Am I truly a "Golden Era" guy?

[Simon82]

It's a rhetorical question, because I know the answer is "no." (For one thing, I could never be comfortable with pants up to my armpits.)

I can't speak for anyone else, but a lot of my love for the 30s and 40s era is one fpr something "lost" (although I'm too young to have "had" it), of not just manners and styles but ways of thinking that seem to be long gone.

My guess is that even if I stepped out of Doc's DeLorean wearing my 30s style fedora, a nice Golden Era suit and ready to show off my swing-dance moves, I'd stand out like a K-Car in a Deusenberg lot.

Why? Because I'd be looking *backward.* Most of the people who instigated all the great styles, slang, literature, movies and other great stuff that period was known for, were looking *forward.* Innovations. Streamlining. Plastic. Nylon. Art Deco. Progress. The future.

Sure there were people then who pined for the horse-and-buggy and who fretted over "Reefer Madness," but as far as I know, they're not represented as the people to emulate from the Golden Era on The Fedora Lounge.

So in my roundabout way of asking, does anyone else feel like they're borrowing against someone else's currency by looking back so much at a time long past? Or can we take the best of then and figure out how to make it work tomorrow?

 

[Lady Day]

.... does anyone else feel like they're borrowing against someone else's currency by looking back so much at a time long past? Or can we take the best of then and figure out how to make it work tomorrow?

I think thats a pretty good definition of being a 'Golden Era Guy'

LD

 

[max the cat]

golden era

many are comfortable still working/performing in a 30's idiom- I wonder if one feels so secure in that musical vocabulary for instance that they are not "dialling it back". I loved wearing 40;s double breasted suits 20 years ago and didnt feel I was borrowing just evolved that way.
Yes the rise on trousers was higher-a pair of trousers made today presupposes the wearers only frame of reference is post 19 60; jeans they sit so low.- I hated the look in the 70s and worse yet had to be there then-convinced that I had been forced to live in some sartorial and musical hell.(wonder if some of the middle age loungers had a similar reaction.....) still one doesnt have to buy the vintage era in totality-interesting that there is more acceptance now than 30 years ago.

max

 

[shindeco]

-a pair of trousers made today presupposes the wearers only frame of reference is post 19 60; jeans they sit so low.- I hated the look in the 70s and worse yet had to be there then-convinced that I had been forced to live in some sartorial and musical hell.(wonder if some of the middle age loungers had a similar reaction.....)

max

I hear you loud and clear!

In response to Simon82's comments: We have the knowledge of what the "modernity" of the time led to (and may think it good or bad; opinions differ). This gives us a totally different outlook that those who were pushing the envelope back in the "good old days"

 

[The Wolf]

I love most things from the 1930s and 1940s however I realize I live in the here and now. I choose what I like from each and leave the rest...much like your salad bar.

Sincerely,
The WOLF

 

[Lady Day]

Mmmm...salad.

LD

 

[Benny Holiday]

I don't define it so much as living in an 'era' as living in a 'style'. That is, I don't live as though it's still 1938; I simply enjoy the aesthetic style that was predominantly popular in that time, in fashion, music, etc.

I'm a product of my 70's and 80's upbringing and of my continuing growth as an adult in the 90's and the new millennium. I don't have a choice in that, and yes, if I did go back in time, with my modern ideas and philosophies I'd stand out like a sore thumb (and no doubt be horrified at the casual racism and stunned to see firsthand a world of reduced medical knowledge that's devoid of modern technology and conveniences, etc).

So I guess you'd say that I live as though the ettiquette, suits, ties, hats, music etc. of the late 30's and early 40's had just continued to be popular through the ensuing decades, that they have remained the classic elements of modern living as humankind has marched on through time.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

Many things from the past have not been improved since. Like Mr. Holiday said, it's as if the years just continued into what we call now the modern age. As far as we can say, it is a "new" 1938", even though it is 2006. It is a revitalization of what has been lost for many years. No, you may not be trying to be from the Golden Era, but you are following many of it's standards.

Who can say that now human's are less friendly? I can. Were they then? Of course, but we believe that everyone was in a sense "friendly". So am I stealing an aspect of the past by being friendly? No. I admire what some parts of society was like, and why it isn't a standard today is beyond me. Has opening a door for a lady lost a place in history? Ladies and gentlemen have not been lost, but they are rare in the present age.

We are a out of date materializm. We cannot live to the standards of the past because those standard no longer exist. Laws have changed, atmosphere has changed, transportation, communication, technology, even restaurants. Things that could have fit in into the past, materials like hat and coat restaurants, classic cars, swing music, hats, clothes, books, nick nacks are still with us. They have yet to rid of the phonebook and post office. We can recreate a limited version atmosphere of the golden age, but we cannot live within it's standards.

That's not to say things of the past that have or haven't been improved could still be and with a little Golden age zing to it.

So there's my end of the pencil.

 

[carebear]

I love most things from the 1930s and 1940s however I realize I live in the here and now. I choose what I like from each and leave the rest...much like your salad bar.

Sincerely,
The WOLF

You have great wisdom Egg Chen.

 

[matei]

Very insightful and interesting thread. I often find myself pondering the same issue.

I believe that we're not necessarily trying to relive or recreate the Golden Era (okay, some people are) but rather take the better elements of yesteryear and incorporate them into the here and now.

Many times I've wondered what the neo-luddites thought of the new fangled ideas and fashions of our beloved Golden Era. ("Didja see that Chrysler Building? What an eyesore!").

Likewise, I also wonder if there will be a "Ballcap Lounge" some 60-odd years in the future, where afficionados of the 1990s - 2000s will congregate, but that is a different thread.

At times I feel a bit like a square peg in a round hole, trying to keep certain "outdated" ideas alive in today's modern world - however I wouldn't change the way I am just to fit in with "Joe Sixpack".

 

[Fletch]

Great topic...altho for my part, if I stepped off that time machine in my duds, I'd be more worried about coming off like a fiberglass Excalibur in a lot full of dove gray Fords.

I am a musician and singer, and musically, I feel just at home (more so, maybe) in the vintage idiom as in the later bag. The soundtrack in my head on a daily basis is swing and pre-swing; that's the rhythm of my life!

I don't "live" the era materially - I couldn't get along without Polarfleece, granola bars or this here computing machine, and I'll now and then be heard to say something's "k3wl" or "creepazoid." But I would feel very depressed indeed without a lot of old stuff around.

So...onward to yesterday! Back to the Future!!!!

 

[BAZ]

Many times the idea of living in the "Good Old Days" springs up.
Me? I'm happpy RIGHT here!! (well, not right HERE, as I'm in work!)
And I'm HAPPY to look back ans pick n mix from different eras!
I can wear my baggy 40's pants, suspenders, a Ben Sherman and a pair of Doc Martins and be happy. I can wear my Rat Pack suit with a pair of creepers and be happy.
Mix n match methinks.
Same with music! I have an iPod, and it will happily jump from Cab Calloway to The Clash to Dean Martin to Slim Harpo to The Supersuckers to Prodigy to Carmina Burana to Big Joe Turner and on and on........

 

[GOK]

As with others here, I like being able to pick and choose what I like from different eras, including the one we live in. I personally have no desire to decorate my home vintage stylee, neither do I want things in it that are going to make my life harder. Spend all day washing? No thank you - when would I get time to play on my PS2? lol

I also like having the luxury of mixing modern clothing with vintage. When I say modern, I actually mean either repro or vintage styled...not the horror that is mainstream fashion these days!

In attitude, I am very much a mixture of vintage and modern; I believe in manners, etiquette and not letting oneself down in public. I believe in ladylike and gentlemanly behaviour and common decency. However, I also believe that a woman doing the same job as a man should be paid the same wage (and it works both ways too), in her right to choose how to live her own life and her right to be treated with respect and not as a chattel. Of course, if she behaves in a manner unworthy of respect then she has nobody but herself to blame!

I don't believe that women are better than men, nor vice versa. I do believe that both genders have differing qualities - which should be celebrated, not suppressed. I also don't believe in the old adage about sauces, geese and ganders. I think both males and females should conduct themselves with d?©corum...at least until they get each other alone!

Would I be able to step out of a time machine and fit into the Golden Era? Absolutely not! I might fit into some Bohemian culture - even then it's doubtful - but there is no way I'd get on with being someone else's something/body. I'd be considered.....completely unsuitable!

 

[Michaelson]

Would I fit in? I guess it all depends on WHERE I'd step off from the time machine.

If I stepped off, say, in the middle of NYC in the mid '30's, no, probably not to well.

If I stepped off, say, in the middle of South Bloomfield, Ohio....yeah, maybe so. Small towns were a bit more laid back in terms of style than larger cities, even though a trip to town was still seen as a big event, and folks dressed to the '9's' before going, you still saw the farmer or blue collar worker walking the same streets in clean denin's, leather jackets and felt hats. In that case, yes, I'd fall somewhere between those 'railroad men gone to town' and the dressier crowd, and would be quite comfortable.

I've dressed and lived that walk my entire life, and in many areas am probably looked upon as an odd individual (not to many folks driving backroads in my area in a 50 Plymouth wearing a fedora these days. ), and with my wild moustache and sideburns, I'm remembered....so I guess I tend to get away with a bit more than others. Ah, one of the few joys of getting older I guess. My gray hairs bespeak the fact that 'this guy don't care no more'. (grins)lol

Getting back to the time machine scenario briefly, I'm fairly well read on the happenings of the time period, so I wouldn't be that lost if I could get my hands on a local newspaper to get caught up on the current happenings, so I'd at least be 'coherent' should I have to engage with someone in conversation on period occurances. I feel I also have a 'leg up' on the situation, as I was raised in a small hometown that remained essentially unchanged in it's habits, practices, and locations until the mid 60's, so it wouldn't be that big a stretch if I were dropped in the middle of MY hometown in the 30's. Nothing much would have changed for another 30 years.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[BAZ]

Of course, a lot of nostalgia is viewed through rose tinted glasses.
When all we see is the GOOD stuff, we can get a biased view of the past.
Hah, "biased" being a good word for the eras we "love".
Sure, the music was cool the cars were cool, the clothing was cool.
But what if you were piss poor and homeless? Or had a disease that needed expensive medicines?
It's been pointed out that people today are "softer" than in the past.
We've had it too cushy for too long!!
We're all so used to THIS era's conveniences, we'd be haed pushed to live without them!!

 

[Michaelson]

True, very true. Then again, there are the side issues to that. Using the medical problem point you made above, at least doctors made house calls, and used the barter system, so the poor DID get good medical help at the time. Try to get someone to even answer a question on the phone now at a doctor's office! Sorry....another tangent...

Regards! Michaelson

 

[carebear]

Don't underestimate your resilience.

Most reasonably competant people, put into difficult circumstances bear up and muddle through. Think of soft civvie kids becoming Marines. People are able to toughen up pretty quick when they have to.

As far as being poor or unfortunate. What's the diff between then and now? The only difference I can see is life was a lot less legally regulated and the potential for self-improvement was much higher. You didn't have to have a wall full of meaningless degrees to open a business you were capable of doing based on personal knowledge and will.

 

[Fletch]

It's been pointed out that people today are "softer" than in the past.

Don't be too seduced by that theory. Too often it's used in the service of historical revisionism, by people who have a political or cultural agenda. I imagine if you took people from 1940 and exposed them to gangsta rap, airline security checks, teenage fashion or crummy customer service, they'd probably recoil in fear and disgust at things we take more or less in stride. Who's the softy then?

It's all relative. Let's be grateful that we have the alternatives we do and don't need to be hardy pioneers, with survival constantly as priority A. The people of 1940 – at least those in modest comfort – surely felt the same way looking back at 1875.

We're all so used to THIS era's conveniences, we'd be haed pushed to live without them!!

I dunno. I sometimes think that if necessity demanded it, I'd get into the rhythm of that lifestyle pretty readily.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

I don't live vintage to such an extent that I feel out of place, but I think I may be a minority here. I don't yearn for the naivete or simplicity of the golden era as I'm sure some people do. I wouldn't want to live then.

I believe some things in life are timeless. Class. Style. Ethic. Art. I just enjoy seeing these things live on through other people (you guys) and I try and preserve these things in myself as best I can in today's society.

The Golden Era is a period of history that I'm fond of and it is the appreciation of it that makes up my character, not the practice of imitation.

 

[GOK]

Don't be too seduced by that theory. Too often it's used in the service of historical revisionism, by people who have a political or cultural agenda. I imagine if you took people from 1940 and exposed them to gangsta rap, airline security checks, teenage fashion or crummy customer service, they'd probably recoil in fear and disgust at things we take more or less in stride. Who's the softy then?

Unless of course, they happened to have monikers such as Lucky, Scarface etc

It's all relative. Let's be grateful that we have the alternatives we do and don't need to be hardy pioneers, with survival constantly as priority A. The people of 1940 – at least those in modest comfort – surely felt the same way looking back at 1875.

Too true. I do think we have an overblown romantic vision of the past. I for one don't want to have to 'make do', worry about being bombed or be expected to spend my waking hours working my fingers to the bone doing something that today takes me less time than I spend in the bath. And do without modern conveniences such as indoor toilets, soft loo roll, hot water on demand and central heating? Yeah right!

But if I had to, I would. I know I could cope if necessity demanded it. I'd probably moan like anything about it but I'd do it. I may have a housekeeper to do my cleaning, a tumble dryer to dry my clothes, a lovely warm house at the flick of a switch and access to practically all the food and drink money can buy but it doesn't mean I am so cossetted that I couldn't manage if I was suddenly transported back in time 60 years. If anything, I think it'd be the other way around - people wouldn't be able to cope with me! lol