One day after telling us a corny joke, I suppose I rolled my eyes and she said “Doug you turkey!”
I said “MOM PLEASE STOP CALLING ME A TURKEY.” She said “What’s wrong? Don’t you want your old mom to sound cool?” I said “Yes but that’s not cool.”
She said “Up your nose with a rubber hose!” I laughed and said “NOBODY says that—only the Sweathogs did, and that was 3 years ago!”
She said “Sit on it, Potsie!” All I could do was shake my head. Hopeless!
I wonder what kids say today? Doesn’t matter. I live in Squaresville now and I’m not SUPPOSED to know. I remember way back in 1975, watching Soul Train one Saturday on tv. Don Cornelius introduced the Sylvers, who came out and sang “Boogie Fever”. They had good moves, an awesome sound and even the term “boogie fever” sounded funny and cool.
Three years later on The Love Boat, when Captain Steubing invited his sixtysomething dinner guests to join him on the dance floor and boogie, I wanted to throw up.
The reason I’m sharing this nonsense is because the other night I came across this video from 1968, and watched in disbelief. With some help from the ‘Young Folk’, Liberace was on his way to becoming a Flower Child. I couldn’t help but think about the real flower children, the hippies in San Francisco with flowers in their hair. The squares were taking over. I suppose that’s what they always do.
Okay, I’m done—if you have a couple minutes, check this out and tell me if ya think it’s bussin or crashy. (That’s “now” talk for awesome or crazy trashy!)
Dug, I know this will 'date' me... (in 1968 I was 22 and just out of college) but I kind of liked that video. To be honest, I'm familiar with Liberace... but never saw him do anything like that. I was kind of impressed. But I'm sure young people today would call it "crashy" - (and p.s. I think I would have liked your mom)
ReplyDeleteHaha thank you Rian... I guess it's growing on me, I suppose when we get older we want to keep more in the groove. And I remember (from your blog) you being a young woman in the 1960s, you could've been a REAL flower child :^)
DeleteMy momma always said, "If you can't say nothing nice, don't say nothing at all." *tiptoes quietly away*
ReplyDeleteHaha--I don't know why I even posted this! I guess this corny video got stuck in my craw :^)
DeleteDoug, oh my gosh, that video! That is so bad!😆 Like when Pat Boone was trying to go heavy metal! In grade school our music teacher taught us two songs, “ The Candyman” and “ Feelin groovy” I still remember all the words to both. Your Mum was so sweet.❤️
ReplyDeleteRobin
Ah, I suddenly feel better--you totally get me! Thank you Robin and I can't stop laughing over Pat Boone going heavy mental, lol! And yes, my mom really was a fun & awesome character. Miss her greatly. :^)
DeleteThat was really groovy, daddy-oh. I dig you’re hip to the hep cats’ lingo (as am I, can’t you tell?”
ReplyDeleteI spent quite some time in San Francisco (well, Berkeley mostly) around that time and I didn’t see a single person with flowers in her (or his) hair.
I must have associated with the wrong crowd.
Peter you have about 3 generations of lingo goin' on there, haha :^) Y'know what, I did know that, you being in America and in SF at that time. Well, in my defense I was alive then and even in my hometown (a college town) I saw my fair share of hippies--but definitely more squares :^)
DeleteOkay, I started out in the hipster period when total idiots in berets and silly goatees recited quite in decipherable “poetry” while listening to Thelonius Monk and Miles Davis (that part was good).
DeleteThen there where the bodgies and widgies (who? I hear you ask. That was an Australian phenomenon).
On to the Mods and Rockers (in England) or the Jazzers and Rockers (here in Australia).
The Hippies were next.
Then I guess it’s the punks and the glam rockers and who knows what all?
I thought they were all really silly and I ignored them.
The thing is, all of them produced some wonderful music and that’s not a bad thing.
Peter you're an awesome read, thank you!
DeleteThat Liberace video is truly cringe worthy! I had several relatives who also used 'turkey' and 'up your nose..." way past their expiration date! Ha! The same relatives gifted us an entire set of California Raisins figurines for Christmas one year around that time. Remember those??
ReplyDeleteAs for the Sylvers, I actually saw them at the York Fair in 1978! They were great and I can still remember their pink and green matching jumpsuits. Thankfully I missed The Love Boat boogie session. My reaction would've matched yours!
And going back to your last blog, I wanted to suggest you check out The Irrational on NBC, it's pretty good.
P.S. Back in the late '60s and early '70s, my grandparents watched Lawrence Welk and some of the cool pop songs of that era that they commandeered were truly awful.
DeleteBobi you gave me a real chuckle here, thank you--yes I remember those California raisins too 😄! And how cool you saw the Sylvers in person, they could move! Love Boat boogie session 😂😂 And thank you for The Irrational heads up, never heard of it but I will definitely check it out 🙂
DeleteI was about 9 when this video came out - I've not seen it before but the song is familiar though I don't recall where I saw it. I kind of cringed at Liberace, that isn't the way I remember him. He needed more sparkles! But he could play a mean piano. :)
ReplyDeleteMy oldest was born in 1981 and mom called her turkey for years. I don't remember using that phrase so where mom picked it up I have no idea. She even had a sign made up that read "Turkey crossing". D has it now, and we're going to hang it over the door leading down to the basement. :)
Haha! Turkey crossing, I love it! Well Maebeme, I suppose turkey was used a lot in the early 70s. I'm just saying, by 78-79 only grownups were still hauling it out. Hey I liked Liberace too, just had trouble with his flower power pants and trying to sound hip with those young squares 🙂
DeleteThe song was originally done by Simon and Garfunkel. It is the from the Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme album, and is called The 59th Street Bridge song.
DeleteThank you Debby, I meant to answer that but got sidetracked by that turkey crossing sign :^)
DeleteWe love the b/w Dragnet reruns. The producer really wanted the public to understand how awful the hippy movement was. And having Joe Friday repeat the slang names for narcotics is our favorite.
ReplyDeleteMy grandsons say "sus". I don't know why. Also "What's up brothers" - somehow this is hilarious. . .
DeleteThanks Miss Merry, I loved Dragnet too and Joe Friday was cool--I loved it when he'd rattle off those nicknames, he had street smarts :^) As for your grandsons, "sus"?! Haha I'm clueless!
DeleteOh, Liberace, it was OK until then. I cringed when he came on--no moves whatsoever. I do think you need a pair of those flowered pants, LOL. They would be great attention getters. When we were in Las Vegas, the girls wanted to go to the Liberace museum to see the pianos (they both played); my late husband refused to go in! :) I had to sort of keep up on teenage slang when I taught, just in case I was being insulted and didn't know it.
ReplyDeleteHaha! Thanks Margaret, I could just see me walking into that senior center in a pair of these pants :^) That's cool that you got to visit the Liberace Museum though, I'd like to see that--and yep you spent decades teaching kids, you're probably a slang expert!
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