More VMAs of the '80s

1985 Philip Bailey

Philip had a robust turn as a member of Earth, Wind, and Fire, before this moment -- but here he is being honored, and rightly, for his work on "Easy Lover" alongside Phil Collins. Parenthetically, how is Phil not Sir Phil at this point? Has the Queen not heard "Invisible Touch"? Does she not ever wail the end verses of "Against All Odds" in her shower? Has she not heard it calling in the air tonight?!?

1985: Cyndi Lauper

I think I wore that same wig the year I went as Hilary Duff for Halloween.

1985: Eurythmics

I really love Annie Lennox's face. And her music, naturally.

1985: Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo

I never realized until this photo that Camryn Bicondova (she was Catwoman on Gotham) looks like if Pat Benatar and Keri Russell combined their genes to have a superbaby.

1986: Whitney Houston

She looks gorgeous and this will never not be sad. I was watching the YouTube twins discover "I Will Always Love You," and just listening to that song again... it is an absolute master class of vocal control and variance, and of knowing when to pull her power and when to let it rip.

1986: Tina

Well. She SHOULD win. She is simply the best.

1986: John McEnroe and Tatum O'Neal

This was a real blast from the past.

1986: Simply Red

These two amuse me. The little coupes of booze are so GENTEEL for the VMAs.

1987

I must share that this photo was captioned, "Cher and Man in Tuxedo in Parking Lot," which is somehow just deeply amusing in its simplicity.

1987

Especially when you consider THIS is what she was wearing in said parking lot, under her (open) coat.

1987: Fleetwood Mac

There is a lot happening in this photo, but Stevie wins it by a mile.

1987: Ally Sheedy

Well. I don't know about that dress, but I got a nostalgic pang seeing Ally Sheedy here.

1987: Steven Tyler and Joe Perry

This all feels correct.

1987: Kenny Loggins

HARK! Tis Ser Kenneth of House Loggins! What news of the danger zone? Are you all right? Still playing with the boys? Or are you too busy kicking off your Sunday shoes, and... er... flarn in the yarn of the socog? Do tell.

1987: David Coverdale and Tawny Kitaen

Seriously, curly hair was SO ROBUST in the '80s. How did they do it without modern curl technology, I ask you. Unless they all got perms and then just stayed inside until they fell halfway out.

1987: Paula Abdul

WOW. I don't know if I ever saw a picture of her this young. She looks like a genie who wants to dress like Michael Jackson.

1987: Weird Al

Obviously. (Side note: He sang the theme song for the Captain Underpants movie, and it's... legitimately great? To the point where I'm delighted to have it stuck in my head in a given moment? I KNOW.)(Also that movie was surprisingly funny.)

1987: Stamos

This SAYS it's Stamos, and I think it IS Stamos, but also sometimes when I look at it I think, "This could just be some random band dude from 1987 kind of LOOKS like Stamos."

1987: Cyndi

"OH MY GOD I CAN'T TELL EITHER. GET CLOSER."

1987: Lisa Bonet

I assume Zoe Kravitz is wearing that top right now.

1987: Justine Bateman

Tying your leather jacket around your waist is quite the move.

1988: Justine Bateman

But not as surprising as tying your living room curtains there.

1988: Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff

Look at these dapper children.

1988: RDJ and Suzanne Vega

Suzanne looks like she is really not feeling RDJ's act. At all. (This was post-Luka, pre-Tom's Diner.)

1988: Billy Idol

It takes work to find a tank top cut that low. It also takes work to find a leather jacket with cow patches AND tassels. Basically, Billy puts in the HOURS.