Jian Gomeshi is a radio broadcaster , musician , and pr oducer . He r ecently released his first book , a memoir documenting his teenage y ears in Thornhill , Ontario . 1982 meshes stories from his y outh with piv otal songs and musical moments that had a profound impact on his life .
REVIEW : 1982
Jian Gomeshi is a radio broadcaster , musician , and pr oducer . He r ecently released his first book , a memoir documenting his teenage y ears in Thornhill , Ontario . 1982 meshes stories from his y outh with piv otal songs and musical moments that had a profound impact on his life .
The prologue begins with a list of the most important things in his life at age 14 : David Bowie , black pointy boots , fitting in , theatre , his drum kit , and his cr ush , a g irl named Wendy . Coming from the only Persian family in a predominantly white , suburban neighbourhood gave Gomeshi a unique perspective . He and his older sister attended an expe rimental liberal school that had a r eputation for focusing on the performing arts , namely theatre and music . It was also known for a diverse and racially integrated student body . Here , he met Wendy , who was quintessentially cool . She was older , into New Wave music , and , to Jian , she was the female version of David Bowie .
During the summer of Grade 9 , Gomeshi gets tickets to see The Police . Before they became mega stars , The Police were a relatively unknown ska / reggae / New Wave band fr om the UK . He works up the courage to invite Wendy to the concert and brings an Adidas bag full of essential items : Sony Walkman with Police mix tape , portable headphones , jean jacket , and bag of mixed nuts . The concert begins as a poignant and innocent date , but it turns awkward when a hooligan takes Jian ’ s bag and hurls it onto the stage at one of the band members .
The rest of the book gets into ho w Gomeshi met the member s of his futur e band , Moxy Fruvous ,
and acknowledges the star t of his broadcasting career as being the morning announcer in high school . “ And so it tur ns out 1982 w as a pivotal year in my life ,” he wr ites . “ Ninety eighty-two was the y ear I became a New Wave . In my goal to be like Bowie , I acquired the black clothing and the hair gel , and some of the attitude to fit in with the punks and New Wavers . Or at least , I came close by the end of the year . And it didn ’ t help that all the heroes in the New Wave were white — like Bowie — although I imag ined that Bowie had no race . He was too cool .”
New Wave is seen as one of the definitive genres of the 1980s . The genre became a fixture on MTV and the popularity of several New Wave artists has been partially attributed to the exposur e that was given to them by the channel . A few of the New Wave bands that influenced Jian ’ s musical career included Siouxie and the Banshees , the Cure , New Order , Depeche Mode , Duran Duran , and Ultravox .
1982 is a blast to the an era some of us remember , peppered with themes of suburban malaise , the notion of fitting in and being cool , the ar t of making the perfect mixed tape , being perceived different due to ethnicity , obsessions with music , and coming of age moments . It ’ s a humorous journey back through time , to a world where Google , iPhones , and Wikipedia weren ’ t yet part of our everyday vocabulary . Gomeshi captur es the coming of age — his own and the world ’ s — through music , wit , and heartfelt memories . – C . M . Añonuevo
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