The Entertainiac

It’s been more than a decade since Steve Urkel awkwardly walked into our lives with his ‘did I do that’ presence, and a little ditty smelling a lot like teen spirit grunged its way onto our tape decks and into our tie-dyed covered hearts.

We’ve had two decades to recover from our So Called Lives, over-sized Club Monaco sweatshirts and Doc Martens. In the same way the 70s and 80s took on a retro comeback, so too must the 90s. Since we’re approaching the 15-year mark since we partied like it was 1999 and Y2K was the trendy apocalyptic fear, it’s time for a 90s revival.

With that in mind, I’m getting nostalgic for the 90s and getting ready to bring it back from throwing my first theme party, dressing like Flavor Flav for Halloween, or bringing back the ‘don’t have a cow’ Simpsons’ t-shirt and calling it retro.

Remember when: Before there was TVO you had to actually watch shows when they aired, or hope for the best when recording using a VCR. Shows such as Seinfeld, Friends, 90210 (the original), Fresh Prince, Dinosaurs, Baywatch and the entire TGIF lineup: Perfect Strangers, Step by Step and Family Matters were must-have viewing. Not to mention the X-Men and Tiny Toons Saturday morning cartoons.

The Accessories: From Flavor Flav’s giant clocks, to peace signs, to wearing a giant boom box. It was all about the accessories in the 90s. The Blossom-style floppy hats, bandannas and my personal favourite, the scrunchie are all a must in my 90s revival plans.

Oh the bands: Top 40 music in the 90s was a hodgepodge of everything from Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam and Radiohead, to Backstreet Boys, Aqua and No Doubt, to Metallica and Blind Melon. Somewhere Kurt Cobain is rolling in his grave that the same era which brought us Wannabe also gave us Gangster’s Paradise and Supersonic; let’s not forget the mullet-infused Achy Breaky Heart.

The Misc.: One could spend a year writing about the ‘awesome’ which was the 90s, but there is only so much space allotted. So this final list is simply a little of this and that, summing up the best of the best:

1. WrestleMania
2. SNL – in particular Wayne’s World
3. Beavis and Butthead
4. Slapstick comedies (Austin Powers, Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber)
5. VHS
6. Reebok pumps
7. The Viewfinder
8. Pop-Up Video
9. Rollerblades
10. Nintendo Game Boy

So raise a glass of Orbitz, or a Dunk-a-roo for the 90s revival, or simply talk to the hand cuz the face don’t want to hear it.