Dark times were rampant in 1984. It was the year of Orwell's Big
Brother, and Apple made sure they sold the paranoia with their Super
Bowl XVIII commercial, depicting bleak interpretations of conformity -
ringing strangely true to the red menace of communism that was
threatening our individualism. AIDS had ended the era of free love, and
crack cocaine took the pleasure out of casual drug use. White
supremacists engaged in a gun battle with the FBI. There was a deadly
tornado, a serial murderer, and a Miss America scandal. The Soviet Union
boycotted the Summer Olympics as the Cold War raged on amid fears of
nuclear annihilation. As a 14-year-old boy, I was scared. I was scared
of big brother watching me. I was scared of a nuclear attack. I was
scared of girls. I had plenty of questions and no answers. Would
tensions with Russia lead to war? Would I get drafted? Would I ever get
laid? It was a frightening time in my life, and I took solace in
music. Today, there is no shortage of political unrest. North Korea
continues its quest to join the nuclear arms race. White supremacists
marched through Virginia. There are chemical weapons attacks, mass
murder shootings, and severe hurricanes. Big Brother has turned from
political commentary to a reality television show. And after many
relationships, I am still afraid of women. There are still major issues
in this world. I still have questions, and I still don't have answers.
Will tensions with North Korea lead to war? Will my boys get drafted?
Will I ever get laid? Not much has changed. Not even KMFDM.
