1980s, 1990s: Iconic Bands & Music Culture

     Music, like it did in the 1950s and 60s, had a significant impact on the culture of the 1980s up to the 2000s. While in the former decades, rock and roll, Elvis, and a black radio presence added to a more politically and socially diverse generation. Rock and roll music was edgy and effective, and being denounced in society, youth were only more attracted to it. Parents believed that rock and roll would ruin their kids, but this new musical counterculture movement only created a new generation of American youth. Similarly, bands emerged in the 1980s and 1990s who proved vital to a new underground punk movement, and catered to teens and young people who were unhappy with the political climate. Bands of the 1980s and 1990s channeled their emotions to call out the technological boom, political movements, economic recessions, and question what it meant to be an American. Here are some of the most popular bands of the time.


1) Nirvana: (1987-1994)
Kurt Cobain was an influential leader in the grunge movement, and Nirvana is regarded as one of the most influential alternative bands in history. Although after the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, the band, to this day, remains popular with hits like "Heart Shaped Box", "Smells like Teen Spirit", and "Come As You Are". Dissimilar from previous bands, Nirvana relied on "dynamic contrasts" between "quiet verses and loud, heavy choruses". Their success made alternative rock a popular genre, and Cobain also found himself popular as the "spokesman" of Generation X. Generation X was perceived to be the "directionless and disaffected" generation; many seemed to align themselves with Kurt's "yuppie dream" lifestyle. The grunge movement followed the integration of Nirvana into the mainstream, and this "Seattle Sound" became popular in the Northwest US. Grunge bands started to appear in the California music scene, and then other parts of the US and even in Australia. Although grunge bands had vaded away by the end of the 1990s, modern rock music has been influenced by the sounds, and created even a post grunge era. 



2) Green Day: (1986-present)
Green Day is a fairly local band; lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt were born and raised in Rodeo, California (about an hour form Berkeley) where they came together and formed the band "Sweet Children" when they were teens in the early '80s. Changing their name to "Green Day" in the following years & picking up Tre Cool on drums, they gained popularity in the East Bay, playing at the popular Berkeley venue "924 Gilman". 924 Gilman was formed as a nonprofit music venue for all ages in 1986, and since has made bands like Operation Ivy, The Dead Kennedy's and Green Day easy to be sought out by record companies. After signing with major label Reprise Records, Green Day was virtually shunned from the Gilman scene, being called "sellouts" and isolated from even their closest of friends. Forced to leave the area and even forbidden to play at Gilman, they toured the United States in the following years. "Punk Purists" looked at Green Day's switch from independent record label Lookout! Records as untrue to their punk roots. With Dookie being released in 1994, the band became famous on an international level- even playing at the enormous Woodstock '94 music festival. Not later, they released albums including Insomniac, Nimrod (Good Riddance: Time of Your Life), Warning, and then most famously- their 2004 album American Idiot. American Idiot questioned the Bush administration's choice to invade Iraq- as many of the lyrics in "American Idiot" refer to Bush's inability to be president. I  think the line "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" highlights many of the popular sentiments of the time; punk was starting to address the American political climate and not just teen angst. 



3) Blink-182:
By now, I have mentioned the grunge Seattle movement brought down the coast and around the US by Nirvana, who gained international popularity. Green Day emerged as one of the leaders of the punk movement, shattering the underground punk scene which left them isolated from the smaller grassroots bands. Blink-182 emerged from the "skate parks of Socal" and soon became thrust into the mainstream with their most famous album "Enema of the State". The album, appealing to the Generation X, included hit songs like "What's my Age Again?" which "became a frantic anthem for anyone unwilling to go gracefully into adulthood". The interesting thing about Blink was that the band was considered influential in developing pop punk- the interaction of pop music into the fast pace punk rock. This new genre was more "radio friendly" and "accessible" than prior pure punk bands. In 2011, the New York Times said "no punk band of the 1990s has been more influential than blink 182". Although I disagree, to an extent, many of their stylistic choices and tendencies can be "heard in Fall out Boy... All Time Low & The Maine" . Ultimately, Blink appealed to Generation X, and created a culture of pop punk that has, to this day, remained popular.


Other bands like The Cranberries, Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blind Melon also emerged during the 1990s/1980s- which altered the musical landscape of the United States. While some groups like The Offspring and Green Day stayed true to their punk roots, bands like Blink-182 combined pop melodies to create a "newer" medium of music. Looking at how Rock and Roll, an offset of the Blues/jazz influenced 1950s/60s counterculture, I think it is interesting to see the degree of similarity in '90s.









Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Yohannan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/924_Gilman_Street
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(band)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grunge
https://www.theguardian.com/music/from-the-archive-blog/2014/apr/05/kurt-cobain-an-icon-of-alienation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink-182
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/reviving-the-pop-punk-innocence-of-blink-182

Effects of Chernobyl: 30 Years Later

The Chernobyl nuclear meltdown happened on April 26th, 1986, when Ukraine was still a part of the USSR. The disaster occured during a systems test at Reactor Number 4, when there was a huge surge of power output. It led for a reactor to rupture, causing explosions and a cloud of toxic radioactive mass to fly out. Not only did the radioactive waste cover Ukraine, but drifted over Western Europe, with 60% of the fallout landing in Belarus. As a result, from 1986 to 2000, around 350,000 people were taken out of their homes and resettled into less contaminated areas. Although there were only 31 deaths that happened because of the accidents, there have been as many as 68 from the radiation. While a 2006 report suggested that 30,000-60,000 cancer deaths have been related to Chernobyl, others have estimated around 200,000 deaths. However, nearly 400 million people were exposed to the contamination with radioactivity levels greater than 4kBq/m2, and as of 2009, when the quote was given, "nearly 5 million people still live with dangerous levels of radioactive contamination in Belarus, Ukraine, and European Russia".

To cover the Unit 4 reactor, a concrete and metal structure was built to stop the radioactivity from leaving into the atmosphere. Not soon after the explosion, a 30 kilometer exclusion zone was created so people do not go into the most hazardous of areas. It is the most radioactively contaminated region in the entire world. However, contrary to popular belief, a lot of wildlife is actually thriving in the Exclusion Zone. Although there has been widespread publication of mutations, the some animal species as a whole have adapted to the radioactivity. After the initial explosion at reactor 4, many of the animals died out in the first 6 months. But as time went on, their populations began to recover.

1) The Red Forest:
The Red Forest refers to a patch of forest which took much of the brunt of the radioactive fallout. As a result, some trees actually took on a crimson shade from the toxic elements. I watched a documentary on Animal Planet a year or so ago, and it mentioned that the Red Forest was hit with so much radioactivity, that the leaves that fell on the ground in April 1986, have yet to be decomposed. Trees grow at a much slower rate, and there are very few natural decomposers like spiders and insects. With over 30 years of leaf litter and other non-decomposable material, the Red Forest and other forested regions in the Exclusion Zone are a huge fire risk to the region. A burning nuclear fallout zone is a severe threat to the air quality of much of Europe.

2) Bird Species:
The bird species in Chernobyl have been found to adapt to the ionizing radiation, meaning, they were able to continue reproducing after the original explosion. However, the exposure to radiation caused genetic damage in species, and increased the mutation rates. They have been found with cataracts in their eyes and smaller brains. With radiation in the air, water and food, many birds have mutatedsperm, and in some areas male bird populations are 40% sterile.

3) Catfish Species; River Monsters:
A couple of years ago, Animal Planet ran an episode of River Monsters where they traveled to Chernobyl to try to catch a catfish living in the cooling ponds of the nuclear reactors, specifically Reactor 4. The coolings ponds of the reactor have allowed for Wells catfish populations to live in isolation, without predators and more than enough prey. They are able to feed on decomposing material and small plant and animal life. Catfish caught were found to have 16x more radiation than normal, and can grow up to alarming sizes.

4) Wolves: the Apex Predator
The Chernobyl zone has up to 400 wolves, with the region having the highest density of wolves on the entire planet Earth. They have taken over the abandoned factories and buildings in Chernobyl and other areas of Pripyat, and even their carcasses can be deadly if touched by a human. The wolves eat prey that have radiation levels 50x the normal amount; and it has been noted that their behavior is much more wild than normal North American wolves. For wolves to travel out of the Pripyat area is a severe threat, because they would come with radiation. However, although these wolves are concentrated with radioactive materials, scientists have found them to be in good shape. They can hunt during both day and night, as there are no humans or other predators to get in their way. The wolf population grows rapidly, and is 7x more concentrated here than anywhere else.

Ultimately, Chernobyl remains a sad reminder that humans have the potential to destroy an entire ecosystem. It also showed Gorbachev that the Soviet Union was severely lacking resources in their non-military sectors, and that changes had to be made to make its economy stronger. Continuing the Cold War was no excuse to continue manufacturing dilapidated and ill-maintained technologies like the Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant. Today, Chernobyl continues to draw ecologists and scientists alike from all over the world to better understand the effects of radiation and make sure something like this never happens again.

Photos:
1) Behavioral changes in Chernobyl's growing wolf population has been observed
2) Mutated pine trees grow in the Red Forest
3) Mutated Bird Species
4) Highly radioactive Wells catfish caught in Chernobyl
5) Reactor Unit 4 explosion
6) Chernobyl Exclusion Zones






Sources:
http://chernobylgallery.com/chernobyl-disaster/what-is-chernobyl/
https://www.earthtouchnews.com/wtf/wtf/yes-there-are-giant-catfish-in-chernobyls-cooling-pond-but-theyre-not-radiation-mutants/
http://theconversation.com/at-chernobyl-and-fukushima-radioactivity-has-seriously-harmed-wildlife-57030
https://www.ranker.com/list/strange-chernobyl-radioactive-animals/cynthia-griffith
https://chernobylguide.com/chernobyl_wolves/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/forests-around-chernobyl-arent-decaying-properly-180950075/

Charles Manson & the Manson Family Murders

        Charles Manson is a name you may have recently heard, as he died only in November of last year.  Manson became prominent in the 1960s, as the leader of the "Manson family" cult that was responsible for killing pregnant actress Sharon Tate and several others. As a result of his crimes, Manson was sentenced to death in 1971 but was then sentenced to life in prison. The Manson Family was a "commune" that was established in the 1960s, as Manson became a "guru" in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury during the 1967 "Summer of Love" and the emergence of the counterculture movement. A said "scientologist", Manson recruited mainly women into his group, and taught them ideologies which implied that he was Christ, and that "they were the reincarnation of the original Christians". The group numbers varied at different times, yet many of them supported and enjoyed the "Manson Family" lifestyle which included frequent LSD and mushroom use. In 1968, the Family moved to an unoccupied ranch- where the beginning of Manson's "Helter Skelter" fanaticism began.

          In the late 1960s, when the Beatles "White Album" was released, Manson became obsessed with the boy band. Indeed, when talking to the rest of his family members, he emphasized that the Beatles were the "soul", and that "he could surpass the group in fame". In terms of what "Helter Skelter" is, it was originally a Beatles song, but Manson interpreted the term as "an apocalyptic war arising from racial tensions between blacks and whites."Although Manson's exact interpretations of the Beatles lyrics are extensive, he basically twisted up their meanings so that he entwined both religion and psychedelics in a highly misinterpreted way. He told the Family that the blacks would rise up and rebel against whites- a prediction he stated that he had made, but the Beatles had as well. Awkwardly and insanely enough, Manson also claimed that the Beatles "White Album" was a code for the Manson Family to follow to "preserve the worthy" from the upcoming "race war". After moving from the desert ranch to a home in Canoga Park (a yellow home which was referred to as the "Yellow Submarine"), Manson decided that the Family was to make a musical album which would somehow trigger the apocalypse to begin. Talk about an extreme Beatles fan...

     Although Manson and the Family committed several other murders before the murder of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Steven Parent, and Wojciech Frykowski, the death of Sharon Tate was one of the most publicized crimes of that time.  Why this home in particular? Manson was snubbed by the previous renter of the home, as he never showed up to help Manson finish his record. On August 8th, 1969, Manson ordered Tex Watson to kill everyone within the home at Cielo Drive, Los Angeles. Telling Watson, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian and Patricia Krenwinkel to go to the house and "totally destroy everyone in it, as gruesome as you can". Actress Sharon Tate, who was 8 months pregnant, was brutally stabbed 16 times. Folger was stabbed 28 times, and Frykowski a total of 51 times. Not only had Manson told his followers to kill everyone in the home, but told the women to "leave a sign...something witchy". As a result, using a bloodied towel, Susan Atkins wrote "PIGs" on the front of the house using Sharon's blood. But the Family was not done yet, the next night they killed Leno and Rosemary Bianca. Manson was annoyed at how panicked the victims at Cielo Drive were, so he wanted to show his followers how to correctly execute a mass murder. Using a bayonet, Leno was stabbed 12 times, and the word "WAR" was literally carved into his stomach. Rosemary was stabbed 41 times; before the Family left, they wrote "Helter Skelter" on the refrigerator. After extensive searching, Manson and his family members were found and arrested. Charles Manson was denied parole 12 times, and has shown zero "remorse for the murders".

     Manson's will go out as one of the most sadistic, yet charismatic 5'2" criminal in all of American history. Said to be "off the charts-evil", it was his crimes, as well as the crimes of his Family that led to the end of the decade of Love. The Helter Skelter/psychedelic influence on the Manson family was often used as justification of why NOT to use drugs. Although the Manson family was looking and living like a normal group of "hippies", their actions made  it clear that hippies were also totally capable to commit violent crimes. The countercultural movement was hurt by these "rogue Manson-ite hippies", changing the campaign and its message in the coming years.

Pictures:
1) Charles Manson
2) "PIGs" written on Tate home
3) Manson Family (note: mainly female)
4) "Healter Skelter" written on LaBianca's fridge
5)Beatles White Album: Helter Skelter

   








Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manson_Family
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate_murders
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/10/california.manson.murders/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manson_Family#Helter_Skelter
https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/us/manson-family-murders-fast-facts/index.html
https://www.biography.com/people/charles-manson-9397912
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/11/20/brutally-killed-by-charles-mansons-followers-sharon-tate-became-the-face-of-victims-rights/?utm_term=.1c800752fdcf

Rachel Carson: Silent Spring & the Fight Against DDT

   
          Rachel Carson was the woman behind the environmental movement of the 1960s, whose dedication to environmental advocacy allowed the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and even the banning of DDT become a reality in the United States. Although the general health of the nation improved with the "Environmental Revolution" in the late 1960s, the banning of DDT was a huge turning point in American history. So, what is DDT? DDT stands for dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, and was first developed in the 1940s. Its initial use was to get rid of parasitic bugs and control insects in crops and livestock. It was also used in WWII to kill mosquito populations to control malaria. Other insect borne diseases like the bubonic plague, typhus , and yellow fever was also put in check by DDT. Colorless, odorless, and "harmless", it was often the pesticide of choice by thousands of Americans. What makes DDT dangerous is that it is a organochlorine, which means that it cannot dissolve in water- but can and will dissolve in fats. As a result, DDT can build up in the fatty tissues of animals who have been exposed. For example, when eagles ate fish who had been exposed to DDT, the substance bioaccumulated in their own bodies- prohibiting them from producing adequate eggs. Instead, eagle and bird eggs were lacking strong, calcium based eggshells. When DDT levels in their bodies accumulated, eagles and other birds laid eggs that were incredibly thin, and their babies died before they could even hatch. Bioaccumulation caused for DDT to move up the food chain, going from small organisms like frogs and fish to predatory birds like hawks, condors, and even pelicans. It has also been found that DDT exposure can cause liver damage and potentially cancer, nervous system defects, and even the decline of reproductive health in humans.
        Carson's book, Silent Spring was integral in spurring forward the modern environmental movement. It was in the mid 1940s that Carson became aware of the effects of pesticides, which were being developed since WWII. 4 years of research would go into her novel. During the process, Carson found that dozens of scientists were aware of the physical and environmental effects of pesticides, filling her book with credible sources and other conclusive evidence. Silent Spring referred to the idea that after all the birds died, there would be not even a single sound near a riverbed or a spring. Interestingly enough, the decline of eagle populations because  the United States was killing its very mascot with a synthetic pesticide. Right before the publication of the novel, Carson found a lump in her breast, and proceeded to get a mastectomy. However, it was too late and her cancer was metastasizing. Yet, Carson pushed on, publishing her book after final revisions in 1961 and 1962. In her novel, her main arguments were that pesticides were harmful for the environment, and although they should not be eliminated completely- they should be put under check and reduced. As pesticide use increased, they did not just kill the target pest, but could harm other larger and more complex organisms. Birds were obviously an integral focus of the novel.
      Carson also criticized chemical companies for blatantly lying about their product, as misinforming the public was a major factor of the decline of the bird populations. After publishing her novel, Carson received pushback from major DDT production companies. Companies like DuPont (DDT) and Velsicol Chemical Company were some of the first corporations to respond to the novel. The latter threatened Carson with a legal battle, and even chemists from around the world were critical of her analysis. One man went on to say that "If a man were to follow the teachings of Miss Carson, we would return to the Dark Ages, and the insects and diseases and vermin would once again inherit the earth". Analysing this phrase, the apparent sexism in the American field of science can be seen.
      After her death from cancer, her legacy lived on: "Silent Spring altered the balance of power in the world", said Patricia Hynes. Even posthumously, Carson became the leader of the modern Environmental movement. The 1967 formation of the Environmental Defence Fund was one of the major factors behind the elimination of DDT. They stated that the government had the responsibility to "establish a citizen's right to a clean environment". The Environmental Protection Agency coupled with the 1972 (FIFRA; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act) also were a part of the domino effect that followed after Silent Spring.

Pictures:
1) Rachel Carson
2) Thin shelled bird eggs
3)DDT being sprayed
4) Questionable US DDT advertisment
5) Lets spray a toxic chemical in our hair!






















Sources:
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson
2) https://www.nrdc.org/stories/story-silent-spring
3)https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/ddt-brief-history-and-status
4) https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-ddt-history-impacts-1708897

1963: Alcatraz's Decomissioning

       On March 21st, 1963, Alcatraz Prison in the San Francisco Bay shut down for good. The last numbers of prisoners were transferred, while the 12 acre island lay bare. Although during the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement, McCarthyism, and the inauguration of JFK were mainly the prominent focus of Americans and society. But, I have always believed that the history of Alcatraz is an integral part to both the history of the Bay Area, and interesting in terms of learning more about the judicial and prison systems of the United States. Indeed, its history after its decommissioning is even more incredible- as it was occupied by Native Americans from San Francisco who were "part of a wave of Native activism across the nation, with public protests through the 1970s".
    The history of Alcatraz Island itself begins in 1775, when Juan Manuel de Ayala discovered the islands. Due to the large population of pelicans, the island was then named "Isla de los Alcatraces"- or Island of the Pelicans. Used as a Civil War fort, and then consequently a military prison in 1907, it was notorious for being virtually "inescapable". The "cold, strong, hazardous currents of the waters of San Francisco Bay" made Alcatraz isolated and a perfect spot for prisoners, starting with POWs during the Civil War. This included Confederates who had come to the west, and even Hopi Native Americans. While inmates, before 1867, inmates had been living in the guardhouse basement, but that year the first brick jailhouse was created. As time progressed, and America revolutionized both economically and socially, the island also changed. It was in August of 1934 that Alcatraz was labeled as a federal prison, when the US Department of Justice took over the island. Its geography was altered to make more efficient buildings, and the influx of prisoners began to trickle in. On the morning of August 11, 1934, the very first group of prisoners came to Alcatraz. They came to Alcatraz guarded by around 60 FBI agents. Mainly murderers and bank robbers, they would be closely guarded by 155 members of staff- who were trained in high security but but rehabilitation. Some of the kids and families of the staff actually lived on the island!

Who were some of the inmates?
1) Al Capone:

2) Robert Franklin Stroud: "The Birdman":

3) George "Machine Gun" Kelly:

4) Alvin "Creepy" Karpis:


Were there any escape attempts?
The Anglin Brothers and Frank Morris:
     Six months before their planned escape, Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin, and John Anglin began to formulate their plan. They used items like broken vacuum cleaner motors, spoons, and other stolen items to drill holes around the air vents in their rooms. After they made the holes, they were able to meet in an empty corridor. Here, they used over 5o raincoats to make a raft in order to escape. They used hot steam and stitching. They used leftover food materials and cloth to place dummies into their beds to trick the prison guards. The state prison was in operation for 29 years. During that time, 36 attempted to escape. "23 were caught alive, size were shot and killed during their escape, two drowned, and 5 are listed" as being presumably dead through drowning.
     Unfortunately, Alcatraz had to close due to the high price of maintaining the jail. It cost around $3 for each prisoner every day in an Atlanta, Georgia, prison, but around $10 at Alcatraz. Its location on the sea also caused erosion by salt water, and many started protesting the release of sewage in the Bay as well. Thus, in 1963 all inmates were transferred to Illinois and the federal penitentiary was shut down. There was also a 19 month Native American occupation of the island. In November of 1969, a mainly college student group, the "United Indians of All Tribes" occupied the island in the name of protecting "federal policies related to American Indians". Many of the students were the descendants of Native Americans who had to relocated into the city through the "Bureau of Indian Affairs'" policies that sought to assimilate Natives into American society. Individuals demanded that the island would have an Indian education center and cultural opportunities. Some even claimed that the Treaty of Fort Laramie "promised to return all retired, returned, or out of use federal lands to the Native peoples from whom it was acquired". During this period of 19 months, several buildings were damaged and graffitied as well. Nixon, during the indian occupation created a new policy of self determination.








http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/alcatraz-closes-its-doors
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Island#Military_prison
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/01/24/a-man-claims-three-alcatraz-prisoners-barely-survived-a-1962-escape-and-that-hes-one-of-them/?utm_term=.311094f47a7f