The '60s and '70s with Tony Bucher

Histories of the 1960s and 1970s generally fail to take the 1970s fully and properly into account. While these decades hold compelling interest for historians and those who came of age then, the prevailing narratives tend to focus on sensational stories from the late 1960s, reflecting the extremes of the counterculture. These talks aim to tell the stories of the whole period by focusing on three seemingly unremarkable years: 1964, 1971, and 1977, uncovering trends in popular culture and lived experiences of that time and highlighting the astonishing cultural transformations that took place.By focusing on the significant cultural, social, and political events of each year, these talks aim to reveal some of the broader trends that shaped the nation throughout these two decades, and to revel in examples of the brilliant, idiosyncratic culture and sheer weirdness that marked so much of the era. Join us to try to make sense of it all, with the gift of more than 50 years’ hindsight and accumulated wisdom.
Series Schedule and Content

1964: The Foreshadowing (Presentation on March 17)
As the world reels from the Kennedy assassination, the Beatles land in America, Kitty Genovese is murdered in Queens, students protest for free speech on the UC Berkeley campus, LBJ signs the Civil Rights Act, and Bob Dylan declares that ‘the times they are achanging.’ 1964 is a year of powerful foreshadowing of trends and events of the coming decades.
1971: The Creative Depths (Presentation on March 24)
Violent crime and urban decay leave vast areas of America's cities unfit for habitation. Films like Jane Fonda’s Klute capture the pervasive fear and existential dread in New York and other big cities. Overseas, more than 2400 young American soldiers die in Vietnam this year. Meanwhile, a flowering of zeitgeist pop music like Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, and cult films like A Clockwork Orange come to the fore as the old order in popular culture collapses and artists are left to plumb the creative depths by their own rules. So much has changed in a mere 7 years.
1977: Boogie Nights (Presentation on March 31)
Nixon is gone, the Vietnam War is history, and the year of Boogie Nights arrives with the dawn of the Jimmy Carter presidency. A heady mix of decay and opulence marks the rise of party culture at Studio 54. The Son of Sam haunts lovers’ lanes as punk rock launches at CBGB. The gritty streets of New York serve as the backdrop for great films like Saturday Night Fever and Annie Hall, and the global pop music machine turns out songs for the ages like Hotel California and Dancing Queen. In this year the hardy shoots of renewal emerge from the rough soils of the 1970s.

About the Presenter

Tony Bucher came of age in one of the few places that mattered in the 1970s: Berkeley, California. Tony is a columnist with the Irish Herald newspaper and has presented talks on the history of the 1970s and Irish America at the Mechanics' Institute as well as academic conferences and literary festivals in Ireland and the US. He holds a BA in History from UC Berkeley and an MA from Columbia University.

Cancellation Policy

We reserve the right to cancel at any time and issue a full refund. If you are unable to attend this series, please email [email protected] by Friday, March 14, 2025, to receive a full refund less any non-refundable ticketing fees which may be applicable. All fees must be paid at the time of registration. After Friday, March 14, 2025 no refunds will be issued.

Questions? Please contact [email protected].

Host or Publisher Mechanics' Institute