Disco!
That’s what many people think about (or remember) when asked to recall anything about the 70s.
Others think about long, blocky cars and gritty movies. Obviously, Nixon and Watergate drop into the minds of others. Vietnam was still going on, and soon those long, blocky cars would be in winding lines waiting for gasoline.
The 70s were an interesting time — in a way, it was a decade that had a great affect on the decades that followed. (We were driving head-first into some big issues and didn’t turn or hit the brakes; some might even say we stepped on the gas and are reaping much of what we sowed in a decade that defined America.)
We begin this episode by talking about our best — and worst — memories from the 70s. After that, we discuss some favorite things from the time: music, movies, and television in particular.
For many, the big news story of the 70s was the end of the Vietnam War and Nixon’s impeachment following the Watergate scandal. But for us, other news stories bubbled up.
Near the end of the 70s was the beginning of a technological boom that would change the world forever. Find out what we consider the technological events of the decade.
Then we imagine we have a time machine and the power to change the world. Find out what we would do if we could go back to the 70s and make one change about the decade. (Don’t worry disco fans, we would not get rid of the music…) After that, we talk about our greatest accomplishments in the 70s. (Which is kind of funny, considering Shawn was born mid-way through 1978!)
We devote some time to the best and worst things to come out of the 70s, and then we wrap up the episode talking about the one word we’d use to describe the decade.
We know we have an audience spanning many decades; we’d love to hear your thoughts about the 70s in the comments.
(We’ll now return you to the funk…)
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The movie that defined the 1970s was Saturday Night Fever. Come on, it was made to define the seventies! And I love 70s music, a lot of it.
LOVED Three’s Company. Ah, yes… in retrospect, what a bizarre show. But at the time I was watching it, I thought it defined “normal.” Fun, light-hearted, and what life is (going to be) like. (I pretty much lived in my own world as a child.)
Though I didn’t exist to experience all of the 70s, if I were to choose one word to describe the 70s, I would make it “funky.” https://youtu.be/E2D2oUNTbjU
Most excellent podcast. Too many memories for me to choose favorites of anything. Those were my formative years so everything had an impact… Sesame Street, Charlie’s Angels, HR Pufnstuf, The Bugaloos, The Banana Splits, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, The Beatles (yeah, split-up era), The Allman Bros… just too many… You guys brought back some awesome memories though. Thanks for doing that!
You’re welcome, Kyle–thanks for listening. We’re having fun with the decades episodes. I think the hardest thing is thinking about the show more after recording and thinking, “How did I not mention HR Pufnstuf or all those other things?!”
They Might Be Giants is an ALL-TIME favorite band, and I didn’t not mention them in either the 80s or 90s episodes. Reading your reply, I have NO idea how I didn’t mention the Banana Splits, Magilla Gorilla…so many things.
But it’s definitely fun to think back, and I’m glad you enjoyed this episode.