The Long Seventies Podcast - podcast cover

The Long Seventies Podcast

A biweekly history podcast focusing on America between 1968 and 1984.

Episodes

Raw Force: Kung Fu Cannibals

We talk about 1982’s Mt. Everest of B-Movies, Raw Force aka Kung Fu Cannibals. Nudity - Adventure - Martial Arts - Zombies - Monks - Action - Explosions & Cameron Mitchell!

Oct 08, 20201 hr 46 minEp. 65

Gus Hall: Revolutionary Optimism

We talk about Gus Hall, the Communist Party USA candidate for President from ’72 - ’84. Old Left vs. New Left. From industrial strikes to the FBI sterilizing imported stallions… this one get weird.

Oct 01, 20201 hr 40 minEp. 64

Joe Namath & the Super Bowl III Guarantee

We talk about the drama and historical importance of possibly the most exciting Super Bowl of all time between the New York Jets & Baltimore Colts.

Sep 23, 20201 hr 9 minEp. 63

Whatever Happened to Yuri Bezmenov?

KBG defector? CIA plant? Bircher stooge? Whistleblower who tried to warn us of Russian subversive activities? In light of KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov’s recent pop culture emergence we look into this mysterious figure who has played such a big part in the shadowy side of many peoples’ conception of The Cold War.

Sep 17, 20201 hr 45 minEp. 62

The Jupiter Effect: Echoes of End Times

We talk about the 1974 book “The Jupiter Effect: The Planets As Triggers of Devastating Earthquakes” by John Gribbin & Stephen Plagemann and try to put it in context with the plethora of other End Times predictions said to take place during the Long Seventies.

Sep 08, 20201 hr 54 minEp. 61

Boneyard of Bands

Why did so many powerhouse mega-bands of the 60s and Long Seventies fail to survive the long decade? We investigate this question and discuss a number of theories and examples.

Sep 01, 20201 hr 15 minEp. 60

1980 Norco Shootout: Immanentizing the Eschaton In the Inland Empire

3:32pm. May 9, 1980. Norco, Ca. Security Pacific Bank. 5 men. 2 shotguns. 3 handguns. 4 high powered semi auto rifles. Homemade grenades. Molotov cocktails. Incendiary diversion device. 1 katana. 1 hostage. 1 stolen van. Dozens of police officers. 2 police helicopters. 25 miles later…. 30+ damaged cop cars. 1 dead deputy. 2 dead robbers. 8 wounded officers. 46 felonies.

Aug 23, 20202 hr 11 minEp. 59

Liminal Series: The Breakfast Club

We talk John Hughes’ most famous film and explore why this 1985 teen comedy resonated so much with viewers. At some point we might even mess with the bull and get the horns. The Brain. The Athlete. The Basketcase. The Princess. The Criminal. All Jung’s Suburban archetypes.

Aug 17, 20201 hr 31 minEp. 58

Liminal Series: Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

1985. Bret Easton Ellis’ debut novel. Los Angeles. Mtv. Drugs. Narcissism. Hip to be numb. Absent parents. Disaffected youth. A dead body. Punk rock. Palm Springs. Matt offers an insane interpretation involving an Aztec god of chaos. Stay tuned to the end for a special coda where we revise our initial thoughts on the book after new information comes to our attention.

Aug 08, 20201 hr 56 minEp. 57

Liminal Series: St. Elmo’s Fire

We talk about 1985’s Brat Pack coming-of-age-social-commentary drama St. Elmo’s Fire and what unique problems the youngest Baby Boomers might have faced upon entering the adult world at the end of The Long Seventies. Also, the Yamaha DX7.

Aug 01, 20201 hr 29 minEp. 56

Liminal Series: Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney

You talk about Jay McInerney’s 1984 debut novel “Bright Lights, Big City” in an effort to explore the transition from the Long Seventies to the Eighties and what liminal properties you can pinpoint about this unique time period.

Jul 23, 20201 hr 19 minEp. 55

David Cronenberg’s Shivers & The Brood

Mind melting venereal parasites. Creepy murderous mutant kids in red snow suits. We explore the early years of Canada’s master of body horror David Cronenberg’s body of work focusing on two movies, Shivers (1975) and The Brood (1979).

Jul 08, 20201 hr 28 minEp. 53

Country Music: Cheatin’ Hearts & Empty Bottles

We talk about the big picture of country music during the Long Seventies and why it assumed the role of counter-counterculture music and became popular not just in the rural areas it was born, but in far away urban centers and suburbs.

Jul 01, 20201 hr 7 minEp. 52

Tribal Thumb & San Francisco Militant Radicalism

Long Seventies EXCLUSIVE! This week we do a little investigative history and dig the story of SF Bay Area radical group The Tribal Thumb out of newspaper archives. The Tribal Thumb is still a mysterious group. The membership is not well known and it seems to have been connected to a number of other SF Bay Area militant radical groups. You won’t find this story anywhere else!

Jun 23, 20202 hr 2 minEp. 51

Walk The Outer Stars: 70s Science Fiction

We talk about 70s science fiction literature and film and how in a general sense it is distinct from other periods but also a continuation of the new wave that started a decade earlier.

Jun 17, 20201 hr 53 minEp. 50

Bonus: A Brain Between the Two of US Interview -- Sean

In the prototype for our new interview segment, Alex interviews regular guest and indie music label chief Sean about his influences and creative process. Check out Sean’s work at fringebiologyrecords.com and fringebiologyrecordings.bandcamp.com

Jun 10, 202042 minSeason 2Ep. 1

Ford’s Femme Fatales

We talk about the two women who, only weeks apart, tried and failed to kill President Gerald Ford. One of them was even a former member of the Manson Family.

Jun 08, 202056 minEp. 49

The 1st Earth Battalion: Warrior Monks and Corporate Shamans

We talk about a truly unique moment in US History, when the Army asked a Lt. Colonel to travel the country and bring the teachings of the New Age movement into their ranks in the hopes of increasing recruitment numbers for the newly all volunteer Army. They also hoped to gain an advantage over the Russian Army using insight from the Human Potential movement to create New Age Supersoldiers.

May 23, 20201 hr 51 minEp. 47

Progressive Rock: The Future Is History

Sean joins us to talk about Progressive Rock, one of the Long Seventies’ most distinctive musical genres. Prog Rock was born out of the psychedelic sixties and Romantic era classical music but combined the musical chromosomes it inherited in experimental and unique ways that evolved an ardent fanbase and musical legacy.

May 17, 20201 hr 40 minEp. 46

The Satanic Panic, Part Two: Ritual Abuse Hysteria and Worried Washington Wives

We talk the rise of the Moral Panic Industry and outline the general evolution of the Satanic Panic Complex from its inception in 1971 to one of its most high profile and prototypical cases, the James Dallas Egbert III disappearance. Part Two will cover the Gary Lauwers Murder to the McMartin Preschool Trial and the mid 80s pivot from Satanism to gangs, Gangster Rap, and the Parent’s Music Resource Center Hearings.

May 08, 20201 hr 13 minEp. 45

The Satanic Panic, Part One: Media At the Crossroads

We talk the rise of the Moral Panic Industry and outline the general evolution of the Satanic Panic Complex from its inception in 1971 to one of its most high profile and prototypical cases, the James Dallas Egbert III disappearance. Part Two will cover the Gary Lauwers Murder to the McMartin Preschool Trial and the mid 80s pivot from Satanism to gangs, Gangster Rap, and the Parent’s Music Resource Center Hearings.

May 01, 20201 hr 5 minEp. 44

Death Race 2000 with Sweetback Sean

We have our buddy Sweetback Sean in to talk about Roger Corman’s 1975 film Death Race 2000, an exploitation classic! We also talk about music and kung fu movies whose names nobody can remember.

Apr 22, 20201 hr 20 minEp. 43

Dungeons & Dragons: From Simulation to Imagination

We talk about the origin and early days of the ground-breaking and innovative role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. This game not only transformed wargaming and tabletop gaming but also helped spawn a cultural revolution still felt today. Grab a flagon of ale and pull up a stool for this one, because HC SVNT DRACONES!

Apr 16, 20201 hr 11 minEp. 42

Hunter S. Thompson, Part 2: Everyday American Apocalypse

We talk about journalist, provocateur, political analyst, wildman & drug aficionado Hunter S. Thompson and discuss why he is the perfect avatar for The Long Seventies. Part two starts with Thompson’s most famous work Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas and hits the gas from there right past the ’72 election, Zaire disaster and goes over the edge at Reagan’s invasion of Grenada.

Apr 06, 20201 hr 4 minEp. 41

Hunter S. Thompson: Fear & Loathing in The Long Seventies, Part One

We talk about journalist, provocateur, political analyst, wildman & drug aficionado Hunter S. Thompson and discuss why he is the perfect avatar for The Long Seventies. Part one works its way from his earliest years to right before the publication of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.

Apr 01, 202054 minEp. 40

Once Upon A Time In The Long Seventies

We talk about Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and discuss what the film says about The Long Seventies and how the film differs from the underlying context: the murder of Sharon Tate and her three friends on the night of August 8th, 1969.

Mar 23, 20201 hr 53 minEp. 39

Substitute Teachercast: “The Mount St. Helens Story” (1984)

We have another educational film on 16mm for you today. Today’s film was released in 1984 by the USDA and US Forest Service, and is about the massive eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. It’s a dramatic story. Enjoy that special Federal Government film flair. We hope to be back to regular episodes soon.

Mar 17, 202022 minEp. 38

Substitute Teachercast: “Day of the Killer Tornadoes (1978)”

We apologize, but one of us is sick so it’s time for the substitute teacher to show the class an educational film on 16mm. Today’s film was released in 1978 by the US Government Defense Civil Preparedness Agency and US, and is about the Super Outbreak of tornadoes on April 3, 1974 that spawned over 140 tornadoes in a 24 hour time period and took the lives of over 300 people. In a future episode we’ll talk more about this and add our own commentary tying these events into the larger picture of th...

Mar 08, 202027 minEp. 37
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