan Assassination

Ronald Reagan Moments before Gunfire

On March 30, 1981 , while exiting the Washington Hilton Hotel, gunshots rang out and a scene of utter chaos broke loose.

Reagan was immediately shoved into his limousine by  secret service agents, one of whom took a bullet for the President.

Agents huddle over wounded James Brady

Reagan was hit once and suffered a punctured lung, his aide James Brady was seriously wounded after being hit in the head, and suffered brain damage.

All total there were five shots fired , with four people injured, thankfully no fatalities. The shooter was immediately wrestled to the ground and subdued.

John Hinckley Jr

John Hinckley Jr. was the man who fired the shots, because he was trying to impress actress Jodie Foster, for whom he had a twisted infatuation for.

Hinckley Jr was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was in and out of Mental Institutions, but was able to spend much of his time at home with his parents.

Public outcry led to a reform in the way Insanity pleas are dealt with today.

PMRC vs Rock n Roll 1985

1985 Tipper Gore Wagers War on Rock Music

Tipper Gore, (ex wife of former VP Al Gore) over heard her daughter playing 'Darling Nikki' by Prince, which mentioned masturbation.

So shocked by this naughty little word, she went out and co-founded the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) . 

The group wanted to put warning stickers on albums that contained objectionable language that would warp kid's fragile little minds.

Rock and Roll Fights Back

Frank Zappa

Rock and Roll luminaries such as Twisted Sister's Dee Snider, and the legendary Frank Zappa spoke in front of the congressional committee defending their 1st amendment rights.


Zappa's stance, as was many others, this was a form of censorship that had no place in the United States of America.

Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics

When the smoke cleared, the Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics sticker was created and put on albums that contained objectionable language.

The first albums to carry this sticker, also known as 'Tipper's Sticker' was Purple Rain by Prince, Guns n Roses Appetite for Destruction, and Too Live Crew's Nasty as they Wanna be.

The Filthy Fifteen

The PMRC would release a list of the most objectionable songs, in their opinion, dubbed the filthy fifteen. Here it is. Source- wikipedia.

1. Prince - Darling Nikki
2. Sheena Easton - Sugar Walls
3. Judas Priest - Eat Me Alive
4. Vanity - Strap on Robbie Baby
5. Motley Crue - Bastard
6. AC/DC - Let Me Put My Love Into You
7. Twisted Sister - Were Not Gonna Take It
8. Madonna - Dress You Up
9. Wasp - Animal
10. Def Leppard - High n Dry (Saturday Night)
11. Mercyful Fate - Into the Coven
12. Black Sabbath - Trashed
13. Mary Jane Girls - In My House
14. Venom - Possessed
15. Cyndi Lauper - She Bop

MTV Launches 1981

On Aug 1, 1981 television history and culture was changed with the launch of MTV. What a day if you were music fan, a channel where you could watch music videos 24/7.

I myself, with all my other friends, were truly addicted to this phenomenon. As cable was somewhat still in its infancy, legions of hopeful music fans , started to harken the famous phrase ' I WANT MY MTV' to get more cable providers to provide it.

The network gave musical artists a huge outlet to be heard, and sell records. To be in 'heavy rotation' , meaning your video was played almost once and hour, or so it seemed was a band's or musician's dream.

The very first video ever played on MTV was 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by one hit wonder The Buggles.

Sadly, the music could not last forever. These days is seems like MTV is run by a bunch of 14 year old girls. Music has become almost non - existent, with programs such as '16 and Pregnant', 'Awkward', 'Girl Code' and the completely ridiculous 'Jersey Shore'.

I suppose MTV needed to change with the times, to grab a younger audience, and sadly old geezers like me are just left with a fond memory.

The original MTV vjs at the network's launch deserve their props.

Left to right - Nina Blackwood (I thought she was soo hot), Alan Hunter, Mark Goodman, the perky Martha Quinn, and JJ Jackson.