1980s Music Quotes

I'd love to do Pat Benatar. Probably either 'Hit Me with Your Best Shot' or 'We Belong'.

I actually think that Republican administrations are better for music. The Reagan era was such a great era for punk and indie rock.

I love Eighties rock.

I'm of the generation that discovered Aerosmith because of Run-DMC. They just looked crazy to me. They were the dudes in the Run-DMC video. That's who Aerosmith was.

At 8, I got my first cassette, which was Def Leppard's 'Hysteria.'

I was really big in the '80s.

I was a big fan of the Rain Parade, Green on Red, X, the Rolling Stones.

The first thing I remember hearing was just the dance music that was in the charts when I was growing up. I don't remember many of the names of specific tracks - they were just kind of early acid house things.

The first real gig I went to was Randy Crawford in 1980. Seeing a big star like that was just fantastic.

I got a Walkman, I had the 'Footloose' soundtrack and I danced to it constantly.

Growing up on Long Island, I think Billy Joel albums come with your driver's license.

The Mekons were kind of like the background music of my life.

I love Devo. There's nothing not to like.

You can play some schlock like New Kids On the Block.

The '80s don't seem to have gone away. Most weekends in the summer we're off doing a festival in front of 10,000 or 15,000 people with a load of other '80s acts. It was just such a great era for music, for individuals and characters. It just had a spirit.

Back in the day, when 'Pony' came out, I don't believe there was anyone that could dance like me.

I'm a New Wave baby, so I got very stimulated by foreign film.

In America, if you say 'Chris de Burgh,' they won't have a clue, but they all know 'Lady in Red.'

One month I'll be completely obsessed with Bob Dylan and the next Arcade Fire. I like early Elton John and David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. I listen to a lot of American bands. But I like listening to new bands, too.

The great thing about Santa Monica civic auditorium was it was a place you could ride your bike to. In this case, my dad dropped me and my friends off, and we'd go see Ronnie James Dio or Jean-Luc Ponty or Weather Report or the Pretenders.

I grew up listening to 1980s country music, mostly. Early '90s. That time period was my favorite.

I've been through this fame thing before, when the band was big in '80, '81.

I'm not really keen on comebacks. Eurythmics was an incredible thing. When I look back on that work, I feel very satisfied with it.

I guess personally I really like "Take on Me" by Aha. I think it just defines the 80s and how insane it was and like neon and like calculator watches and that whole thing.

One overlooked great 1980s rock n' roll band, maybe punk rock - they were on SST Records, same label as Black Flag - is this band called the Leaving Trains.