Stamos accused…

[leggo of my ego]

I meant it's dorky, cheeseball, and lame in the most amazing way possible .... One thing that has happened to this place is we're all very uptight and take this all, and ourselves, far too seriously

Dork: dull, slow witted
Lame: inept, defective.
Goofball: naive, silly, stupid

None of the above define the Beach Boys music I listen to - even when looking at it in the most amazing way possible.

Thanks for the definitions - I know Pinder doesnt think the BB are dull, inept, or stupid.

Just slow-witted, defective & silly.  

Ok ok  I didnt mean that either.  Peace!

[Dave in KC]

This is hilarious: After Stamos sang "Forever" at the Ohio State fair, he dedicates the song to Nelson Bragg:

http://youtu.be/WMYEAfpPgsc?t=52m7s

He also thanks Brian, Carl, Dennis, Al, Bruce and Mike (in that order) for the Beach Boys' music before going into the song.

OH, John boy holding the mic stand out into the audience like Dennis on the cover of In Concert. I've reached my gag point.

[ESQ Editor]

So the whole group was unsure what to do about falling attendance at shows and Dennis took the lead in asking advice and the advice was go hard on oldies setlists and the whole band agreed to go that way? Fascinating.

Hard to believe, Cam. I remember being at a Beach Boys concert in late '74 in Sacramento and wondering who the guy on stage with the glasses playing bass was. Here's a typical setlist with Guercio. Seems like a pretty good smattering of recent tracks were included here - don't really see emphasis on oldies, even into the Beachago tour the following year.

Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, MD
November 22, 1974

C-man says: Both Ricky Fataar and Dennis Wilson played drums at this concert. Surprisingly, there are not many more oldies in this concert than there were in concerts earlier in the year, before "Endless Summer" was released. "Catch A Wave" was added, however, and this is one of the few times it wasn't performed right before "Hawaii". A daring feat is accomplished here..."Good Vibrations" is followed up by "In My Room". Same as the previous night's show, except "All This Is That" has been added, and "Surfin USA" and "Barbara Ann" have been switched.

Beach Boys present:
Mike Love
Dennis Wilson
Carl Wilson
Al Jardine
Ricky Fataar

Backup band probably included:
Billy Hinsche
Bobby Figueroa
Carly Munoz
Ron Altbach
James Guercio

SETLIST

1. I CAN HEAR MUSIC
2. MARCELLA
3. LITTLE DEUCE COUPE
4. DO IT AGAIN
5. THE WARMTH OF THE SUN
6. CALIFORNIA SAGA/PART THREE: CALIFORNIA
7. SAIL ON SAILOR (Billy Hinsche on lead)
8. ALL THIS IS THAT
9. FEEL FLOWS
10. SURFER GIRL
11. HEROES AND VILLAINS
12. DARLIN'
13. CATCH A WAVE
14. I'M WAITING FOR THE DAY (Billy Hinsche on lead)
15. GOD ONLY KNOWS
16. DON'T WORRY BABY
17. THE TRADER
18. SLOOP JOHN B.
19. WOULDN'T IT BE NICE
20. I GET AROUND
21. GOOD VIBRATIONS
22. IN MY ROOM
23. HELP ME, RHONDA
24. CALIFORNIA GIRLS

Encore -
25. JUMPIN' JACK FLASH
26. BARBARA ANN
27. SURFIN' U.S.A.
28. FUN, FUN, FUN

21 songs from the 1960's is a shift.  Post a setlist from late 1973.

[Mikie]

Sure. This one is from two days before my very first Beach Boys concert at Winterland in San Francisco:

November 17, 1973 - Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA The opening act was Three Man Army. Few days after this I saw them in Sacramento. This was the same week that "Beach Boys In Concert" was released. Recognize all the recent songs? About a month later, Blondie was gone.

Mike Love
Carl Wilson
Al Jardine
Dennis Wilson
Blondie Chaplin
Ricky Fataar
Putter Smith

Setlist:

1. Sail On, Sailor
2. Sloop John B
3. The Trader
4. Leaving This Town
5. Long Promised Road
6. California Girls
7. Marcella
8. Surfer Girl
9. Funky Pretty
10. Darlin´
11. Surfin´ USA
12. Caroline, No
13. You Still Believe In Me
14. We Got Love
15. Heroes And Villains
16. Don't Worry Baby
17. Help Me, Rhonda (Carl & Dennis)
18. Wouldn't It Be Nice
19. Good Vibrations

First Encore:

20. Barbara Ann
21. I Get Around

Second Encore:

22. Fun, Fun, Fun
23. Jumpin´ Jack Flash

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Dorky?? well it's time we all just accept them for what they are, The "Star Trek" of rock music,,,, Brian is "Kirk", Mike is "Spock" Bruce is "Data", Carl is "Scotty", Dennis is "Picard", David is a "Klingon", Murry is "Q", Al is "Sulu" and John Stamos is a "Romulan" (with special guest stars Glen Campbell as "Surak", Hal Blain as "Bones McCoy" and Charles Manson as "Capt Pike." )

Ha!!!

That or the Star Wars of rock!

Brian's Luke Skywalker, Murry's Darth Vader, Mike's Lando Calrissian, Dennis is Han Solo, Bruce is C3-PO, and Al's R2-D2  

Jack Reilly is Yoda, Rocky Pamplin is Chewbacca, Foskett is Jabba The Hut, Taylor Mills can be Princess Lea, Stamos is Boba Fet, Manson, The Emperor.

I'd call Mike C3-PO and Bruce R2-D2...
And Carl has to be Lowbac...er...Chewbacca....  

But Al's gotta be R2-D2 .... If only because he could actually fit into the costume.

Carl's Obie Wan

David's Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing)

[Cam Mott]

How is oldie defined? In 1974 the group was 12 or 13 years old, what was an oldie at that point? How about in 1984 or 1994 or 2004 or 2014?

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

How is oldie defined? In 1974 the group was 12 or 13 years old, what was an oldie at that point? How about in 1984 or 1994 or 2004 or 2014?

Well, considering that Mike refers to Surfer Girl as an "Oldie But Moldy" in 1972 or 73 on the In Concert album, I'd round out that we can consider anything at least 10 years old (give or take a couple years) as an oldie....

I get the feeling 10 years was more like 20 or 30 back then though ....... From the early 60's to the early/mid 70's must have seemed like oceans of time considering all the changes that occurred.

[The Cincinnati Kid]

How is oldie defined? In 1974 the group was 12 or 13 years old, what was an oldie at that point? How about in 1984 or 1994 or 2004 or 2014?

Well, considering that Mike refers to Surfer Girl as an "Oldie But Moldy" in 1972 or 73 on the In Concert album, I'd round out that we can consider anything at least 10 years old (give or take a couple years) as an oldie....

I get the feeling 10 years was more like 20 or 30 back then though ....... From the early 60's to the early/mid 70's must have seemed like oceans of time considering all the changes that occurred.

In 1968 or 1969 he referred to I Get Around as an "oldie but moldy" (or something very simlilar). 

[Mikie]

How is oldie defined? In 1974 the group was 12 or 13 years old, what was an oldie at that point? How about in 1984 or 1994 or 2004 or 2014?

I remember Carl on the Central Park ('71 or '72) video. He said, "Wanna hear an oldie"?  Then they launched into "Heroes & Villains", which only came out about 4 years previosuly. That may have been an edit in the video, or maybe not.

And then there's Mike on the "In Concert" record. It was '72 and he said the words to Surfer Girl were written on a tablet and found in a field in Hawthorne, California. That was an "oldie" that was about 11 years old.

[guitarfool2002]

How is oldie defined? In 1974 the group was 12 or 13 years old, what was an oldie at that point? How about in 1984 or 1994 or 2004 or 2014?

Well, considering that Mike refers to Surfer Girl as an "Oldie But Moldy" in 1972 or 73 on the In Concert album, I'd round out that we can consider anything at least 10 years old (give or take a couple years) as an oldie....

I get the feeling 10 years was more like 20 or 30 back then though ....... From the early 60's to the early/mid 70's must have seemed like oceans of time considering all the changes that occurred.

This is actually a fascinating point to consider - A few weeks ago I read a critic's review of American Graffiti done in retrospect and that critic noted how the film was heavy on if not based around nostalgia, and at the time the film came out the nostalgic events that it celebrates were a decade old. And the idea of nostalgia as we know it often has a 20 year grace period, if not more.

So the point you're making was valid for one of the best "nostalgia" films of all time, it seemed much longer than ten years considering what changed in between.

Well worth considering too that around the same time as American Graffiti the Beach Boys had a huge album hit with their own nostalgia, and it was also full of hits less than a decade old. And of course Lucas chose the perfect Beach Boys song to close his film and roll credits.

Interesting.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

How is oldie defined? In 1974 the group was 12 or 13 years old, what was an oldie at that point? How about in 1984 or 1994 or 2004 or 2014?

Well, considering that Mike refers to Surfer Girl as an "Oldie But Moldy" in 1972 or 73 on the In Concert album, I'd round out that we can consider anything at least 10 years old (give or take a couple years) as an oldie....

I get the feeling 10 years was more like 20 or 30 back then though ....... From the early 60's to the early/mid 70's must have seemed like oceans of time considering all the changes that occurred.

This is actually a fascinating point to consider - A few weeks ago I read a critic's review of American Graffiti done in retrospect and that critic noted how the film was heavy on if not based around nostalgia, and at the time the film came out the nostalgic events that it celebrates were a decade old. And the idea of nostalgia as we know it often has a 20 year grace period, if not more.

So the point you're making was valid for one of the best "nostalgia" films of all time, it seemed much longer than ten years considering what changed in between.

Well worth considering too that around the same time as American Graffiti the Beach Boys had a huge album hit with their own nostalgia, and it was also full of hits less than a decade old. And of course Lucas chose the perfect Beach Boys song to close his film and roll credits.

Interesting.

Yeah, I can remember being like 9 years old when I first saw American Graffiti (this would have been 1982) and thinking it must have been set 50 years ago or something! I think in the 80's, due to the current styles being so distinct and it being the "age of the personal computer" almost ANYTHING beyond even a few years back seemed ancient...

Also, Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention were doing a lot of lovingly nudge-nudge 50's/early 60's Doo Wop stuff in like 1966!!!! Hell, Sha Na Na even played Woodstock and went down like gangbusters!

Nostalgia for that era seemed to hit pretty early and hard.

[metal flake paint]

How is oldie defined? In 1974 the group was 12 or 13 years old, what was an oldie at that point? How about in 1984 or 1994 or 2004 or 2014?

I remember Carl on the Central Park ('71 or '72) video. He said, "Wanna hear an oldie"?  Then they launched into "Heroes & Villains", which only came out about 4 years previosuly. That may have been an edit in the video, or maybe not.

Most likely an edit as Carl had a 12-string guitar when he said it, yet he played a 6-string on Heroes and Villains. The only other song with broadcast footage of that concert that features Carl on 12-string is Forever.

[Andrew G. Doe]

How is oldie defined?

On December 10th 1966, a band called The Beatles released an album called A Collection Of Beatles Oldies, which comprised - with the exception of a solitary new (to the UK) recording -  songs released between September 1963 and August 1966. So, according to the band who did everything first and best, and cannot be contradicted, an oldie can be a song that's barely four months old.

[Ang Jones]

Re Dennis being responsible for the return to the oldies on tour, whilst this may have proved popular in the US, I think the tactic was less appreciated in the UK. I remember concerts in the early 70s and the band offering to do requests. People were asking for Surf's Up and were given Surfin' USA. Pet Sounds was better received over here AT FIRST - I think the European fans had less of a problem with the more recent material. Perhaps the reason for this was that the Beach Boys identified themselves as 'America's Band' and represented American and particularly Californian culture. This didn't JUST appeal to Californians and Americans - fans at UK Beach Boys concerts could be seen with the US flag prominently displayed about their persons, but surely the appeal was greatest to their native land. Perhaps this was part of what David Leaf meant with the words 'California Myth'. The band had made themselves symbols of their nation - obviously that is not something from which it is easy to separate oneself.

I'm thinking aloud here. Just personal opinion but I think the Beach Boys needed a different set list for their UK shows - no doubt there were some differences but they could have afforded to be even more daring.

[Nicko1234]

Re Dennis being responsible for the return to the oldies on tour, whilst this may have proved popular in the US, I think the tactic was less appreciated in the UK. I remember concerts in the early 70s and the band offering to do requests. People were asking for Surf's Up and were given Surfin' USA. Pet Sounds was better received over here AT FIRST - I think the European fans had less of a problem with the more recent material. Perhaps the reason for this was that the Beach Boys identified themselves as 'America's Band' and represented American and particularly Californian culture. This didn't JUST appeal to Californians and Americans - fans at UK Beach Boys concerts could be seen with the US flag prominently displayed about their persons, but surely the appeal was greatest to their native land. Perhaps this was part of what David Leaf meant with the words 'California Myth'. The band had made themselves symbols of their nation - obviously that is not something from which it is easy to separate oneself.

I'm thinking aloud here. Just personal opinion but I think the Beach Boys needed a different set list for their UK shows - no doubt there were some differences but they could have afforded to be even more daring.

This would have been in 1972 I guess Ang?

It seems like they did play Surf`s Up on that tour so maybe you were just unlucky with the show you attended. One of the set lists is below:

1. Heroes And Villains
2. Long Promised Road
3. God Only Knows
4. Here She Comes
5. Wonderful/Don't Worry Bill
6. Do It Again
7. Sloop John B
8. Wild Honey
9. California Girls
10. Cool Cool Water
11. Let The Wind Blow
12. Caroline No
13. Transcendental Meditation (poem by Mike Love)
14. Surf's Up
15. Darlin'
16. Cottonfields
17. You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone
18. Student Demonstration Time
19. Good Vibrations

ENCORE:
20. Help Me Rhonda
21. I Get Around
22. Fun Fun Fun

[Custom Machine]

How is oldie defined? In 1974 the group was 12 or 13 years old, what was an oldie at that point? How about in 1984 or 1994 or 2004 or 2014?

Well, considering that Mike refers to Surfer Girl as an "Oldie But Moldy" in 1972 or 73 on the In Concert album, I'd round out that we can consider anything at least 10 years old (give or take a couple years) as an oldie....

I get the feeling 10 years was more like 20 or 30 back then though ....... From the early 60's to the early/mid 70's must have seemed like oceans of time considering all the changes that occurred.

This is actually a fascinating point to consider - A few weeks ago I read a critic's review of American Graffiti done in retrospect and that critic noted how the film was heavy on if not based around nostalgia, and at the time the film came out the nostalgic events that it celebrates were a decade old. And the idea of nostalgia as we know it often has a 20 year grace period, if not more.

So the point you're making was valid for one of the best "nostalgia" films of all time, it seemed much longer than ten years considering what changed in between.

Well worth considering too that around the same time as American Graffiti the Beach Boys had a huge album hit with their own nostalgia, and it was also full of hits less than a decade old. And of course Lucas chose the perfect Beach Boys song to close his film and roll credits.

Interesting.

GF - I'd love to read that recent review of American Graffiti, done in retrospect.  Do you know if it's online and if so do you have a link for it? 

The Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, where Brian and Al will perform in October, is located between 10th and 11th Streets right on part of the classic Modesto cruisin' route which inspired George Lucas, a 1962 graduate of Downey High, to write and produce American Graffiti.  As kids, our dad drove my sister and me along that cruising route in the summers of '61 and '62 and seeing all those teenagers having a great time yelling, honking, changing cars, etc, all while driving around and around in a big loop along 10th and 11th streets was an amazing experience.  My wife and I were in Modesto last month and discovered that most (but not all, due to a newer hotel having closed off part of the route along 10th street) of the classic cruisin' route is now identified by flags stating "Classic Graffiti Cruise Route".

When American Graffiti was released in August 1973, so much had changed about being a recently graduated high school senior (music, political perceptions, styles, hair, sexual mores, the counterculture movement, etc) that 1962 seemed like lightyears before, even though it had only been just a year over a decade.

Concerning what constitutes an "oldie," I remember listening to my first transistor radio in 1961 and when playing an oldie the dj would often introduce it with something like, "We're going all the way back to 1958 for this one!" and I'd be thinking, "Wow, amazing, they're playing a three year old song!"

And, for better or worse, American Graffiti was one of those 1973 cultural events that helped set the stage for Endless Summer going to #1 the following year.

One more thing, GF, I just noticed you're now a moderator.  Excellent choice on the part of the other mods.  Congrats!  But don't go kicking my ass off this board just because ... oops, sorry, lost my head!

[Ang Jones]

They did play Surf's Up at the RFH and I was there for that show. At an earlier show in the same tour it wasn't included but perhaps it was so many of us asking for it that decided them to add it.

The set list Nicko detailed meets with my approval except perhaps for the TM poem and Student Demonstration Time. This is exactly the sort of music I would like to hear at a Beach Boys' concert.

[drbeachboy]

I remember articles on the band around the In Concert timeframe used to use pre Pet Sounds as a cut-0ff for oldies.

[El Molé]

My sense is that the shift into permanent oldies territory happened during the 80's and continued into the 90's (and generally since then). There were still very varied and interesting set lists right into the late 70's. At some point though, almost anything good became an oldie because the standard of studio output dropped of a cliff in the late 70's. When everything is an oldie, it's easy to see why you'd just play the more popular ones.

At this point, I would guess that Mike is pretty locked into the oldies show in his role as the license holder. Whether it's in the terms or not, would the BRI shareholders be happy to keep Mike as the sole license holder if he went round the world touring Summer in Paradise?

From my perspective the general shift to a set primarily made up of oldies is a shame because there are big portions of the Beach Boys music that are massively under-appreciated. I know why it's mostly an oldies game, but I'd still prefer the lesser known material to get more of an outing, because some of it is incredible and a lot of people just don't hear it. To many people, the Beach Boys will always be that surfing/car group from the 60's and I think the set lists of the last 30 years or so simply reinforce that view. Again, there's a clear and sensible logic to giving people what they know, but I still wish there could be more of an attempt to demonstrate the wider range of Beach Boys music.

As for Stamos, I just find it a bit odd really. I'd almost prefer it if he became a permanent member of the touring band, rather than a regular special guest aimed at bringing in a bigger crowd. The latter motive seems strange, pretty desperate and not at all fitting for one of the greatest groups of all time. I'm one of the few who enjoys the SIP version of Forever (a lot) and I've got absolutely nothing against him at all. I just think the Beach Boys music should stand for itself, without the need for a celebrity guest.

[the captain]

The idea of what is an oldie interests me and could be it's own General Music Discussion forum thread. I'd also reference my earlier post (I think in this thread) about whether (stamos joining the BBs on stage for) 29 years is "nearly 30," as the same idea applies.

By the late 60s, five years would have represented one-third of rock and roll's existence. So something a few years old would certainly seem old, not just on an individual's personal level (more on that later), but in the full context of the form. Later, as the form lived on, five years became an ever-smaller percentage of an ever-bigger history, I.e., not such a long time.

The same idea applies to this day at the individual level. I laugh when coworkers in their mid 20s talk about. "Old school" music and mean something they listened to in high school: something from maybe 2005. (Conversely people on this board, often a bit long in the tooth, reference bands or albums 20+ years old when discussing "new"music they like or dislike.) To those people, 10 years is a huge and important fraction of their lives, so it seems longer and more substantial.

That's just how time works: it's relative and contextual.

[Cyncie]

I don't think that playing the hits and going forward with new material was mutually exclusive in the 70's.  I just think the band was clueless how to do that. I'm not one of those that hates Endless Summer, because it did bring new people to the band. I grew up listening to the Beach Boys on singles that we sneaked out of my friend's brother's bedroom. Endless Summer gave me all of those singles in one place, and I still have that LP (Lost the weird poster, though). But, even with my love of the hits, I would have welcomed new Beach Boys material on the radio. It just didn't happen.

It seems to me that general attendees for most concerts are going to be mostly aware of the radio hits.  For the Beach Boys, most of those songs occurred Pre-SMiLE. The Beach Boys are blessed because they have enough top radio hits to actually fill a concert set list, without pulling in too many obscure songs.  In the 70's, they needed radio hits to put new material over. But, I think if they had been able to produce those radio hits, and then went out to play a concert of radio hits (old and new), the new material would have been welcomed.

General audiences haven't really changed. People know the name, and they know the hits, so that's what Mike gives them. I took a friend of mine, who was a casual fan,  to see the touring band, and, later, the C50. She knew most of the songs at the Mike and Bruce show, but when the C50 hit the mid point, with more emphasis on Pet Sounds, SMiLE, and post SMiLE material, she was lost and a bit disappointed. For her, that material  was unfamiliar. She wash't as engaged with it, so it wasn't as much fun. The young hipsters in the row behind me, however, were enthralled.

So, in this day and age,  Beach Boys actually have a couple of different audiences. The general music fans want to party with the hits. The music students and indy hipsters disdain that, and want to hear Pet Sounds and SMiLE and whatever Brian did when he was a tortured and misunderstood genius. I'm somewhere in between. I love both sides of this band.

Mike has decided to play to one particular audience. I guess he's leaving Pet Sounds or SMiLE live to Brian and his band. It's rare to see both sides fully represented. One of the reasons C50 was so special was because we finally got a bigger picture of this band's legacy than either the touring band or Brian's band can generate on their own.

[Paul J B]

And, for better or worse, American Graffiti was one of those 1973 cultural events that helped set the stage for Endless Summer going to #1 the following year.

[/quote]

For the better. Endless Summer was a great thing for the Beach Boys. After years of weak album sales and shrinking audiences, 20 of Brian and the Boys gems from the early years put them back on top along with hundreds of thousands of new fans. Endless Summer was never a problem or the problem. It was the fact that for the next 6 years following Endless Summer, the Beach Boys put out a string of albums that had little involvement from Brian (save love you) and overall were not very good or commercially viable including Love You. Not to mention all of the problems with the band members, Dennis not getting support for POB, the first go round with Landy ect.

Those albums were not about fun in the sun. A track or two yes, but only a track or two. My Diane, Santa Ana Winds, Match Point of Our Love......Had those albums been better and generated at least a few hits, then I believe more "new" material would have become a staple in the live shows from the Mid 70's onward. Those albums flopped so the live shows basically stayed the same...heavy on the old stuff the band NEW the audience wanted to hear.

[Ang Jones]

I agree that the word 'oldies' doesn't really get it. Pet Sounds and SMiLE are themselves hardly new. I suppose the word 'oldies' just indicates when this word was first used rather than the date of the recording. It's like the UK New Forest - the name has stuck for something that is pretty ancient.

Mike is obviously mainly showcasing the '61-'65 material with a smattering from later years but even some of the later material were songs that were intended to emulate the earlier style. Brian is doing songs from throughout his career, emphasis shifting depending on whether it's a GH show or not. We do get some of the earlier songs in Brian's shows - just not such a large number of them.

As for Endless Summer, of course it was very successful so from a financial perspective, a good thing, However it did have the effect of leaving the Beach Boys like flies in amber. Brian's lack of involvement didn't help either but perhaps Brian would have been more tempted to involve himself if he had been able to move forward. Or perhaps not - I don't know the answer to this in all honesty.

[guitarfool2002]

This is actually a fascinating point to consider - A few weeks ago I read a critic's review of American Graffiti done in retrospect and that critic noted how the film was heavy on if not based around nostalgia, and at the time the film came out the nostalgic events that it celebrates were a decade old. And the idea of nostalgia as we know it often has a 20 year grace period, if not more.

So the point you're making was valid for one of the best "nostalgia" films of all time, it seemed much longer than ten years considering what changed in between.

Well worth considering too that around the same time as American Graffiti the Beach Boys had a huge album hit with their own nostalgia, and it was also full of hits less than a decade old. And of course Lucas chose the perfect Beach Boys song to close his film and roll credits.

Interesting.

GF - I'd love to read that recent review of American Graffiti, done in retrospect.  Do you know if it's online and if so do you have a link for it? 

The Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, where Brian and Al will perform in October, is located between 10th and 11th Streets right on part of the classic Modesto cruisin' route which inspired George Lucas, a 1962 graduate of Downey High, to write and produce American Graffiti.  As kids, our dad drove my sister and me along that cruising route in the summers of '61 and '62 and seeing all those teenagers having a great time yelling, honking, changing cars, etc, all while driving around and around in a big loop along 10th and 11th streets was an amazing experience.  My wife and I were in Modesto last month and discovered that most (but not all, due to a newer hotel having closed off part of the route along 10th street) of the classic cruisin' route is now identified by flags stating "Classic Graffiti Cruise Route".

When American Graffiti was released in August 1973, so much had changed about being a recently graduated high school senior (music, political perceptions, styles, hair, sexual mores, the counterculture movement, etc) that 1962 seemed like lightyears before, even though it had only been just a year over a decade.

Concerning what constitutes an "oldie," I remember listening to my first transistor radio in 1961 and when playing an oldie the dj would often introduce it with something like, "We're going all the way back to 1958 for this one!" and I'd be thinking, "Wow, amazing, they're playing a three year old song!"

And, for better or worse, American Graffiti was one of those 1973 cultural events that helped set the stage for Endless Summer going to #1 the following year.

One more thing, GF, I just noticed you're now a moderator.  Excellent choice on the part of the other mods.  Congrats!  But don't go kicking my ass off this board just because ... oops, sorry, lost my head!

Thank you! 

Great thoughts on American Graffiti and your personal connections, that is always a treat to read firsthand accounts of what it was really like, and what it felt like at the time which is being depicted in something like Graffiti.

I had to think where I read that review, and I remembered it was in a newsletter I get from a local theater called "The Colonial"...if that's at all familiar as a name on a PA theater, it was where the original "Blob" film was shot with Steve McQueen and the patrons are seen running out of the Colonial into the streets in a panic as the Blob invaded it. They actually just had their annual "BlobFest" last month, where all kinds of people come to the theater for events and they recreate that scene every year.

Anyway, they host screenings of classic films there as well as live concerts, and in the newsletter was this review but I think it had been excerpted. It may have been copied from an online source, if I still have the newsletter I'll make sure to find more info and hopefully a link.

It just hit me when I read it how Graffiti was only 10 years removed, yet it could have been 30 or more considering what had changed from the early 60's to the early 70's, to the point where even the clothing styles looked far removed from what they were even up to 1966-67.

Comparison: Does 2004 to 2014 seem to have anything close to a similar divide in how things look and are perceived, from music to fashion to pop culture in general? It's hard to find a similar modern example, other than perhaps the 70's to the mid 80's and new-wave influenced culture and style.

I remember you talking about that stretch of town in a thread where we were discussing the sound of hundreds of cars driving on the Sunset Strip, windows down and the radios playing KHJ in the mid-60's...creating that unique pulsating sound that Lucas featured pretty heavily with the cars all tuned to the Wolfman!

It's that kind of detail that makes a film like Graffiti a true work of art!

Don't forget that in America around the same time as all of this post-American Graffiti, there was "Happy Days" on television, and while it took a season or so to catch on, it became a monster of a hit and Fonzie became an icon of the US in the 70's. And featured on Happy Days every week was an even more stylized, and even more glossy and "safe" version of the 1950's which was total nostalgia and the show especially early on featured a lot of music from the era as well, to the point where kids in the 70's knew songs that only AM "oldies" stations were spinning in 1975 or whenever.

And there was "oldies" nostalgia on a hit TV show as well, probably reaching millions every week just as Graffiti had done on the big screen and Endless Summer was again a perfect fit for an audience that seemed hungry for this kind of nostalgia.

[Mikie]

Seems like the "Stamos" thread has gravitated towards another subject entirely (nostalgia/American Graffiti). Good for another thread....