1989 BOWMAN

BY JOEY SHIVER

One characteristic that is synonymous with the time period that includes the late ‘80s through the mid-‘90s, is “excess.” Excess is defined as “an amount of something that is more than necessary.” Everything in that time period was loud, flamboyant, and BIGGER! That may be the very time frame that coined the phrase “Bigger is Better,” but I have no scientific proof of that. I just know that I became very aware of that expression during those days.

If you are much younger than 30, you probably don’t remember when three-liter bottles of soft drinks were on the shelf at all of the local grocery stores. The product was officially introduced in 1985 but became mainstream around 1988. I guess you could say that when I was a teenager, the three-liter was HUGE; in more ways than one. If you had some friends over to binge on the Nintendo for the day, you’d better have a three-liter Mountain Dew or your supply would run out quickly.

“Big” wasn’t just limited to the soft drinks we had available. McDonalds introduced a burger in the ‘90s called the Triple-Double Burger. The name really says it all, but this was a mammoth creation with three beef patties, two slices of cheese, lettuce, and the Big Mac sauce. The Smashing Pumpkins released a double CD, and still their best to date in my opinion, in 1995 named “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.” The release had a massive 28 tracks and was just over two hours long. Big Hair, oversized jeans, and even big and bulky cars were all in vogue during the ‘80s as well. Shall I remind you of the Ford Bronco or the station wagons with the wood grain siding?