Have you heard? Levi’s Vintage Clothing has relaunched its famed Orange Tab collection. Originally introduced in 1969 as a more affordable alternative to the more traditional workwear recognized by the classic Red Tab, the Orange Tab collection had its heyday in the '70s when jeans got tighter, music got louder and the country got weirder. There’s no half-stepping when it comes to Levi’s Vintage Clothing and their exhaustive re-creation of fall '72 got me reminiscing about a time period that I wasn’t alive for. With that, here are 10 things we wish we could bring back from 1972. You better call shotty because my DeLorean is about to hit 88mph.
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Hunter S. Thompson
In 1972, Thompson published Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Rolling Stone serialized—what many consider Thompson’s greatest contribution to American literature—"Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72". Cantankerous, mercurial and thoroughly difficult to work with, Hunter S. Thompson is the reason why Vice staff writers always insert themselves into the stories and why you think being a freelance writer is actually a glamorous job. Just remember, drug use and a signature style will only get you so far. You still gotta have actual talent to get by. Work on your metaphors for the American Dream and maybe you’ll write a 2,500-word paean to music, decadence and corrupt politics. Instead of mescaline and Nixon, you’ll write about medical marijuana and Wall Street cronyism.
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Motorcycle Culture
Back in the '70s, dudes were actually out there, riding Harleys, wearing jean jackets and leather vests, calling their girlfriends "their old lady", growing beards and holstering cool ass knives on their belts. There’s nothing that looks better than a trucker jacket that’s been abused for a thousand miles on the back of an incredibly dangerous piece of machinery. You are too much of a chump to give everything up and just ride out west, sleeping where you fall. And you are way too soft to actually ride a motorcycle, but you can have a cool jean jacket. If I ever started a motorcycle club, I’d call it "The 47 Ronin". But I don’t have enough friends to start a club.
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Dangerous Toys
The fact that you risked real bodily harm while playing in your backyard made 1972 infinitely cooler than now. Kids these days hurt themselves playing video games. It must’ve been awesome to be a kid back in the day. Lax parental supervision combined with inventive, if albeit dangerous toys, created adventures so thrilling and adrenaline-inducing that kids today would lose their minds. I mean, Lawn Darts are literally illegal to own. Who needs Grand Theft Auto when almost 7,000 people had to go to the emergency room when they failed to get out of the way of a dart falling from the sky?
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