To be honest it’s something I’ve wanted to do for ages. When I started the website back in 2002 I had no particular ambitions for it, it was simply an exercise in building websites which was something I was very new to back then. I had an idea for a website that would update people on all the current news from artists usually associated with the 80s, because I wanted a website like that and I couldn’t find one, but I didn’t really spend much time thinking about the name and RememberTheEighties worked well enough at the time.
Over the last ten years however there’s been loads of 80s nostalgia stuff going on, and a increasing number of the artists I was keen to cover were put off getting involved with the website simply because it used the word ‘eighties’ in the title. Quite rightly they wanted to distance themselves from the negative associations that surrounded the word and I actually started thinking about new names a few years ago.
This Is Not Retro was the name I came up with for my record label when I started to release music through the website in 2005. I always had the idea in the back of my mind that I wanted to use that name for the website too, so when I closed the site for redevelopment in late 2011 it was finally time to retire the old name and bring in the new one.
One of the reasons I wanted to rebuild the website was to change the content management system I was using to make it easier for me to update and maintain the site. Unfortunately the old content management system isn’t compatible with the new one so there’s no easy way of importing that information into the new site. I did copy the interviews over manually however, and at some point I may try to do the same with the reviews, but realistically I don’t think the news archive is going to be moved across, although I may see if I can somehow link to the old database sometime down the line.
From anywhere and everywhere! Lots of it is sent by record companies, PR companies and the artists themselves, often people GET IN TOUCH with bits and pieces of news about their favourite artists, and I keep a watchful eye on the music press and the internet.
With the help of all sorts of people. Sometimes record companies, PR companies, managers, or even the artists themselves will get in touch about their latest projects and I arrange an interview from there, other times I’ll approach the people I want to feature and just harass them until they give in!
The site is run by me, RICHARD EVANS…
Only in my dreams! The website is really just a hobby project that I fit in around my work, my family and my other commitments.
Basically because I’m in the UK, and I report the news that I’m exposed to. I do try to include content with an international appeal whenever I can though, particularly in the concerts section.
When I was growing up I was a pretty avid reader of ‘Smash Hits’ and ‘Record Mirror’ which were the mainstream magazines of the day, and I loved the way that on one page there would be something about Kid Creole & The Coconuts and on the next an interview with Crass. As much as I then longed to have the impeccable indie roots that would have made me cool, there was always that incredibly catchy throwaway pop record that I just couldn’t help loving, so when it came to drawing the line about which genres to cover and which to ignore I made the easiest decision for me – no line at all!
I always appreciate people CONTRIBUTING news, tour dates etc.
Use the form on the CONTACT page – I will get back to you as soon as I can but sometimes it takes few days.
Possibly. You will need to GET IN TOUCH and tell me what you want to advertise, and if it sounds suitably relevant I’m sure we can work something out.