Boomers Knew What Time It Was

The way we tell time is very telling. If you remember picking up a handset and dialing a number to get the time, then you are indeed a boomer.

Nowadays, time travels with you on your phone, but it’s not just any time, it’s synchronized to an atomic clock. Cell phones send a signal to a satellite with GPS, and the satellite has an atomic clock to keep incredibly accurate time. (The sticklers for detail among us may quibble about the misstep by most Android phones that makes time on an Android slightly off. As knowledge of time has evolved since the software for the satellite was produced in 1984, scientists learned they needed to add 15 seconds of “leap time” to the atomic clock. Apple iPhones adjust for this leap time, but most Android phones do not, resulting in a 15 second discrepancy.)

Meanwhile, back in the Boomer Generation, there were several ways boomers could get an approximation of the current time (if not the more exact time). As just mentioned, you could literally call for the time. Mister Boomer didn’t do that call much, but did find it helpful when setting the time on a wall clock or wristwatch. Then, as now, boomers’ lives were geared to time schedules, so an accurate clock in the house was essential for school, work or social functions. Consequently, no matter where you went, there was a clock. Retail stores, the Post Office, doctors’ offices and every classroom had a clock on the wall.

When you were out and about, many buildings displayed large clocks. Sometimes they topped tall towers, while others appeared on the sides of retail buildings such as department stores, and sometimes clocks were perched atop lampposts on a town street.

A personal wristwatch was another way to tell time. Mister Boomer got his first watch in second grade, and had one throughout his school years, into college and beyond. In the days before digital time, the watch had a spring that needed to be wound each day. The physical mechanism created its own limitations that meant some watches were more accurate than others. Mister Boomer’s early Timex watch would “lose time” each day, which would require the time to be manually reset periodically.

Still, for Mister B and most boomers he knew, a wristwatch was not worn while playing, especially outdoors. In the early 1960s, not every watch was shock resistant or water resistant. That meant a boomer needed to rely on other methods to tell time. In Mister B’s neighborhood, no one was all that good at guessing the time based on the shadows cast by the sun.

If Mister B was playing baseball near the church his family attended, he had another way to tell time. The church bells rang once for each hour, from 7 am to 7 pm; count the number of chimes, know the hour. It came in handy to inform kids when it was time to head home for dinner. As the 1960s progressed, more cities passed noise ordinances that limited, among other things, the ringing of church bells. At that point, Mister Boomer’s family church reduced the bell ringing to celebrate weddings, mark funerals, and as a 15-minute warning that a Sunday service was about to begin.

In 1970, the song Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? by Chicago was released as a single. For boomers, the answer was, yes, we did, and we cared about it. The song, of course, was suggesting people take the time to stop and appreciate the little things in life, but boomers had places to go and things to do. Whether at school or at play, boomer lives were scheduled by time; baseball practice at 9 am; English class at 11 am; family dinner at 6 pm, and so on.

If all else failed, boomers could ask someone they passed if they knew the time. At a time when a great many people did not carry the time with them, boomers found ways to get what they needed.

How about you, boomers? Did you ever call for the time on your family’s phone?

Boomers Brace for Battle

A mainstay of boomer weekends was a localized event known as Battle of the Bands. The format varied from place to place, with some areas holding a contest with varying degrees of involvement from the audience in an effort to crown an ultimate winner. In others, it was a convenient tag to use for presenting a concert series of local bands to an eager young audience.

Mister Boomer experienced a trek into the Medical Industrial Complex recently, and isn’t sure why this experience triggered memories of Battle of the Bands. He certainly spent many weekends listening to garage bands destroy versions of Johnny B. Goode or attempting to play the Wipe Out solo. Once the memory was conjured for him, however, he immediately mashed the two divergent experiences — from different parts of his lifetime — together into a “what if” scenario. He pondered what a Battle of the Bands might look like for aging boomers. After all, a glance at the bands that are still touring will tell you that we are never too old to Rock & Roll! (We’re talking about you, Keith Richards.)

Way back then, local band names took on the flavor of the era with names that might have been Mickey and his Meeses or The E-Flats. In our alternate universe Boomer Battle of the Bands, the band names will have to change with the times.

So, come with Mister B and explore these announcements for an imagined Boomer Battle of the Bands featuring Boomer Dad and Boomer Mom bands. Check out these line-ups for one night, er, one Saturday afternoon only, at a union hall near you:

On the main stage, see The Estro-Gens, The Vitaminstrels, Granny & the Crochets and the eclectic stylings of Dad & the Jokesters. Meander over to the second stage for an out-of-sight psychedelic presentation by Minimal Leakage and Phantom Catheter, along with Out-of-Pocket and Med & the Donut Holes.

Doors open at 11 am, so catch the early bird concert, featuring Groovy Buffet, SeƱor Discount and The Everlasting Turn Signals.

Coming on Sunday, see a exciting line-up of local female talent featuring The Mom-ettes, The Meta-Musils, The Tracksuit Mothers and Pam T. Hose & the Girdles.

A good time will be had by all. Earplugs and chairs are provided, and discount tickets are available at your local Denny’s.

How about you, boomers? What would be the name of your favorite Boomer Dad or Boomer Mom band?