The year was 1973. The signing of the Paris Peace Accords brought an end to the Vietnam War; the US Supreme Court decided 7-2 that abortion was a fundamental right under the US Constitution; and the Watergate scandal was in full swing with Nixon declaring he was not a crook. Kurt Vonnegut wrote Breakfast of Champions; Marlon Brando rejected his Oscar for best actor in The Godfather; and rock music was at its zenith.
I, of course, was not alive then and had to research all of this. As I dug deep (i.e., a quick google search) into the top songs of 1973, I was astounded by the hits of that year:
- Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon, which is still to this day the longest charting album in music history.
- Bob Marley introduced the world to reggae with Burnin’.
- Queen, Bruce Springsteen, and Aerosmith released their debut albums.
- Led Zepplin’s Houses of the Holy tour rocketed them to rock-god status.
- Elton John and Dr. John were proving to the world pianos could be rock & roll instruments.
The list goes on and on. There are truly too many amazing hits to name. With so many legendary albums that year, one might say 1973 was the best year in rock history. One might say it and I am saying it! If you don’t believe me, listen to my new playlist on Spotify. You will know and love every song.
Another pop culture icon of 1973 is the Volkswagen Beetle, which became the first car to surpass the Model T in production numbers in the early seventies. One of those newly produced VW Super Beetles was shipped to the US and sold to a recent University of Colorado graduate. I know this because I bought the car from him. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I saw a classic green Super Beetle for sale just down the street from where I was working. The now not-so-recent CU graduate was in the midst of a mid-life crisis and had bought a red sports car of some sort. He had a double car garage and his wife told him he only got one spot… the bug had to go. The old grad loved his bug – he kept it in the garage, changed the oil regularly, and only used it for Sunday drives the last 15 years. When I showed up, he had primed it and was about to give it a new paint job. He told me he needed another week to do so and was asking $1500. I told him, leave the car as is and I’ll drive it home today for $1000. DEAL!
There were the handful of years it was my only car. I drove it to and from work everyday, obviously looking very professional. I took it up to the mountains – and one of those times drove it into a ditch. There were the couple of years we were separated because I didn’t have a good parking spot for it. Those ended up being good years for the bug – it finally got a paint job (thank you, Pat!). There were the melancholy years when it was nothing more than yard art (albeit fun yard art!) and I was strongly encourage to turn it into a chicken coop. (You know who you are who said that!)
For those of you who want a good laugh and to see the bug showcased in a music montage, I strongly encourage you to watch my New York City Marathon Fundraising video.
But I knew the bug would ride again – and ride again it did! For more than the car cost me (and probably more than it was worth), I rented a dolly from U-Haul to take the bug to its new home in Washington. It was a team effort to make this happen given the bug hadn’t moved in 5+ years. We put air in the tires and took the back gate completely off to maneuver it into the alley. I released the brake, put it in neutral, and we started pushing. I had parked the U-Haul perpendicular across the main road, blocking traffic on Bruce Randolph, to aline the dolly with the alley. My friend Josh pushed, I steered, and the bug rolled right up onto the trailer. There were so many things that could have gone wrong with our plan, but it worked out perfectly!
The bug sat in Washington without much action… and then COVID hit. Remember the very beginning of the pandemic when we all thought, “This is great! Now I finally have time for all those projects I can never get to!” Well that’s when the bug came back to life. Tache worked on the engine, I ordered an interior restoration kit for $500, and we set to work: new headliner, new seat covers, new carpet, new window seals. Other than the ongoing need for a real paint job, the bug is looking as good as it did in the seventies!
So, here we are in 2023. Fifty years from Vietnam, the peak of the women’s rights movement, and Watergate. The country may be going backwards, but the bug is still going strong. Its stereo has belted out not just the greatest hits of 1973, but from all the past five decades. It once again lives in a garage and enjoys Sunday drives. I’d say that’s a pretty good life for a bug.
I invite you to celebrate the bug’s 50th birthday with me. Listen to The Bug’s 50th Tribute playlist, punch a friend in the arm next time you see a VW Beetle on the road, or – even better – join me this summer for a joyride… and pretty soon, there may be a guest room for you!
I am officially requesting a Sunday drive in two months, please!!
I want to go for a ride!! And pump that mix tape!