Yet another Sunday sitting here. Well at least this time I have somethings to say, and I am going to make damn sure that I say them all in this space. I will rave on a bit, so if you want check out the rest of EGO STRANGE before returning here. Back, good. Settle back, grab a cup of coffee.

The first thing that I should say is that this is the first issue of EGO STRANGE to have an advertisement in it. Although I would have liked to go through nine issues ad free, at least this does help bring the cost down. And it is a good idea.

The second is the "topic". The 1980s are gone, so it seemed like a good time to have a quick look back into that fascinating decade. There are a few "Best" lists, but these, like all lists are completely subjective, biased, and worth only the time spent debating the relative merits that they hold. Whether you agree of not, these were the most memorable songs that could be easily remembered off hand.

The third thing that I would like to mention is the dedication. I have dedicated this to friends, old and new. I was thinking back a while ago, and I thought that it would be a pretty cool idea. I know people who I haven't seen for years, and I always wonder what they are doing. And then there are the people I see everyday, and I wonder what they will be doing in the future. It is a cycle of perpetual wonderment, I suppose.

The 1980s were a time where I did most of my growing up. I never thought of the period as special in any way, it was just there. It is only when they are gone, that I begin to look back and think, "Yeah...". I have no recollection how I began the decade, I remember drinking a class of champagne when they ended, slightly wistful. When I look back at all the things that happened, it is a real wonder that we even made it. But now we are here in 1994. Nothing has really changed. Despite a pledge by Bob Hawke, there are still children living in poverty. I bet that didn't make it into the book, Bob. The threat of nuclear obliteration is not as great as it has been, but we are under the threat of a collapsing ecosystem. The trains still can't run on time and everything else is much the same.

Well, time to look to the future I suppose. No predictions, though. Just a dream, perhaps.

This one is for friends, old and new.

Grant McDonald
Editor,
Egostrange.