Fashion is the ever before modifying principle of incorporating more recent and far better developments.

Analog display of the time is nearly universal in watches sold as jewelry or collectibles, and in these watches, the range of different styles of hands, numbers, and other aspects of the analog dial is very broad

I worked in a Downtown parking lot in the '70s. Drinking was everywhere. Even the lot attendant who parked your car was sitting in that booth getting trashed more than half the time. And that was when cars were a lot bigger and had V8s. Happy Hour was as ubiquitous as Rush Hour. There were the good and the bad. Big thing was a lot more was out in the open from stupidity, to arrogance to infidelity.

But consider this, in my town, it seems the vast majority of the drunk driving accidents that now make news happen between Thursday and Sunday, and usually at night. Back then, I vividly remember that drunk driving accidents were very common most every night of the week, usually after Happy Hour, and then of course, at all hours of the weekend.

My dad, whose career began in the '60s (not in PR, journalism or advertising) recounted a similar story to that of commenter WSRagan.

His dad, then his boss, told him to drink beer with lunch, not vodka. Because, as you said, customers would know he's drunk, not stupid.

I wonder if he was pulling my leg ...

Reminds me of the novel -- was it Kurt Vonnegut? -- that recounted the career of one of the characters; he had to quit a succession of jobs such as reporter, editor, p.r. man, ad exec, because of the requisite alcoholism associated with each.

I find it curious that when I go to professional association meetings at one they drink, at the other they don't.

I really prefer the meetings where they drink...and I don't drink...that much...anymore.

I find it curious that when I go to professional association meetings at one they drink, at the other they don't.

I really prefer the meetings where they drink...and I don't drink...that much...anymore.

The Anonymous poster is exactly right. Real and trusting relationships and bonds were stronger back then. Politics were not as cutthroat and imposters were much easy to spot. Those 'empty suits' as we affectionately referred to them. Interesting times, indeed.

Yet another trendy thing I missed out on by being born after 1955. Woodstock, two-martini lunches, taking my kids to the drive-in. Oh well. Which reminds me . . . The VP of sales called his team together and gave them a request: "When you have your martinis at lunch, I want you to do me one favor. Please order your martinis with gin instead of vodka." When one of the sales people asked why, the director responded: "So when you make your afternoon sales calls, your prospects will realize you're drunk instead of stupid."

Jeremy,

I'm not a journalist, but I'll take you up on that drink offer.

Really, who are the people enforcing the sterilization of corporate America? The HR department. Sure. But what has driven this piety? More importantly, why do we stand for it?

Mad Men only captures one aspect of that time and it's the darker side of people at that. What it misses is the often times off-color but hilarious humor. You get a bunch of really bright creatives and Type As together, and you have a powder keg of side-splitting laughs and good times. Not everyone was that sharp looking, calculating and ambitious. But many were hard-driving at work and play, that's for sure. Good times. Unfortunately, much of the harmless fun (and I admit, some was harmful) would still be deemed HR crimes today.

One constant, when someone had access to a company credit card and the notion he could spend it as he saw fit. Let the games begin. One group started happy hour at a local bar and ended up on drunken plane trip to warm destination without a single tooth brush in the bunch.

I wonder if the popularity of Mad Men will bring drinking back into fashion in the agency world?

I'm going to do my part, though I'll probably opt for beer over the martinis.

Are there any reporters out there that want to grab a couple of brews?

While it's not terribly enlightening to report, those were heady and fruitful days in this "profession." Glad that I was around to participate; happy that I am still around and participating, and sorry for those who must Twitter their way into the minds of their peers and their audiences.

gpt

Gay and Calvin skipped over some important things associated with that drinking. While they spent time drinking with reporters/PR people, they were building real and trusting relationships with each other. In those days, it was possible to bond more tightly with each other in ways today's sterile electronic Internet exchanges do not allow. Something else, today's "nobody is allowed to be offended politically correct thought police world" does not cut anyone the kind of slack they need to build personal relationships as they did then. We pride ourselves on our professionalism today, but all too often some use professional decorum to mask their tight-assed insecurities and sometimes incompetence. In the alcohol-laden atmosphere of bygone days, people were much more real and you could sniff out an imposter in a New York minute.