MY POSTER PAST :: part 1

More than action figures, baseball cards, stickers, t-shirts, magazines, video games, and my bike, my wall posters were my most prized earthly possessions - particularly between the years of 1989 and 1999. They were my trophies, my tattoos; large, colorful, honest exhibitions of who I was (and, in most cases, still am).
The lo-fi vending machine thrill of matching the alphanumeric code with the corresponding slot was a momentary scavenger hunt with clues leading to the treasure you seek (though it was always prudent to study the exposed edges of the tightly rolled tube to make sure it was, indeed, the right one).
Unfurling a glossy, crisp new poster in the smallness of your own room made it seem that much more visually stunning.
And finally, getting it on the wall right where it's supposed to go was like raising a victory flag for pop culture.

There. There's my poem about buying posters in the 90s - and also an introduction to a new series that even further catalogues the corners of the pertinent past.
There's tragically very little photographic evidence of my room from these years, and in place of that I've stolen jpegs from search engines and eBay to illustrate these lists (though I'm finding the World Wide Web doesn't include digital representations of all the images I seek - but certainly enough for an ongoing column).
For part 1, here are six random masterpieces of modern art - suitable for framing or a fistful of multicolored thumbtacks.

- Paul

Edward Scissorhands

Easily the most important one in this entire continuing series -- I still have (what's left of) it.
A surprise from my parents at the height of my fandom, left unrolled on my bed for me to find.
Even then, I was amazed that a movie like this actually had a mass-produced poster for retail distribution - something usually reserved for Janet Jackson, or Batman. And with that feeling came a childlike sense of, "they made this just for me."


Hook

Even more than the 1980s, the 1990s fetishized movies and the home video market to almost obnoxious heights - and apart from Planet Hollywood, it was most apparent in the chain store known as Suncoast Motion Picture Company. That's where I picked up this elegant little number.
A fan of the movie for sure, but this ominously shiny teaser outshines the movies it advertises.


Just In Case You Need An Excuse To Party

I can't entirely recollect what prompted me to buy this silly bit of business. Aesthetically it's one of the ugliest compositions you'll ever see (though it does have some retro Clinton-era charm), but the content certainly has some worthiness: it's exclusively a list of 366 'fun' facts that correspond with each day of the year.
For instance:

February 24 : Wayne's World opens in American theaters, 1992
April 2 : Velcro is introduced, 1978
June 23 : The day disco should have died, 1974
December 4 : Deely Bobbers become one of the holiday's hottest selling items, 1982

Reasons to party, as promised.


The Simpsons

This is going way back - when the bulk of the show's humor hung on Bart's use of the words "hell" and "man."
Part of the excitement of owning this was because of how crazy popular they immediately became, but so much more than that was because I legitimately loved the show.
The only thing that used to bother me (and I can't be alone on this) was how all the earlier Simpsons merch always had Bart in a powder blue shirt. What the hell, man?


Too Hot - Love, Sandi

Some time around '94 or '95, I made the executive decision to start integrating pinups and bikini girls into my largely cinema-centric poster assemblage. (The addition of a Spencer's Gifts in my mall may've sparked this.)
And after the tame conquests of Kathy Ireland and Cindy Crawford (both showing a bit of thigh at the most) there was this tribute to filth. The unbelievably sweaty Sandi Korn, with her boobs and feet and shamelessly provocative pose, was entirely formative to my formative years.


Batman - The Joker

I've had more Batman posters in my life than serious girlfriends... No one should find this surprising.
I had the entire assortment of the 1989 movie posters except for Vicki Vale (no one should find this surprising), but miraculously, only one featured its top-billed, highest paid 'star' - and sure enough, it was the most fun and (obviously) the most colorful one in the bunch.
Love that Joker!