loudboy
Tele-Afflicted
They made an electric shaver called the "Miami Device" which left various amounts of Crockett-esque stubble.
How was Miami Vice generally received in the 80's?
- Thread starter Cadillac_Mike
- Start date
Fenderbaum
Tele-Holic
Let´s not forget when Frank Zappa was in it.. He is an excellent composer and guitarplayer. But an actor he is not.. 
Timbresmith1
Friend of Leo's
It was watchable at the time. Sorta…
Michael Mann directed iirc, so he brought some small level of cinematic credibility to the vast wasteland of broadcast tv. Life back then was somehow more fun and engaging; dirtier (smoking) and yet somehow less filthy than life is now
Michael Mann directed iirc, so he brought some small level of cinematic credibility to the vast wasteland of broadcast tv. Life back then was somehow more fun and engaging; dirtier (smoking) and yet somehow less filthy than life is now
SnidelyWhiplash
Poster Extraordinaire
It was a hugely popular show. Phil Collins was a guest star. It set fashion trends. Middle aged balding men with potbellies tried their best to look like Crockett to no avail. It also gave Don Johnson a recording contract.
Heartbeat, anyone???
Heartbeat, anyone???
nothing like a big bowl of popcorn a cold beer and a thrilling eoisode of Miami Mice
radiocaster
Doctor of Teleocity
People loved it. I hated it. In fact I can't think of anything else from the 80s I hate as much. I hate the clothes, the actors, the music, and probably everything else from that show.
I also hate the current 80s Top 40 revival.
I also hate the current 80s Top 40 revival.
I was in middle school and loved it. Being from a small, backwards N Ga town I recall it feeling incredibly fresh and well, sophisticated lol. In retrospect there is a lot of cringe but I have a soft spot for much of it. Particularly Jan Hammers music. I had a convertible in my 20s and loved to drive at night and play this.
tubedude
Tele-Afflicted
I'd like to blame them as the vector of the synth pop disease but it was already making its virulent run through the culture (thanx MTV),
as was cocaine, which took a toll on several of the actors, and the culture.
With the lingering demise of disco, something new had to fill the vacuum. A lesser evil IME.
I saw Jan play with Jeff Beck very ,very tight concert
JohnnyThul
Tele-Holic
Miami Vice is one of my earliest childhood memory.
Living in rural Bavaria during that time a Ferrari was just out of this world and impressed me a lot at the age of 6. I never watched the show back then ( too young), but the merch was everywhere and especially the white Testarossa was deeply impressive.
My father always used to restore old Mercedes cars as a hobby and sold them to fund the next project.
I remember that he sold a dark blue W111 coupé, and one day when I was at home with my mom, a real Ferrari Testarossa drove down the dusty road in front of our house. They came up to the door and asked for the car my father was selling, but they didn't speak German. They were from Italy and looked exactly like Miami Vice. I was awestruck.
My mom didn't know, how to open the garage, so she asked me. Of course I knew, how to open it and saved the day
The guys bought the car later that day, when my dad returned from work, paid cash and drove directly back to Italy that day.
They said, the car is for their dad, a retired general who loves these cars, but is too old to drive them safely, so, he crashes them constantly and then they buy a new one for him
Well, that story I still vividly remember as one of my earliest childhood memories. Later on, I got too chose my first bag for going to school, and of course I chose the one with the Flamingos and the white Testarossa on it.
Living in rural Bavaria during that time a Ferrari was just out of this world and impressed me a lot at the age of 6. I never watched the show back then ( too young), but the merch was everywhere and especially the white Testarossa was deeply impressive.
My father always used to restore old Mercedes cars as a hobby and sold them to fund the next project.
I remember that he sold a dark blue W111 coupé, and one day when I was at home with my mom, a real Ferrari Testarossa drove down the dusty road in front of our house. They came up to the door and asked for the car my father was selling, but they didn't speak German. They were from Italy and looked exactly like Miami Vice. I was awestruck.
My mom didn't know, how to open the garage, so she asked me. Of course I knew, how to open it and saved the day
The guys bought the car later that day, when my dad returned from work, paid cash and drove directly back to Italy that day.
They said, the car is for their dad, a retired general who loves these cars, but is too old to drive them safely, so, he crashes them constantly and then they buy a new one for him
Well, that story I still vividly remember as one of my earliest childhood memories. Later on, I got too chose my first bag for going to school, and of course I chose the one with the Flamingos and the white Testarossa on it.
Kandinskyesque
Friend of Leo's
I was 17/18 when it came out, my brother and I never missed an episode for the first 2 seasons.
It was the product of rather than the creator of mid-late 1980s excess.
The advertising industry was king after a pretty grim start to the 80s (at least in the UK), TV commercials resembled short films and in some cases were as entertaining as the turgid TV; from the series of Levi's 501 commercials, to various fragrances, also Coke vs Pepsi ads. Directors such as Alan Parker, David Puttnam, Ridley and Tony Scott made big budget commercials. Ad agencies such as Saatchi and Saatchi were employed to influence everything from politics to high street banking to cars. The YUPPIE movement.
The TV show was more or less a 60 minute infomercial, from Michael Mann's soft focus directing to the Jan Hammer soundtrack. It basically sold aspirational 80s glamour and excess. Clothing design houses such as Armani, Gianni Versace, Boss and Cerruti got to play their wares on an unsuspecting mainly male public. The result I noticed was a few 80s dads stinking of designer aftershaves after the stench of Brut and Old Spice 1970s.
Oh and pastel shades in clothes and all white interiors were everywhere.
I'd reckon 1986 was peak Miami Vice in the UK, pubs and nightclubs (even student unions) full of 'aspirational' young men in 2-3 day old stubble and cheap linen pastel suits with bright contrasting t-shirts and not a sock between them.
You could smell them before you'd see them; the stench of Paco Rabanne and Kouros.
It's possibly the first trend I consciously avoided opting instead for a 'uniform' of 2nd hand 501s white Hanes Ts and Converse but in hindsight I was only drinking another brand of Kool-Aid.
It was the product of rather than the creator of mid-late 1980s excess.
The advertising industry was king after a pretty grim start to the 80s (at least in the UK), TV commercials resembled short films and in some cases were as entertaining as the turgid TV; from the series of Levi's 501 commercials, to various fragrances, also Coke vs Pepsi ads. Directors such as Alan Parker, David Puttnam, Ridley and Tony Scott made big budget commercials. Ad agencies such as Saatchi and Saatchi were employed to influence everything from politics to high street banking to cars. The YUPPIE movement.
The TV show was more or less a 60 minute infomercial, from Michael Mann's soft focus directing to the Jan Hammer soundtrack. It basically sold aspirational 80s glamour and excess. Clothing design houses such as Armani, Gianni Versace, Boss and Cerruti got to play their wares on an unsuspecting mainly male public. The result I noticed was a few 80s dads stinking of designer aftershaves after the stench of Brut and Old Spice 1970s.
Oh and pastel shades in clothes and all white interiors were everywhere.
I'd reckon 1986 was peak Miami Vice in the UK, pubs and nightclubs (even student unions) full of 'aspirational' young men in 2-3 day old stubble and cheap linen pastel suits with bright contrasting t-shirts and not a sock between them.
You could smell them before you'd see them; the stench of Paco Rabanne and Kouros.
It's possibly the first trend I consciously avoided opting instead for a 'uniform' of 2nd hand 501s white Hanes Ts and Converse but in hindsight I was only drinking another brand of Kool-Aid.
Tonetele
Doctor of Teleocity
It was all about the hair, fashion, cars and the girls ( big hair in the 80s).
Flat6Driver
Poster Extraordinaire
As I recall it was pretty huge and influential. The cars. The guns (some which became collectors items), the looks. IIRC celebs of the day were guests, Phillip Collins, etc. It was "must see TV" when there was such a thing. It revitalized the part of Miami they were filming in which was run down at the time and full of retirees.
It was on general network TV so it couldn't be a course and gritty as stuff today so by comparison probably looks a bit cheesy/dated. But it was big.
Michael Poche
Friend of Leo's
It was extremely popular, but I never watched it even once. I have thought about watching it in recent years, as I have some nostalgic affection for the period styling, but I doubt I ever will.
Silent Otto
Tele-Afflicted
stylish copaganda
When la cocaina was a huge part of the south-Florida & jet set culture--in real life as well as in front of and behind the cameras.
It was a fashion show with a hip soundtrack and product placement. Basically, it was the TV show Friends, but with drugs/violence/cops on the take, and a "fake it 'til you make it" lifestyle.
For mindless entertainment, it worked great.
It was a fashion show with a hip soundtrack and product placement. Basically, it was the TV show Friends, but with drugs/violence/cops on the take, and a "fake it 'til you make it" lifestyle.
For mindless entertainment, it worked great.
Last edited:
I probably watched a season...then tuned in for the intro before shutting it off (if I were home).
