When I decided to have Identity open in the 1980s, I was confronted with the problem of how to set the scene.
Oh, I could work in a few references to current events, thanks to Sharlah’s habit of reading the newspaper. But I couldn’t rely on fashion — neither Sharlah nor Brian spends much time or money on clothes.
They do buy albums, though.
Sharlah and Brian’s record collection reflects their preferences, not mine. Sharlah is a little more influenced by the Top 40; Brian thinks he has better taste than she does.
Most of their collection is a product of my imagination and a little Facebook crowd-sourcing. I had a copy of Joe Jackson’s Night and Day, and one of my college roommates had John Cougar’s American Fool, but some of the other artists (Def Leppard, for instance) wouldn’t have occurred to me.
When I asked my Facebook friends what albums they listened to in the early ’80s, no one mentioned Journey’s Escape. If any of my friends back then had it, they kept it in a drawer. Brian’s opinion — “Journey sucks” — was widely shared. I’m not sure any of us would have predicted the staying power of those songs.
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to Sharlah’s playlist. You might be surprised how many of the lyrics you remember.