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| Hal Lifson's 1966 |
| Written by Will "the Thrill" Viharo |
|
From cars to comic books, from leopard prints to lunch boxes, from pop art to pinups, from magazines to movies, from toys to trading cards to television shows, noted 1960s pop archeologist Hal Lifson (who also compiled the recently reviewed CD "Sex and the 60s") digs us a visually vibrant, vicariously vivid time tunnel back through the very apex of a volatile, evocative era—as seen through the awe-struck eyes of a six year old boy (Hal's age in '66). Not to suggest his lens is unfocused due to immaturity—rather, it's all viewed with the laser-sharp clarity of a highly impressionable, enthusiastic kid wide-eyed with wonder, overwhelmed by the rapidly changing but explosively colorful world around him, recalled within the wizened context of an adult retrospective.
And even a six year old must've felt grazed by the shots from the raging Sexual Revolution whizzing just over his pre-pubescent head, even if he (or she) didn't have the ammo to return fire for another ten years. Hell, I was only 3 in 1966 and I remember having a crush on Catwoman! From our grownup, 21st Century vantage point, 1966 was not only the coolest but also possibly the sexiest year in Pop Culture History too—Raquel Welch, Russ Meyer, Bond babes, and that provocative cover of Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream and Other Delights LP all seduced our collective senses.
It was the year of Green Berets but hey, it was also the year of The Green Hornet—depending on just how "green" you were at the time. If you weren't even around yet, this book gives you the next best option to cherishing your own organic memories, as it is both a personal account and a collective remembrance of a watershed year that marked an epic turning point in American society. After this, for better or worse, things were never the same. This is definitely a year worth cataloguing and remembering, even if Hal Lifson has to do it for you. Thanks, Hal—see you back at the Batcave for martinis and milkshakes.
Will "The Thrill" Viharo is a freelance writer, host of the film series “Forbidden Thrills” at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge, and creator of the long running cult movie cabaret “Thrillville.” He lives in Alameda, CA with his wife Monica “Tiki Goddess” Cortes and their two cats. His pulp novels “A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge,” "Chumpy Walnut," and "Down a Dark Alley" are now available at http://stores.lulu.com/willviharo For more please surf over to www.thrillville.net |
First of all, how does one prove such a bold claim—that a single year out of several decades worth of hip hyperbole can truly support the boast "the Coolest Year in Pop Culture History"? Well, this book goes a long way in making that case. It is flat out one of the most eye-popping graphic collections I've ever seen.
Whether it's Archie comics or Playboy, secret agents or sexy starlets, Batman or the Beatles, 1966! offers an astounding plethora of delights in every media format available at the time—now conveniently archived in this book and also its companion CD, available separately. Just the musical genres from that year's average radio playlist are alone worthy of worshipful tribute—Motown, Sinatra (Frank AND Nancy!), Elvis, Dylan, surf, British garage, psychedelic pop, cool jazz, lounge, rock and soul blending into one sensational sonic smorgasbord, readily available for the population at large, long before internet downloads, satellite radio and iPods divided us into separate, eclectic subcultures.
"Family values" were actually fun, not just force-fed rhetoric, at least as represented by the likes of the Flintstones and the Munsters. There is little evidence here of the tumult afflicting the world at this time—Viet Nam, race riots and other cultural and political milestones of the era are easily overshadowed by these innocent distractions from reality. A draft-aged youth experimenting with the newly accessible drug scene may remember (hazily) this year without such wistful nostalgia, but Hal's view is equally vital and valid—even if, as the cover depicts, it's History as seen through a Viewmaster.