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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 11:06 PM CDT
COLUMN: The 1960s were not so different when looking at the current decade

By BILL LAIR, Managing Editor
blair@jg-tc.com

Twice in staff meetings over the last week I have been reminded of my advancing years.

Younger staff members raised eyebrows when I mentioned the names Arlo Guthrie and Joie Chitwood in conversations.

I might as well have been referring to some pioneers of the Old West rather than two celebrities of the 1960s.

Arlo Guthrie, of course, probably is most famous for recording “The City of New Orleans.” But when I hear his name I always think of his anti-war song “Alice’s Restaurant.”

It’s an 18-minute monologue with a little singing mixed in about Guthrie being rejected for the military draft because he once was arrested for littering.

I was no 1960s anti-war protester but “Alice’s Restaurant” is hilarious. I still like to get out my old 33 rpm vinyl record and listen to it!

I know.

Some of you have no idea what a 33 rpm vinyl record is. It’s like a compact disc, only about three times larger.

Chitwood was a race driver who also starred in the “Joie Chitwood Thrill Show,” an exhibition of auto stunt driving. According to Wikipedia, Chitwood’s show was so popular that in January 1967, the “Thrill Show” performance at the Islip, N.Y., Speedway was broadcast on ABC television’s Wide World of Sports.

Evel Knievel has said Chitwood was his inspiration to become a daredevil.

Chitwood and his sons also did stunts in several movies. He was a stunt coordinator for the James Bond movie “Live and Let Die.”

That’s some information about the 1960s for you younger readers!

There’s an old saying that goes something like, “If you remember the ’60s then you didn’t really participate in the ’60s.”

I don’t know about that. I had a lot of fun in the 1960s when I was age 12 to 21. And I think that our current decade has much in common with the 1960s.

Think about it:

n John F. Kennedy was 43 when he was elected president in 1960. Barack Obama was 47. Kennedy was the first president born in the 20th century and the first Catholic elected president. Obama, of course, is the first African American elected president. Obama graduated from Harvard Law School. JFK received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard.

n Rock music exploded in the 1960s. Elvis was still big but the Beatles, Beach Boys and Motown, among others, had huge success. Rock music was a big gap between teens and their parents. Today’s parent-teen gap isn’t music so much as it is new technology — Facebook, MySpace, youtube, Twitter, cell phones. Doesn’t it seem like every college student is on a cell phone as soon as they get out of bed and out of class?

n JFK was our first TV president. He used it to his advantage in the 1960 election. Obama is our first Internet president. He used it to his advantage in the campaign and even had an Internet town meeting recently.

n The first mass shooting I remember was at the University of Texas in 1964 when a student went up in one of the towers and shot 46 people, killing 14 and wounding 32 before he was shot and killed. In this decade, pick a mass shooting: Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University, and other school shootings. Just this week a guy in New York fired on recent immigrants, killing more than a dozen. We even had a mass shooting right here in Coles County in the ’60s. A young man named Charles Fuller shot and killed five children near Mattoon in 1967.

n Drugs. In the ’60s it was marijuana and a new drug called LSD. Today, it’s cocaine and methamphetamine, relatively new in popularity.

n In recent years, the nation has been waging two wars — one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. In the ’60s, the U.S. also fought two wars — one in Vietnam and the Cold War, which was a tug-of-war against the Soviet Union and Communism.

n The underground press and counterculture publications grew in the 1960s. Rolling Stone magazine, founded in 1967, is perhaps the most famous. It began by reporting on the hippie culture and the rock music scene. Today, the Internet with all of the various Web sites and blogs has replaced the underground press. Just as small fringe groups started their own newspapers and magazines in the ’60s, today any group can launch a Web site to provide news, blogs and other information for a niche audience.

n The civil rights movement really came to the forefront in the 1960s. Laws were passed, individuals like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King emerged as spokesmen for the civil rights movement, seeking equality for African Americans. Today, I see the gay rights movement as being similar to the civil rights movement of the ’60s. We see more laws passed granting gays written rights that heterosexuals enjoy. Just as black people became more visible in TV and movies in the ’60s, more TV shows and movies have openly gay characters and themes in the first decade of 2000.

One aspect of the 1960s, thankfully, has not been repeated: Assassinations. John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and Malcolm X are the most notable names who were gunned down by an assassin in the turbulent ’60s.

The “good old days” were not always so good. I can remember that.

One other thing that remains the same in the 2000s as it was in the 1960s — my Cubs still haven’t won a World Series!

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Rotty wrote on Apr 8, 2009 1:05 AM:

" The Joie Chitwood Thrill Show was excellant!
I seen it many times when I was younger.

Interesting column, Mr Lair.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. "

The Question wrote on Apr 8, 2009 9:09 AM:

" Good column. "

father bob wrote on Apr 8, 2009 9:28 AM:

" hehehe.....i'd love to live the 60's over again! great memories, good and bad.

this point in history definitely reminds me of those exciting times. "

father bob wrote on Apr 8, 2009 9:29 AM:

" i just walked in to see what condition my condition was in......a purple haze!! "

Harry Potter wrote on Apr 8, 2009 11:41 AM:

" Great column, Bill! "

popeye01 wrote on Apr 8, 2009 1:19 PM:

" One thing that is different for Mattoon is the weekend nights. It used to be that Brroadway was jammed with cars on Friday and Saturday nights and now it is deserted. "

Jim1969 wrote on Apr 8, 2009 3:38 PM:

" popeye01 wrote on Apr 8, 2009 1:19 PM:
" One thing that is different for Mattoon is the weekend nights. It used to be that Brroadway was jammed with cars on Friday and Saturday nights and now it is deserted. "

It was that way when I was teen here in the 1980's. If you were not cruising Broadway you were either parked along the street or in one of the city parking lots along the route or at Burger King. While there were some problems most of the time things were peaceful.

I recently asked my 18 year old son why kids no longer cruise or gather like they used to and he told me that anytime more than a handful of teens get together anywhere in town, or are seen driving the same stretch of road again and again the cops are there telling them to go find something else to do.

I don't know how much of that is true though I have heard it from time to time from adults and their kids, but even if it is not true I have to wonder what happened to a tradition that lasted for more than 30 years. "

Rohn Gordon wrote on Apr 8, 2009 4:21 PM:

" Jim I cruised in the 80s also, the cops was starting to get on us badly just when I quit. "

Rohn Gordon wrote on Apr 8, 2009 4:22 PM:

" I always wondered why the dumb a$$es wanted to run the kids out of town instead of having them where they could watch over them, such stupidity. "

popeye01 wrote on Apr 8, 2009 5:28 PM:

" In the 60s the place to be was Gills! "

MHS56 wrote on Apr 8, 2009 9:54 PM:

" Great column Bill. I agree with everything mentioned. Sadly though, I have to also agree with your very last line. Maybe this will be the year. Go Cubs Go!
I also want to add that we also "drug" Broadway about every Fri and Sat night after spending some time at Gills Drive In flirting with the girls. Although our cars were not new cars like the ones the kids nowadays are driving, we always had them shining before we would drag Broadway. Actually, I bet we were more proud of our cars then than are the kids of today. Just an opinion.
Anyway, very nice article. "

caringmom wrote on Apr 8, 2009 10:43 PM:

" I'm still cheering for the Cubbies too! "

Harry Potter wrote on Apr 9, 2009 8:27 AM:

" Why is that some police officers like to hassle kids? Notice that I said some, because certainly not all police officers do this. I truly believe that the majority of police officers are trying to do the best job they can in protecting us and deserve the respect of the public for their efforts.

I was told the following story by a good friend from Charleston:

A few years back, when the price of gas went through the ceiling a group of Charleston kids went to one of the teachers who owned a business on Lincoln avenue with a parking lot that faced the street, and asked his permission to park there on Friday and Saturday nights so that they could save on the cost of gas for their cars. The teacher said as long as they didn't trash his lot they were welcome. He even went so far as to put up a barrel for the kids to put their trash in. It worked fine except for one small problem, some of the Charleston police department officers decided they didn't like the idea and started to harass the kids until they finally abandoned their approved parking place.

The really sad part of this is that the end result is that a lot of these same kids probably developed a dislike for the Charleston Police department over that situation.

Actions like these on the part of a few over zealous police officers make it difficult for parents to convince their kids they should respect the police. It seems like with teenagers it's all or nothing, and even though it was probably just a few officers involved, the kids probably labeled the entire Charleston Police Department as being anti-teen. "

just wondering wrote on Apr 9, 2009 11:00 AM:

" In the 60's we had good music. Today you have noise. Just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in was the best song Kenny Rogers ever sang. "

Rohn Gordon wrote on Apr 9, 2009 11:06 AM:

" Harry that is exactly right and stated perfectly. Not all police are a$$holes, most are not. But like you said its the ones that are that mark the rest. That is the way it is with all groups, Muslims, Iraqis, Iranians, Christians and Americans, the list goes on for ever. A prime example that has been talked about on here in the last week is the using of Sweetheart and such to ladies, it takes only one bad apple to spoil the bunch. "

Tom Andres wrote on Apr 9, 2009 12:49 PM:

" Harry, you say: Actions like these on the part of a few over zealous police officers make it difficult for parents to convince their kids they should respect the police.

Perhaps the parents of some of these high schoolers don't respect police officers, which makes it almost impossible to share the respect-for-authority concept with their chillun.

I agree that some teens see life as all-or-nothing. That's normal. They haven't seen enough of life yet to bring a broader perspective to the dance. For example, one cop gives them a hard time - probably for good reason by the way. So the kid assumes all cops will give them a hard time.

Cops, similar to classroom teachers, usually have to deal with a different side of teens than we do as parents. Cops and teachers see both sides, but many parents are amazingly myopic when it comes to their own precious darlins. "

medic57 wrote on Apr 9, 2009 1:47 PM:

" In the 60s the place to be was Gills.

Unfortunately, I don't think they have chaged the oil since then though.

The one thing I'll always remember about the song "The City of New Orleans" is, The city of Mattoon was about the only stop on the train that wasn't mentioned in the song.

Rohn Gordon

And don't forget the forever racial Hair Flouncing. "

medic57 wrote on Apr 9, 2009 1:49 PM:

" popeye01 wrote on Apr 8, 2009 5:28 PM:

" In the 60s the place to be was Gills! "

Yeah, I used to go there for cherry cokes and hambugers, now I go there for coffee and sweetener. "

father bob wrote on Apr 9, 2009 2:11 PM:

" medic57 wrote on Apr 9, 2009 1:47 PM:
" nd don't forget the forever racial Hair Flouncing. """""

for those of us who grew up in the 60's, you might want to define "racial hair flouncing" "

HisChild wrote on Apr 9, 2009 2:58 PM:

" *LOL!* Medic!
Does that mean the 57 after your name is the age you stopped counting at? *LOL!* "

Harry Potter wrote on Apr 9, 2009 4:13 PM:

" Perhaps the parents of some of these high schoolers don't respect police officers, which makes it almost impossible to share the respect-for-authority concept with their chillun.

Unfortunately, that's probably true, Tom. I have preached for years that, generally speaking, our children will do as we do, and when we behave badly our children see that as a road map for their behavior. "

Mike P wrote on Apr 9, 2009 5:00 PM:

" Do as I say, not what I do or did, has many manifestations. "

Rohn Gordon wrote on Apr 9, 2009 6:02 PM:

" Tom thats not all true. There is some of us older people who know there are some bad cops. That is the same way in everything, there is bad ones and good ones, the trouble is the bad ones are the ones everyone remembers. "

Tom Andres wrote on Apr 9, 2009 11:02 PM:

" Rohn, I didn't say there are no bad cops. I think maybe you missed the point of my post. "

62463 wrote on Apr 10, 2009 1:14 AM:

" not hardly, medic 57 is my brother and he is 6 years younger than i am and i just turned 58 yesterday. acutally dragging broadway and 12th street was great, the music was really great, but coming from my family we hardly got to do it. my parents were fairly strict but it was great when we did get to go "

father bob wrote on Apr 10, 2009 9:38 AM:

" Tom Andres wrote on Apr 9, 2009 11:02 PM:
" Rohn, I didn't say there are no bad cops. I think maybe you missed the point of my post. """""

missing the point of your post is a common occurrence tommie.....you are usually pointless...and clueless. "

Harry Potter wrote on Apr 10, 2009 12:55 PM:

" father bob wrote on Apr 10, 2009 9:38 AM:

missing the point of your post is a common occurrence tommie.....you are usually pointless...and clueless. "

Careful fb, don't get him riled up or else he might swear off this site (for about the 10th time) again. lol! "

Trashman wrote on Apr 10, 2009 2:54 PM:

" 62463 Sorry to hear that!!! he doesn't seem as relaxed as you do. Maybe he was spanked harder as a child and got his attitude at an early age.Spare the rod spoil the child.... "

Danny Boy wrote on Apr 10, 2009 3:20 PM:

" We were eating Spam then because we were poor, and now after years of prosperity, we are eating Spam again, History always repeats itself.

The Music was alot better though, and you could work on a "65" Chevy, now you can't find the hood latch!!.... "

medic57 wrote on Apr 10, 2009 6:16 PM:

" Trashman wrote:
Maybe he was spanked harder as a child and got his attitude at an early age.Spare the rod spoil the child.... "

That must be it. Dad caught me smoking under the Foot Bridge when I was 12, (that was before child abuse was illegal) He beat my a$$ 6 blocks home down the middle of the street with a leather belt, and more when I got there. Never forgave Lester Walker (RIP) for narcing me out.

Danny Boy wrote on Apr 10, 2009 3:20 PM:

" We were eating Spam then because we were poor, and now after years of prosperity, we are eating Spam again, History always repeats itself.

The Music was alot better though, and you could work on a "65" Chevy, now you can't find the hood latch!!.... "

Hey, I really like spam, but I really do miss my 69 AMC Hornet. "

Rohn Gordon wrote on Apr 10, 2009 6:52 PM:

" I reread it Tom not 1 single word of a bad cop, just bad parents. "

shumphreys wrote on Apr 10, 2009 8:10 PM:

" Mr. Andres you are right many parents are myopic when it comes to the behavior of their own children. You are also right that many children have never been taught to respect police officers or teachers or anyone for that matter. Mr. Gordon is also right there are some good cops and some not so good cops and some that are just plain mean and should never have been hired as cops. Also remember the 60's civil rights marches, lynchings still occuring in the south, Kent State, the 68 Democratic convention in Chicago (I think it was that year). Police and National Guradsmen didn't always show the world their best side. "

medic57 wrote on Apr 10, 2009 10:58 PM:

" Police and National Guradsmen didn't always show the world their best side.

Nor did the other sides. "

what wrote on Apr 10, 2009 11:24 PM:

" I remember how clean America was after a trip abroad, nearly sterile, no smell to it. Beautiful yet haunting. Why the waste? "

Rohn Gordon wrote on Apr 11, 2009 10:22 AM:

" Medic says >"Dad caught me smoking under the Foot Bridge when I was 12, (that was before child abuse was illegal) He beat my a$$ 6 blocks home down the middle of the street with a leather belt, and more when I got there."
--------------------------
I say good he should have. I am also betting that you was one of the kids that when your family was at a store or such you was not running wild throwing stuff and such. And as for child abuse statement, that don't sound like abuse to me. I will also bet you are a better man because of your fathers strong hands on approach.
i caught my Daughters smoking one time and made them each eat 5 cigarettes. One gagged and pucked like wild, the other just smiled, the taste did not bother her at all, she is tougher than me for sure "

poorboy wrote on Apr 11, 2009 11:42 AM:

" Medic57 So how do you know so much about Ray? You seem to have alot to say about him. You say he has temper, does that mean everybody who has a temper are bad people. This world is made up of all kinds of people and it takes all of us to make things work. just because a person doesn't let others run over them coesn't mean that they are bad people. I think that people who are passive are weak and should not be in leadership roles myself. If we want this city to go anywhere other than where it has been for 50 25 years then we need some backbone in leadership. At this point this city is on a one way track Down!! "

Matt Toon wrote on Apr 11, 2009 2:15 PM:

" I agree that the music of the 60s and 70s was far superior to the music of today. The music was upbeat, it had vigor, it had life and action to it. Much of today's music is flat, with a sound more attuned to death than of life, more attuned to inaction than action. "

Matt Toon wrote on Apr 11, 2009 2:26 PM:

" I forgot to mention that there are two dates that are mistaken in the column. The five children were murdered near Mattoon in April of 1968, not in 1967. Also, the Texas tower massacre was in 1966, not in 1964. "

Danny Boy wrote on Apr 11, 2009 4:07 PM:

" Song:
If you're going....
to San Francisco,......
besure to wear.....
a flower in your hair!!......

Sorry old hippie "

62463 wrote on Apr 11, 2009 4:49 PM:

" four dead in OHIO "

just watching wrote on Apr 12, 2009 3:32 PM:

" What we called 8 track they now call cd or Ipod, we had 40 watt power boosters now its 1500 watt amps,we had 5x9 speakers now it's 15inch subs.I think the sound of some systems today resembles someone trapped in the trunk trying to get out. "

Rotty wrote on Apr 13, 2009 8:48 AM:

" Excellant call, just watching!

Back then, it was "That's My Little Suzie", today, it's "Suzie D Raps Everything But The Kitchen Sink".

LOL! "

Harry Potter wrote on Apr 13, 2009 11:16 AM:

" " I agree that the music of the 60s and 70s was far superior to the music of today.

Yeah, but remember what your parents said about it?

Every generation seems to think their music was the best. "

Mike P wrote on Apr 13, 2009 4:01 PM:

" Seems 40 years has seen some differences, kids that were told their music was unpleasant noise, and to turn it down, are eventually continually doing the same to subsequent generations.

Is it an age thing, or a difference in music tastes? Makes you a little more understanding of folks who were raised on big band, accoustic guitars, piano, and more timid music expressions, response to the 60's music that paved the way for the music of today.

There are songs that don't even sound good on my radio, from this generation and every decade prior. I have a remote or button, that solves it rather handily.

Now radio's usually allow more presets, and no turning a dial, to just the right spot, to get one of a very few stations you could pick up. Now you can access music of most any flavor through online radio stations, and music sites. Can even listen to the era, or most any other subgroup title of your choice, with limited or no commercial interuption, in the background on your computer, while you use it. If a fan of commercials, there are even sites with favorite jingles from decades past. You can download thousands of your favorite tunes, and never have to change a tape, search a stack of records, or worry about the machine eating something you had to save up to buy.

Electronic enhancement today, is what electic guitars and whammy bars, were in the past. People who sound horrible in person, or broadcast live, can be made more palatable, with the click of a mouse, and some software.

Not managed to surpass Frampton, but you can ocassionally still hear his influence in what they are now doing, or trying to. There were those that felt the electric guitar, and eventual talking guitar was like nails on the chalkboard to them. "

Rohn Gordon wrote on Apr 13, 2009 4:27 PM:

" Call it what you want but most rap is nothing remotely like music. It seems the more filth that is in it the bigger hit it becomes. "

just watching wrote on Apr 13, 2009 5:35 PM:

" Yea Rohn, unbelievable how they make millions beatin on the bottom of five gallon buckets huh? "

mickeygarlock wrote on Apr 13, 2009 8:22 PM:

" Rotty

I think it was "Wake up little Suzie". "

mickeygarlock wrote on Apr 13, 2009 8:23 PM:

" Matt Toon wrote on Apr 11, 2009 2:15 PM:

" I agree that the music of the 60s and 70s was far superior to the music of today.

In their day, that's the same thing that was said about Glenn Miller. "

Rotty wrote on Apr 13, 2009 10:29 PM:

" Thanks, m.g..

But....
lol

"That's My Little Suzie" - Ritchie Valens

"Wake Up Little Suzie" - The Everly Brothers

Thanks for trying though.
:-) "

Harry Potter wrote on Apr 14, 2009 11:49 AM:

" And hey, let's not for get "Suzi Q" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

In my opinion, one of the best bands ever... "

Becky wrote on Apr 14, 2009 1:26 PM:

" 1, 2, 3, what are we fightin' for?
Don't ask me I don't give a da%*
Next stop is Viet-nam.

And it's 5, 6, 7 open up the pearly gates.
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopie, we're all gonna die!

Ah yes, loved that song! Country Joe and the Fish! Still a good antiwar song! 1969 Woodstock album and no, I don't have it anymore darn it. "

Danny Boy wrote on Apr 14, 2009 3:23 PM:

" "Oh Suzie Q,....
"Oh Suzie Q....."Oh Suzie Q, baby I love you, Suzie Q"

Creedence Clearwater Revival
January 19th 1968. Sang in the movie "Apocolyspe Now"..1979 "

Danny Boy wrote on Apr 14, 2009 3:40 PM:

" Some of us posting are showing our age huh?....

Teach, your children well, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, it was 1970, but close enough.....D.B. "

father bob wrote on Apr 14, 2009 4:30 PM:

" Becky wrote on Apr 14, 2009 1:26 PM:
" 1, 2, 3, what are we fightin' for?
Don't ask me I don't give a da%*
Next stop is Viet-nam.

And it's 5, 6, 7 open up the pearly gates.
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopie, we're all gonna die!

Ah yes, loved that song! Country Joe and the Fish! Still a good antiwar song! 1969 Woodstock album and no, I don't have it anymore darn it. """""

my oldest son has mine, and has discovered a whole new mindset. it's fun to answer his questions about life in america in one of the most exciting times in history. "

BW wrote on Apr 14, 2009 5:12 PM:

" I have the Woodstock album, just saw it the other day. Lotta good stuff on it. "

Danny Boy wrote on Apr 14, 2009 5:21 PM:

" You mean someone still has a turntable record player?.....What's the first bid?? "

Becky wrote on Apr 15, 2009 7:09 AM:

" Danny Boy wrote on Apr 14, 2009 5:21 PM:

" You mean someone still has a turntable record player?.....What's the first bid?? "

Yes I do. A brand new one too. I'm having trouble finding stereo speakers for it though :( "

Mike P wrote on Apr 15, 2009 11:23 AM:

" Yard sales, and estate auctions, if you want stereo speakers on the cheap, would be my suggestion. Can often get stacks of records, for not much, at auctions too. Pick out what you like and sell the rest on eBay. "