1. Carefully look at the photos of David Bowie (1973), the New York Dolls (1973) and Slade (1974). Please note that these performers were associated with a subgenre of Rock and Roll known as Glam (alternately referred to as Glitter Rock), a style of music and performance that occurred in the United States and Great Britain in the early 1970s.
- Describe how the performers are dressed.
- What are some professional or artistic reasons why performers might dress this way?
- What reactions might a teenager receive for dressing this way in public?
2. Watch the clip of an interview with David Bowie (1973).
- How does Bowie’s description of himself as someone who “collects personalities” help explain his physical appearance?
- Why might a teenager want to emulate Bowie’s fashion choices or adopt his “hodgepodge philosophy”?
3. Read Handout 2 – Timeline of the Early 1970s. Ask students to complete an engaged reading of the timeline on their own. Write down any historical events that might have had a particular significance for someone in junior high or high school during these years.
- Which events on the timeline do you recognize?
- Which events do you think had a greater meaning for people who had actively participated in the cultural and political events of the 1960s? Why?
- Do you see any events that seem to relate directly to teenagers? If you were a teenager at this time, do you think you would have felt a part of the culture or outside of it? Explain.
4. Watch the trailer for American Graffiti (1973). This film was one of the highest grossing movies of 1973. In other words, a lot of people went to see this movie!
- How is early Rock and Roll music from the late 1950s and early 1960s used in American Graffiti? Why do you think the filmmaker selected this particular music for the soundtrack?
- The tagline of American Graffiti asks, “Where were you in ’62?” If you are 16 when this film is released in 1973, how old were you in 1962? Do you think this film would have resonated with you? Why or why not?
5. Read Handout 3 – Alice Cooper. Please watch the clip of Alice Cooper performing “I'm Eighteen” (1971). Carefully study the lyrics to "I'm Eighteen"
- How does Alice Cooper seem to challenge the “seriousness” of the early 1970s? Is the band’s performance intended to be funny, serious, or somewhere in between?
- Is the host’s warning valid about how Alice Cooper’s performance could be construed as “offensive” to certain audiences? Why or why not?
- Based on both lyrics and music, what might a teenager find relatable in this song?
- “I’m Eighteen” reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Based on the events on the timeline of the early 1970s, why do you think this song was so successful?
SUMMARY:
What about the idea of creating one's own identity—such as the “image” of Alice Cooper—might appeal to a teenager in the early 1970s?
