The "Good Old Days"

Chaps · Post by **Chaps** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 11:46 pm

I am not sure how to start this thread, but here goes anyway. I am a throwback to the "good old days", that is, I like anything from the 40's-early 60's, i.e., clothes, furniture, cars, music, movies, etc. Now, I know that when I refer to that time as the "good old days" I open myself up for all kinds of opposing views such as the medical research was not as advanced, social and racial prejudices were rampant and so on and so on. I know we had our problems back then, but what I mean when I say the "good old days" is that it was just a simpler time, thats all. Nothing more, nothing less. For example, I like hot rods. Not the showroom $50,000 jobs, but the kind of hot rods guys used to build in their garages with regular tools and stuff they got at salvage yards. I can remember growing up in the 60's teenagers on my block working on their cars and cruising up and down Park Ave, or Summer Ave on the weekends (folks from Memphis know where I am talking about). Nowadays, teenagers frown on the idea of having to drive anything older than an '05 model with all the trimmings. When my older son was in high school, I remember driving through the student parking lot and noticing that the students drove newer and more expensive cars than the teachers. My first car was a 1962 Chevrolet Bel-Air. I paid $200 for it. I had to carry jugs of water around in the back floorboard because my radiator was busted and I couldn't afford to get it fixed. What a ride! It wasn't much to look at, but it was mine. I wish I still had that old car. Yeah, I miss those "good old days" when cokes were a dime and penny candy still cost a penny. You guys got any memories from the "good old days?"

Danny

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 12:04 am

I was born considerably after the good old days had become the bad new days. Sorry.

timc · Post by **timc** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:14 am

Just remember, forty years from now, these will be the "good old days".

wenestvedt · Post by **wenestvedt** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:40 am

*shudder* I know you're right, timc, but that thought gives me the creeps. Or the idea that once my kids get to high school, an "oldies day" means that they'll ask to borrow my letter jacket since it's "so last century"!

John 5 · Post by **John 5** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:04 am

I’m with you, Danny. I was not alive back then, but most of what I enjoy tends to be from that era. I am a big fan of classical music and of classic Jazz, mostly from the 30’s on to the 70’s, but can find very little to like in that genre form the past couple of decades. For me, even the Italian American stuff from the rat pack days (Dean, Frank, and those guys) face no competition from the music of today.

And with cars, I know just what you mean. I admit that for everyday use, I drive a Lexus replete with GPS navigation, surround sound, and enough pampering amenities to disqualify it as a ‘car’. But, nothing beats the sound and feel of good ol’ American iron, replete with 2 knob radios and roll down windows. When I really want to drive, my go-to car is a black on black '69 Mustang convertible. Beats the new Lexus hands down when one really wants to get behind the wheel for the sake of driving. Nothing beats that visceral, rumbling feeling one gets from a few hundred American horses under the hood. I know just what you mean, Danny.

Take care
John

Chaps · Post by **Chaps** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:44 am

John 5 wrote:I’m with you, Danny. I was not alive back then, but most of what I enjoy tends to be from that era. I am a big fan of classical music and of classic Jazz, mostly from the 30’s on to the 70’s, but can find very little to like in that genre form the past couple of decades. For me, even the Italian American stuff from the rat pack days (Dean, Frank, and those guys) face no competition from the music of today.

And with cars, I know just what you mean. I admit that for everyday use, I drive a Lexus replete with GPS navigation, surround sound, and enough pampering amenities to disqualify it as a ‘car’. But, nothing beats the sound and feel of good ol’ American iron, replete with 2 knob radios and roll down windows. When I really want to drive, my go-to car is a black on black '69 Mustang convertible. Beats the new Lexus hands down when one really wants to get behind the wheel for the sake of driving. Nothing beats that visceral, rumbling feeling one gets from a few hundred American horses under the hood. I know just what you mean, Danny.

Take care
John

Thanks John. I love the Rat Pack also and throw Tony Bennet and Glenn Miller and any big band in there too. But, I am not too old to enjoy to "real" rock "n" roll too, i.e., The Beatles, The Rolling Stones ( the real Stones from the 60's and 70's), Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Bob Seger and even some good ole Southern Rockers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet and The Allman Brothers. And don't get me wrong, I too enjoy all the hi-tech gizmos we all have at our disposal today, but what bothers me the most about our present day is the total lack of some people knowing what is appropriate and what is not. For example, when I go into a fast-food restaurant (I know that is part of the problem...stay out of fast food joints) the employee just stands there with the deer-in-the-headlight look making me feel like I am taking up some of his/her time, when in reality they are there to serve me. Now, I know these are only minimum wage jobs and I don't expect to have the red carpet rolled out, but give me a break. I sacked groceries in high school and made minimum wage too, but we were not only expected to give good customer service, we knew if we didn't we WOULD lose our jobs and that would be that.
Sorry for sounding like an old fogie, but whatever happened to knowing how to treat people decently. Usually, I just escape this world by grabbing one of my pipes, turning on some good music ( and yes, John, like you, Dean is my favorite) and thinking about my next shaving purchase. Thanks for letting me rant. You guys keep me grounded.

Danny

LtMac · Post by **LtMac** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 5:44 pm

I was born in 1960, so I guess I grew up during the end of "the good old days". What I remember most is that things moved slower back then. It was a time when things and people were more relaxed than today. We weren't in a constant state of rush and hurry as we seem to be now. We didn't need high-tech toys as kids. Bicycles and Hot Wheels cars were all we needed.

Chaps: I live in Jackson, TN and have friends in their mid-late 40's who grew up in Memphis and cruised those areas. I know where those places are, too. One of my friends ran around with Jerry Lawler in high school because Jerry had a car before some of the other kids; my friend says it was a red, white, and blue Rambler.

Ever heard the song "Memphis Thing" by Rob Jungklas? I love that song.

Don

tonyespo · Post by **tonyespo** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:07 pm

I was born in 1947 so I know what you are talking about. I was born in New York City the Bronx and raised in the Catholic church. It was understood that you respected your parents and elders. You obeyed in school and you respected the police. Sure we got into mischief and trouble but we didn't have drive by shootings. We didn't have bomb scares and lock downs in schools. There were some kids who smoked pot but that didn't happen until I attended college in 1965. We sure did soup up our cars. I remember when you could adjust the points of a distributer with a matchbook cover. You could adjust the timing with a strob light. You could ajdust the needle valves on the carburetor.
Today you need a computer degree to work on a car. Ohhh the 8 track didn't sound all that bad.

OK, I've got it off my chest...... I know I'm an old fart and I accept that.

bbqncigars · Post by **bbqncigars** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:50 pm

For me, the good old days ended when the nickel Hershey bar did. I remember looking in awe at a $.25 bar and wondering how many days it would take to eat it. Remember when you celebrated getting a color tv?

Wayne

Chaps · Post by **Chaps** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:05 pm

Well, I was born in 1959, but I still remember sleeping with the windows raised during the summer cause we didn't have central air (one big honkin' window unit in the living room) and yes, we lived within the city limits of Memphis and never felt afraid. Even though I was a kid during the 60's and didn't start driving myself until the 70's, my Dad used to take me and my brother over to my uncle's house on Saturdays where they would just work on cars. Tony, its just great to come along to a car that even has a carburetor now days. And Don, I have heard the song, "Memphis Thing"

Danny

kd7kip · Post by **kd7kip** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:24 pm

Interesting thread. One of the things I notice is the encroachment of technology in our lives, and how unnecessary so much of it is, especially in comparison to when I was young (born in '64). I tend to long for some of the older ways-- LPs on a turntable, listening to the BBC or Radio Moscow on the shortwave, and (as previously mentioned) old cars.

For instance, I recently replaced my wireless phone (the kind at home, not a cell phone) with a vintage Western Electric 302.

The audio quality is far better, it actually rings (rather than beeps) and it has no caller ID, meaning that I when I answer the phone, I actually deal with the call, instead of avoiding through voice mail.

I carry no cell phone and people think I'm a freak. I'm strongly considering killing my home internet connection and satellite TV. I recently wrote a letter to a friend on paper with a pen, utilised an envelope and a stamp. It was fun.

BTW, I work in the high-tech industry (currently semiconductor manufacture, previously high volume PC assembly, IT and flat panel displays) so it's not that I am a novice to technology. Just the opposite-- I'm sick of it!

Sorry, didn't mean to make this an anti-technology thread, but I find myself telling my kids stories like "Back in Seventy-Four, we only had four channels on the TV..." and their jaws drop. Now I have 180 channels, but only 4 are worth a damn.

I'm turning into my Dad.

-Scott

Steve-o · Post by **Steve-o** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:56 pm

Why is it hindsight always has a rose-colored tint?

I was born in 1958, so I guess I, too, was around for the tail end of The Good Old Days. Some things about The Good Old Days were better: The pace of life was slower. We didn't examine the lives of celebrities and politicians in the harsh light of 7x24 news reporting -- a light that draws attention to every imperfection. There seemed to be a general acceptance that things were good and they were only going to get better.

But I remember cars with carburetors; you could not give me one on a bet today. Fuel injection rules!

I remember when getting 20,000 miles on a set of tires was cause enough to light a candle as an offering. I remember stopping with wet drum brakes and parking with non-power steering.

And where would we be as a group without computers and the Internet? How would we have found each other? Would we have found each other? How would we learn about and buy all the shaving products we enjoy so much (especially those of us who don't live in N.Y.C., Chicago, or L.A.)? This is as much a cultural or social change as it is enabled by technology.

There's good and bad to every era. I guess I just find enough good about this time that I can overlook the bad, just as I can find enough bad about The Good Old Days to keep them from being The Good Old Days. On this, my mileage definitely varies.

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 3:35 am

Scott

Wait and see what happens when you call up to cancel your TV service. Record the conversation, it's a riot. The person on the other end cannot fathom how anyone on the planet could not want TV service. They think that you are the d-e-v-i-l visiting them on the phone.

Clive

Bargepole · Post by **Bargepole** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:10 pm

kd7kip wrote:"Back in Seventy-Four, we only had four channels on the TV..." and their jaws drop. Now I have 180 channels, but only 4 are worth a damn.

... and on any given day we don't know which four they're going to be...

For anyone who's interested in what's been called "the tyranny of choice", I can recommend "The Paradox of Choice" (Barry Schwartz, Ecco 2004).

I remember being caught up in the Solidarnoscz semi-uprising in Poland. Choice was negligible. If you saw people standing in line, you joined the line. You wanted to shave, you used the following razor blades: razor blades. Soap came in these brands: (1) Big cake. (2) Small cake. If you wanted a pair of shoes, you asked yourself this question: What Size Are My Feet?

No advertising. None. You could walk for hours -- days -- without anyone trying to sell you anything.

So what you ended up with was: people. We talked. We walked. We went out into the countryside. Once, near Bialky Biawa, we sat in a bus shelter for 3 hours waiting for the bus in a blizzard. There was a tiny village shop. "No point in going in," we told each other; "there'll be nothing there." Eventually I wandered over to have a look anyway. Inexplicably the shelves were lined with (a) bottles of sweet gassy Georgian champagne and (b) kielbasa sausage. I bought three bottles of wine and 2 kilos of sausage and we ate it in the snow. It was one of the most memorable meals of my life.

Make of it what you will...

bladerunner · Post by **bladerunner** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:02 pm

I'm with you all the way on this, Danny. I was born in 1954 and vividly remember the 60s. Going out to the drive-in was a big deal back then. In a 1955 Ford. When I got too sleepy, I'd climb on the rear window shelf and sack out. My young uncle had a '49 Nash at the time, complete with a "suicide knob" on the steering wheel. One of his friends had what think was a '59 Cadillac. Looked more like that Batmobile than a car.

Had a neighbor with a black Thunderbird with red interior and the electric rear-view window. My grandfather was proud of his Dodge Dart--he bought it new. Push-button transmission, rear-view mirror on the dashboard. Guys were expected to know how at least fix their wheels. It was possible. too. I remember a neighbor who actually removed the engine from his car. And got it back in, good as new. Try that now.

It was quite a different world back then. For one thing, products were made to last. People automatically repaired them or had them repaired if something broke. For another, you could compliment a girl on her hairdo or dress--or <gasp> even whistle at her--without being slapped with a lawsuit.

The culture has since completely changed for the worse. It's like Disneyworld now. On acid. With real guns.

No, thanks. Give me LPs on a turntable, manual typewriters, DE razors, rotary telephones, Bogie and Bacall, Fred and Ginger. . .Ben and Jerry's! Well, the 21st century does have a couple things going for it. The Internet, DVDs, Ben and Jerry's, Hagen Daz. . .but I digress.

I may be stuck in this century, but I don't have to live here.

rustyblade · Post by **rustyblade** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:18 pm

I think nostalgia is getting the better of you guys. Lets not forget the ugliness of the 50's and 60's that was swept under the rug. I think hollywood has idealized this period and it appears polished as a result.

We all look back on our childhoods as simpler times as we didn't have to deal with such weighty issues at such an age. We were footloose and fancy-free. I look back at my childhood and teenage years the same way as you guys.....and I'm only 29.

texasPI · Post by **texasPI** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:26 pm

rustyblade wrote:I think nostalgia is getting the better of you guys. Lets not forget the ugliness of the 50's and 60's that was swept under the rug. I think hollywood has idealized this period and it appears polished as a result.

We all look back on our childhoods as simpler times as we didn't have to deal with such weighty issues at such an age. We were footloose and fancy-free. I look back at my childhood and teenage years the same way as you guys.....and I'm only 29.

Richard you are rusty!

Chaps · Post by **Chaps** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:11 pm

rustyblade wrote:I think nostalgia is getting the better of you guys. Lets not forget the ugliness of the 50's and 60's that was swept under the rug. I think hollywood has idealized this period and it appears polished as a result.

We all look back on our childhoods as simpler times as we didn't have to deal with such weighty issues at such an age. We were footloose and fancy-free. I look back at my childhood and teenage years the same way as you guys.....and I'm only 29.

I am not sure what "ugliness" of the 50's and 60's you are referring to, but if it is racism, discrimination and the like, those things are still with us today and sadly, will always be. There will always be some people who are so arrogant and blind to what is right and what is wrong, that I am afraid, we will be fighting those horrible things for as long humanity is around. As for Hollywood idealizing the 50's and 60's, that may be true for some people, but where I was raised we were so far removed from Hollywood and what it represented, it wasn't even close. Please understand, we were not exposed 24/7 to the entertainment world and music world like we are today. We had 3 "real" channels and a public channel on TV and until 1975 or so, the only radio channels we had were AM. There were not multi-plex movie theaters where people could watch 20 movies. Most towns had one or two theaters with one screen each and maybe a drive-in. I don't want the intention of this thread to be mis-uderstood and it certainly was not my intention to paint a perfect picture of that era. It was not perfect, it was not all "peaches and cream", however, I don't want anyone to get the impression that this is all just nostalgia. Please understand, I did not get my impressions from nostalgia or from watching "Leave It To Beaver" re-runs on TVLand or Nick at Night (those channels weren't around back then). I did not get my impressions from watching what Hollywood idealized or promoted, but I got my impressions and my memories from personal experience having grown up during that wonderful (albeit imperfect) era.

Danny

rustyblade · Post by **rustyblade** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:52 pm

Danny, I meant no offense towards the good old days. I think what I'm trying to say is that I don't think society today is going to heck-in-a-hand basket. Things today aren't that bad, if you don't read or watch the news it actually is pretty darn good.

kd7kip · Post by **kd7kip** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:53 pm

Danny-

Yes, very well put. I think one of the things that our media tend to do is to overemphasize in either direction: they'll either scream "It wasn't all Ozzie & Harriet!" as if we didn't know that, or they make it so saccharine sweet as to be unbelievable, wallowing in nostalgia (and my memory certainly contradicts that). To recognize that there were many (but not all) things that were better then (such as, for one example, a single-edge razor) is not to dismiss all of contemporary life, nor to wish we were back in 1964 (I do not want to be pre-natal).

The question remains, however, that if all this wonderful technology is freeing us up our valuable time from drudgery, why do we increasingly have so little free time? (Pascal argued, in his Pensees, that we really don't want free time, lest we think about the big questions, but that's another matter).

I find I have a very strong desire to simplify my life, and that naturally causes me to remember how we used to do things. I also find that the demands of modern technology too often outweigh their returns (and yes, as one who builds that sort of thing I recognize the hypocrisy).

-Scott