With the death of writer and director John Hughes at 59 yesterday, America lost one of the most vivid voices to come out of (and help define) the 1980s. Hughes basically established the high school comedy movie genre with his classic "Sixteen Candles," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "The Breakfast Club." His films successfully tapped into the universal angst of adolescence and played with well-established archetypes of American teenagedom. For more on Hughes' career and cultural legacy, we talked to Washington Post staff writer Hank Stuever on the phone from his office.

A Washington Post article by Hank Stuever about "Sixteen Candles" character Jake Ryan can be found on his blog, Tonsil. You can also read a live chat conversation about John Hughes hosted by Stuever and Jen Chaney at washingtonpost.com.