His argument is that now every era, taste, and sub-sub-genre of music is available for obsessive perusal and enjoyment, so there’s no need for anything “new” anymore. Music journalist Simon Reynolds argues in his 2010 book Retromania that modern technology and the vast sea of information available online have actually hindered the progress of music somewhat. The really surprising thing is that all these young skaters, not old enough to have experienced the 80s or 90s, are going crazy for this stuff and wanting to drown every inch of their existential being in it.Ī collection of recent reissues Future Primitive It was only a matter of time until aging skaters became materialistic nerds-*ahem* sorry-collectors and connoisseurs of artifacts of their subculture. There have been similar markets for a while in the realms of comic collectors, vinyl record junkies, and retro video game enthusiasts, just to name a few. This has led to reissues of all kinds in skateboarding, like DVDs (newly restored, just like Star Wars!), shoe reissues, limited board represses, and countless other paraphernalia from companies hoping to score some money from aging skaters’ pockets. It doesn’t matter if your body is getting creaky and there’s zero money in your bank account if you just remember the good times, man! Companies that make their money selling you things you don’t really need have known this for a long time and skate companies are no exception. Memories (usually) lead to positive thoughts, a strengthened sense of identity from remembering one’s experiences, and improve one’s mood. Nowadays, according to a lazy Google search, it is defined very loosely as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past,” and is considered as having a list of potential psychological benefits.įor skateboarders, this can mean remembering anything from the spots they used to skate, to videos they watched growing up and the warm, fuzzy feeling all those things evoke. It was originally used to describe feelings of homesickness in soldiers away on war and diagnosed as a problem, as it had dire implications for men at war who needed to be strong and fight. Look up any article about “nostalgia” online and you’ll be treated to oodles of carbon copy definitions on the origins of the term.
A whole generation that didn’t live through JNCO (seriously, you’re lucky) or Fuct (when streetwear was actually subversive) or Muska-mania (still a ripper) are still opening their wallets and, more importantly, their hearts to pieces of culture that made my generations’ youth memorable. I’m liking the revival of things that were seemingly lost to the past, but these things aren’t just being sold and marketed to grumpy old farts like me. If you’re thinking “Hey geezer, I don’t want to read another essay singing the praises of the good ol’ days and how nothing’s original anymore,” HOLD UP FOR A SECOND. The list goes on and on, and that’s not even mentioning everything going on in skating – skate videos filmed on VHS, jeans getting baggy again, early 90s style board shapes… Nintendo re-releasing mini versions of the SNES. I mean more in the sense that despite time flowing in one direction, every time I scroll through Instagram or switch on the TV, I run into something that resembles the past, re-packaged for the 2010s. I don’t mean like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, doomed to repeat the same day over and over again.
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a time warp?