The Long Seventies Podcast

We talk about the 1974   book "The Jupiter Effect: The Planets As Triggers of Devastating Earthquakes" by John Gribbin & Stephen Plagemann and try to put it in context with the plethora of other End Times predictions said to take place during the Long Seventies.

Why did so many powerhouse mega-bands of the 60s and Long Seventies fail to survive the long decade? We investigate this question and discuss a number of theories and examples.

3:32pm. May 9, 1980. Norco, Ca. Security Pacific Bank. 5 men. 2 shotguns. 3 handguns. 4 high powered semi auto rifles. Homemade grenades. Molotov cocktails. Incendiary diversion device. 1 katana. 1 hostage. 1 stolen van. Dozens of police officers. 2 police helicopters. 25 miles later…. 30+ damaged cop cars. 1 dead deputy. 2 dead robbers. 8 wounded officers. 46 felonies.

We talk John Hughes' most famous film and explore why this 1985 teen comedy resonated so much with viewers. At some point we might even mess with the bull and get the horns. The Brain. The Athlete. The Basketcase. The Princess. The Criminal. All Jung's Suburban archetypes.

1985. Bret Easton Ellis' debut novel. Los Angeles. Mtv. Drugs. Narcissism. Hip to be numb. Absent parents. Disaffected youth. A dead body. Punk rock. Palm Springs. Matt offers an insane interpretation involving an Aztec god of chaos. Stay tuned to the end for a special coda where we revise our initial thoughts on the book after new information comes to our attention.

We talk about 1985's Brat Pack coming-of-age-social-commentary drama St. Elmo's Fire and what unique problems the youngest Baby Boomers might have faced upon entering the adult world at the end of The Long Seventies. Also, the Yamaha DX7.

You talk about Jay McInerney's 1984 debut novel "Bright Lights, Big City" in an effort to explore the transition from the Long Seventies to the Eighties and what liminal properties you can pinpoint about this unique time period.

We talk about UFO religions in general and then get into what is considered by sociologists to be the most successful UFO religion, Raelism.

Mind melting venereal parasites. Creepy murderous mutant kids in red snow suits. We explore the early years of Canada's master of body horror David Cronenberg's body of work focusing on two movies, Shivers (1975) and The Brood (1979).

We talk about the big picture of country music during the Long Seventies and why it assumed the role of counter-counterculture music and became popular not just in the rural areas it was born, but in far away urban centers and suburbs.

Long Seventies EXCLUSIVE! This week we do a little investigative history and dig the story of SF Bay Area radical group The Tribal Thumb out of newspaper archives. The Tribal Thumb is still a mysterious group. The membership is not well known and it seems to have been connected to a number of other SF Bay Area militant radical groups. You won't find this story anywhere else!

We talk about 70s science fiction literature and film and how in a general sense it is distinct from other periods but also a continuation of the new wave that started a decade earlier.

We talk about 70s science fiction literature and film and how in a general sense it is distinct from other periods but also a continuation of the new wave that started a decade earlier.

We talk about 70s science fiction literature and film and how in a general sense it is distinct from other periods but also a continuation of the new wave that started a decade earlier.

We talk about 70s science fiction literature and film and how in a general sense it is distinct from other periods but also a continuation of the new wave that started a decade earlier.

In the prototype for our new interview segment, Alex interviews regular guest and indie music label chief Sean about his influences and creative process. Check out Sean's work at fringebiologyrecords.com and fringebiologyrecordings.bandcamp.com

We talk about the two women who, only weeks apart, tried and failed to kill President Gerald Ford. One of them was even a former member of the Manson Family.

We talk about the history of protests and rioting in the US.

We talk about a truly unique moment in US History, when the Army asked a Lt. Colonel to travel the country and bring the teachings of the New Age movement into their ranks in the hopes of increasing recruitment numbers for the newly all volunteer Army. They also hoped to gain an advantage over the Russian Army using insight from the Human Potential movement to create New Age Supersoldiers.

Sean joins us to talk about Progressive Rock, one of the Long Seventies' most distinctive musical genres. Prog Rock was born out of the psychedelic sixties and Romantic era classical music but combined the musical chromosomes it inherited in experimental and unique ways that evolved an ardent fanbase and musical legacy.

We talk the rise of the Moral Panic Industry and outline the general evolution of the Satanic Panic Complex from its inception in 1971 to one of its most high profile and prototypical cases, the James Dallas Egbert III disappearance. Part Two will cover the Gary Lauwers Murder to the McMartin Preschool Trial and the mid 80s pivot from Satanism to gangs, Gangster Rap, and the Parent's Music Resourc...

We talk the rise of the Moral Panic Industry and outline the general evolution of the Satanic Panic Complex from its inception in 1971 to one of its most high profile and prototypical cases, the James Dallas Egbert III disappearance. Part Two will cover the Gary Lauwers Murder to the McMartin Preschool Trial and the mid 80s pivot from Satanism to gangs, Gangster Rap, and the Parent's Music Resourc...

We have our buddy Sweetback Sean in to talk about Roger Corman's 1975 film Death Race 2000, an exploitation classic! We also talk about music and kung fu movies whose names nobody can remember.

We talk about the origin and early days of the ground-breaking and innovative role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. This game not only transformed wargaming and tabletop gaming but also helped spawn a cultural revolution still felt today. Grab a flagon of ale and pull up a stool for this one, because HC SVNT DRACONES!

We talk about journalist, provocateur, political analyst, wildman & drug aficionado Hunter S. Thompson and discuss why he is the perfect avatar for The Long Seventies. Part two starts with Thompson's most famous work Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas and hits the gas from there right past the '72 election, Zaire disaster and goes over the edge at Reagan's invasion of Grenada.