Morning again in America

After Reagan’s re-election campaign set the vibe, America was on a roll in the mid 80s. Pop stars sang somewhat ironically about a future so bright you had to wear shades. And even car companies were supplying happy-shit vibes. 

When my parents bought the ‘86 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera in this photo, it came with a special casette tape (remember those?) featuring pop songs from Michael Jackson and Neil Diamond, along with a hokey lead track celebrating the car itself: “There is a special feeling in Oldsmobile…” 

For the Conrads, that special feeling derived from the fact that the Cutlass Cierra made us a three-car family for the first time. Its front bench seat also meant my brother and I could each bring a friend on our family’s weekend road trip to Kings Dominion in Virginia. 

I was brave enough to bring my boyfriend along. I figured it would be a good, immersive experience to see if he could tolerate my family and their antics under sustained real-world conditions. I took this photo of our traveling party in the Kings Dominion parking lot as we suited up for our day.

It turned out to be a fun weekend. One highlight was walking through the Burger King drive-through next to our hotel for a snack after my parents called it a night. 

My only regret is that there isn’t any dash-cam video of my father singing along with the Oldsmobile jingle: “Born of the luxury ride, it’s the feeling of pride that you feel inside in an Oldsmobile.” With Dad fully committed to the bit, it would have made a great SNL commercial.