Monday, July 07, 2008

it's just a passing phase

From the "Dear Josie" advice column in Josie & The Pussycats #73 (December 1973), a poignant look at the problems facing yesterday's youth:


Wow. Josie takes the "tough love" approach to a whole new level. The quotation marks around "groovy" and "bells" give the proceedings a certain Jack Webb je ne sais quoi:

"Flares," "bells," "Bolivian boot-cuts" -- cute "with it" names for something as insidious as communist ideology. You kids need to realize that crimes against fashion are no laughing matter.

While Josie's rather harsh response to poor L.J. overlooked the possibility that kids can be capriciously cruel to their peers, I do concur that wearing bell bottoms is never the solution.

Sparks - Angst in My Pants (from Angst in My Pants, 1982) - This fine slice of quirky new wave pop was inspired by Kierkegaard's Edifying Discourses on the Dread Associated with One's Trousers Tenting Up at Inopportune Moments (itself a response to Hegel's Wissenschaft der Kameltoe).

Orbital - Pants (from The Blue Album, 2004) - This is one of two trouserly tracks featured on Orbital's final album. (The other track, "Acid Pants," was done in collaboration with -- surprise, surprise -- Sparks. Such is the power of pants-love.)

First Choice - Smarty Pants (from Armed and Extremely Dangerous, 1973) - The first days of disco.

4 comments:

Bully said...

And thus "LJ whining" was born.

Anonymous said...

Hegel's "Wissenschaft der Kameltoe?" I had a prof who used to reference that. Used to wear short shorts as well...

Max said...

Well, Josie's advice may be harsh, but I'm here to tell ya that the parachute pants I had to have did nothing to improve either my self-esteem or my social standing.

Then again I grew up just a few miles up the road from Fowlerville (locally known as Fowlertuckey) in Howell MI. Maybe it's a Livingston County thing, this obsession with pants.

klah said...

Here here, good advice Mr. BitterAndrew. Bell bottoms is really not the answer.