Arrested Development (the TV show) had one of its best lines in mid-2004, when perennial alcoholic Lindsay Fünke made this offhand remark about fashion: “It’s the 21st century. We should be dressing like the ’80s.” It was ironic at the time, but now, at the tail end of 2009, after surviving an age that resurrected high-waisted jeans, we’ve come to realize she was dead right. Fashion wasn’t the only thing the first decade of the 21st century lifted wholesale from the ’80s.

Presented here are five blatant examples of bands who have begged, borrowed, or stolen from their ’80s predecessors. In the comments, let us know what ’90s sounds will see a revival in the next decade. We’re putting our money on grunge and Limp Bizkit-style nu metal.

Read More »

1. Harry Potter could star in an upcoming Broadway revival of the ’60s musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. [via Variety]
2. Despite Dan Brown’s best efforts, book sales are down for fall. [via NYT]
3. The formerly confidential, behind-the-scenes account of the Jeremy Piven/Sushi-Gate battle. [via NYT]
4. Can’t score tickets to see one of the Pixies sold-out shows? You can buy live recordings from their London, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris stops. 1,000 copies will go on sale 10 minutes after each show ends. [via NME]
5. Brooks Brothers is teaming up with Mad Men costume director Janie Bryant to release a limited run of suits inspired by the show later this month. [via Boston]

Bonus link: “Whatever” Named Most Annoying Word in American English

1. A Chicago woman faces a $50,000 defamation lawsuit from her landlord after tweeting about the fungus in her apartment. [via NYP]
2. HBO plans to release a “Tru Blood” beverage, just like the vampires drink on the show; rather than tasting like fake blood, it will have “a crisp, slightly tart and lightly sweet tang.” [via NYT]
3. The Pixies have set dates for their US Doolittle 20th Anniversary Tour shows. [via Pitchfork]
4. Does the new Where the Wild Things Are campaign protest too much by trotting out Maurice Sendak to give his blessing? [via THR]
5. Jay-Z is writing an autobiography that will cover everything from his drug dealer past to his wedding to Beyonce. [via The Mirror]

Charles Michael Kittredge Thompson IV, aka Black Francis, aka Frank Black, has a reputation as one tough band leader, whether in the TNT-volatile Pixies of the late ’80s and early ’90s or the hardworking roots rockers known as the Catholics. We’ve seen him seriously tear into a hapless drummer on one occasion, and berate a would-be stage diver on another. We’ve heard the firing-by-fax story. He scares us a little. Read More »