What was life like when you were on the edge of seventeen?

Ahhh the tender age of 17... so innocent, so naive, yet to face the sober reality of life in the real world...

As I recall it was an new era of musical discovery... Seattle Grunge had spawned a whole new genre of Aussie talent. The alternative rock scene down under was born and was big. We are now reaping the rewards... Somewhere amongst the crowd that gathered in the uni cloisters to hear a local band, one would often hear the sarcastic scream of "play smells like teen spirit!" which could only be heard during the breaks between songs...Oh how we all missed Kurt! However, the mourning ritual of listening to "unplugged" play on our "CD players" set on repeat mode... would allow us to take a moment to remember....

But we certainly did not miss the abundance of grunge fashion which was still clinging onto its last gasps of breathe... Doc martins and their conspicuous yellow stitching, tye dyed T-shirts, key chains hangin' out of pockets, skate shoes (Converse more often than not!), the messy dyed hair look was for those who fancied themselves as particularly eccentric.. oh the greens and the blues and the purples (not like this boring run of the mill bleach look now days!)... The kids had woken up from the teenage angst that seemed to fade away soon after the demigod of teen angst had burnt out...

Though the kids would have plenty more bittersweet musical sorrow ahead with the death of the late great Jeff Buckley... and there would be plenty of speculation and innuendo about what happened,... was it suicide? was is some sort of mystical transcendence? you would not be blamed for thinking either was true after listening to his music.. and this was indeed what happened, for more people became his fans after his death. Perhaps this was why so many (including his own mother) believed that his life and death was the essence of his music... The Aussies mourned as they wailed..."everybody here wants you!" (He is still more popular in Australia than any where else...even his own birth country!)

There would be plenty of political scandal to take mass's attention away.. with the impending "I did not have sexual relations with....!" Petrol was half the current price, and cell/mobile phones were in their infancy (paradoxically they were as heavy as bricks and 3 times the size of current phones.. no no 4 times the size!).. so was the WWW.. no one new anything of "google" or even Yahoo answers... but the big thing that kept those computer geeks occupied would be Mirabilis ICQ..."O_o"!

Teens would gather around their Nintendo Ultra 64 to marvel at the 64 bit graphics and debate with their richer friends as to whether or not their consoles were better than the Sony Playstation (the new kid on the console block!)...! but of course most of the hostility was directed towards each other via MarioKart racing and who would get to pick their favourite character.. (for the girls it had to be "Princess" and for the guys it was Bowser!!!... and who would dare use the short cuts or race that dreaded "rainbow track")... Of course all of this took place whilst... alternative, grunge, indie... Nirvana, Pearl jam, Offspring (when they were good!), Smashing Pumpkins, Live, NIN, RHCP, STP, Alice, bush, Killing Heidi, Jebadiah, spiderbait, the 'gurge, powderfinger, the superjesus... (to name just a few), would play in the background... and possibly the occasional hip hop track from the then "snoop doggy dog and Warren G" and Cyprus Hill's "hits from the bong" to satisfy the ganstar wannabees, and for the adventurous there would also be the occasional Prodigy track... respect for electronic elements was thus born!!! Add beer, spirits, mary-jane, trips, Es... and with all those elements combined, you had yourself one hell of a party!!!!! Of course that was a night in!!.. but a night out would see you on dance floors, raves, clubs, pubs, etc... grooving and gettin jiggy with house, dance, jungle and trance not to mention getting with as many scantly clad ladies as possible!... whilst the rush of the E would send you into a state of euphoria... but as long as you had that bottle of Evian in one hand and the "take home" prize on your other arm.. you were in for a successful night... as far as you could remember anyway!!!!!!!!!

Ahhh! those were the days! they were "mad" "awesome" "wicked" "wild" "psycho" times... (but I haven't told you the bad stuff yet...!!!)

When were you 16 going on 17, and how was the world different then, and how is it the same now?defently

*Who was president or prime minister?clinton

*What events dominated the news? not sure

*How much was a gallon of gas / litre of petrol? 1.50

*What were the coveted technological toys (like the way the iPhone, Wii is now)? not sure

*Who were the major movie stars? hmm

*What was the coolest car? What did you drive? mustang/ sucky grand am

*What was the big social cause (like the way being "green" is now)? not sure

*What were your favorite songs? country

*What were the slang sayings or commonly used expressions (like lol is now)? whats up

* How did you stay in touch with your friends (if you didn't have cell phones & email)? land lines

*If you are a parent of a teen now, did you do all the things back then that you tell them not to do? no not at all

*What did you want to be when you "grew up" and is that you became? still don't know

This isn't a homework question or anything, this is just me being in a curious mood.

sorry it is kinda lame i didn't care then

It was a totally different world in the 70's

Richard Nixon had just resigned The Presidency and Gerald Ford was the First President no one voted for.

Watergate

I believe 32 cents per gallon

The Tech Toy than was the Casio Scientific Calculator

Gregory Peck

Nissan 240Z (Nope)

Walk for America and Environmental issues

Rock and Roll Protest Songs

Cant' repeat

Analog Phones with rotary dials (part Lines) and Snail mail.

Something with Computers (I am doing it)

It was the eightys and life sucked cos my old lady stopped taking her crazy pills. I was trying to find somewhere to live and none of my friends understood. All the music was really bad and people wore really terrible clothes. I liked Bon Jovi and Posion and stupid glam metal bands. Although i did like some Kiss and Motley Crue. There were no emos but there were goths who listened to the cure. Everyone loved wham and duran duran and spandau ballet and u2. We didn't have cellphones and when i was a kid there was not even color tv. (i am only 34 lol sounds like i am real ancient) computers were gigantic and we would just ring each other from these clunky old dial up phones attached to the wall. I think there was a war with saddam hussein or something. we had some peace marches. I didn't know what i wanted to be when i grew up and i was real miserable all the time cos my homelife was godawful and full of abuse.

I felt really isolated.

I left home and then i was so happy. I realised I am pretty and sweet and I still write novels like i did back then. I have to type them up and get them published. I have started on short stories now. I have been lots of things..nanny,office worker, call center worker, postie, motorbike postie, i worked for greenpeace for a while. I think i want to work with animals now. I met my bf when i was 20 and we just broke up last year. We are good friends. i flatted with some really cool people and i brought myself a motorbike. I am less shy.

I am still a lot of what i was then..into animals and motorbikes and writing and nature. But i am more now. and i have learnt more stuff. I don't know it all like i thought i would. also i thought i would be married with babies at 28 and i am not.

I guess i don't feel so trapped now. And my years in the eightys taught me I could survive anything. And you really can.

I am 37 so lets see if i can remember....

I live in ny and still do..we carried boomboxes..listened to madonna, fresh prince, michael jackson and were into breakdancing.Now... still love music but the electronics have shrank :)

don't remember the news

Atari was the game to have and Nintendo

Johnny Depp and he still is

cool car werent an importance in our crew.. i had a mercury monarch 1976 it was like a boat, lol.

I don't remember social causes.. but tylenol was tampered with back then so everything got safety seals.

Fav songs.. beat it.. material girl

Slang savings....FRESH, WORD UP,

Stayed in touch with friends ? The phone or we were outside ALOT and walked to their house.

I wanted to be a mom, I have 6 kids and the generation due to technology is different and not outdoorsy and very interesting..lol.

thanks for the memories.. GREAT QUestion.

Nixon was president, I was scared I had one year left before signing up for the draft. Two guys in the neighborhood died in Viet Nam that year. The big social causes were opposing the war, feminism and civil rights. High tech was owning a decent stereo and turntable.

Led Zeppelin had just come out with "Stairway" and Pink Floyd was set to release "Dark Side Of The Moon".

Bill Clinton.

Monica Lewinsky and her blue dress.

Not even $1/gallon.

Super Nintendo.

Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow...and they were a couple.

I had a black '78 Trans Am.

AIDS and the Concert For Life

"Lump", "Better Man"

I stayed in touch with friends by carrying a pager, haha.

I wanted to become an aerospace engineer, but I am a nurse.

oh Lord....even the first question would take forever to answer. 17 was a long time ago. I'll answer one of them...we didn't have computers or cell phones. We made friends with our neighbors and school mates. We had telephones (land lines) and would either call them or just wait and see them the next day.

oh my brain is having a hard time reaching back into the archives

but i do know id do it all over again

been so long since i was 17 i forgot the number