Remember The 60s Patricia Masso (Editor). A Book Review:The lady's skirt became shorter and the man's hair grew longer. One became the 'mini' and the other 'hippie.'
The 60s was a brave new world as astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin walked the moon . The Pill gave men and women a chance to experiment and help "usher in a new era of sexual freedom (p 29)" while Big Mac "rocked the hamburger world" to cater to "American overindulgence (p 51)."
And in an era of the VW Beetle, Jaguar E, Andy Warhol, Op Art and Rosemary's Baby, 60s music fans will be delighted when the book discusses: Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Hair, The Musical and West Side Story. Smaller than an iPad but larger than a pocket book, this cute coffee table reader boasts 175 pages of 60s "objects and moments of a swinging era."
The glossy coloured images and visually beautiful black and white photographs have been attuned to tell 60s short stories in 6 exciting chapters. Lots of fun reading that includes: Che Guevara, Mary Quant, Brigitte Bardot, Mars Bar, Wet Look Coat, the Lava Lamp and the bane of Singapore authorities - Chewing Gum! The book is in three languages, English, French and Dutch.
"The Age of Aquarius was memorable and momentous... we were... growing up... testing... hoping ... our actions would change the world (Introduction)." It's new in the market, printed in 2010 by Tectum Publishers. If you want to know the 60s in a nutshell, here's the book you can read in a day. The photographs take a longer time.
And the downside to this book? It's a glimpse into the past, so expect less than a 100 words for each item discussed.
Available at our Singapore National Library: NLB 306.09046
Original article: Andy Lim. (This posting is not an advertisement.)
5 comments:
Hi Andy,
It was really nice chatting with you this evening. I was going through some of the blog pages, and I find it all very intriguing.
I guess reading this book would be a good place for me to start to get some insight into Singapore's 60s.
Cheers,
Curam
Hi Narsi,
Your composture at the bench and the glittering guitar you strum at Academic Road struck me as someone with confidence, and intelligence.
Your guitar play is great and explains the genre of music you appreciate.
Thank you for the revealing conversation. I think I may have asked too many questions but like I said, speaking to the young has always been interesting.
It's a learning process but some are intimidated with my rather alarming rhetoric.
I hope you will learn to play some more 60s music. Please keep in touch, if only through this blog.
Andy,
I had been strumming that guitar for about an hour and a half during which many a man passed by, not a word exchanged, yet you came along and sparked off a refreshing and lively conversation. I wish I get to meet more people in my life, with an enthusiasm for music and a zest for life such as yourself.
Thanks again, Curam,
Appreciate your positivity. Please keep in touch.
I hope you will start a blog too.
Our growing up years then so should be an interesting read. Thank you, Andy. Your blog is a veritable mine of information on 60s music. Keep up the good work.
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