A Bowl of Stupid

I woke up yesterday nursing a hangover and wishing there was something on television to recover with besides Thai talk shows and BBC world news. It got me thinking about the shows I used to watch on Saturday mornings when I was a kid growing up in the States (I may have been hung over back then too, who knows…).

Most of the shows I watched were originally produced from the late 60′s through the late 70′s. If you were’t around back then, chances are you’re never ever EVER gonna understand why they were popular. Hell, I was there and I still can’t believe I watched this crap! You just had to be there to fully understand how BIZARRE things really got.

Jackson 5

This show was actually kinda cool to watch back in the day (back before Micheal Jackson became the freak he is now). This is probably best explained by the fact that none of the actual J5 did their own voices. As a sidenote, is it just me, or do all the J5 songs sound exactly alike?

Ultraman

Ultraman was a live action, ‘tokusatsu’ show produced in Japan in the late 60′s by the same guys who did the original Godzilla flicks. I still get ‘warm fuzzies’ seeing this silly intro for the original show.

Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot

This was another 60′s Japanese show that obviously capitalized on Ultraman. Despite the theft, I still thought this show was the coolest thing since Pixie Stix … cuz when you’re 10, who the fuck cares about intellectual property rights?

Hong Kong Phooey

Although not a favorite, I watched this show all the time, simply because I loved the opening song and with no remote contol, I usually wound up watching the whole thing (until I saw Scatman Crothers in The Shining and got creeped out just by hearing his voice).

Land of the Lost

I haven’t seen this intro for over 20 years, and I can STILL sing the entire thing — word for word. Now THAT’S staying power. Umm … did I say that out loud? Sleeeeee-staaaack!!

Sigmund and the Sea Monsters

Now we’re getting into some of the true 60′s hallucinogenic-based live action shows that were once the staple of Saturday morning TV. This particular show is a major influence for me personally, and is probably the main reason why I: (1) started surfing; (2) have taken copious amounts of hallucinogenic drugs over the past 20 years; and (3) can talk to dolphins.

The Banana Splits

Now here’s a little bit of 1970′s perfection that’s desperately needed in today’s world — a Banana Splits world tour (and a healthy dose some good hallucinogens) would make the world such a happier place.

HR Puffnstuff

Last but DEFINITELY not least is this show, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft from 1969 until 1972. Puffnstuff was the absolute epitome of 1970′s hallucinogenic-spawned children’s television series (starting to see a pattern here?).

And regardless of what the Krofft’s say, I’m one of those who firmly believes ‘H.R. Pufnstuf’ is just one giant drug reference. Who knows? Maybe it’s not … but considering how often I watched the show as a kid, it sure would explain a WHOLE hell of a lot about how I spent my time during the 25 years that followed.