Back when cassette tapes were the way to go, I couldn’t get enough of Vanilla Ice. But as CDs became more popular and spiky-haired white rappers lost their novelty (and before celebreality shows brought them back again), I forgot about him. That is until I studied abroad in Australia.
Tuesday karaoke nights at one of Joondalup’s local pubs always brought me back to earlier times in my American childhood. The Aussies loved waxing nostalgic with Guns ’n Roses, the Grease Soundtrack, and “Ice, Ice, Baby”…which always left me wondering how they knew this music and why they liked it so much.
During my time in Australia, I came to be awed by how much we Americans export our culture and values — through music, movies, television shows, sports, government policies, and even human travelers — to other countries and was just as awed by the aspects of our life that hadn’t been consumed by others.
And that still fascinates me. And that’s what this blog will be about: how the U.S. and Americans have touched and not touched other parts of the world (as seen by me on my travels). Because if Vanilla Ice can bring back nostalgia to my Aussie mates, then I figure it’s time to take a look at us (abroad), baby…and give a little “A1A Beachfront Avenue” allusion in the meantime.
