80s culture wasn't all one thing - there's no "*the* celebrities" that everyone was into. You could just as well say the celebrities looked like this:
Eli Bishop
@errorbar.bsky.social
265 followers 200 following 2.8K posts
Button-pushing by day, comics & theater by night. errorbar.net [he/him]
![A scribbly pencil-drawn free-form comic by Eli Bishop. Upper left: Sister Roma, a drag nun with an indescribable headdress, says "It's the single most important decision a human being can make." Caption: "That is, choosing a winner of the annual San Francisco pageant known as-- HUNKY JESUS. (2026) by Jennifer M. Kroot".
Upper right: Sister Vish-Knew, another drag nun with an indescribable headdress, raises one hand nonchalantly and says "I thought I might get tired of the butch look."
Upper middle, around and below the title, a drawing of a line of trees at the top of a hill, with sunshine and fluffy clouds, and the suggestion of a lot of people picnicking on the hill. Caption: "It would take me all day to draw the crowd scene in Dolores Park for the Easter party by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulengce. Let's just pretend I did.
Lower left, caption: "Partly a concert movie capturing a fair amount of the event in 2023 (and the many challenges of MC'ing it..." Drawing: Sister Roma takes a microphone from a Hunky Jesus pageant contestant who is trying to hold onto it, and says: "I'll just take that mic back now." The contestant, with wide eyes and a big grin and a halo, says "[Long explanation of my costume theme]"
Lower middle: paper-doll-style series of decorative items that one might mix and match to produce a Hunky Jesus contestant: halos, crown of thorns, bunny ears, various hair and beard styles, a tunic, some big fur or feather top pieces, a jockstrap, various shoes and boots.
Lower right, caption: "Partly a history of the Sisters, their philosophy, and their charitable work. Includes some fairly friendly comments by more official Church folks."
Caption: "But thankfully very little of this kind of thing..." Drawing: a little angry guy on a TV screen with a Fox logo, saying "Outrage!" and "Filth"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:prjuc3ahwuyc74gms6hdksyn/bafkreics22q62u3pioq4kzmrrmnatvwszkugohs27ly7svatetysurj264)
![A scribbly pencil-drawn comic by Eli Bishop. Title: "How to be very romantic as shown in Desert Hearts (1985) - written by Natalie Cooper, directed by Doona Dietch"
1. Drawing: wide shot of Nevada landscape, hills and clouds and sagebrush, crossed by a road with a 1950s car on it.
Caption: "Take a ride in a convertible, across an amazing landscape, in between your cool new young friend" [arrow pointing to right-hand character] "and the nice person you found in her bed" [arrow pointing to left-hand character].
Drawing: Three women in the front seat. The one at left is cheerful and has windblown hair. The one in the middle (Vivian, played by Helen Shaver) looks more professional, with a small hat, blond hair, and a skeptical expression; she has a little thought balloon with a question mark. At right, driving, Patricia Charbonneau's character Cay has sunglasses and dark hair and a big smile.
2. Caption: "Later, on a rainy day, when she tells you to roll down the window..." Drawing: Vivian, inside a car, looks dubious (again thinking a question mark) as Cay knocks on the window while smiling outside in the rain.
3. Caption: "...Do so." Drawing: Cay leans through the window and kisses Vivian, who is now thinking an exclamation point.
4. Caption: "But, importantly, also be wearing awesome Western shirts." Drawing: A Western shirt with floral embroidery (an arrow points to Vivian in the previous panel) and one with fringes and rhinestones (an arrow points to Cay).
5. Caption: "The movie also makes a strong case that the ideal man makes dinner and drinks for his wife and her special friend when they are taking a bath." Drawing: smiling middle-aged man in a tank top hands a cocktail to a cheerful big-haired woman who's in a bubble bath; he has another drink on a tray for Cay who is also in the bath.
6. Caption: "It's real good"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:prjuc3ahwuyc74gms6hdksyn/bafkreihkevseh26vwepzvihja7kfrvw4tgbplg6nfblcmlgk3w2omc6wja)
![A scribbly pencil-drawn comic by Eli Bishop. Title: "Superstar: the Karen Carpenter Story".
Top: drawing of a suburban 1960s nuclear family sitting in front of the TV. They look rudimentary because they're drawn fast, but also because they're all Barbie and Ken dolls. The small young dark-haired woman near the middle, looking particularly trapped, is Karen.
Caption on the back of the TV: "1987, written/directed by Todd Haynes"
Caption below TV: "Best MFA student film I've ever seen... also, maybe best biopic?"
Next caption below: "Gorgeous miniatures and Barbie-doll puppetry (it's not stop-motion, so they're just barely alive, and it works)."
Lower left: drawing of bombs falling toward an explosion, from Vietnam War newsreels. Caption: "Also newsreels, also everything else Haynes could think of."
Lower middle, caption: "And oh my God the lighting effects." Drawing: the Karen doll standing at a microphone in a dark space, dramatically lit by the row of stage lights behind her.
Right: drawing of a box of Ex-Lax pills, saying "For gentle overnight relief."
Lower right, caption: "Lots of beautiful music which brought about a lawsuit, so good luck seeing it in a theater. But I did! At the Roxie. [little heart icon]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:prjuc3ahwuyc74gms6hdksyn/bafkreibtvrnyp3ljaqnvzjicpfdrwoadojsjmn5qfv7piamjaiz64kv6mi)
![Screenshot of part of the lyrics to "O Death" (as sung by Ralph Stanley), interrupted by some ad text from the website the lyrics were copied from. "Death, I come to take the soul / Leave the body and leave it cold / To drop the flesh off of the frame / The earth and worms both have a claim / See upcoming country shows / Get tickets for your favorite artists / You might also like / Oh Death - MercyMe / Take It Off - The Donnas / [Chorus] Oh, Death / Whoa, Death / Won't you spare me over till another year?"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:prjuc3ahwuyc74gms6hdksyn/bafkreihrsuwjrvzw4d5eeneub5jgpyyyteuptjvm3xzjkqhbvokanprp7i)
