A man obsessed with the 90s lives in a time capsule dedicated to the iconic era.
Jack Walters, 23, from Bakewell, Derbyshire, is now an Internet sensation after revealing his unique obsession. The young man is a self-confessed 1990s fanatic, and everything around him represents his love for this colorful time.
As Daily Mail reveals, Walters has spent about £5,000($7,000) pursuing his passion. If you enter his house, you would see things that carry 90s vibes, such as a vintage TV from 1989, old Nokia phones, and a bulky, square laptop displaying Windows ’95. But that’s not all. The 23-year-old illustrator also drives a G Reg Austin Mini Metro. That’s how dedicated he is!
The young man admits he longs for the “coziness” of his favorite decade. Meanwhile, he says people are calling him “mad” for missing out on the present.
Walters explains:
“It started as me recreating my parents’ house from when I was little, with the coziness. I never really enjoyed modern decorating with all the greys. It didn’t have the homey quality, and I wanted to replicate that.
When we moved into this current house two years ago, it was super bland and white. Not much had changed in the house since 1995 except it’d had a lot of white paint and a laminate floor put in.
The house is the result of a lot of snooping around charity shops and eBay. I also get gifted things by people who know me. They’ll see something and go ‘Oh, Jack will enjoy that.'”
Watching 90s TV shows is Jack’s favorite activity.
Some of his favorite shows are the British classics Absolutely Fabulous, Men Behaving Badly, and The Vicar Of Dibley. What’s more, he “always” plays his Now That’s What I Call Music cassette tapes.
According to the 90s enthusiast, this particular period had the “perfect balance of enough technology to keep us entertained, but not enough to feel like an overload.”
Jack currently lives in a three-bedroom cottage with his parents and his partner of two years, Matthew Whiting, 28. His curious passion for the era when people believed Furbies were secretly spying on them has made Jack a sensation all over social media.
@the_sad_rad_dad A trip back in time #interiordesign #90s #1996 #1990s #nostalgia #safespace #cosy #escape #timetravel #collector #childhood #vintageinterior #90skid
He comments:
“I decided to share my house on TikTok initially because I was bored in lockdown and wanted to have a bit of fun. Then I had a lot of people saying they remembered a lot of the items in my house, and that they feel the same way about the 90s.
There was a nice feel to it too, knowing that I’m not a weird person and other people enjoy this stuff too. Because I grew up in a small town and I was the quiet gay kid, I always felt a bit like an outsider.”
Despite the “funny looks” he often gets from strangers baffled at his high-waisted Levis and Sweater Shop tops, Jack sees the 90s as an escape from modern life.
He says:
“In the 1990s, we had enough technology to keep us entertained, but not enough to feel like an overload. Now we have so many different media outlets that it can get a little overwhelming. It’s nice to have an escape from that.
I have my old television hooked up to an Apple TV which is hidden around the back. I have loads of old taped TV programs on YouTube. But I also enjoy videos of series like Absolutely Fabulous, Men Behaving Badly, and The Vicar Of Dibley.”
Walters adds:
“I love my home telephone. I live out in the sticks, so I get awful mobile phone signal. A home telephone works for me. At a push, I’d say my favorite item is probably my radio-alarm clock-telephone. It’s very mundane, but I always feel a bit glam taking calls from my bedroom.
I do love my bedroom though, as once you shut the door, you could be anywhere between the years 1990 and 2000.”
The young illustrator also has a passion for 90s music. He notes:
“I love 90s music. I always play the Now That’s What I Call Music cassette tapes from 1998 to 1999. It’s very ‘Mum music.’ I obviously love the Spice Girls too – Gerri Halliwell being my favorite.”
“Some people go to the gym, some play video games, this is my thing.”
Luckily, Jack’s other half also enjoys the iconic era. The 23-year-old says:
“My partner is massively into video games, so he has all the original Nintendo consoles. We overlap in our interests there, so that’s nice.”
However, many people fail to understand or accept Walters’ obsession. He admits:
“I usually get one of three reactions from people when they come around and see my house. There’ll be some people who get nostalgic and remember things from my house from living through the 1990s.
Then you get people like my niece. She’s only young so it’s all new to her and she didn’t believe that my phone or telephone worked. I had to explain to her what a VHS was.
And I get some people who walk in and don’t get it at all. They think I’m mad, and they’ll ask why I’m not enjoying what we have now.”
Nevertheless, Jack chooses to stay true to himself.
“Nowadays, being different is embraced and celebrated a lot more. I don’t feel like an outsider so much anymore… I have vintage interests, but modern values.”
@the_sad_rad_dad My little car 💙 #nostalgia #1989 #austin #britishleyland #austinmetro #rovermetro #classiccar #vintagecar #retrocat #childhood #90s #80s #car
