92-We Came for Chick-fil-A, Stayed for Star Wars

Two sisters time-travel through 1977 using a playful “family journal,” tracing Roots, Star Wars, the NYC blackout, and the Apple II, while weaving in jokes, side tangents, and a tender “late entry” birth story. We close on why personal stories make history stick and a groovy sign-off that invites listeners to share their own.

• Roots as national reckoning on TV
• Super Bowl XI and Carter’s inauguration
• Blizzard of ’77 and community strain
• Queen’s anthems, disco style, punk rise
• Apple II puts computing in the home
• Star Wars as cultural movement and myth
• Pipeline launch and NYC blackout tensions
• Loss of icons: Elvis, Crosby, Chaplin
• The Wow! signal and cosmic wonder
• Atari 2600 and interactive culture at home
• Disco peak with Saturday Night Fever
• Takeaway: history felt through lived moments

Chapters

• 0:00 Cold Open, Quotes, And Banter
• 3:30 A Time-Travel Journal To 1977
• 5:12 Roots Shakes America
• 7:20 Super Bowl XI And Carter’s Debut
• 9:30 Blizzard Of ’77 In Buffalo
• 11:05 Anthems, Disco, And Punk Rise
• 13:15 Apple II And The Digital Home
• 15:00 Star Wars Becomes A Movement
• 17:30 Pipeline, Blackout, And Urban Unrest
• 20:10 Loss Of Icons And The Wow! Signal
• 22:25 Atari Arrives And Disco Peaks
• 24:45 A Late Entry: A Daughter Is Born

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 1:10

Why hello. Hi, sister. Hi, sister. Guess what, everybody? Jessica is still eating Chick-fil-A. Two weeks later. It might be a little stale. It's still good. She still has crumbs on her lap. I'm Jessica. I'm Ingrid. And thanks for joining us on another situation. Yes. Another day. Another week. Another week. Another month. We're in a new month now. Another 22 years. That won't make sense unless you heard the last episode. No, it won't. Okay. Shall we just get started while you eat? Sure. I'm going to mute myself so you guys don't hear me chewing. Okay. We're going to start with some quotes. The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. Mark Twain. It's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln. And oh nope, I have two more. When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. That's a Cherokee proverb. I like that one, yeah. And the final quote: help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope. Princess Leia. All right. We already just said welcome and everything. Yeah, we did. We did it backwards. Did we? I think we did it backwards last week or two weeks ago than two. Five minutes ago. Okay, so this will be the backwards ones. But yeah, we did it. Okay. Okay. Are you ready? I am so ready. Okay. Because I don't do my episodes like Jessica. I do my episodes with a little twist. So because I'm extra. All right, here we go. Hey there, cats and kittens. I recently stumbled. She just killed her. Cats and kittens. Oh goodness. This is gonna be a long episode. I recently stumbled on my folks' old journal from 1977, and man, flipping through it is like taking a trip in a time machine. The music, the movies, the disasters, the politics, even the threads people were rocking. It was all groovy, wild, and unforgettable. So dig this. Let's step through 1977 month by month as if we're reading their notes together. January 1977. Far out. Everyone in the house is glued to roots. It's heavy man, raw, real. We sit there in front of the glowing TV screen, barely breathing, feeling the story of Kunta Kinte and his descendants as if it's happening right in front of us. You hear the gasps and sniffles from the neighbors on the other side of the walls. Conversations explode at work, school, and dinner tables. Slavery, family, survival. It's forcing the whole country to face itself. I've never seen anything so powerful on television, and I doubt I ever will again. It's a mix of heartbreak, anger, and awe. Totally mind-blowing. Have you ever watched it? I haven't.

unknown: 4:54

Have you?

SPEAKER_01: 4:55

No, but I was reading up on it. And it was obviously I want to, I want to watch it. So it was the TV show was based on the book. Books, and I don't remember recall who the author is, but uh it was it talks about the I thought it was a movie. I think it was maybe made into a movie. Okay. Also. Um, but or maybe this was like a they called it like a mini-series kind of movie. Yeah, made for TV movie. Yeah, but it it really shook a lot of people up, and they were talking there was some controversy over the director taking some liberties and not staying true to the book. But I think it still got a powerful message across. Nice. Yeah. January 9th, 1977, Super Bowl XI. The Raiders totally crushed the Vikings, 32 to 14. Over 103,000 fans packed into the stadium, and 81.9 million are glued to their TVs. The cheers, the chants, the energy, it's like the whole country is vibing together. I wonder if the Vikings will ever win a Super Bowl. Oh, I somewhere in my desk. Still wondering. Still an entry. Uh October 2025. I wonder if the Vikings will ever win a Super Bowl. Okay. January 20th, 1977. Jimmy Carter is sworn in as president. No limo for this cat. He walks down Pennsylvania Avenue shaking hands, chatting with people like one of the gang. There's hope in the air after Watergate and the Vietnam hangover. Then he pardons draft dodgers, a move that sparks heated debates at every dinner table. Some folks say it's righteous, others a gas. Either way, the country feels like it's cautiously stepping into a new groove, trying to heal and maybe finally look forward. Good old Prez Carter. Prez Carter made it in two episodes. He sure did. He showed. Showed. January 28th, 1977. Buffalo is buried under a monster blizzard. Winds near 70 miles an hour, temperatures dropping like crazy, cars vanish under drifts taller than me. This this must have been dad writing it because mom and everything's taller than mom. And highways shut down, people stranded in stores, gas stations, and homes. National Guardsmen roll in to dig everyone out. Some die, some survive miraculously. It's a gnarly reminder that nature still calls the shots. Streets look like frozen rivers, snow piled two stories high. It's heavy, man. Heavy.

SPEAKER_00: 8:04

Yeah. You are such a dork.

SPEAKER_01: 8:06

Because I'm doing this.

SPEAKER_00: 8:07

Yes. It's heavy, man. It's heavy, man. Heavy. I love it though.

SPEAKER_01: 8:13

70s, baby. Okay. February 1977. Music everywhere. Queen drops, we will rock you, and we are champions. You can't escape that. Stomp, stomp. Clap echoing in gymnasiums, school dances, and arenas. Totally anthem material. This music is alive, man. Like it moves with your heartbeat. March 1977. Disco threads dominate the scene, and punk is rising too. Ripped jeans, leather jackets, safety pins, spiky hair, rebellion is in the air, and you can see it painted on every wall, every kid's notebook. Fashion is loud and life feels louder. I'm sorry. My dog took my flip-flop. That is so random. Did he bring it back?

SPEAKER_00: 9:19

He's not chewing on it anymore, at least.

SPEAKER_01: 9:21

Oh my gosh. Okay. April 1977. Apple drops the Apple II. Dig this. A computer in your living room. Not just some theops. Not just some office gizmo, but a little box with a screen and keyboard ready to teach kids programming, play games, or even compose music. The future feels small enough to sit on a table, but it's huge in what it promises. You can almost feel the world shifting, man. A digital revolution sneaking into every home. Floppy disks were so cool.

SPEAKER_00: 10:03

I know. Like they were cooler than the whatever's, and they're cooler than USBs. Floppy discs get lost. Yes. Floppy discs. Let's bring them back. Yeah. Man. Man.

SPEAKER_01: 10:20

May 1977. We hit the theater for Star Wars. Holy smokes, the battles, the creatures, the adventure, people hooting and hollering in the aisles, kids on shoulders, friends shouting lines back at the screen. It's not just a flick, it's a movement. Posters, toys, costumes already everywhere. Everyone's talking about lightsabers, the Millennium Falcon, and the mysterious force. It feels like a galaxy opened up overnight and everyone wants to step inside. I think people will be talking about this for a long time. Star Wars is so cool. So cool. And so cool. If you're listening to this and you don't agree with us, you can stop disagreeing with us.

SPEAKER_00: 11:13

I was at I was at a trivia last night at my brewery, a local brewery here in town. And the bonus question was list the names of all nine Star Wars films and their episode number.

SPEAKER_01: 11:27

Ooh.

SPEAKER_00: 11:28

Yeah, it was hard.

SPEAKER_01: 11:30

I don't know that I could do that.

SPEAKER_00: 11:34

I uh I screwed the last one up because I put read the return of Skywalker instead of the rise of Skywalker.

SPEAKER_01: 11:41

Oh yeah, I would definitely mess them all up. I knew four, five, and six.

SPEAKER_00: 11:48

For sure. And the last one. But yeah, it was hard. It was really hard.

SPEAKER_01: 11:54

Hmm. Okay. June 20th, 1977. The Trans-Alaska pipeline finally kicks on. 800 miles of steel stretching from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. Crude oil begins flowing south. Total engineering marvel, but not without risk. A fatal accident reminds everyone this isn't playtime. Still, the idea of American energy flowing freely feels monumental. It's industrial, it's gritty, it's revolutionary. I feel like dad should have written this. Ah, I feel like you channeled dad writing this. Right? Like I hear his voice.

SPEAKER_00: 12:38

I just want you to say man after everything. Yeah, man. It's revolutionary man. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 12:45

Okay, I'll throw in some. Oh, I got a man in this one. Okay. July 13th, 1977. New York City goes dark. Total blackout. Lightning fries, power lines, and boom, the city is pitch black. Some folks chill on stoops, soaking in the eerie silence. Others lose it. Looting, fires, chaos everywhere. Thousands arrested, stores trashed. The city's frustrations are spilling over. It's wild, man. Totally heavy. I didn't know that happened. New York lost power? Yeah, New York City.

SPEAKER_00: 13:27

Dang. The whole city? How long was it out for?

SPEAKER_01: 13:34

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00: 13:35

Why don't you know that?

SPEAKER_01: 13:39

Because I was too busy trying to make this sound like dad. Okay, sorry. Why should we start being factual now?

SPEAKER_00: 13:54

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01: 13:55

Oh my gosh, my great Pyrenees is under my chair. No, he's not. He's right there.

SPEAKER_00: 14:01

Yes, because he just wormed his way out. Okay, sorry.

SPEAKER_01: 14:04

Okay. Resume, Stuobs. Yes. That's what we call our dad, by the way. August 16th, 1977. Elvis Presley is dead. At home in. Oh, that's so sad. I can't even. The radio won't quit spinning his heat, his heats, his hits. Got all those heats. Those heats. Maybe I was Southern. I don't know. People are lining up at Graceland with flowers and candles. The king of rock and roll is gone. But he wasn't alone. 1977 also claimed Bing Crosby, the smooth croner, and Charlie Chaplin, the silent film genius who made the world laugh for decades. Man, culture is taking hits left and right this year. August 1977. Far out. The big ear telescope in Ohio picks up the wow signal. 72 seconds of a narrow band radio signal from deep space. Could it be aliens trying to say hello? Totally cosmic. It's like the universe winked at us. Minds blown, dreams expanded, possibilities endless. Man. What was it? Was it what was it?

SPEAKER_00: 15:26

It was just this this um the sound that they yeah, but they they haven't found out what it was by now. I mean, that's like 50 years ago.

SPEAKER_01: 15:36

You're you are the astronomy dork. You should know this.

SPEAKER_00: 15:43

I I don't have time for that in my adult life.

SPEAKER_01: 15:45

I did, I just stopped working. We have been waiting for this moment all of our lives.

SPEAKER_00: 16:01

Finally happens. I am gonna look into that though. I'm curious. Do it. I will not right now. I'll probably forget.

SPEAKER_01: 16:10

Okay. You're gonna have to listen to this episode and be like, oh yeah.

unknown: 16:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 16:17

Okay. September 1977. Atari 2600 hits the scene. I went to the store just to peep it. My voice cracks. I went to the store just to peep it. What? Peep it. Peep it, man. Okay. Bright graphics, joysticks, space invaders, pong, combat. Jessica had a sweatshirt with space invaders on it. I did. I loved it. That's the only article of clothing I ever remember Jessica wearing. Oh, and Mary. We might be the only one written tracksuits. But that's 80s.

SPEAKER_00: 17:07

Yeah. So was your space in the Vaders sweatshirt though. Yes, because I didn't have it when I was a baby. You should have, but you didn't.

SPEAKER_01: 17:25

Okay. I don't know what's happening anymore. Do you? No, we lost it. All right. Kids and adults crowd around waiting for a turn. The future is literally in your hands. They didn't say literally back then. They probably did, but they actually used it in its actual sense. Yeah, in its literal sense. In its literal sense, right? Going outside to play, that's about to be old school. December 1977. Saturday night fever. Bee Gees blasting, disco balls spinning, people twirling on the dance floor. Disco is everywhere, man. Radio, clubs, school dances, threads too. Polyester shirts, flared pants, glitter, platforms. Streets shimmer like a mirrored dance floor. Feels like the disco ball is following me everywhere I go. Totally far out. Until it dies. Two years later.

SPEAKER_00: 18:31

I don't know. I didn't realize it was that short of a thing until you just said what you said.

SPEAKER_01: 18:36

Right. That's why when that's why when you said it in your episode, I was like, what? It just it was like December of 1977.

SPEAKER_00: 18:49

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01: 18:50

Yeah. Hmm. Too much, I guess. Too glittery, I suppose. It's just too much. Too much. Too much. Okay, late entry, March 23rd, 1977. Nothing. Oh man. Today our beautiful firstborn daughter was born. She's perfect. An absolute angel. Tiny fingers, tiny toes, delicate little nose, big curious eyes that already seem to take in the whole universe. I can't stop staring at her. Every coo, every yawn, every little sigh makes me feel like the world just paused. Love, awe, pure joy. I do go on a bit on this. Our hearts have grown 10 times bigger in one day. The world could be falling apart outside. But right now, all that matters is her. Every giggle, every flattering eyelash. We are officially hooked, totally smitten, and life will never be the same.

SPEAKER_00: 20:04

Dad andor mom definitely did not write that. I didn't even know I was born. They're like, where did this baby come from?

SPEAKER_01: 20:12

I was like, what just happened? Reading these pages, 1977 wasn't just a year of headlines. It was a year of contrasts, hope and heartbreak, progress and danger, fun and chaos. People laughed, danced, mourned, protested, and dreamed all at once. And that's what makes it worth remembering. Plus, I was born. That was I'm I am the late entry. History isn't just for dates or events, it's how people lived it. This story is a reminder that behind every headline there were real folks trying to groove with a world changing faster than ever. So thanks for stepping back into 1977 with me. Keep your bell bottoms pressed, your vinyl spinning, and your eyes on the stars, man. You never know what stories you'll find.

SPEAKER_00: 21:07

I like it.

SPEAKER_01: 21:08

So, yeah, that was not a real journal because neither one of us of our parents won would have cared to chronicle their lives. True. Uh we already mentioned they wouldn't have realized I was even born. You know, mom's going to yell at us for that. Does mom listen? Sometimes. Any comments? Nah, man. It's all groovy. I was trying to channel uh a little bit of dad, a little bit of uh Matthew McConaughey. Ah and a little bit of a radio host. Yeah. Okay. These and don't be's. Do I go first? Do you go first? Yes, you go first. Okay. O B Juan Kenobi. Be groovy. Be groovy, man. Yeah, yeah. Don't be a Vikings fan. Don't worry about that. I don't know. Don't don't be a square.

SPEAKER_00: 22:40

Did they say square? Is that older? No, I think that's like fifties. Don't be a buzzkill, man. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01: 22:52

Okay. So we shall return in two weeks with what? We don't know. Nope. No idea. Oh. Oh man. Okay. My eyes twitching. Sorry. Are you stressed about what we're going to do in two weeks?

SPEAKER_00: 23:11

It's been twitching for last week. Thanks for listening.

SPEAKER_01: 23:17

Yeah. Thank you for listening and uh stay groovy.

SPEAKER_00: 23:24

Yeah.

unknown: 23:28

Bye.

SPEAKER_00: 23:29

Bye. If you would like to reach out to us or submit your situation, please contact us at AnotherSituation Podcast at gmail.com or find us on Instagram at AnotherSituation Podcast. We're also on Facebook at Another Situation.

SPEAKER_01: 23:48

Another Situation is produced and edited by Point Five Panoy. Music is written and performed by Tim Crow