Quangaroos - best cereal ever - 1973

The best orange flavored cereal ever.

This was my favorite cereal growing up in the 70s. It was round and orange flavored, a spin-off of Quake cereal, which had gotten the ax after losing a consumer vote to Quisp. Sadly, Quangaroos were only around a few years before losing another vote, again to Quisp. I don't remember ever eating any Quisp cereal.

Stupid Quisp.

Spider-walking, head-spinning, floating - The Exorcist 1973

The Scariest Movie Of All Time

One of my favorite scenes in any movie ever is the famous "spider-walk" scene from The Exorcist. This was not in the original release. Director Friedkin cut the very brief scene for technical reasons (you could see the wires holding up contortionist Linda R. Hager). It was restored for re-release with the help of cgi (author and screenwriter William Peter Blatty really wanted it in).

The physical transformation of Regan (Linda Blair) from a cute chubby-cheeked girl to a head-spinning projectile-puking monster was done very well. She changes slowly over the course of the movie, rather than all at once, so you were never prepared for whatever creepy terrors would come next...

spider-walk

head-spin

floating

Shoot 1971

Shoot

Performance artist Chris Burden is shot in the arm by an assistant. November 19, 1971, Santa Ana, CA.

“At 7:45 p.m. I was shot in the left arm by a friend. The bullet was a copper jacket .22 long rifle. My friend was standing about fifteen feet from me.”

Pong 1972

Van Morrison 1970

His Band and Street Choir

Van Morrison released two classic albums in 1970, Moondance, and His Band and Street Choir. Moondance is generally more highly regarded among the critics, but I actually prefer His Band and Street Choir. It's a little looser, more R & B influenced, plus it has "Crazy Face",  a strange little masterpiece of a song that only Van Morrison could write. In any case these are both brilliant albums which I have listened to dozens if not hundreds of times since the vinyl came out way back when. They both make my top ten for 1970.

Moondance back cover.