Max's Musings

Stayin' Alive

Disco Myopia

I spent the 1970s in graduate school, earning a PhD in mathematics. I also had a teaching assistantship, so I was teaching freshman. Mostly I taught the business math course since I had an undergraduate degree in economics. But, later, I got interested in using mathematics to model diseases, so I wound up teaching the math course for pre-med students.

When I wasn't busy proving theorems or flunking out freshman, my wife at the time and I would get together with another couple for bridge. That means I mostly missed out on the popular culture of the 70s and, most especially, disco.

Now, every so often I'll hear a song on TV or radio and turn to my current spouse and say, "That's a nice song. You could dance to that!" He just rolls his eyes and mutters, "Bee Gees."

So this song is kind of the an anti-entry to the soundtrack of my life. We saw lots of movies in the 70s, so we probably saw Saturday Night Fever, but it didn't make much of an impression since I don't remember doing so.

Here's a link to the song and the movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa9n7GirhsI