Clearwater High School - Aqua Clara Yearbook (Clearwater, FL)

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B. Ashbrook Along with the new wave in music, a button craze came about. The MTV button was a part of most everyone ' s collection. J. Samsel Scott Nigels shows his true interest in classic rock-n-roll through a Boston album and a Who concert t-shirt. arse, tnsel One sign of the type of music one listens to is the way he dresses. Andy Fanguiaire is obvi- ously into new wave. lent, vave id is Ones music tastes are often reflected by his room. Upon entering John Friederich’s bed- room, it is quite obvious that his type of music is Punk Rock. peo- tical true n of r de- the rod adio B. Ashbrook MTV 20

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I Want My MTV: I want my MTV” is almost a cliche to most young people. MTV, or music television, added a new dimension to music enjoyment across the country. By simply flipping on cable chan- nel 45, one could not only hear, but see his favorite rock-n-roll artists. MTV linked ra- dio and television to form an unbeatable media for rock fans and new wavers alike. After students began discovering MTV, the word spread fast, and the demand for 60 channel cable hookups skyrocketed. Some went as far as getting a full stereo hookup for their MTV. Students watched MTV for hours and hours on end, hoping to catch clips of their favorite rock-n-roll artists. Students waited patiently for rock groups such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Journey, and Styx, but these videos were scattered between clumps of new wave. After repeated playing of the new wave tunes, they began sinking into the brains of students and the unique form of music be- gan to catch on. This is how the trend be- gan. Instead of a group of noncomformists, the new wave crowd became a flock of trend following “bee-bops” and rock fans enlight- ened by the change of pace. Students went for the new wave for many reasons. Robby Wallace commented, “I like new wave as something different. Simple enough, it’s fun.” As the new wave in music strengthened in popularity, groups who were before looked down upon as outcasts, (such as Adam Ant and Devo) soared in popularity, receiving airtime on rock radio stations and selling out local concert halls. Also selling out concerts and soaring to the top of re- cord charts were some new groups intro- duced by MTV such as Men at Work and Missing Persons. Often confused with new wave was the ever-lasting punk. James Stevenson ex- plained a few of the differences between punk and new wave. “While punk is violent, political, and guitar-oriented, new wave shows a lighter, more fun attitude and is oriented to the keyboards.” John Frieder- ich stated, “Punk is not all violence and destruction. This is often used to get peo- ple’s attention. Punk is based on political values and opinions.” Although true “punkers” represented a small portion of the students, those students were very de- voted to their music. Along with the “new wavers” and the “punkers” were of course the classic rock fans. These students stuck with the radio and their own carefully selected albums, Despite the new trends, the classic rock re- mained on top for many. Although some students showed in most every type of music, new wave was most notable because of its sudden surge to the top. And responsible for this, of course, MTV. T by Jeff Samse! ro ro is 28 MTV

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Not Just Something To Do G oing to the movies; just something to do? No, not anymore. Due to the rising price of movies and the recent installation of cable to most areas zoned for Clearwater High, students visited the theaters less frequently, and were more careful in choosing which movie to see. Brent Peters explains, “Since the installa- tion of cable, I don’t spend my money on the movies unless it is something I would really like to see.” Going to the movies was no longer a mere excuse to go out. Despite the drop in the frequency of at- tendance, movies still brought in their share of dollars. Some of this years top box office smashes were E.T., An Officer and a Gentleman , and Rocky III. Although cer- tain movies were able to sell out any time of the day, the most tickets were sold on week- end nights, and the numbers of people rose as the night went on. For those who considered the $3.50 to $4.50 movie ticket just too much, the the- aters offered many inflation fighting spe- cials. Students could attend AMC theaters for $3.00 by flashing their student discount card, or simply by attending shows before 6:00 or at midnight. For those really looking to save money, the drive-ins showed two to four movies a night for $1.50. The Carib also showed top rate films for 99c until it went out of business in the early part of the year. New to the AMC theaters this year were the midnight flicks. Anna Bergston, man- ager at Clearwater 4 theaters commented, “Although midnight movies rarely sell out, they are really excellent for bringing in the high school age crowd.” This is due not only to the time of the shows, but to the type of movies played. This included classic rock films, comedies, and horrors. Of Course Sunshine Mall continued to play the ever- classic horror, comedy, musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Rocky Horror was presented every weekend for the fourth year straight. This was the classic chance to really get into the show by dancing and singing along. This loose atmosphere was what had kept it alive over the years. Despite the coming of cable and the high prices of movies students continued to at- tend movies. It wasn’t just considered a reg- ular thing to do. ▼ by Jeff Samsel 30 Movies