“The Haçienda probably made more money for drug dealers than it ever did for us.” — Peter Hook How did we know that moral panic over rave culture had hit the mainstream in the US? The scriptwriters of Beverly Hills 90210 — the Euphoria of its day — devoted two full episodes to rave dangers. If we didn’t catch on the first time (in 1992’s “U4EA”), we sure as hell should have two years later, when a minor character nearly burned alive in a rave fire (1994’s “Injustice For All”).  If what you knew about raves in the 90s came from network television, you were fully prepared for secretive dens of drugs and sin, with dancing and music as sideshows for the main event: the spectacle of near-teenage death. UK parents got the chance to freak out years earlier, when the tabloids sensationalized the so-called “Second Summer of Love” between 1988 and 1989, leading to actual legislation against dance music.  Early UK rave flyers, including The Prodigy’s first business card The artefacts you see here come from a “Members Only” Archive currently held for auction at Bonham’s and dating from that pivotal period and the years just following. It is, notes Bonham’s, not only a collection of club memorabilia; “It is effectively a social history of Britain’s late-1980s and 1990s underground music revolution, told through small, disposable objects that were never meant to survive.”  “The collection includes a multitude of preserved physical ephemera from legendary clubs and events like Shoom, Ministry of Sound, Fantazia, Raindance, FAC51 Haçienda, Spectrum, Trip, Amnesia House, Apocalypse Now, Biology, Club UK, Dalston Lane, Destiny, The Eclipse, Empire, The Factory, Fantasia, Future, Genesis, Golden, Helter Skelter, In-Ter-Dance, Jungle Fever, Labrynth, Land of Oz, Quest, Sterns, Sunrise, Taste, 2000 AD and much more.” The late 80s in England was a time and place when rave culture solidified in a series of huge dance parties, legal and illegal, indoors and out. Some stereotypes are perfectly true. Were there secret parties? Of course; the only way to stay ahead of the police raids was to carefully screen guests with private invitations. Were there lots of drugs? Oh, yeah, loads.      The scene was also, for many, a politically-charged celebration of life, designed expressly in opposition to the anti-life forces that shaped a generation. As one historian of the rave scene argues, the hippie communalism of rave culture appeared contra Margaret Thatcher’s doctrine of “ruthless individualism” that “systematically dismantled working-class communities,” robbing people of livelihood and social life. (The same would happen in Reagan-era Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, and other cities of post-industrial decay.)  “It’s no coincidence that the first sound systems emerged in industrial areas devastated by those policies. In abandoned factories, empty warehouses, and closed-down mines—these spaces, abandoned by capital, became the temples of a new form of resistance.”  Abandoned factories + soundsystems = instant parties, no superstar DJs needed (though many who now enjoy that status started out in dank illegal warehouses). Another history refers to origins as diverse (so to speak) as south, and west London, Manchester, Sheffield, and Birmingham (and even Ipswich). Then, there is, of course, the island of Ibiza, where Joy Division became New Order, and also, of course, New York, Chicago and Detroit. “These competing origin stories tell of rave’s international characters, pilfering the many genres of African-American dance music—disco, electro, house, garage — to filter them through the UK’s subcultural milieu….” Despite its global nature, however, rave predates the flattening of the internet, and thus each regional scene retained its local character: “Rave meant actually coming from somewhere.” Or, if you didn’t, it meant traveling to somewhere else, perpetually. The best somewhere to be in late 1980s-era rave was certainly the city of Manchester and Factory Records’ legendary Haçienda.     How did the gloomy industrial Manchester of Joy Division and The Smiths become the insanely eclectic electronic dayglo Madchester of the Happy Mondays, more or less overnight? In the same way flower power never happens without Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey spreading acid over San Francisco; or funk never happens without cocaine (at least according to Rick James); there is no rave scene without ecstasy. But hedonism was only one object.  Beats Beyond Borders argues that rave happened because of ecstasy’s ability to erode not only emotional and social inhibitions, but musical ones as well:  “[Ecstacy] did something very specific to music: it dissolved genre loyalty. On ecstasy, the divisions between rock fans, soul fans, and dance fans simply evaporated. What mattered was the rhythm, the bass, the collective physical experience of moving together in a dark room. It turned nightclubs – previously somewhat transactional spaces – into what many people genuinely described as religious experiences.” One can have a religious experience without drugs, or without religion, for that matter. The rave scene’s melding of underground genres into a universal language of dance and laser light shows may have only come about through chemical means, but it had the power to re-order synapses all on its own, for at least the temporary illusion of a better future than the one on offer.  Read the full details (and place your bid) at Bonhams       The post The Origins of Rave in Objects: See the Members Only Cards of 80s and 90s UK Raves appeared first on Flashbak.

Tim Allen is looking back on the roles, relationships, and lessons that shaped his life both on and offscreen. More than 30 years after first voicing Buzz Lightyear, the actor is preparing to return to the Toy Story franchise while also reflecting on fatherhood, sobriety, faith, and family. According to Us Weekly, Tim Allen spoke about the joy of playing Buzz again in Toy Story 5. He also opened up about raising two daughters, the impact of losing his father as a child, and the way sobriety changed his experience as a parent. Tim Allen Said Buzz Lightyear Became Part Of Him Tim Allen/Instagram Allen said Buzz has become an important part of his life. Toy Story first arrived in 1995 and became one of Pixar’s most beloved franchises. In the new film, Buzz, Woody, and the other toys face the pull of technology after Bonnie gets a tablet named Lilypad. TOY STORY, from left: Buzz Lightyear (voice: Tim Allen), Woody (voice: Tom Hanks), 1995. © Buena Vista Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection The actor said Pixar even gave him gentle notes about his voice sounding older. To prepare, he worked with an opera singer and learned how to warm up properly. Allen joked about the process, but the moment also showed how seriously he still treats the character after all these years. Fatherhood Has Changed The Way He Sees Life 23OCT99: Actors TIM ALLEN (left) & TOM HANKS with “Toy Story” characters “Buzz Lightyear” & “Woody,” whose voices they portray in the films. They were at a promotion in Hollywood to unveil three NASCAR racing cars themed to “Toy Story 2,” which opens next month. Paul Smith / Featureflash Allen has two daughters, Kate and Elizabeth. He admitted that he did not always imagine himself as a natural father, and he was often away during Kate’s early years. He also said he has made amends for the mistakes he made before nearly 30 years of sobriety changed his life. With Elizabeth, Allen said he has experienced fatherhood differently. He described simple family rituals, including saying good night and watching movies together. Those moments have become especially meaningful as she prepares to leave home after high school. Disney/Pixar The actor also spoke about faith and how losing his father in 1964 changed him. That loss pushed him toward deeper spiritual questions, though he said he has spent much of his life wrestling with belief, pain, and acceptance. Now, Tim Allen seems focused on gratitude rather than looking back too much. He continues to star in Shifting Gears, enjoys stand-up, and still values the chance to entertain audiences. Tim Allen has played many familiar characters, from Tim Taylor to Santa Claus to Buzz Lightyear, but his latest reflections show a man thinking more about family, growth, and the people who helped him keep going. Next up: Paulina Porizkova Reveals Why She Is Marrying Again At 61 The post Tim Allen Opens Up About Fatherhood, Faith, And Returning As Buzz Lightyear appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Ruth A

Explore the heartwarming legacy of the Benji movie, a 1974 dog film that turned a shelter pup into a Hollywood star and charmed a generation.

Gilligan’s Island gave television one of its most recognizable sitcom characters, but it also left behind one surprisingly stubborn mystery. For decades, fans have wondered whether Gilligan had a first name or whether the bumbling first mate of the S.S. Minnow was always meant to be known by one name. According to TVLine, the debate around Gilligan’s Island grew because early material once connected the character to the name “Willy Gilligan.” However, the name was never spoken in the original series, the scripts, or the unaired 1963 pilot, which helped keep the question alive for generations of viewers. The Name ‘Willy Gilligan’ Came From Early Material Gilligan’s Island/Everett Collection The confusion gained more attention in 1993, when TV Guide reportedly found an old press release that said Gilligan’s first name had once been planned as Willy. Around that same period, fans were also talking about the lost pilot, which had aired on TBS in 1992. That timing helped blur the story. MEEGO, (from left): Dawn Wells, Bronson Pinchot, Bob Denver, Russell Johnson, Jonathan Lipnicki, ‘Mommy ‘n’ Meego’, (unaired), 1997. © Warner Bros. Television / Courtesy: Everett Collection Some viewers believed the pilot had revealed the full name, but that was not the case. In the pilot, a radio report mentions the missing castaways by name, but it refers to Gilligan only as a young first mate named Gilligan. The show itself never clearly gave him a first name, which made the mystery even easier for fans to debate. Bob Denver Preferred Keeping The Character’s Name Simple For ‘Gilligan’s Island’ Gilligan’s Island/Everett Collection The name Willy Gilligan appears to have come from early development notes by creator Sherwood Schwartz, but it never made it into the series. Once the show found its footing, the character remained simply Gilligan. Bob Denver reportedly preferred that approach, helping preserve the simple name fans still recognize today.  Everett Collection The mystery adds to the charm of Gilligan’s Island. Although the show aired from 1964 to 1967, reruns turned it into a TV classic, with Gilligan remaining the island’s comic center despite never having an official first name. Early development notes suggest “Willy” existed as an idea, but the series never used it. In the end, keeping him simply Gilligan may have been the better choice. Next up: John Lithgow Makes Tony Awards History At 80 The post What Was Gilligan’s First Name? The Answer May Surprise You appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Ruth A

The actor was also known for his work in 'That Girl' and several Disney classics.