Though not a household name, Thomas Dolby was nevertheless among the vanguard of the early 80s synth movement. Born Thomas Morgan Robertson, Dolby acquired his nickname from his love of studio experimentation with keyboards and electro-noises. His resume includes cameos on numerous albums, such as Def Leppard's Pyromania and Foreigner's 4, and live appearances with the likes of David Bowie and Roger Waters--plus there was that infamous performance at the 1985 Grammy's with Herbie......

You are a Texan, travelling abroad throughout the remote expanse of Eastern Europe. There are no signs of Americanization anywhere. You are wearing cowboy boots. All of the sudden, a young boy comes up to you wearing a Def Leppard t-shirt, jams and white Kaepa high tops. He grins at your boots and exclaims with glee after taking a bendy-straw sip from a can of Coke: “Hey, you are American? And you are from Texas, yes?" You knod affirmatively. "Hey, that’s way cool, my friend! Hey, ride ‘em cowboy! Bang-bang (making finger-guns)! Yeah! You have gun and horse? Hey, don’t mess with Texas! All right!” You roll your eyes. Behold! The power of good advertising. ...

[The following is an editorial column by contributor Alison Coffey and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Austinist staff. --The Editors] In my youth (also known as The 80's) summertime was not a prime time for television viewing. The Keatons and the Seavers were on vacation (hey--does anyone remember how Mike Seaver's best friend had the nickname Boner?) and unless you liked reruns of Good Times (which I did, actually) or watching......

The Austin Music Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to uniting and serving our local music community, puts together a big seminar every couple of months called Music Industry Boot Camp (MIBC). Since 2002, MIBCs have been familiarizing our local musicians -- a group to which half of you reading this probably belong -- into the various and sundry business aspects of the tumultuous, sleazy, and overstimulated world of the music industry. Whether it's the 1-2-3s......

There are things to do on Valentine's Day besides go out to dinner, eat chocolate, and put on new lingerie. For example, you could take your date to the 80's Power Ballad Sing-A-Long at the Alamo Drafthouse, a sure-to-be-hilarious night presented by Mr. Sinus' Owen Egerton and Henri Mazza (the program director at the Alamo). From the Alamo site: This February Owen and Henri will present the definitive sing-along for the Valentine’s season, featuring......