The ’80s Commercials

TJ Dawe—Planetarium Auditorium

Fringe legend TJ Dawe is back in Winnipeg with the debut of a new show that looks at nostalgia by showing and talking about commercials from the ’80s. TJ is well known to Fringe audiences for his ability to look at parts of everyday life, things that are often just generally accepted, and notice things about them that are actually kind of odd. He then finds a funny way to describe that oddness and explore the path that may have led to it. So this subject matter is right in his wheelhouse.

He was drawn into this particular rabbit hole by his fascination with “cultural dead ends”, things that were once the peak of popularity, but then suddenly disappear. Using the commercials to provide a look back at that decade is a great way to give a good sense of some of the ’80s cultural landscape. His commentary is hilarious and thought provoking.

He closes with a direct look at nostalgia, how each decade looks back at a supposedly better time, and how that rosy view might be missing a few things from the picture.

I am of the same generation as TJ, so a lot of the commercials were familiar and really brought me back to that time. For those who are younger, I expect it would still be a fun and interesting show.

Murray Hunter