Why I Love the 1920's

There is so much to love about the roaring 20's. It is really hard to dislike that era for everything that it brought us. The opportunity of the 20's is infectious. The style and romantic nature of the culture is stunning. The presidents had great names (Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover...who knows why Harding's first and last initial are not the same). Everyone had great names. To purchase alcohol was illegal, but it seems that is all anyone did. The Lost Generation inspired millions. Music was a way of life. And Baseball was Baseball.

Whenever you hear about the 20's, usually the first thing anyone thinks of is Gangsters. True, old school, Gangsters. And not Gangstas, but Gangsters. Al Capone style. This culture is romanticized but who really cares, it some cool shit. Of course, we can thank our own government (Shocking, i know) for the Organized Crime boon. Thank you Prohibition. I love the idea of Tommy Guns men in suits and fedoras. Maybe I am just that romantic, but I enjoy the idea of what that culture brought. It was fight or flight. It was gritty and real. People like Al Capone took advantage wherever they could. They bribed, they killed, they stole, and it didn't matter because everyone wanted the booze.

To go right along with all of that would be the clip joints and speakeasy that would go right along with it. Flappers and the Lost Generation. The Charleston. The flash. The Style. Even the language was fantastic. What I love most about the flappers, was their rebellious nature. That made them sexy. Do I even need to mention what they did for women? Of course I do. They changed the way the world looked at women. They gained independence. Not fully, but lets be honest, this was unheard of in this time. Did I mention the language? Oh and the music they would listen to.

Jazz is one of greatest forms of music to be played. The improv, the power, the feeling behind every single note. It helps that Louis Armstrong is one of the greatest musicians to walk this earth. No Joke. Just listen to this song...Kiss to build a dream on. You really don't get much better than that. He was so influential and well, damn good. The era of libertarianism craved the jazz and music only profited from it. There is no Frank Sinatra without a little Louis Armstrong. This era is not limited to Mr. Armstrong though as there is also Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, King Oliver, and many many more. Jazz has inspired so many. And the 20's are certainly not the same without it.

Amazing, classic novels were written in this time. Writers like Fitzgerald and Steinbeck were the voice of an entire generation. Books like Winesburg, Ohio (though published in 1919), Manhattan Transfer, and The Great Gatsby spoke to millions. They still do today.

Baseball was pure. I say pure in the sense that there wasn't much mistrust in the players. They were Gods. They were everybody's hero. The True. All fabrications when you look back at the Black Sox Scandal from 1919 and the fact that Ty Cobb was the dirtiest SOB to ever play the game. Babe Ruth was a womanizing piece of work. The fix was in everywhere you looked. But it was pure. It was Baseball. It was real, powerful, and meaningful. It was America's pastime, only happening in the present. You listened to it as kid and you went to the ballpark in a suit and tie. It was real and it was passionate. You also had some of the best players to ever play the game in Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Hack Wilson, Jimmie Foxx and many more. It is a far cry for the Steroid Era of today. This kind of baseball is a dream these days.

I could try and re-live those days, but I didn't live in the era. I could write about my love for the culture and the era but I don't have enough time. There is so much about this decade that makes it amazing. The most amazing thing may have to be the attitude and the prosperity enjoyed until the very end of 1929 on Black Thursday. The sudden downfall accentuates the image of the Roaring Twenties. This decade will forever be viewed by some as the reason for the crash. It was "God" striking down his vengeance on the decadence of the 20's. To me, though, the 20's are the shining moment of American history. A show of life and belief that even to this day is unheard of.

Love the 20's. Live like a flapper. Sing like Louis Armstrong. Hit like Babe Ruth. Write like F. Scott Fitzgerald(his first name is Francis, weird I know). Dance the Charleston. Shoot a Tommy Gun. Drink some Moonshine. Smoke. Live the 20's. Live Life.