Synopses & Reviews
THIS RICHLY INFORMATIVE JOURNEY INTO THE 1970S CAPTURES THE EXPLOSIVE POWER OF THE BLACK PERFORMERS, MUSICIANS, FILMMAKERS, AND ATHLETES WHO IGNITED A CULTURAL REVOLUTION.
WHAT SINGER/SONGWRITER WAS THE FIRST WHITE PERFORMER TO APPEAR ON SOUL TRAIN?
WHAT PHILADELPHIA 76ER MADE NBA HISTORY WHEN, AGAINST THE KANSAS CITY KINGS, HIS TWO-HANDED DUNK SHATTERED THE BACKBOARD?
WHAT ROCK-AND-ROLL STAR WOULD BEGIN HIS CAREER PLAYING GUITAR FOR ARTISTS LITTLE RICHARD AND THE ISLEY BROTHERS?
Whether youre a 70s culture aficionado or these questions have you stumped, Todd Boyds exciting look at one of the most influential periods in popular culture will be a fun and exciting roller-coaster ride that you wont want to miss.
Dr. Boyd (known as “The Notorious Ph.D.”) delves into the personalities, passions, and politics that swept America and the world in the 70s and introduced a style and attitude that still reverberates today with the hip hop generation. From movies like Shaft, Super Fly, and Cleopatra Jones to Richard Pryors edgy routines on race to the rise of Dr. J and other sports superstars, The Notorious Ph.D.s Guide to the Super Fly 70s mixes social insight with an all-out celebration of the contributions of a wide variety of Black icons. Covering every aspect of Black culture from the period and including a quiz that you and your friends will love answering together, Dr. Boyds hip writing style will educate while it entertains.
Synopsis
In an exciting look at one of the most influential periods in pop culture, Todd Boyd (known as The Notorious Ph.D.), delves into the personalities, passions, and politics that swept across America and the world in the '70s and introduced a style and attitude that still reverberates today with the hip hop generation. From movies like Shaft, Super Fly, and Cleopatra Jones, to Richard Pryor's edgy routines on race, to the rise of Dr. J. and other sports superstars, The Notorious Ph.D.'s Guide to the Super Fly '70s mixes social insight with an all-out celebration of the contributions of a wide variety of black icons.
Boyd examines the highly charged reactions to blaxploitation movies among audiences and critics of the time and traces the genre's influence on films ranging from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, to Keenen Ivory Wayans's hilarious parody, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. On television, sitcoms like Sanford and Son and the seminal broadcast of Roots, the most-watched dramatic series in television history, brought black history and culture into the American mainstream. The extraordinary voices of Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Curtis Mayfield dominated the airwaves and redefined popular music, and in the world of sports, black athletes set norms of behavior--both in and out of the arena--that continue today.
Covering every aspect of black culture from the period, Dr. Boyd's hip writing style will educate while it entertains.
About the Author
TODD BOYD, Ph.D. (aka The Notorious Ph.D.) is a critically acclaimed author and commentator who has appeared on CNN, NPR, Good Morning America, the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, and other programs and has written pieces for the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Dr. Boyd has done commentary for the DVDs Super Fly, Uptown Saturday Night and The Mack. He has also recorded an interview that will be part of the documentary feature on the 30th Anniversary DVD release of Roots. Dr. Boyd is a professor at the University of Southern California School of Cinema and Television. He lives in Los Angeles.