And in case you were wondering...

This isn't funny as much as something I came across in my notes that I'd written down verbatim for some reason. So in case you've ever wondered about heavy metal, according to my professor it was:

"A reaction against the stifling conformity of uber-patriotism that Reagan was promoting."

So, next time you're listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd, you thank Reagan.

And to finish off the decade,

"At the end of the 1980s, so many walls were coming down. 

It was a magnificent decade for democracy."

And a comment I appreciate, when comparing New Kids on the Block to John Wayne:

"The 1990s marked the era of the dancing boy."