I listened to a lot of Depeche Mode as a depressed teenager. There was much in the often-dark lyrics of Dave Gahan and Martin Gore that spoke to me in a way that the more cheerful pop and urban contemporary music I had been listening to only a few years before just didn’t as much anymore. Growing up in a strict, conservative household probably gave me a bent toward rebellious thinking if not behavior, as I was a very well-mannered young adult who, most of the time, kept his ennui and questioning nature simmering just underneath the surface.
Without delving too much further into my boring psyche, I wanted to point out that “depeche mode” translates roughly as “fast fashion” en français, which is a term that refers to trendy styles of clothing that are quickly mass-produced to capitalize on what’s popular at the moment. Several retailers that come to mind are H&M and Uniqlo, both places from which I made purchases just a couple of weekends ago.
Where my musical tastes had started to morph in my teenage years from innocuous top-40 and R&B into edgier, slightly more angst-ridden territory, my sartorial sense still stayed mostly in the mall until toward the middle of my first year away at college. I’ve referenced in previous essays here at Curbside Classic about how I’ve often incorporated vintage clothing into my everyday, non-work wardrobe. Though this started around the end of my high school years, most of the time one could find me at places like Chess King and Merry-Go-Round almost as often as at Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Some of my favorite brands at the time were Levi’s (an evergreen), Bugle Boy, Girbaud, and a few others.
What could any of this possibly have to do with a mid-’80s Pontiac Firebird? My premise is basically this: Pontiac’s F-Body included a smattering of styling features that were very much of their time and haven’t necessarily endured as being current in present day, much like baggy, pleated Z. Cavaricci trousers. There are the pop-up headlamps, the smoke-effect taillamp lenses, ground effects (I’d be willing to bet our featured car is a base-model with the rear bumper cover and taillights sourced from a Trans Am), dramatic swoopiness, and long-low-wide dimensions. Don’t get me wrong… I genuinely like the style of the third-generation Firebird. I’m not going to kid myself either, though, that the looks and general image of these cars do not land solidly in the flashier, trendier side of the continuum. There’s no Gap-esque subtlety here.
By ’85, the Firebird was still a fairly popular car, selling about 96,000 units that year against 180,000 (almost twice as many) Chevrolet Camaros, 157,000 Ford Mustangs, and just 19,000 Mercury Capris among the domestic, rear-wheel-drive alternatives. (I’m going with model year 1985 based on the front fascia and the absence of the central high-mounted brake light, if I recall this example correctly.) This was at higher starting prices ranging from 5% (Camaro) to 19% (Mustang) over the hatchback versions of those two other cars. The base Firebird also cost 9% more than distant-fourth Capri, but also within 2% in either direction of both FWD Dodge Daytona / Chrysler Laser G-Body twins, against which it was likely also cross-shopped among domestics.
Believe it or not, one could still purchase an Iron Duke-powered Firebird with about 90 horsepower for ’85, and again (for the last time) in ’86. The top-shelf mill was a Tune Port Injected Chevy 305 with 205 hp coupled with the automatic transmission (a 190-hp variant was available with the manual). Starting weight for the ’85 Firebirds ranged from just under 3,000 pounds for the base cars, and just over 3,200 pounds for the Trans Ams. According to two different sources I was able to locate, the 5-speed-equipped Trans Ams with the high-spec motor were capable of 0-60 times in the lower/mid nine-second range, which was a great time for the mid-’80s, even if it couldn’t touch the 6.4-second 0-60 time Car & Driver clocked with a 5.0L-equipped ’85 Mustang GT in January of that year.
Your author as a Depeche Mode-listening, depressed teenager, Fall 1991.
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the looks of a concurrent Euro-sedan with better everything else than a Firebird will never quicken my pulse the way that looking at a nice example of a Pontiac F-Body (even a base model) will. I like the ’80s-era BMW 3-Series (E30) the way I like a classic pair of Dockers khakis that fit well, last a long time, and are able to be worn with pretty much anything conservative. Being solidly into my forties, that’s the way my clothes shopping has been trending with increasing frequency. So, what was I doing in H&M and Uniqlo just a couple of Saturdays ago? Looking for just a few pieces that had just a bit of youthful edge to them. Will I be able to wear them for more than a few years? The sweater will likely last and look decent, even if the t-shirts may not. Am I a slave to (fast) fashion? Nope. But I know what I like.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012.
As it happens, I made a few “fast fashion” purchases myself this past week, a hoodie and other random finds from Primark, and a pair of black boat shoes from Asos ($16!). Rather than Depeche Mode, I latched onto Nick Drake to nurse my downtrodden self through high school (I wouldn’t have believed at the time that just a few years later this same music would be repurposed as a Volkswagen jingle). The third-gen Firebird never quite spoke to me though, as I was far too practical to drive a car I couldn’t easily go for a road trip with my friends in. Instead I drove a Phoenix from a few years prior (1982), which had smaller dimensions, front-drive traction (I was convinced RWD was obsolete at the time), an adult-rated rear seat, and Saab-like versatility with the big hatch and fold-down seats. It would have been a sweet car had if only it had the V6 instead of the Iron Duke (my head spins trying to process the cognitive dissonance of a Duke-powered Firebird, though my perverse sense of humor makes it the third-gen Firebird I’d most crave today). The unadorned look of the base model has worn better than the then-trendy accouterments fitted to the Trans Am, which looks like a Firebird that went shopping at whatever the 1985 equivalent of Zara was. The base ‘Bird is more like what you bought way back when at the Gap; it may not have been the trendiest thing then or now but it will always have a down-to-earth tastefulness you won’t be embarrassed to be seen in years later.
La673, I do remember the surge in interest in the artistry of Nick Drake following the use of “Pink Moon” in that VW commercial. That was my first exposure to him, but based on the chill vibe of both the song and commercial, it led me to research him a little bit
It’s interesting that you mention your Phoenix’s versatility. My ’88 Mustang hatchback was shockingly useful when carting my things back and forth between semesters at college. With the rear seats folded down, it was almost like having a small station wagon back there.
By contrast, I remember the luggage compartment on those ’80s F-Bodies being shallow and oddly shaped. I used to sometimes lament that my Mustang wasn’t as low, wide or sleek as a Camaro or Firebird, but it was sporty-enough looking and also had that extra benefit of added utility, so I gave it points back for those reasons. (It was still slow. LOL)
I also agree with you that the base Firebird had a simplicity about it that highlighted its great lines and didn’t date as quickly as its brethren.
So many musicians I liked in the ’80s and ’90 cited Nick Drake as an influence that, for my only time ever, I took a leap of faith by buying the Fruit Tree box set – his entire recorded output, four songs from the album he was working on when he died, and some outtakes – without having ANY idea what he sounded like (this was just before the download/streaming era). I’m so glad I did; I don’t know how I lived without this music for my life up to that point.
The 3G Camaro and Firebird had a deep well at the back of the luggage compartment, with a huge doghouse in front of it. Folding down the back seat created yet a third level with a height between the two main cargo floor areas. There was an optional shelf/lid that covered that deep well and made it level with the doghouse, though the rear seatbacks were still lower than the trunk floor.
As a fellow depressed D-Mode (music) fan, but without sufficient style (style?) to latch onto the Z.Cav offerings, I can’t say I was ever really a fan of the Firebird, although looking at it now this base model you found, especially in white, somehow appeals to me in a beater-ish, but somehow interesting way to get across the state or half the country. Weirdly though, not for just getting across town.
Your senior picture has a bit of a Morrissey thing going there as well (Or is that more Ducky Dale?), it’s making me think of pix I have of my little brother from the same era… 🙂
Moz, yes! I was definitely a fan of The Smiths in college and recently loaded a bunch of their tracks onto my MP3 player. I used to love flopping around on the dance floor staring at the ground when they’d play “How Soon Is Now?” during “Old Wave” nights.
Haha, yes god forbid you actually engage with your dance partner. Had to wait for Modern English or a Psychedelic Furs track for that.
At the time (the nineties) I was in my thirties, and my stepson from marriage no. 2 hated this band. Sure, he was into the whole teenage angst at the time, but favored metal and grunge and such, preferring Nirvana, NIN, G&R, and KMFDM.
I asked him one time what the latter stood for, and he replied, “Kill M… F… Depeche Mode”. I then asked, “Why so serious?” – I think there’s a Joker reference in there somewhere, and knew he liked Batman… but I digress…
He was a Ford guy and liked Thunderbirds like his “parental units” as he liked to call us. His only musical reference to the F-Bodies will always “Bitchin’ Camaro” by the Dead Milkmen. So I guess he liked punk and even a little SKA, too!
For me, I liked Depeche Mode. Personal Jesus is a Personal Favorite… Very catchy!
And there was this really weird video at the time by them that featured the lead singer dressed up in kingly guise, walking around with a folding lawn chair, taking in various vistas along the way. “Enjoy the Silence” maybe? It was a weird video, but whenever it came on, I was mesmerized.
RetroStang Rick, I do remember that acronym (which I’m glad doesn’t actually stand for that). I was in a real conundrum when I had first heard it, because I had just discovered KMFDM and liked both them and DM. And yes, the video you described in your last paragraph was for “Enjoy The Silence” – their only U.S. top ten hot on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Violator” was / is a great album, though I like the preceding “Music For The Masses” better. In fact, I listened to “Strangelove” just this morning.
What’s amazing is that even though Vince Clarke left after the first album (and had written much/most of it), DM went on to be absolutely huge after reinventing themselves, and then did it again for Violator which is so different from Music For The Masses and everything before. . Clarke then started Yaz and Erasure (and The Assembly with Feargal Sharkey for just a couple of songs which are great). Everything he touches seems to do extremely well.
Jim, I remember purchasing the “Catching Up With Depeche Mode” early hits package from BMG music club (remember those? And Columbia House?), and I remember being surprised by the upbeat peppiness of their early stuff like “New Life”. This was after a period when “Black Celebration” and its dark, morbid themes had been my favorite album (cassette!) of theirs for a while.
It has all come full circle for me in 2019. I haven’t *regularly* listened to DM for years, as I’m basically too happy these days to really feel that music like I used to. :). Sonically, it’s all still pretty solid.
I remember seeing a lot of these from the outside, but never one (or a similar Camaro) from the inside. I was older, and was still in my “GM is the evil empire” phase so I expected these things to colonize the world the way their predecessors had. But then they didn’t.
Looking at these as old cars, I like the period look. They had nice lines that were not necessarily screwed up by all of the “go-fast” plastic add-ons. I have come to understand that they were fairly miserable to live with, but they are a great part of the streetscape of that period.
I knew that the Camaro came with the Iron Duke. A single girl in my apartment building bought a new Camaro. The first time I heard it run I knew it was a Duke. “Who” I wondered “would buy one of these hot looking Camaros with a stupid 4 under the hood?”
JP, what’s funny and timely about your reference to your neighbor’s Iron Duke-equipped Camaro is that the Buzzr vintage game show cable channel has started re-rerunning ’80s episodes of “Let’s Make A Deal” with the late, great Monty Hall.
On several recently re-aired episodes, there has been a yellow Camaro (’85 or ’86?) as a prize. Curiously, I don’t remember any mention of the powertrain among its features, so I suspect it might have had the four-banger.
Pop leased an ’83 Z/28 as his midlife crisis car. For point of reference, it was sandwiched between an ’81 Olds 98 Regency Coupe and an ’85 Grand Marquis.
I was a teen driver, and he (foolishly!) let me drive it a few times. It had the looks and it had the guts, but it felt so poorly assembled, and the T-top roof gave the body all the rigidity of an overcooked ziti, that I thought it was going to collapse around me every time I hit one of New York’s famous potholes.
Evan, the assembly quality of the third-generation F-bodies seems to be the running, unanimous thread among those who had experiences with them. I don’t remember paying that much attention to all the squeaks, rattles and flexing the times I got to ride in one, as I was taken with the cool experience of riding in one. Nowaways, though, I think I’d be paying more attention to the sounds just to see what everyone talks about.
And yes – your dad’s Camaro is quite the juxtaposition against those other two cars!
“The Old tend to forget the misery of being young.” I read that line over 40 years ago in a story in Easyriders magazine. I have never forgotten it because it carries the elemental aspect of generational misunderstanding. The story described a young footloose Biker returning home to visit his Mother and his encounter with his disapproving Grandfather.
But back to Firebirds! I initially thought that the Iron Duke powered ‘Bird might be a viable concept, until a friend let me drive his five speed model. Was that thing slow!
I agree with you Joseph that the styling of the Firebird (especially the pre 1981 models) still resonates very deeply for me. Though my tastes have changed over the years, I still feel these are exciting and beautiful cars.
Jose, I had a friend in high school, Raymond, who used to drive his step-dad’s Firebird sometimes. Thinking back to when I rode in it and when Ray would “floor it” with little results, I now think it completely possible that it had the Iron Duke under that sloping hood.
Great topic and find Joseph. I can relate to many of your 80s experiences. I was fortunate enough to live close to a city that had one of Canada’s most progressive FM radio stations in the late 70s and early 80s. So I went from listening exclusively as a kid to AM Top 40 radio, to all the punk and new wave UK artists that were invading North American FM airwaves and clubs. Gary Numan and Siouxsie & the Banshees were two of my favourite artists at the time. I discovered Depeche Mode later, and Music for the Masses from 1987 remains one of my favourite 80s albums. At the same time, likely because I was still a teenager, I appreciated the not subtle image and styling cues Pontiac was adopting. It was bold and cheesy at once!
I noticed then, Pontiac was not targeting the alternative music listeners at all with their marketing. Pontiac was a major sponsor of Casey Kasem’s America’s Top 40, and I remember some excellent commercials promoting the Firebird and Fiero. But they all had a mainstream rock feel to them. My musical tastes and appreciation of car styling cues evolved away from the mainstream, and Pontiac by the mid to late 80s. However, their design work of the early to mid 80s, combined with their energetic youthful advertising, will always remain an appreciated guilty pleasure of my teen years.
Though 90% of Top 40 music fans (and car fans) in North America largely remember Gary Numan for the song ‘Cars’ from 1980. I was fortunate enough to hear Numan and his work with The Tubeway Army in ’78’/’79, thanks to the the aforementioned CHEZ 106. Sadly, an oldies format now. I was exposed to electronic music for the first time. ‘Are Friends Electric’ being one of the most influential songs for me then.
“Instant Club Hit” by the Dead Milkmen includes the line “You’ll dance to anything by Depeche Mode” (at 3:10). I don’t think it’s meant as a compliment.
https://youtu.be/hVGhHdRZJZc
Staxman, I have never heard this one before! Thanks for this.
The previous decade’s automotive-themed hit:
You’re built like a car, you’ve got a hub cap diamond star halo
You’re built like a car, oh yeah
You’re an untamed youth that’s the truth with your cloak full of eagles
You’re dirty sweet and you’re my girl.
That line about the “diamond star halo” always makes me think of an Eagle Talon
What about Sammy Hagar’s “I Can’t Drive Fifty Five”?
That. And C. W. McCall’s “Convoy”.
I was more of a metalhead in high school but I was also a somewhat out-of-the-closet new waver too; actually I liked pretty much all types of music from the 70s and 80s, mainly because it was all SO GOOD. Anyway, I grew up on Long Island, home of WLIR, which is one of the radio stations credited for launching the new wave/alternative rock. I listened to lots of DM, U2, REM, Cure, Smiths, Cult, etc. Great music.
In 1985 though, I would associate new wave with something like a GTI and I would more expect to hear Van Halen coming from a Firebird but here is some 1985 DM for Joseph and his Firebird
LT Dan, thanks for posting this video. I remember watching it as one of the first videos I had ever seen in my life, and I remember being struck by all of the imagery.
I’m with you about so much 70s / 80s music being great. And while I never listened to any metal myself, my one friend in high school with the cool car (’76 Nova in pretty close to mint condition) listened to a lot of Ministry and groups like that. It was my first exposure to sounds like those.
Music throughout this past century has been a very depeche mode kind of thing (in the original French sense). And trends seem to have fragmented since the sixties, so that if you want to go your own way there’ll be something out there for you. I’ve always been rebellious in the sense of not following trends and deliberately not fitting in, and I’m most definitely of another generation: Alan Parsons Project, Steeleye Span, and Clannad! Though I have picked up some more recent favourites from my kids, like Enya, Rogue Traders and most recently Nightwish. Very catholic tastes in music. And clothing just isn’t on my radar.
You’re so right about the Firebird though – it’s very much a product of the changing fashions of its time, so much so that it’s almost a caricature of the eighties sports coupe, much more so than the staid-looking Camaro. And they made more appearance changes to keep it at the height (depth?) of fashion than Chevy did with the equivalent Camaro. Pontiac was very much into the appearance of excitement, even if the Feds and the fourteenth floor wouldn’t let them actually build it.
Old Pete, to your last point, it could be said of Chevrolet and their Camaro that they were able to “Get The Balance Right”.
I do love some of the excesses of the Firebird and its image, though. That’s part of what always made it seem so cool.
Joseph, I know you’re a big 70/80s music fan, so I thought I’d post some links to some lesser known in North America (but no less great!) alternative songs from the UK and around the world from the 80s that may bring back some great memories. Or might be new to you. Leading to some other artist searches at iTunes. These songs were hits around the world, but lesser known here. Based upon your tastes, these are some songs/artists I thought you might enjoy exploring. As the UK car industry was sinking in the early 80s, their music talent was exploding. Incredible talent emerged from the UK/Europe back then.
Alternative: World Party (UK) Great one hit wonder from 1987. This one did well in the US.:
Alternative: The Alarm 1987 Rain in the Summertime. U2-like great driving song:
R&B/Funk: Oliver Cheatham Get Down Saturday Night (UK & US R&B Hit in 1983):
New Wave: Icehouse (Australia) 1982:
Excellent choices. WP had that one huge hit here but there are several other lesser known songs just as good. Karl Wallinger was in The Waterboys before this. And in one video you can see a very young Sinead O’Connor who sang backing vocals on some early stuff. The Alarm has a pretty deep array as well, I well remember them from college.
Agree all around. World Party was/is excellent. A 90s sound in the 80s. So often it is the follow up release that will make or break a band. Enough to make a career. So many club classics from that era.
This club hit from 1984 by Canadian producer Gino Soccio, was one of my earliest favourite driving songs. Such a great 80s sound, that matches up well with the Firebird SE.
You might dig this one as well. Very ‘Chic’ inspired. Gary Byrd and ‘The Crown’ from 1983. Did great in the UK. Not so well in the US. Due to poor distribution. This should have hit in the US. Nice rap by Stevie Wonder.
Daniel, I’ll second what Jim said that these are some great choices. I’ll say that the Icehouse song was a happy discovery with a recent ’80s compilation CD package I purchased earlier this year. I had remembered them from “Crazy” and “Electric Blue” (written by Hall & Oates, IIRC) which I remembered being released when I was in middle school.
The Oliver Cheatham song is also a great one. I also have the update on it by Room Five called “Make Luv” (again, on a compilation).
Gino Soccio is great. I’m aware that “Dancer” is the song of his that most people are familiar with, but it’s a great one. Other songs of his I like: “Turn It Around” and “It’s Alright”. He’s underrated.
“Electric Blue” was written Iva Davies (the lead singer of Icehouse) and John Oates. Wikipedia has the following explanation:
“John Oates became involved with Davies after contacting him to state he was a fan. The resulting collaboration produced this song and Oates has stated that if Davies had not released the song under the Icehouse name then it would have been a Hall and Oates track.”
I can understand where you are coming from Joseph. Teenage years were a bit angry for me also.
In the 1980’s I really did not like Depeche Mode much. I kinda grew up with the more cheerful New Wave stuff like Culture Club, Duran Duran, Thompson Twins, Soft Cell and moved on to the Bolshoi (Away, Sunday Morning) then moved into Hair Metal (I still chuckle when I hear Warrant’s Cherry Pie and Dangerous Toy’s Sportin a woody) and Toto and Chicago. Then as I hit the 1990’s some grunge and more Chicago. I took over my dad’s record collection and discovered early Chicago, Motown, Prog Rock and other sounds of the 1960’s and 1970’s.
I have satellite radio for the 1980’s channel, Yacht Rock channel, Hair Nation and 1st wave.
As for Ice House, you need to get the greatest hits album from them to get a good feel for the band. However Man of Colours is a great starting point with Electric Blue and Crazy
I first heard of them with the song Great Southern Land from the movie Young Einstein
“As the UK car industry was sinking in the early 80s, their music talent was exploding. Incredible talent emerged from the UK/Europe back then.”
Exactly. Joe Jackson’s “Battleground” comes to mind. Won’t insert a link because not safe for work.
I don’t think I ran across it in the US until the mid-80s.
Safe for work but still somewhat politically incorrect by today’s standards:
Interesting pics. I bought a new 85 base Firebird in 1985 so know these cars well. The car in the pics does look an 85 for the reasons stated – the front fascia with the horizontal black panels and the absence of a rear centre stop light. The wheels don’t look like any factory variant. The rear fascia looks like it came from a Transam as it has the ”ground effects” extension which is odd as the side of the car doesn’t have any. The spoiler looks aftermarket as the brackets and shape of the leasing edge at the sides is different to the factory versions.
Great to see a base model still in use on the street.