In 1979, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers released their third studio album titled Damn the Torpedoes. They released three singles from the album, Don’t Do Me Like That, Refugee, and Here Comes My Girl. Refugee was released in January 1980, and it peaked at number 15 on the Hot 100 charts. Don’t Do Me Like That and Refugee were their first top 40 singles on the Hot 100 charts peaking at number 10 and 15 respectively.
Enjoy this look back at Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ music video for Refugee as well as a look at a live video for Don’t Do Me Like That as well!
Halloween III: Season of the Witch was released to theaters on October 22, 1982. It was the third movie in the Halloween movie series, and it was the only one that didn’t feature Michael Myers. It was the least successful Halloween movie in the series at the box office, but almost 40 years later, it has established its own reputation as a stand-alone cult film. It’s definitely one of the creepiest movies from the Halloween movie series.
For those who’ve never seen it, here’s a look at the theatrical trailer for the movie as well as 10 things you might not know about Halloween III: Season of the Witch from Talk Horror on YouTube.
In 1989, the late Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder teamed up in See No Evil, Hear No Evil, one of the funniest movies of the ’80s, in our humble opinion. Richard Pryor’s character is blind and Gene Wilder’s character is deaf, and together they try to thwart a trio of murderous thieves. What ensues is pure comedic genius from two of the greatest comedic actors of the decade.
Enjoy this look back at the classic kiosk scene from See No Evil, Hear No Evil from 1989!
In 1986, Robin Williams appeared live at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. His appearance was recorded, and the album, A Night at the Met, won the 1988 Grammy for Best Comedy Performance Single or Album, Spoken or Musical.
Robin’s performance that night is considered by many as one of the greatest standup comedy performances of all time. In this segment he talks about alcohol and marijuana, and it’s one of of the funniest comedy bits we’ve ever seen.
On February 10, 1987, the late Betty White appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. This interview had it all! It was funny, entertaining, and the respect between the two was awesome. God bless Betty White. Your fans miss you so much…
Enjoy this look back at Betty White on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1987!
There were so many incredible and unique guests who appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson throughout the years. We’ve featured hilarious videos featuring Robin Williams, Joan Rivers, Hulk Hogan, Don Rickles, Buddy Hackett, and more.
Today, we’re featuring a hilarious episode featuring one of of the funniest and most humble comedians of all time, Jonathan Winters. This one had us laughing the entire time.
Enjoy this look back at Jonathan Winters on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson back in 1988!
Check out more interviews from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the ’80s:
In 1984, British rock legends Deep Purple released their 11th studio album titled Perfect Strangers. They released three singles from the album, Knocking at Your Back Door, Perfect Strangers, and Nobody’s Home. All three singles were top 20 hits on the Mainstream Rock charts in the U.S. The title track, Perfect Strangers was the second single released, and it peaked at number 12 on the rock charts in 1985. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has called Perfect Strangers his favorite Deep Purple song, and it’s definitely one of our favorites as well.
Enjoy this look back at Deep Purple’s music video for Perfect Strangers from 1985!
On December 14, 1988, Johnny Carson’s monologue to kick off the show started off horrendously, but in true Johnny Carson fashion, he keeps on plugging away, and by the end, the audience is loving it! Nobody reacted to a joke bombing better than Johnny Carson.
Enjoy this look back at Johnny Carson weathering the storm of bad joke after bad joke until he hits pay dirt!
The Indigo Girls released their self-titled second studio album and first major label release on February 28, 1989. The album went Platinum, and the duo were nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys, and they won the Grammy award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.
Closer to Fine was the first and only single released from the album. While the song wasn’t a huge hit on the charts, peaking at number 52 on the Hot 100 charts and number 26 on the Modern Rock charts, it has become their signature song and is considered one of the best indie rock songs of the late ’80s/early ’90s.
Enjoy this look back at the music video for Closer To Fine from the Indigo Girls!
Crocodile Dundee is one of the highest grossing films of all time. It was released on April 30, 1986 in Australia and September 26, 1986 in the United States. It was the highest grossing film of all-time in Australia, and the second highest-grossing film in the United States in 1986. It was also the highest-grossing non-US film at the US box office ever. Needless to say, Crocodile Dundee was huge in the late ’80s, and this scene is one of our favorite scenes in the movie.
Enjoy a look back at the famous scene in Crocodile Dundee where Dundee says, That’s not a knife… that’s a knife!
In 1985, Night Ranger released their third studio album titled 7 Wishes. The album featured three top 20 hits on the Hot 100 charts. The first single Sentimental Street peaked at number eight on the Hot 100 charts and number three on the Mainstream Rock charts. The second and third singles, Four in the Morning (I Can’t Take Any More) and Goodbye peaked at numbers 19 and 17 respectively on the Hot 100 charts.
Enjoy this look back at Night Ranger’s music video for Sentimental Street as well as a vintage live performance from 1985!
On August 10, 1988, Tom Cruise made his first appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. Cruise was on the show promoting his new movie Cocktail, but the majority of the conversation stemmed around Cruise’s car racing career. He talked about his racing career, his friendship with Paul Newman, and making drinks in Cocktail.
Enjoy this look back at the first time Tom Cruise appeared on Late Night with David Letterman.
Twilight Zone was the Dutch band Golden Earring’s biggest hit in the United States. In 1982, Twilight Zone topped the Mainstream Rock charts and was also a top ten hit on the Hot 100 charts, peaking at number ten. It also came in at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end charts for 1983.
The song was written by the band’s guitarist George Kooymans who got the inspiration for the song after reading The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum.
In 1973, Golden Earring scored their first big hit in the United States when Radar Love peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100 charts. ’80s rockers White Lion covered Radar Love in 1989.
Enjoy this look back at the music video for Twilight Zone as well as a live performance from 1984, and just for fun, a live performance of Radar Love from 1973 as well as White Lion’s version.
In 1981, Canadian rockers Triumph scored their first top ten hit on the Rock charts when Magic Power peaked at number eight on the Mainstream Rock charts. Magic Power is also their highest charting single in their native Canada where it peaked at number 14 on the Canadian charts.
Their highest charting single in the U.S. was All The Way from their 1983 album Never Surrender. It peaked at number two on the Mainstream Rock charts.
Enjoy this look back at Triumph’s music video for Magic Power!
Queensryche released their third studio album, Operation: Mindcrime on May 3, 1988. They released four singles from the album. The second single released in 1988 was Eyes of a Stranger, which became their first top 40 hit on the Mainstream Rock charts when it peaked at number 35. Two years later, they would score the biggest hit of their career when Silent Lucidity hit number one on the Mainstream Rock charts and number nine on the Hot 100 charts.
Enjoy this look back at Queensryche’s music video for Eyes of a Stranger, and just for fun, their music video for Silent Lucidity as well!
One of our favorite movies from the ’80s was Fletch. Fletch starred Chevy Chase as L.A Times reporter Irwin M. “Fletch” Fletcher, and the movie featured so many great one-liners. A few of our favorites are, “Using the whole fist, Doc?”, “Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo.”, and “I would have been here sooner, but a manure-spreader jackknifed on the Santa Ana. You should see my shoes.”
Enjoy this look back at all the best scenes from Fletch!
BIG STAR-X is back with another awesome edition of then and now photos of Legendary ’80s Music Stars Then and Now! Enjoy this edition featuring then and now photos of some of the biggest music stars from the ’80s:
As you know, we are huge fans of Van Halen and miss Eddie Van Halen more than you’ll ever know. While looking for more Van Halen to share on the site, we came across Eddie’s son Wolfgang’s new music video for Don’t Back Down. Wolfgang started the band Mammoth WVH as a solo-project while he was still in Van Halen back in 2020. In 2020, he released the first single from the self-titled album called Distance, and it went to number one on the Mainstream Rock charts. The second single, Don’t Back Down, also hit number one on the Mainstream Rock charts.
The coolest part of all the songs on the album is Wolfgang played all the instruments on the album. It truly was a solo project.
In June 2021, Wolfgang described the debut album as “personal” and “therapeutic”, while acknowledging influence taken from his father’s career. In developing the overall sound and style for the project, Wolfgang stated that while “I’ll always be there to champion my father and his legacy…I definitely made a choice to not sound directly like Van Halen…I think that would be boring if I was a carbon copy of my dad.”
Regarding Distance, Wolfgang said, “As my pop continued to struggle with various health issues, I was imagining what my life would be like without him and how terribly I’d miss him. While the song is incredibly personal, I think anyone can relate to the idea of having a profound loss in their life. I never intended ‘Distance’ to be the very first piece of music people would hear from me, but I also thought my father would be here to celebrate its release. This is for him. I love and miss you, Pop.” – WVH via YouTube
If you haven’t seen it yet, we thought you’d all enjoy this look at Wolfgang Van Halen’s music videos for both Distance and Don’t Back Down! The Distance music video is so emotional to watch with the home video footage of Wolfgang and Eddie together, and the voice mail at the end of the song from Eddie to Wolfgang will leave you in tears…
The Hooters released a live version of All You Zombies as a single in 1982, and later recorded an extended studio version in 1985. The live version was included on their 1982 debut album Amore, and the extended version was included on their 1985 Nervous Night album. The ’85 version was a top 20 hit on the Mainstream Rock charts, peaking at number 11.
In addition to All You Zombies, Nervous Night also featured two of The Hooters’ biggest hits, And We Danced and Day By Day as well as another fan favorite, Where Do The Children Go.
Enjoy this look back at The Hooters’ music video for All You Zombies as well as the videos for And We Danced, Day By Day, and Where Do The Children Go!
On January 28, 1982, Drew Barrymore made her first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She was there to talk about her new movie, E.T., and in adorable fashion, she talked to Johnny about her dentist, her mom constantly on the phone, and she even sings a song to Johnny about his face.
If you’ve got a few minutes, you’ll love this look back at seven-year-old Drew Barrymore on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
In 1985, Johnny Carson was introducing a new sponsor for the first time on the show, and he couldn’t stop laughing when trying to introduce the product. In reality, Mrs. Paul’s probably got more exposure during this blooper than they ever got during a regular promotion.
Enjoy this look back at a hilarious blooper from the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson!
In 1982, Hulk Hogan was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and the conversation turned to Hulk Hogan’s body measurements. Johnny was fascinated with the size of his arms and chest, and hilariously said, “I’m looking at the size of your arms… I wish I had anything that big!” To which, the Hulkster says, “How about your bank account?”. A pretty witty comment from the Hulkster.
Enjoy this look back at Hulk Hogan on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on June 15, 1982!
Photo via AC/DC’s music video for ‘Through The Mists of Time’
AC/DC released their 17th studio album called Power Up in November 2020. If you loved AC/DC in the ’80s, you are going to love this album, and in particular, this song and video for Through The Mists of Time. The song is awesome, but the music video is incredible! The video showcases photos of both current and former members of the band, and for those of us who have been fans of the band since the ’70s, it’s an emotional ride.
The lyrics were written by lead guitarist Angus Young, and lead singer Brian Johnson told The Independent that he still sees Malcolm in his mind every time his song is played.
“Whenever I hear it, I still get goose bumps,” he said. “I still think of him. I was thinking of him when I sang it. It’s just these things about the happy days when we first started in the ’80s, when I first joined the band. I just remember these very happy, carefree days. And Angus did a magnificent job of putting those lyrics together. I think he really felt it, too, because him and Malcolm were inseparable.”
In 1988, country rocker Steve Earle released his third studio album Copperhead Road in 1988. The lead single, Copperhead Road became his first top ten song on the Mainstream Rock charts peaking at number ten in 1988. He followed it up with another top 20 hit on the Rock charts with Back to the Wall, which peaked at number 20.
Enjoy this look back at Steve Earle’s music video for Copperhead Road from 1988!
I Can’t Drive 55 is one of Sammy Hagar’s most memorable solo hits. It was the second single released from his 1984 VOA album, and it was his third top 40 single on the Hot 100 charts when it peaked at number 26. It was also his fifth top 10 hit on the Mainstream Rock charts, peaking at number nine in ’84.
Enjoy this look back at Sammy’s music video for I Can’t Drive 55 from 1984!
In 1984, Kiss scored their first top 15 hit on the Mainstream Rock charts when Heaven’s On Fire peaked at number 11. Heaven’s On Fire was the first single released from their 12th studio album Animalize.
Enjoy this look back at Kiss’ music video for Heaven’s On Fire from 1984!
In addition to music videos, one of our other favorite things about MTV back in the day was MTV Cribs, where our favorite singers took us into their homes and showed us around. In this episode, one of our favorite lead singers from the ’80s, Motley Crue’s Vince Neil, takes us inside his home during an episode of MTV Cribs from the mid-2000’s.
Enjoy this look inside Vince Neil’s home on MTV Cribs!
One of our favorite shows to watch as a kid was Three’s Company. We loved Jack, Chrissy, Janet, Larry, the Ropers, Mr. Furley, and in the ’80s Terri. Three’s Company aired from 1977 – 1984, and you can catch reruns today on Logo TV, Pluto TV or Sling TV.
Enjoy this look back at the cast of Three’s Company on the original Family Feud!
In 1987, comedian Buddy Hackett was on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and he has the audience as well as Johnny and Ed rolling with laughter. His duck joke is one-of-a-kind! Enjoy this look back at Buddy Hackett on with Johnny Carson in ’87!
On January 28, 1984, Don Rickles appeared on Saturday Night Live, and in typical Rickles fashion, he insulted everybody, and it was freaking hilarious. Enjoy this look back at Don Rickles insulting everybody on Saturday Night Live!
