Hello and welcome to day 4 of the increasingly inaccurately titled week of the Popper. After finding out how the Popper spent his time with the other (or same) sex during his or her romantic moments and getting to know this counter-counter youthculture’s preferences in intoxication, today we’re going to have a look at his/her relationship with the mass media. Back in the early eighties, before the advent of multi channel cable TV and the internet in every household (though some people were already online with their Sinclair QL and an acoustic coupler, scaring the proprietors of the local Bulletin Board Systems shitless) access to the media was obviously dictated by the large state broadcasters, the local cinema and the news agent around the corner. ‘The Face’, ‘Smash Hits’ and the German trend magazine ‘Prinz’ were essential to gauge the newest fashion and music trends 3 months before they became mainstream and to impress one’s friends. The TV unfortunately didn’t offer many moments of brillance: Miami Vice and ‘V’ where highlights (no, really) and the Cosby Show was the funniest thing on the tube (no, really. Honestly). The cinema offered mainly John Hughes (I am pretty sure that I am still able to recite ‘Weird Science’ and ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ from beginning to end), Ivan Reitman and John Landis. For the more culturally attuned there was always ‘Amadeus’ and ‘Diva’. For some reason or the other the female member of the species seemed to throng the cinemas to watch Highlander. Unexplainable.

So, were there any intentions of engaging in any, you know, serious literature or maybe even -gasp- the theatre?

No. You can neither drink nor smoke in these buildings and nobody sees what you’re wearing most of the time.