Dazed and Confused at 20

Crowe had the advantage of knowing Plant and Page and sucking up to them when they were the biggest band in the world when few music journalists did.

Also, did anyone read the critic's memories of "Dazed" that was linked inside the Esquire piece? Half of them said "I've only seen it once" or "it didn't mean anything to me." Well done, guys.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/memories-of-dazed-and-confused-15175564

 

I come at this subject with extreme bias. If you're from Texas (and probably Oklahoma and a few other places nearby) and you went to high school within 10 years of the mid-70s, you know every character in that movie well. And watching it is like going home.

 

Correct, Kleeda, but you can extend the 10-year time frame. I graduated in 1990 in a neighboring state, and I grew up in that town. He'll, I WAS Mitch, then morphed into Slater, and I also was part Pink and Newhouse.

Great movie. Wish I owned it right about now.

 

Hell, I graduated from a rural high school in 2002 - I think Dazed and Confused did a far better job at describing the atmosphere and attitude of people there than many other films I saw. Even something like American Pie, which I think is a good movie that people remember poorly because of its sequels (movie with the same problem - Austin Powers), the characters in that were too slick and unbelievable at times for me.

 

Maybe growing up in the city makes it hard for me to relate to it, though I love Freaks and Geeks and The Wonder Years and all those movies I mentioned, and most focus on small towns.

I guess one question I have for those who do love it is, do you think of it as a funny movie? Does it make you laugh because it's funny or because of the nostalgia factor? I get the relatablility of it, and I know that's essential to why so many people love this movie so much. It's a much more realistic depiction of high school social structures than most movies and TV shows bother with (though that's another reason why I bring up Freaks and Geeks and The Wonder Years) because they'd rather be funny. Certainly, American Pie was not at all a realistic depiction of the American high school experience at any point.

But is Dazed funny?

 

It's funny. There are some lines that make you laugh, but there are more parts that make you kinda of shake or nod your head and smile knowingly. It's a slice of American life. Freaks and Geeks is an interesting comparison. I know some people say it's right out of their own lives, but I didn't relate to it that way. It was believable and had heart and was also extremely funny, but I didn't feel like I was flipping through my yearbook the way I do watching Dazed.

 

My ex-wife and I were always tickled by the fact that the movie was set on the day she was born - Friday, May 28, 1976.

 

I always kind of feel bad for kids in high school these days, back then IDs could be manipulated, you could find someone to buy you a twelver right outside a 7-11 and it wasn't a big deal...hell, a lot of stores wouldn't even care and would sell if you had any semblance of facial hair.

Now the IDs or tougher to mess with, stores worry about fines etc. Do most kids just rely on an older friend/relative now to get their alcohol?

 

Yep. I have three teenaged sons. Believe me when I say that kids today have zero problem getting alcohol, weed, whatever they want, whenever they want.

 

Second that. There are also fake IDs for sale that are just like the real deal.

 

As a proud member of the Class of 86, I'd say you're dead right about that.

We didn't have a Moon Tower, but we did have lots of bonfire parties.