You pretty much unplugged me in the first three minutes. The sentimental music and talk of family got to me. You reminded me of my own youth and how that show was a time when my family didn't fight, when my parents wore smiles upon their faces. I don't know what my siblings thought of it. But, I was merely amused by the antics and can recall the theme music. I saw it as an approved way to be a character and act out. But, as I grew older, there was less and less appreciation for that. I was and have been in the wrong place at the wrong time with my behavior. Maybe Sha Na Na is partly to blame.
I laugh at you trying to explain "greasers" to a new era. What you leave out for anyone who doesn't look into it, via whatever online resource you can find, is that "greasers" got their name for how they treated their hair and for being very close to their cars and motorcycles, spending considerable time in auto shops/garages to hone their machines, which would involve oil and grease. It was a greasy labor of love. [You might see some pockets of a new form of this evolving with coding, influencers and game/viral-entertainment development.] They rebelled against any system or people that tried to separate them from their fashion sense and love of machines. Female "greasers" were sort of not talked about, not often visible, which is why it was rare when Fonzie (Happy Days) found a girl who was into motorcycles like him. For the greasers, girls were pursuits that often wore poodle skirts and looked like dolls. The movie/musical Grease really captures the greaser element.
Sha Na Na seemed deeply intent on keeping a happy time alive. And, that's something missing from the 1980s. What did the 80s have to keep it alive in the next decade? I can't think of anything. We don't get much 80s revival until special artists like Katy Perry and maybe bands like Weezer come along to inject a little retro spirit. But, it's not quite like Sha Na Na who put their era in a snow globe and kept drawing audiences into the bubble for fun.
[I don't think I saw any sign of Sha Na Na after 1986. By the late 80s, there were so many commercial gimmicks being worked to pitch beverages and fast food that those guys kind of got lost in the mix. I'm a little surprised they didn't get more McDonald's attention. But, again, McDonald's had a number of promotions going at that time. And, everything retro was fading fast.]
Another aspect of the group that has been lost over time is how they were a pop-up act/gimmick, similar to how Phyllis Diller and Rip Taylor would storm a ceremony to make a scene. Nowadays, you're lucky if a host of some award show can inject some rehearsed antics into the show with celebrities in their seats or the few invited on stage. But, "back then," these gimmick performers--which eventually, probably, had to lose their charm--would just pop up and inject some amusement without conscience. Sha Na Na just had to appear somewhere and sing their chorus to get audiences to smile, point and say, "Oh yeah! THOSE guys!" Sha Na Na was like a religious crusade determined to get you to convert to the greaser ways, but I don't think they ever earned many if any converts. They just did what they could to make sure you didn't forget the spirit of an era.
Now, when someone pops up like that, you might be inclined to say the same thing but with a little less enthusiasm...and maybe a "not him, again." Now, we talk more about how things get old and out of date. But, back then, there didn't seem to be an expiration date.
Thanks for this, you hit on so many good things, and gave me even more to think about with Sha Na Na.
And I have been thinking about Sha Na Na a lot lately for the show and watching episodes and I kept coming back to seeing my parents looking contented watching something. I don't think I could recall another show where something similar happened. Neither are still around, but if they were, I would love to talk to them about it and see if they could watch it nowadays and feel the same way.
What really made me lock into this subject were seeing some of those early performances. The Woodstock performance and how it was edited, seeing them win over the audience is magical. Its amateurish, energetic, and irreverent while still showing talent and their appreciation for the music.
I can think of a number of shows my parents enjoyed…or at least pretended to enjoy and take their minds off what was secretly dividing them. Lawrence Welk…Hart to Hart…Quincy…The Golden Girls. Those were shows my parents made time to share with us, their kids. But, we kids were second thoughts. It was their time to be happy with each other and not arguing. It became a sick form of therapy, avoiding conflict by diving into television. It conditioned any family member who didn’t find a social life outside the house.
I haven’t done any digging or looking back at Sha Na Na for quite some time. But, it’s hard to forget them. They stood out as much as many of the old advertising “mascots,” like Madge for Palmolive and the Dunkin Donuts guy with his tiny mustache. If Sha Na Na could have latched onto some product, they might have extended their fame with a brand. [Maybe they did, and I’m just forgetting that brand.]
I have some Sha Na Na records and on a whim decided to give them a listen. The live recordings really made me smile and I went over to watch the show on YouTube and instead found myself watching their Woodstock performance which I found magnetic. I watched each video at least 10 times over the next week. I had fond memories of the show, mostly from those moments where both my parents looked relaxed and happy watching it.
Online, I found people who liked them, but also the name being used as a punchline. So I wanted to record a bit of a love letter to the group and show my appreciation.
I could see them being associated with a restaurant chain like Johnny Rockets during its heyday. They would have been fun to see.
70s/80s nostalgia for 50s nostalgia! I would say it’s nostalgia all the way down, but pop culture didn’t really seem to start until the 50s. I think? I’m still struggling to figure out what our Greatest Generation grandparents rocked out to. Big Band and Swing was the answer my dad told me. Somehow that seems much less fulfilling than Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly.
When I listen to early music I also wonder how people reacted to it and what feelings it stirred. I can see really getting into some of those swinging songs, especially if you were in a space with people all wanting to dance to it.
You pretty much unplugged me in the first three minutes. The sentimental music and talk of family got to me. You reminded me of my own youth and how that show was a time when my family didn't fight, when my parents wore smiles upon their faces. I don't know what my siblings thought of it. But, I was merely amused by the antics and can recall the theme music. I saw it as an approved way to be a character and act out. But, as I grew older, there was less and less appreciation for that. I was and have been in the wrong place at the wrong time with my behavior. Maybe Sha Na Na is partly to blame.
I laugh at you trying to explain "greasers" to a new era. What you leave out for anyone who doesn't look into it, via whatever online resource you can find, is that "greasers" got their name for how they treated their hair and for being very close to their cars and motorcycles, spending considerable time in auto shops/garages to hone their machines, which would involve oil and grease. It was a greasy labor of love. [You might see some pockets of a new form of this evolving with coding, influencers and game/viral-entertainment development.] They rebelled against any system or people that tried to separate them from their fashion sense and love of machines. Female "greasers" were sort of not talked about, not often visible, which is why it was rare when Fonzie (Happy Days) found a girl who was into motorcycles like him. For the greasers, girls were pursuits that often wore poodle skirts and looked like dolls. The movie/musical Grease really captures the greaser element.
Sha Na Na seemed deeply intent on keeping a happy time alive. And, that's something missing from the 1980s. What did the 80s have to keep it alive in the next decade? I can't think of anything. We don't get much 80s revival until special artists like Katy Perry and maybe bands like Weezer come along to inject a little retro spirit. But, it's not quite like Sha Na Na who put their era in a snow globe and kept drawing audiences into the bubble for fun.
[I don't think I saw any sign of Sha Na Na after 1986. By the late 80s, there were so many commercial gimmicks being worked to pitch beverages and fast food that those guys kind of got lost in the mix. I'm a little surprised they didn't get more McDonald's attention. But, again, McDonald's had a number of promotions going at that time. And, everything retro was fading fast.]
Another aspect of the group that has been lost over time is how they were a pop-up act/gimmick, similar to how Phyllis Diller and Rip Taylor would storm a ceremony to make a scene. Nowadays, you're lucky if a host of some award show can inject some rehearsed antics into the show with celebrities in their seats or the few invited on stage. But, "back then," these gimmick performers--which eventually, probably, had to lose their charm--would just pop up and inject some amusement without conscience. Sha Na Na just had to appear somewhere and sing their chorus to get audiences to smile, point and say, "Oh yeah! THOSE guys!" Sha Na Na was like a religious crusade determined to get you to convert to the greaser ways, but I don't think they ever earned many if any converts. They just did what they could to make sure you didn't forget the spirit of an era.
Now, when someone pops up like that, you might be inclined to say the same thing but with a little less enthusiasm...and maybe a "not him, again." Now, we talk more about how things get old and out of date. But, back then, there didn't seem to be an expiration date.
Thanks for this, you hit on so many good things, and gave me even more to think about with Sha Na Na.
And I have been thinking about Sha Na Na a lot lately for the show and watching episodes and I kept coming back to seeing my parents looking contented watching something. I don't think I could recall another show where something similar happened. Neither are still around, but if they were, I would love to talk to them about it and see if they could watch it nowadays and feel the same way.
What really made me lock into this subject were seeing some of those early performances. The Woodstock performance and how it was edited, seeing them win over the audience is magical. Its amateurish, energetic, and irreverent while still showing talent and their appreciation for the music.
What drew you back to Sha Na Na at this time?
I can think of a number of shows my parents enjoyed…or at least pretended to enjoy and take their minds off what was secretly dividing them. Lawrence Welk…Hart to Hart…Quincy…The Golden Girls. Those were shows my parents made time to share with us, their kids. But, we kids were second thoughts. It was their time to be happy with each other and not arguing. It became a sick form of therapy, avoiding conflict by diving into television. It conditioned any family member who didn’t find a social life outside the house.
I haven’t done any digging or looking back at Sha Na Na for quite some time. But, it’s hard to forget them. They stood out as much as many of the old advertising “mascots,” like Madge for Palmolive and the Dunkin Donuts guy with his tiny mustache. If Sha Na Na could have latched onto some product, they might have extended their fame with a brand. [Maybe they did, and I’m just forgetting that brand.]
I have some Sha Na Na records and on a whim decided to give them a listen. The live recordings really made me smile and I went over to watch the show on YouTube and instead found myself watching their Woodstock performance which I found magnetic. I watched each video at least 10 times over the next week. I had fond memories of the show, mostly from those moments where both my parents looked relaxed and happy watching it.
Online, I found people who liked them, but also the name being used as a punchline. So I wanted to record a bit of a love letter to the group and show my appreciation.
I could see them being associated with a restaurant chain like Johnny Rockets during its heyday. They would have been fun to see.
I’ve been doing something similar with a group from the late 90s/early 2000s, called STEPS.
I am not sure I want to go back and relive those moments with my parents…that might be triggering, right now.
70s/80s nostalgia for 50s nostalgia! I would say it’s nostalgia all the way down, but pop culture didn’t really seem to start until the 50s. I think? I’m still struggling to figure out what our Greatest Generation grandparents rocked out to. Big Band and Swing was the answer my dad told me. Somehow that seems much less fulfilling than Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly.
When I listen to early music I also wonder how people reacted to it and what feelings it stirred. I can see really getting into some of those swinging songs, especially if you were in a space with people all wanting to dance to it.