Bold, Bizarre and Far Out

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Could welcome everybody and thanks for coming back to m G.
The seventies, Oh my god, the seventies. I mean, what
else can you possibly say about the seventies other than oh,
oh lord, looking back on those days. Man, I was
young those days, but I was around and when I

(00:23):
was in like elementary school, early junior high, you know,
I dressed the part. Oh it was so bad. I
look at those pictures, I'm like, mom, what were you
doing to me? But what was everybody's mother doing to
them back then? It's absolutely crazy. I remember going to
my first dance. I was in eighth grade. I was

(00:45):
quite an awkward young teenager. I certainly couldn't dance, and
scared to death of girls that would. We had a
rotary phone back then, and I try to call a girl,
and I would dial that phone and go all the
way around, you know, and I'd let cardio all the
way back before it actually dial one number. So I

(01:06):
would go through all the numbers. You didn't have to
dial area code back then, just the local number, and
I get that last number, and I'd let go of it,
and if he going back, and I would hang that
phone up before it dialed all the way because I
was scared of death talk girls, especially to call them,
I mean men. I mean things have changed, I mean

(01:28):
things have really changed. Anyway. So the seventies. Oh so anyway,
my first little, you know, dance, little dance club in
the eighth grade. It was called teen I can't remember
what the team. Corporate teen Center, that's what it was,
the Corporate Teen Center. And I went there and it

(01:48):
was all disco, right, everything was disco back then. And man,
I just stood in the corner with my friend and
I was scared to death the whole time. Scared. Not
a good experience. Come a long way, my friend. So anyway,
so and I bring up, you know, the Corporate Teen

(02:11):
Center is my first dance and being disco, because that's
what we're going to talk about. We're going to talk
about fashion on the dance floor, how about that. So
last time we talked about gravity define here of the seventies,
which was absolutely amazing coming from the big bald guy.

(02:32):
So now let's get down to the nitty gritty of
the boogie woogy, of the glitter and glitz of the disco,
because that's my closest attempt to singing that I'm going
to do on any kind of recording. So the fashion
on those dance floors was a whole another level of fabulous.

(02:54):
But that kind of depends on your perspective, right, It
also could be a whole nother level of interesting or
just plain bad. I don't know, I don't know. It's
fun to look back on anyway. So disco wasn't just music.
It was a lifestyle, a complete way of life, A vibrant,

(03:14):
pulsating organism that breathed, sweat and shimmered. I mean, that's
the way people felt about disco back then. It was
kind of like they either loved it and lived it
or they absolutely hated it. And those were like the
you know, the Southern rock Diyes and the more into
the rock and then it was just then you had

(03:36):
your disco people. I was both. I mean, I couldn't dance,
I couldn't sing, so all I do was listen to it. So,
you know, I listened to both. It was cool. I
love like Michael Jackson and all that disco duck. Remember
disco duck and the clothing, Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh,

(03:56):
the clothing, the platform shoes. That's why for the guys,
I'm not talking about for the girls, the different shades
of brown. Oh my god, just thinking about him and
I have dressed up for Halloween or different like costume parties,
probably four or five times as the seventies disco guy

(04:17):
and I have the best time. I really do. I
didn't really live it, but I got the fringe of it.
So think about it. The darkness of the disco, the
swirling strobe lights of the disco ball, hanging from the
hanging from the ceiling. It was a stage begging for extravagance,
and boy did people deliver. Suddenly, shiny was in. I

(04:41):
mean seriously, seriously shiny, and seriously in anything that could
reflect light, sequins of metallic fabrics, even strategically placed mirrors
became fair game. I mean you could wear a mirror
and you would be like the man. We weren't just
wearing clothes. We were wearing a reflection of the disco

(05:04):
ball itself, a miniature portable light show. And the more
the better, more sequence, more glitter, more shimmer, more shine
of the better to write a song with that. The
goal wasn't to blend in, the goal was to radiate.
That's still my goal. The glow to glow to quite

(05:27):
literally outshine everyone else on the dance floor. It was
an era of extreme self expression, that's what you want
to call it, where clothes became an extension of the music,
a visual representation of the rhythm and energy pulsing through
the room. Remember those platform shoes. I remember, I just

(05:48):
brought them up a minute ago. Went well, disco took
them to a whole new stratosphere. We weren't just talking
about a couple of extra inches. We were talking about
towering structures that could easily rival a small building. I mean,
that's the truth. Well I'm laughing just thinking about it.

(06:09):
Walking walking them was like an Olympic level sport, a
precarious ballet of demanding grace, balance and the sheer willpower
to not face plant on the dance fright. Listen, I
can't dance anyway if you put those shoes on me,
how could you dance? Can even? It's like stilts. Oh,

(06:32):
I don't know, man, It's a cross between stilts and
a pogo stick at the same time. You can't do both.
But the extra height was worth it, so you know,
you could go from five to ten to six three.
I mean, just because you're going out dancing. That's pretty cool.
I know some friends that'd like to put on you know,

(06:53):
Hit six three or six four. You were closer to
the disco ball, closer to the action, and usually closer
to the guy or girl you were hoping to impress.
Then there were the pants, oh, the pants, bell bottoms.
Of course, we even had someone called elephant ears at

(07:13):
the bottom. There were that wide, but taken to the ultimate,
flared out extreme wide enough to hide a small dog
or perhaps a small child. I would advise it the
wider the better. It was like they were competing with
each other for sheer service. I'm talking about each leg

(07:33):
At the same time. The more fabric used, the better
you felt, The more fabric you could dramatically swirl around
you as you grooveed, grooved. I missed that word. The
colors were equally audacious. I think vibrant oranges, shocking pinks,
dazzling purples. I see they put orange and purples together.

(07:55):
I like that. These weren't the muted tones of decades.
This was a riot of color, a visual explosion that
mirrored the chaotic, exhilarating energy of the dance floor. And
let's not forget the patterns, geometric shapes, bold stripes, psychedelic swirls.

(08:17):
I wonder I who came up with the psychedelics swirls
as the guys out there digging for mushrooms. I bet
it was if someone and I think I know that
guy had had rated a painter's studio and used the
paint splatter as inspiration for an entire wardrobe. I mean
not only a wardrobe, but these days that could be

(08:38):
considered art millions of dollars. And the fabrics everything from
silky poly polyester it's hard to even say that word,
just thinking of that on my skin. Just not cool,
not cool at all. So from silky polyester to the
ever popular knit jersey, let's not sugarcoat it. These weren't

(09:01):
always the most breath taking. Well actually they were breathtaking,
but they were not particularly breathable fabrics. But when you
were lost in the rhythm, drenched in sweat, because you know,
polyester makes you sweat, and then it holds the sweat

(09:21):
and it holds the smell even after you wash it,
and it's just, man, what were we thinking back then?
And then surrounded by the sea of equally sweaty bodies,
you barely noticed. Thank goodness. You get used to smell,
you know, slowly, and then you don't smell anymore. This
comfort was a small price to pay for looking unbelievably

(09:42):
fabulous while you were doing the hustle. Never understood the hustle.
I never understood it. You didn't really do much, You
just kind of moved a little bit. You'd think if
it was called the hustle, I mean, you'd be hustling, right,
you'd be getting after it. But the hustle will do
like a little bit, you know, like swaying. Don't understand that,
and there I don't. Oh And the only words of

(10:05):
the song were like dude, us right, wasn't it the
only words? Uh? Anyway, great song. Loved it. The whole
ensemble was often acsastorized with an impressive array of bling.
Think chunky necklaces, oversized earrings, bracelets that jingle with every move,

(10:26):
and enough rings to make Gemini cry. Oh boy, you
gotta think about that one. It was. It was a
maximalist approach. And I like that word because I'm not
a minimalist. I would rather be a maximalist. More is
more philosophy. The embraced excess with open arms and the

(10:50):
generous helping of glitter glue. Glaire's got to state to something.
I don't want to go there now. I remember attending
a disco tech. I almost forgot they called them disco
texts in nineteen seventy seven. The electric Banana. Ooh, that's

(11:10):
kind of the corporateine center, if many serves. It wasn't
just the music or the pulsating lights. It was the
sheer spectacle of the clothing. Let's go back to that
name again, the electric banana. Do you plug that thing in?
Is it battery powered? I don't know, man, I'm not Again,

(11:33):
I'm not going to go there, but I just kind
of did. It was a sheer spectacle of the clothing.
It was a kaleidoscope of colors, a sea of shimmering fabrics,
a human rainbow. I vividly recall one woman dressed in
a silver jumpsuit encrusted with sequins that practically buzzed under

(11:55):
the disco ball. Her platform shoes were at least six
inches high, and she moved with a confidence that plied
the physical challenges of those precarious footwear choices. She was
a vision, an absolute testament to the bold, unapologetic style
of the defined disco. Actually that defined disco. That then

(12:20):
there was a guy who showed up in a full
on leisure suit. Remember those. Oh my gosh, I'm not
talking about a modest, pastel toned number doh sir, this
was a full blown gold Lane le May leisure suit.

(12:40):
Won't even use that word anymore. I left that back
in the seventies. Gold le May leisure suit, complete with
wide collar, m flared trousers and the fact that they're
calling trousers you know, might as well call them dungeries,
and enough shine to blind you from across the dance floor.
He looked like he was ready to host a space

(13:03):
age bachelor party. The sheer audacity of it, It's all breathtaking.
And this was everywhere. Disco's influence on fashion extended far
beyond its immediate heyday. The bold colors, the shimmering fabrics,
the glamorous, the glamorous something everything. Oh sorry, dinner's ready,

(13:26):
So they all get back to my spot. So the
bold colors, the shimmering fabrics, and the glamorous embellishments, they
all resurfaced in later decades. A testament of the during
appeal of that era's unique aesthetics. However, they didn't all
appear back at once. Right, there was a little bit
of this and a little bit of that. Right. Disco's

(13:50):
legacy can still be seen in many contemporary designs, a
reminder of the decade when fashion became an energetic, dynamic
on forgettable as the music itself. What was the name
of that song? Of course, not everyone embraced discoes extravagant style.
Some people found it too much, too loud, well too shiny,

(14:13):
But those weren't the weren't fans that couldn't deny its impact,
its ability to transform a simple dance floor into a
dazzling spectacle. It's a visual feast, a sensory overload, a
testament of the power of fashion to reflect the another

(14:34):
word from the seventies, and I don't even know how
to pronounce. It'sist of that whole era now I'm talking about.
And yet, despite despite its overwhelming success, disc Goes Rain
was as fleeting as a shooting star. The late seventies
saw the rise of punk and new wave, which ushered

(14:54):
in an altogether different style and aesthetic. The flamboyant gl
of disco, with its dazzling excesses began to fade from
mainstream fashion scene. The platform shoes were packed away, still
got mine, the shiny fabrics tucked into closets, but the
echoes of Disco remained whispered in the winds fashion trends

(15:16):
yet to come. The fall of Disco was a curious affair,
not a sudden collapse, but more of a gradual tapering off,
replaced by a wave of rebellion as a backlash against
the excesses of the previous years. However, its influence continued
to resonate, with designers and stylists constantly reinterpret its themes,

(15:44):
proving that even the most flamboyant fashion statements can endure
a testament to the ingenuity and the unforgettable nature of
the seventies. Disco was a short, but sweet fashion, a
shiny moment of self expression. While we might not look

(16:05):
back on some of the storial choices with a giggle,
actually we will, and we do sit back and giggle.
I mean I almost berely laughed just a minute ago
thinking about it, just a knowing wink. It's hard to
deny the boldness, the creativity of the pure unadulterated fund

(16:28):
that those outfits expressed. It was a time when fashion
was meant to be seen, meant to be felt, and
perhaps most importantly, meant to be danced in. And that,
my friend, is a legacy we're celebrating. You know, that
was fun. I enjoyed that. The seventies were a crazy time.

(16:48):
Disco was a crazy time. Oh the dance moves back then, Oode,
you had you had what's his name, John Travolta. You
know who taught him how to dance? Oh, Denny Terrio,
remember he had that show on dance Fever or something
like that. Man, that was just some good times, Sonny

(17:09):
and share back then. Yeah, I remember that. I used
to watch all that stuff. Anyway, what a good time.
And I hope you all enjoyed as much as I did.
I hope you remember the seventies. I remember it finally,
and not with a giggle, but a belly laughed, because
that's what I do. Anyway, next time, we're going to
talk accessories, belts and beads and all that kind of
fun stuff of the seventies. So, oh, my god, the seventies,

(17:34):
as I got to say to that, is so that
my Friends is a rap on this episode of OMG
the Seventies. We hope you had as much fun flashing
back as we did. I love this podcast. From bell
bottoms and disco balls to lava lamps and pet rocks,
the seventies were one wild, unforgettable ride. Sure, not everything

(17:56):
needs to make a comeback. We're looking at you, Carpet,
but there's no denying it was a groovy time to
be alive. Thanks for tuning in and laughing along with
us as we celebrate the decade that was bold, bizarre,
and totally far out. Be sure to subscribe, Tell a
friend and catch us next time for more retro fun,

(18:19):
same time, same funky vibes. And until then, God bless