On recent travels, I picked up a "Fallout Shelter" sign in a curiosity shop, and I nailed it to the fence up by the street in front of my house.
My kids started asking me what the deal was, and I started talking about how we grew up on the ’60s and ’70s (and for folks a bit older than me, the ’50s) under the constant threat of "commies" dropping atomic bombs on us. So much time has passed that we can laugh about it now, and I guess I consider the "Fallout Shelter" sign a bit of nostalgic kitsch. And if anyone wants to take the sign seriously and haul up in my basement, there are a lot of CDs down there to play.
I also mentioned the films they used to show via projector, about how to ostensibly protect yourself in the event of a nuclear attack. Almost immediately, one of my sons found this video, which brought back plent of memories:
What's up with the monkey holding the firecracker on a string? I didn't know they had suicide bombers back in the '50s!
And I don't know about that turtle surviving a nuclear blast, but those diligent, adult-obeying, all-American kids stood no chance whatsoever, unless they were ducking and covering inside a lead-lined room.
The powers that be obviously didn't want to tell us about the effects of radiation back then. I don't remember seeing any films about eyewitness accounts from Hiroshima or Nagasaki ...
I spent lunchtime Tuesday in Pittsburgh at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, watching the Jason Kendall Band play a set. I'd heard (and really enjoyed) his CD "Cooper Doesn't Live Here Anymore," and I'd intended to see him play one night in California, PA, before Hillary Clinton decided to make a campaign stop at the local university and I had to film that.
Here's a video of "St. Augustine," which closed the show. I'll post more soon, including footage of Jason showing off his prowess on the saxophone.
And thanks to Ron, who was manning the soundboard for the festival's main stage and let me patch right into the soundboard!
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