I was born in 1960, a time of flowers, change, peace, upheaval, love and lots of good times and great music. I sat down one day to figure out the people, places and things that defined this period…and by default…me. I thought this would be easy for me to answer, in addition to letting me take a mental trip down memory lane. When I got into refining my choices – and the figuring out the why’s behind them – I realized some simple items have had some profound effects on my life. Most of the things on this list reflect my sort of fringe hippie kid background. I’m on the young side of it, but I definitely fall to that end in spirit.
Moreover, it occurred to me that the choices wouldn’t involve just “generational” items. The items would change dramatically depending upon your geographic area and general socioeconomic groundings. So a person from the Midwest or San Francisco may not have the same things on his list.
I’m hoping people will get a chance to reflect on things from their past that helped form their personality and take on the world in general. Try to figure out a bit of the why or what made you think of it. It could be as simple as something you shared with friends on the corner when you 15.
FYI, I’m a white female from the Northeast USA, born in 1960 to middle class parents. My grandparents came to America on ships. My dad learned to speak English when he went to school at the hands of the local nuns. We lived in suburbia and were one of the first to put aluminum siding on our house. We replaced the black and white TV with a color one just in time for the Partridge Family.
Here goes:
Woodstock. The summer of love. A rectangle stone monument is all that is around to remind people of the 3-day love and songfest at Yasger’s Farm. I was only 9, but the entire concept of the event has affected how I think about this sort of thing. The revival of the event was a bust-why? It WASN’T the same time, space, people. As with most great events or special personal times, you can’t recreate them. As it all came on the heels of Vietnam, Haight Ashbury, The Age of Aquarius, and the Rise of Camelot as a political doctrine through the Kennedy Administration, Woodstock was the perfect tie-it-in-a-bow event to represent the ideology. The times they were a changin’.
The ’69 Rally Sport Camaro and the Ford Mustang GTO. Even geeky kids fit in once they slipped behind the wheel of these classics. I didn’t have one then, but I ended up with the anniversary edition of the Mustang GTO convertible which was a throwback to the original.
Accessories. Huge hoop earrings, granny glasses, platform shoes and headbands. The thing about my generation is that it is wrapped up in personal expression. Do Your Own Thing.
The Pet Rock. I am a strong believer in entrepreneurship. I remember seeing The Pet Rock, The Wacky Wallwalker, The Hula Hoop and goofy things of that nature when I was younger, and how people were talked into needing the stuff. In my antiques operation, I often ended up with boxes of animal ornaments that generally weren’t worth much. I remember the Rock, and thought about the hype. I wrote up an index card talking about how poor apartment dwellers often couldn’t have pets, so they should take home one of mine on the shelf. My animals didn’t eat, need to be taken out, and they didn’t make noise. I sold those things right and left. People were buying them for the story. (I’ve done the same, and I’ll continue to do so.) Sometimes the entertainment is not in the item, but in the thought of the item.
John, Bobby and Martin. I was only 3 when John Kennedy was killed; however, the effects and mood were so far reaching that even being alive during the event meant that it would somehow touch your life. The deaths of these three made us feel very vulnerable as a nation. We couldn’t understand the why behind it all. How could someone do something like this? Another generation would be asking the same thing regarding 9-11.
Watergate. I was in 8th grade and my class was forced to watch the impeachment trials during class. The real Question Authority tone was still in full force. Nothing points to disillusionment in the office (for my generation and for the first time, from what I’ve been told) more than having a sitting president accused of having something to do with a criminal activity. Even with Vietnam and the protest coming first, Watergate put a real chink in the armor of the holy office of president. And talk about long lasting effects! It took us 30+ years to get the scoop as to who Deep Throat really was. In the end, I think we all took it as a bit anticlimactic.
Ed Sullivan. Just as Wolfman Jack captivated the radio generation just before mine, Ed Sullivan could make or break careers. Only Sullivan could get major rock groups to change questionable lyrics in order to be *allowed* to perform on his show. And then there was that gyrating Pelvis guy named Elvis who had to tone it down to meet Ed’s standards.
The Peace Sign. We drew it on our binders, and we had earrings dangling in silver and gold with the familiar sign. We fashioned hand signals that sort-of looked like the real thing. My cousins and I painted some wooden peace signs with neon paint that would glow in the dark. We then affixed them to the walls and ceilings of our bedrooms and rec rooms. Then we turned on the black light. I still have my long, silver chain of individual peace signs, and I still love everything it represents.
All the President’s Men. This was the movie featuring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as the two Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate story. It has significance as it kicked off investigative journalism in the real sense. There had always been muckrakers, but this was different. For me, personally, it had even more profound ramifications. I saw it the first time with my journalism class. I knew then that I wanted to be part of something that important. The idea that an independent arm could function to keep the government accountable to the public was, and is, so very basic to me. For all the times I hear the phrase, “The media misrepresentedmisquoted, etc.” I make my self go back to these roots. Things are bad and there are serious flaws in the press, there is also a lot right about it. This is paraphrased but it’s something I have built my career around: A journalist with a pen is more to be feared than an army of soldiers with flaming bayonets. INFORMATION IS EMPOWERING!
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar and the kick off of the rock opera. People who wouldn’t have gone near a “musical” embraced this as an art form. In particular, consider this: the guy who took over the role of Jesus, Ted Neely, has acted as Jesus LONGER than Jesus was Jesus on this earth, according to Christian standards. How bizarre is that?
Vinyl in the form of albums. More importantly, album COVERS! I feel so sad for my kids that they have to deal with CDs. The art that was the album cover is a genre in and of itself. What’s your favorite? Odd, but mine should be that hippie look, maybe something from Dylan or Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant, but no, for me it’s Herb Alpert’s Whipped Cream. A little risqu, but very classy.
Bell Bottoms. I had a pair of jeans that were red and white stripes with a background patch of blue with white stars. Button fly, of course. I soooo wish I had never given those away. When hip huggers and bell bottoms hit the stores again, I was in line, even though Dennis Miller says no one ever looked good in Bell Bottoms. Maybe, but I felt/feel good.
Laugh In. Anyone who was anyone during this time period did a stint on Laugh In. Tiny Tim made regular appearances. Goldie Hawn was more or less discovered herewhich leads me to the final pop item
The mini skirt (and vinyl boots). Do I really need to explain this one?
