As a child of the ’80s, the awesome grooviliciousness that was the ’70s is slightly beyond the scope of my pop-culture literacy. Sure, I can throw down a good Welcome Back, Kotter or KC and the Sunshine Band reference when need be, but that only gets one so far. Which is why I heart shows like I Love the ’70s, and CBS newbie Swingtown (starring Grant Show, pictured).They’re so educational! I feel smarter already! Here are a few things I learned about the disco decade from last night’s premiere:
1. Quaaludes are cool!
Forget Valium and your kid’s ADD medicine; ludes are the surefire way to get that mellow yellow feeling. BONUS POINT: I now understand what Elizabeth Perkins meant in that first season Weeds episode when she says she’s going to take the last Quaalude on Earth. Those things are illegal!
2. The Bicentennial wasn’t such a big deal
To hear baby boomers speak of it, America’s 200th birthday was the hottest shindig this side of the Boston Tea Party. Heck, they even made commemorative quarters for it. But the folks in this Chicago suburb choose to celebrate the occasion a day early (why?) and don’t seem to make any extra fuss — unless an orgy counts.
3. Smokes on a Plane
OK, so I was informed it wasn’t actually that long ago that smoking was finally banned from the friendly skies. I blame my parents for not taking me on European vacations. Or to Florida.
4. People actually drank Tab
I’ve heard of Tab. I’ve even seen it in a few pop machines. But I had no idea it was ever consumed. Apparently it was Diet Coke before there was Diet Coke.
Your turn, PopWatchers. Did you glean any history lessons from last night’s episode? And did you ever drink Tab?
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I really like the show, but I hope that they focus a lot more on their problems and less on the “lets get busy” factor. BTW: that was a big a-sed can of TAB!
I was born in 1977 and ALL my parents ever drink is Tab. It’s a bit tougher to find now, but they still drink it. I don’t think they make it in 2 liters anymore, but they still buy it in the 12-pack cans.
I never realized how weird it was until I moved away and stopped drinking it. Now, I can’t stand it.
Other family members still drink it, as do some of my friends parents. Maybe it’s an old-school southern thing…Who knows?
I was born in ‘68, so I got a little bit of the 70s before becoming a child of the 80s. I missed the last half because of storm coverage, so I missed out on the orgy. But it seems like they got the look right.
We had TAB, but I didn’t like it, so I mostly drank ice tea. I can remember when Diet Coke came out, everybody was so happy. Of course, if you went to a store and asked for coke(the fridge was behind the counter in most convenience stores), there was only one choice.
I grew up in the 80’s and spent a lot of time in dance classes as a kid, so yeah, I’ve had Tab. By the way, that’s who still drinks Tab – gay men and dancers. And grandmas, but only the ones who smoke.
The 70’s were awful!! The cars were cool
All I can think about is the polyester and the pet rocks!
The 70’s were awful!! The cars were cool
All I can think about is the polyester and the pet rocks!
sorry about the double post
I do think that Tab is a Southern thing. I lived in the Chicago suburbs in the 1980s where everyone had forgotten about Tab. When I moved south in 92, that was all anyone was drinking. It was like a time warp!
Yes, I drank Tab, but only once. Jeez, is that stuff awful. The clothes in the show were spot-on. My mom had a patchwork-type top just like the one the prudish ex-neighbor wore. And as for the general feel of the era, the show reminded me of how scandalized people were to learn that my classmate’s mother was a former Playboy bunny (for those born too late, that’s a costumed waitress in a Playboy club. Think Hooters, but classier). Now, I’m wondering about other goings-on. Tab, what a beautiful drink. Tab, for beautiful people. Tab, you’re beautiful to me. Sixteen ounces has just one calorie!
The clothes were right, the fit was wrong, people wore TIGHT clothing in 76,
That Convertible Caddy was hot!
Tab tasted peppery – and not in a good way – but like Diet Coke – you got used to it…now, what was much better was Wink….a kind of grapefruit citrus type soda…Wink was great!
They were pretty spot on with all the details. The clothes, the hair, the drugs, the music and the free loving.
Tab was and is still horrible. Thank god for diet coke!
Oh..I forgot to mention one other thing…. The moustaches..as close to porn as you can get!
I’m a Nashville, TN native and I haven’t seen too many Tabs consumed ot be honest. Same with my visits to Georgia (whether Atlanta or Savannah) or Mississippi. It’s still around, but I hadn’t seen it being consumed more than Cokes or Dr. Peppers. Then again, I’m a child of the ’90s, so what do I know?
I’m surprised at one radio show (the Michael Baeson show) constantly deriding listeners who watch Swingtown (not very harshly granted, but still…). I know he’s talking to a mostly Christian audience, but in a nation where you can find free porn in a google search, why is anyone up in arms over this series at all? Then again, this IS the same nation whose media vilified Janet Jackson for a nipple shot.
Oh wow… I drank Tab. I not only drank it, I LIKED it. But then, I far prefer saccharine to nutrasweet. And I’m sure it’s the reason I never grew to the 5′10″ that I was undoubtedly destined to be. But hey, at least I never smoked.
I drank Tab when I was in high school because it was diet, but it tasted so awful I switched to plain iced tea. Part of the thrill of drinking Tab was the whole cancer warning about drinking too much saccarine. Diet Coke was a godsend, but I still prefer plain iced tea – and I’ve lived all my years in the Chicago area. Sad to say I lived thru the 70s in middle & high school – I remember the porn moustaches and long hair – “Marcia Brady hair”, we called it, because it was stick straight and ironed with your clothes iron, and the Quiana nylon shirts – and tons of bad polyester. And the platform shoes you had to be nuts to wear when they got past 4 inches. I missed last night’s episode even though I wanted to catch it to see what they got right – anyone know if they’re going to air it again?
Stephanie T.: You may be referring to the cans of Tab that came out skinnier than regular cans of soda, and a bit taller – all to emphasize the “diet” aspect.
i was a child of the late 60’s thru the seventies.i hate polyester,mini skirts,platform shoes,big flower patterns,leisure suits,vinyl shoes & accesssories,& anything lime green,orange,or olive green to this day. i will say tho i still like clogs,halter tops,disco music & fanta. i really hated fashion the last few yrs cause it looked like the 70’s threw up everywhere,like a bad dream. always hated tab & remember all the women who drank it like people drink diet coke today.that stuff is nasty!the bicentennial was more hype than anything,it was forgotten almost as soon as it was over.i remember BEGGING my mother to let me wear my hair long & straight with a part down the middle like all the women on tv.then of course came farrah.i didn’t cut my hair that way like most did but i did have a dorothy hamill cut and it is still remembered as one of the best haircuts i’ve ever had.there was also no central heat/air in homes or schools,no portable phone of ANY kind,no movies to rent & take home
cont..no recorder for tv shows or movies,no video games outside Atari with the stupid ping pong ball,no home computer, and 5 tv channels inc. TBN & PBS. the cars were the last in my opinion to have any character to them except for the great old stationwagon that i had to learn to drive. loved riding in the backseat tho waving at the ppl behind!& i hate the movies that have come out & parody the tv shows i loved growing up.’cept for the drug culture & the clothes i miss those days.
In the pilot it’s July 1976 and you can hear Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” playing on the radio. That’s odd–the single was still months away from being released. I may have to start questioning everything I see on this drama.
If you went on a diet in 1976, your day probably would have looked like this: You’d start the day with a glass of Alba 77 (though I think it was Alba 66 back then), black coffee (no sugar), and Ayds, the “appetite suppressant candy.” For lunch, you’d have some Light ‘n Lively cottage cheese topped with pineapple, washed down with a Tab. You’d snack on celery sticks. For dinner, you’d have a green salad (no dressing) and a burger topped with yet more Light ‘n Lively. More Tab. People were thinner back then. They were probably motivated to stay slim to avoid having to choke down diet food.
ZF- you forgot that you would have canned peach halves with the burger and cottage cheese! As someone who was born in 1960 it is funny to me to have my teen years portrayed as a vintage era. I missed the first ep of the show, but I’m curious enough to catch up with it next week. BTW, I didn’t have the long straight hair until blow dryers became common, around the early/mid 70’s.
No one is mentioning Diet Pepsi. That’s what I drank in the 70s (I consume it today, too). I hated Tab.
And yes, the show dropped the ball on Go Your Own Way and Higher and Higher. I bought Rumours when it first came out in ‘77 and Higher and Higher was released the same year.
Quaaludes were great, as long as you only took one. In 1976 they were everywhere. I found one on the floor of a nightclub once. Down the hatch!
I learned that every 1970’s related film or show, needs to have Captain and Tenille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together”. Almost as if it were the only song that came out in the 70’s :/
with you on some of the cars vw, pinto-pacer-gremlin ohhhh scary. I have to say I own a lime green 71 dodge charger, love it! didn’t really enjoy the 70’s though. and yes I think the last few years the 70’s have dominated clothing lines-I hated them then I hate them now.
I enjoyed the show, the music, the memorable details from the era… Tweaked my interest enough to check out books on Swinging on Amazon to see if it is still going on…
On this show – and That 70’s Show also – the hair is NOWHERE NEAR WIDE ENOUGH. The 70’s were about WIDE – wide hair, wide bell bottoms, wide ties, wide mutton chop sideburns. Your hair had to part in the middle and wing out and back in feathers a good 6 inches out from each side of your head to have an effect. And I’m just a guy!
when I was growing up in the 70s everybody complained about Tab — especially the aftertaste which I never noticed, but it was like Listerine, you hated it but you drank it (especially if you were a teenage girl like me) because it was diet.
I drank Tab in the late 80s- it was one of the few sodas in the vending machine in the teacher’s lounge. One of my friends would read all the warning information about it causing cancer in lab rats- I’d usually say, “well, good thing I’m not a rat. Jerk.”