Retrorama Magazine

Retrorama Issue 4: It's the Final Count Down!

2008-09-24T15:13:00.004+01:00

One week from today everyone on our subscriber list will be receiving an awesome burst of the 80s in their inbox - free of charge! This issue we're going underground - entering the Labyrinth and questioning whether or not David Bowie should have been wearing slightly looser trousers, opening the Trap Door and contemplating what 'The Thing Upstairs" might really have been plus we're digging deeper on the 1980's Miner's Strikes.

As if this wasn't enough you'll also get to go above and beyond with our coverage of 'Asteroids', remember just how embarrassing it is to own a copy of 'GTO' by Sinitta (we know you've got one somewhere), and find out what's hot and happening with our 80s news and reviews.

If you fancy getting all this for free on a bi-monthly basis drop us a line with "subscribe" in the subject bar and something witty and profound in the email body. Sometimes we just like to be cheered with the thought that there are other people out there with the same randomised thought patterns that we have. You can reach us at retroramamagazine@gmail.com

Retroram Issue 3: It's Free, It's Fun and It's Especially for You

2008-05-30T09:39:00.007+01:00

In less than 2 weeks Retrorama Issue 3 will be spreading 80s nostalgia into inboxes across the nation.

For this issue we caught up with 80s legend Keith Chegwin to ask him all about what he thinks makes the 80s so special. Keith will be revealing what he's been up to lately and what he wants to see make a come back!

If you haven't already subscribed to our fabulous free magazine...well what are you playing at really? It's free, it's frisky, it's fun and it's all about the Best Decade Known to Mankind (TM).

As well as our fabulous interview with Cheggers, we're going to be revisiting the cartoon classic Danger Mouse, reviewing the latest Indiana Jones effort, weighing up the pros and cons of crimping irons, singing along to Kylie and Jason, remembering the cheesiness that was Miami Vice and helping you reminisce about many an hour you spent playing that arcade classic Donkey Kong!

To subscribe for free and receive your free back issues simply email 'subscribe' to retroramamagazine@gmail.com

The Golden Age of Advertising: Why The Lady Loved Milk Tray

2008-04-11T13:28:00.007+01:00

Issue two of Retrorama Magazine sees executive creative director Simon Kershaw dissect the popular Milk Tray advert from the 1980s. The article explains the thinking behind one of the most memorable commercial concepts in advertising history.

As well as offering his own personal interpretation of the classic advert he also offers a creative context for the campaign explaining just why that mystery man in that oh so stealthy advert went to such pains to deliver a box of Cadbury's chocolates.

In addition to delving into the 80s media world you'll also be able to read up on a range of nostalgic topics including Ghostbusters, Pac Man, The A Team, Bananaman, Second Wave Feminism and the Assassination of John Lennon.

To receive your free copy of issue 2 simply drop us an email at retroramamagazine@gmail.com

Flash Gordon Returns

2008-03-03T15:34:00.001Z

Tonight Flash Gordon returns to the small screen in yet another re-make of the 1930s serial. Sci-fi have scooped the UK premiere of the new show which stars former Smallville heart throb Eric Johnson as the invincible hero. It may have modern day special effects, and actors primped and preened to the point of insanity it would be difficult to out-do and nigh on possible to out-camp the 1980 film.

The figure hugging lycra costumes, the endless double entendres ("I'll come if you rocket there quickly"), and the musical genius of Queen. How could this film fail to be the best remembered and best loved incarnation of Flash? And that's before you get to the simmering sensuality of Princess Aura and Prince Barin and Brian Blessed's most famous line ever "Gordon's alive?!"

In issue two of Retrorama Magazine we'll be offering up a full review of the new series and giving you the gospel truth about how it meaures up to the 1980 feature. You can subscribe for free by emailing us at retroramamagazine@gmail.com, that way you can be sure not to miss out on any 80s action.

To subscribe email us at: retroramamagazine@gmail.com

Issue One Launches Today

2008-02-27T13:22:00.002Z

The long wait is over and issue one of Retrorama is now here! If you would like to receive this free zine featuring Thundercats, Space Invaders, Wispa Bars, Rubik’s Cubes, The New Knight Rider, Rocky 4 and much much more all you have to do is send us an email at retroramamagazine@gmail.com. Remember to put “subscribe” in the title and we’ll send issue one direct to your inbox. As all the great 80s adverts used to say no purchase necessary...of course unlike them, we really mean it!

We are good to you aren’t we?

Retrorama Team

1980s: The Golden Age of Arcades

2008-02-18T11:17:00.004Z

You can’t fool us. We know that when nobody’s looking you get that sudden urge to pack up the Nintendo Wii that you trailed every shop for during the great console shortage of 2007. We know that despite their superior high-concept packages and unbelievable game handling a strange primal scream sounds within you to rummage through that box under your bed and pull out your old NES or maybe even a Game Boy if you had a particularly well-off childhood.

The sound quality may be patchy at best. The graphics may be basic. But they offer you something your shiny new Xbox never can – memories of a misspent youth. With on-screen classics such as Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and the all-consuming Pac-Man. who could ever dispute that the 80s was the Golden Age of Arcades? StarWars fever was in full swing spawning epics such as Space Invaders, Asteroids and Moon Patrol and a whole generation of teens developed repetitive strain injury from clenching the joystick and punching the fire button. Ahhh – good times.

If you were one of these teens, or were a big kid at the time why not subscribe to a new magazine called Retrorama? It’s totally free and revisits one of these classic computer games in every single issue. The “Game Over” series begins with the most beloved classic Space Invaders. And it truly was an invasion like no other. Space Invaders was the game popular enough to cause a shortage of 100 Yen coins in Japan. The game that provided a repetitive but quirky backing track for public houses across the UK. The game that challenged you to save earth from a race of aliens that hailed from a planet occupied entirely by squid. How could you resist revisiting this iconic space age phenomenon and reliving your misspent youth for free?

Just email “subscribe” to retroramamagazine@gmail.com to get your free copy of issue one.

Issue One - Sneak Preview

2008-02-14T09:25:00.006Z

We've had a lot of people asking for more information on what's going to be in Issue One - you are an impatient lot aren't you? Isn't it enough that we're giving you all these fabulous features for free? Just kidding! We're as excited as you are about the launch and although you've only got just under two weeks to wait, we thought we'd give you a little bit more insight into what will land in your unsuspecting inbox on the 27th of February.

Issue One will include the following features:

The New Knight Rider from NBC: Has somebody finally out-cheesed the Hoff?
Game Over: Why we still love Space Invaders
Cartoon Heroes: Thundercats are Loose
Toys to Remember: The Rubik's Cube - Ultimate Geek Chic
Sweet Memories: The Wispa Bar and the current ebay extortionists
Film Focus: Back to the Future - A nostalgic look at this iconic trilogy

Ok, that's all I'm telling you. I'm not at liberty to give out any more spoilers. My PR manager will be on the phone stat if I do and he's never in a good mood...well if you worked in PR for a living would you be in a good mood?

To get all of the above an much much more, simply email "subscribe" to retroramamagazine@gmail.com and we'll deliver issue one straight to your inbox in delux PDF format for free!

The above image of a muddy Glastonbury protest was provided by Sharon O'Dea

It's Official - Issue One is Awesome...and it's Almost Here!

2008-02-08T15:05:00.000Z

It's official! Retrorama Issue One will be in your inbox on Wednesday 27th February, banishing the mid-week blues. Hang about I hear you say, how do I know that Retrorama is for me? Here at Retrorama HQ we understand that subscribing to the right e-zine is a deeply taxing decision so to offer you a helping hand we've constructed a fool-proof checklist.

If you have ever done or still do at least three of the following things, you should definitely get your name on our swiftly-growing subscriber list. We promise to deliver a zine jam-packed with the best 80s news and features every time. Okay, enough of the commercial -enjoy!

If you ever:

*Wanted to be a Goonie
*Believed in the Power of Grayskull and that you HAD the power
*Used the words Ace, Awesome or Bodacious with a straight face
*Wanted to spend your weekends down at Fraggle Rock
*Developed an RSI from playing Space Invaders
*Can name at least three members of the Brat Pack
*Referred to your Casio keyboard as a synthesiser
*Slow danced at the school disco to "True" by Spandau Ballet
*Thought a bottle of hairspray a day would keep the unseemly frizz away
*Rode or tried to ride a skateboard
*Thought there was a Gremlin in your house
*Begged your parents for Hungry Hippos
*Wondered why smurfette was the only female smurf
*Wanted to know if Murdock was really crazy or just a fool as Mr T so regularly insinuated
*Vowed to make the Ghostbusters your first port of call in a spooky crisis
*Thought the Monster Raving Loony Party were bitchin'
*Deemed the notion of partying like it was 1999 futuristic
*Rapped the entire opening to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air word perfect
*Wanted your very own KITT
*Believed fingerless gloves were an indication of style rather than vagrancy

I know, I know you want to subscribe now don't you? Well you'll be glad to know all you have to do is drop us an email at retroramamagazine@gmail.com and we'll do the rest.

I Pity The Fool Who Doesn't Subscribe to this E-Zine

2008-01-15T16:00:00.001Z

New Eighties E-Zine Launches Worldwide
It's fun, it's frisky, and it's free!

The sixties were swinging, the seventies were smooth, the eighties were edgy, the nineties were no-mans land and the noughties have turned out to be all about nostalgia. Maybe it’s the intimidating fact that we’re almost a decade into the 21st century and nowhere near perfecting the flying car. Or maybe we like to hark back to the days before the shadow of international terrorism, mass school shootings and crippling natural disasters caused (some say) by the early effects of global warming.

Whatever the reason who are we to turn our back on rose-tinted spectacles? Just as our fathers and grandfathers told us about a time when they could leave their door unlocked and go on a banging night out for 50p we too must fulfil our duties and inform the next generation of a better time. A time when big shoulder pads and a bottle of hairspray a day were essential to making your way in the world. A time when fingerless gloves didn’t necessarily mean you were a homeless person and using space hoppers as a mode of transportation was perfectly acceptable. I talk of course of the decade that nobody quite believed happened: the eighties.

To help you in your quest of reliving, reviving and regurgitating this unique period in history, a this brand new online e-zine is being launched. Retrorama magazine is the ultimate guide to all things eighties. If you ate it, wore it, listened to it, watched it, verbally abused it or loved it to bits between 1980 and 1989 it will be covered in this title. As well as giving you an overdose of nostalgia there’ll be interviews with all your favourite personalities of the period. So if you need to know if the moon walk is an efficient way of getting around the office, where you can still play Space Invaders or whatever happened to Supergran then don’t be one of the many fools that Mr T pitied, get smart and email us today to subscribe. It's fun, it's frisky and it's totally free!

To submit an article or to subscribe to the zine please contact us at: retroramamagazine@googlemail.co.uk