What follows is only the first few pages from a lengthy hand-written list of Soft Rock terminology, names, and objects that I have been transcribing from the original loose leaf and legal pad pages. From Holiday's own notes found with the list, I know that these are the result of a soft rock summit of sorts held in 1994 in Baltimore, MD. Perhaps as a way to brainstorm the terms that would be needed to write a formal Soft Rock document, the attendees chose first to compile this list. Besides Holiday and Adolf, it appears that Herb Feemster (of Peaches and Herb fame), Barry Gibb, Sigfried and Roy (!?), Rita Coolidge, Richie Furay (of Buffalo Springfield and Poco), and former President Jimmy Carter were in attendance (others were mentioned only by first name, unfortunately). There will be more of this to come, but I thought that, in the absence of a true manifesto, this list would help define the original Soft Rock movement and its 1990s resurgence in great detail. Enjoy! - ed.
LeCar
Fondue
The Goodbye Girl
Mood rings
Suede
Minnetonka moccasins
Beaded guitar straps
Dreamcatchers
Vinyl LPs
Self portraits
Sit-ins
Flutes, piccolos and recorders
Violins
Grand pianos
Harpsichords
Harps
Rickenbacker
Paul McCartney
Baseball
Ashrams
Stationery
Native American, Latin or Asian wives and girlfriends
Golden retrievers
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father
Bill Bixby
Flipper (the show not the band!)
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams
Dan Haggerty
Love, American Style
Baguettes
Dulcimers
Chai
Curry of any sort
Tea ceremonies
Mushrooms/hashish/frogs and other naturally derived forms of acid
Curt Boettcher
David Gates
Michael Bolton
Rufus Wainwright
Ann Murray
Celine Dion
Jimmy Carter
Joe Biden
Schwinn
Ducks
Seagulls
Alan Alda
Tall grass
Rose petals
Incense
Kittens
Polaroids
"Conversation pits"
Foot massages
Tantric lovemaking
Sting
Cunnilingus
Terrycloth
More cigarettes
Camping
White wine
The VW Thing
Longboards
Jams
Tretorns
Velour
Dashikis
Kufis
Danskos
Birkenstocks
Wool socks
Fly rods
AM radio
Ex-wives as friends
Espadrilles (for men)
Consort for men
Headlamps
Spelunking
Cycling hats
Feathered hair
Mopeds
Van carpets/mattresses/curtains
Woven belts
Cut-offs
Stretch Levi’s
Double knit polyester
Ship in a bottle
Sand dollars
Shag
Macramé plant hangers
Yellow-green
Burnt sienna
Sea foam green
Linoleum "bricks"
Wood paneling
Whittling
Duck decoys
Anchors/sails
Atari
Pet rock
Jumping beans
Auto pilgrimages
Comb/pick in back pocket
Mixed nuts
Prunes
Pez
Ribbon candy
Passion fruit
Astronomy
Astrology
Subaru
Peugeot
Laughter in the rain
Hugs
Eskimo kisses
Hummels
Precious Moments
Roller skating
Xanadu
Canada
Quilts
Car phones
Black/Latino best friends
Uncles
Simian sidekicks
Chest hair
"Winter bush"
Rugged looks/soft heart
Key parties
Lancers/Mateusz/Blue Nun/Black Tower wines
Seagram’s 7
Michelob
Lowenbrau (US made)
Wood-paneled station wagons of immense size
Peter Frampton
Bay City Rollers
Leather making kits
Radio Shack
Avocado green kitchens
Avocados
Starsky & Hutch
David Soul
Mary Hartman
King Biscuit Flower Hour
Fellatio
The Joy of Sex
VHS tapes (tasteful stag films)
Richard Dreyfuss
Woody Allen
Crochet anything
Reel to reel or cassette tapes
8 track players and tapes
Blue eye shadow
Feathered hair
Feather earrings
Perky nipples (braless)
Dudley Moore
Loves Baby Soft
Phisoderm
Andrew McCarthy
Jon Cryer
Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific!
Phonics
Scotch
Brandy
Looking glasses
Sailors/Sailing
Paddles/oars
Microphone stands
Gongs and gamelans
Name tags
Topol, the Smokers Tooth Polish
Swisher Sweets
Portraits of naked mother and child (sometimes father, as well)
Maternity bikinis
Hand-written set lists and liner notes
Political masks
Robes
Jean jackets
Mustaches
Patchouli
Clogs
Fantasy Island
John Denver
Tank tops/belly shirts (for men)
Sweaters
Back hair
Chap Stick
Buttercups
Honeydew
Jello
"Sun tea"
Homemade popsicles/ice cream
Jiffy Pop tins
Serapes
Ponchos
Doves
Richard Brautigan
Portnoy’s Complaint
Hemingway (Mariel, Margaux)
Bull fighting
Transistors
Kites
Typewriters
Andy Gibb
Battle of the Network Stars
Tailors/shoemakers/blacksmiths/millers
Jockeys
Tom Seaver
Dr. Jason Seaver
Pele
Jovan Musk
Aquanet
Canoe (cologne and the vessel)
OP clothing
Hobie Buchannon
Skateboards
Sit-coms
Designer jeans
Bisexuality
Cocaine
AMC autos
Water powered kid’s rockets
Moon boots
Trampolines
Salem/Cool/Winston
Whiskey sours and high balls
Wide lapels and ties
The perm (for men)
Stouffers TV dinners
TV dinner trays
Silver jewelry
Wallpaper
Italian sculptures with the imitation beaded rain falling on thin wires
Mirrored walls with gold crackle design
Scarring or burning wood décor in any way
Soap on a rope
Hammocks
Electra shave
Brut 33
Joe Namath
Uncircumcised penises
Natural skin condoms
Cotton headbands and wristband
Singing drummers
Enormous drum kits
Lesbians
School buses
Pop-up campers
Black lights
Tie tacks
L’eggs
Nestles
Playboy articles
Penthouse Letters
Velveeta
Console TVs/Stereos
Automated turntables
Claims of "highest in Hi-Fidelity Sound"
Solid State
Marital aids
Quaaludes
Wife/Family Swapping
Lamps
Chandeliers
Crushed velvet
KY (jelly not the state)
Hang gliding
Gay bars
Philip Roth
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Free to Be You and Me
Godspell
Jesus Christ Superstar
Theme parks
Barbara Bach
Cooter
Boss Hogg
Trousers
Slacks
Vests
Gauchos
Dr. Scholl’s
BJ McKay
Bear
Sinbad (not the actor) movies
That’s Incredible!
Black Power
The Poconos
Hot tubs
Weathervanes
Almanacs
Tarot cards
Oblique Strategies
David Bowie
Barbara Streisand
Barry Gibb
Jim Croce
Steve Guttenberg
Sewing machines
Sewing patterns
Soup
The Rockies/Himalayas/Alps
Any ocean or body of water
Trees (preferably old with diaries or poetry hidden beneath)
Robert Craig Knievel
The Snake River
Wide World of Sports
Howard Cosell
Mutual of Omaha
Feminism
Bomb Pops
Coconut cream pie
Earth Day
Tires on playgrounds
Bulges(in pants)
Members
Members Only
Epaulets on outerwear
No Nukes
Long hair on balding men
Crystal Gale
Kristofferson
Adrienne Barbeau
Ban de Soleil
Bareback riding
"Riding bareback"
"The rhythm method"
Klute
Donald Sutherland
Tim Matheson
Midnight Express
The Slurpee
Plexiglas
Birdhouses/birdbaths
Pigeons
Turtlenecks
Hamsters
Fruit of the Loom
Wax fruit
Kibbutz
Kwanza
Bicentennials
Suriname
Above-ground pools
Decks (non-nautical)
Pipes
Chew
Benzedrine
Angel Dust
Scared Straight
Attica Prison
Harness Racing
Demolition derbies
Michael Landon
Calligraphy
"Generic" sundries
Cleft pallets
Tattoo (the TV character not the body art)
Sanka
JoJo Starbuck
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