Miami Vice

[vin_petrol]

Men and Motors are currently reshowing Miami Vice (21:00 each night).

They started a couple of days ago with the pilot, which I had never actually seen before. Clearly, it's dated, but in a rather beautiful THIS IS THE EIGHTIES! way: the pastel colours, the rolled up jacket sleeves, the shiny locations. Some of the shoulder pads were amazing - you felt they should have some form of warning symbol on their edges.

My hazy memory of Miami Vice is that the BBC bought it without quite understanding what they were getting. I think they took the tag line "MTV cops" a little too literally, and gave it a teatime slot on BBC2, and showed it uncut. Within a few weeks it had built up an appreciative audience of teenage boys ("ooh, guns, ooh, Ferraris"). Unfortunately, some people had also noticed that it was actually a rather violent program, with plenty of gruesome shootouts, and it was moved to after 21:00 *and* heavily cut :-( It looks like Men and Motors have inherited the BBC's old tapes, as the gunfights so far have that 'cut' feel to them (i.e. guns fire, people are dead, but you haven't actually seen anyone shot-in-slow-motion-to-a-rock-music-soundtrack, which was how Miami Vice was originally produced).

I was never really a huge fan of the series. It was something to watch, so my memories are all a little fragmented. Still, I do remember Helena Bonham-Carter declaring she was a junkie to the sound of Wasteland by The Mission, and Crockett and Tubbs racing through the night in their Ferrari (or was it a Porsche?) to the sound of Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits. Ah, the eighties...

Comments

[jozafeen.livejournal.com]

I love Miami Vice! I was reminded of it when Karnage took it upon herself to wear a Don Johnson jacket for comedy value during a gig last week - marvellous!

[vin_petrol]

edwardscissors wore a beautifully observed 80s/Miami Vice outfit to the 80s night at Laughtons in April, complete with Ray-Ban Aviators, rolled up sleeves, and HUGE mobile phone.

[captainblue.livejournal.com]

I must confess to once having gone out on the town in my leather bike jeans but with a white collarless shirt and a jacket with the sleeves pulled/rolled up. It was the 80s but still no excuse...

I'll get me coat.

Ooh, I almost forgot - I still have one (maybe two; I need to check) pairs of Ray-Ban Aviators from 1987 in my car or the garage.

[vin_petrol]

I didn't get into the whole metal/biker thing till about 1986 (I bought my first leather jacket in September of that year). Prior to that I did sometimes vaguely attempt a more traditional 80s style, but I never quite managed it.
Actually, thinking about it, I know where there's a terrifying picture of me in 80s garb. Fortunately for the world, my scanner doesn't work any more.

steer told me last year that Ray-Ban are no longer making Aviators, so hang onto yours. You'll be able to sell them on ebay :-)

I keep meaning to get contact lenses, partly so I can wear mirrorshades (as I'm a crusty old Cyperpunk and couldn't wear them in the 80s. Hey, 20 years too late is better than never).

[captainblue.livejournal.com]

{snigger} and Tchah! Youngsters! One of the best bits about taking my daughter down to Lunnun on the bike was digging out my old leather jacket for her to try, complete with Siouxsie "Join Hands" tour badges.

[vin_petrol]

That leather jacket was still with till recently. When I reached three leather jackets I decided that was one too many (one for riding, one for going out) and I attempted to give it away at a Wendy House in Leeds. The lining was shagged so it had no real monetary worth. I wandered around with a sticket on my back saying "this jacket free if you want it". Nobody did. I left it draped across the balcony barrier for a couple of hours unattended - nobody stole it.

So on the way home steer asked if he could have it, and so I gave it to him.

We were both somewhat surprised when it *was* stolen at a Wendy House a few months later!

If I ever see it I'll recognise it though. I remember where every scuff mark came from - usually me sliding down the road when I took a corner a shade too fast :-)

[blue-condition.livejournal.com]

What racks me off is they've replaced The Sweeney with it. After watching 'Jack or Knave', Miami Vice just doesn't feel right.

I kind of liked Miami Vice - it was willing to do stuff no cop show at the time would do - for instance the episode where Castillo was trying to express everything in terms of Bushido teachings and rationalise what he was doing... (Edward James Olmos directed that episode, too, IIRC).

I must admit that the first thing I wanted to do when I got off the plane in Miami a couple of years ago was push up my sleeves and get nihilistic.

Crockett and Tubbs originally had a fake Ferrari 365GTB4 ('Daytona') Spyder (Corvette chassis, with V12 sound overdubbed - then again most Daytona Spyders are faked from Daytona Coupes anyway). Ferrari were a bit miffed by this use of a fake and they later gave the producers a real Testa Rossa - which I always felt was the first chavvy Ferrari, it was nowhere near as elegant as the 512BB it replaced in the lineup.

[vin_petrol]

*giggle* I was sat here thinking "I wonder how long it will be before blue_condition pops up and tells me exactly which Ferraris were used in the program :-)

Sorry I couldn't get breasts into this post, but Miami Vice (being American) never really showed much sexual vice...

[blue-condition.livejournal.com]

I think we got to see HB-C's norks at one point.

I was a big fan of the show when I was younger, I must say, but I don't think it's aged all that well. I'm more impressed by Michael Mann's Crime Story (which was pretty much buried on British TV) - set in the 50s, very dark and grim!

[nigelmouse.livejournal.com]

Crime story is currently being re-run on a satalite channel, Bravo I think.

I used to love it just for the theme music.

[blue-condition.livejournal.com]

I bought season 1 of Crime Story on DVD last year - magnificent. (Mind you much of my DVD collection is grim American series - Sopranos, Oz, Crime Story, Murder One... ;))

[blondelass.livejournal.com]

I only ever managed to get as far as the flamingos flying off and then it was flicking time.