“The revolution will not be televised.”
Not just the title, this line serves a much greater role. Almost every stanza ends with its repetition. Sometimes there is an addendum such as “The revolution will put you in the driver’s seat.” It is a mantra, it is a motto, it is a subliminal message, it is a call to arms, it is an assertion, it is a prediction, it is thematic foundation of the entire work. And it serves another purpose as well because its repetition leads inexorably to the final line which put the title into context: “The revolution will be live.”
“The revolution will not be brought to you by the Schaefer Award Theatre
And will not star Natalie Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.”
The revolution will not be televised which in the sense of this line means that it won’t be brought to you on television as pop culture entertainment for the masses. The Schaefer Award Theatre is not a reference to a theater in architectural sense, but was rather the name given to a famous and popular local New York City first-time TV screening of big name theatrical films. The pop culture references fly fast and furious throughout the work, starting here with allusions to two of the biggest movie stars of the day, a legendary cartoon character and the first network television sitcom to feature a black actress in the starring role.
Later references will include move far away from that groundbreaking urban-based comedy series to just a handful of the many popular rural-based so-called “hick-coms” which dominated the CBS prime-time lineup: Green Acres, the Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction. In addition, there is also mention of a soap opera called Search for Tomorrow, British pop singers Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck (neither of which are the real names of the singer), Johnny Cash and Glenn Campbell. All of these signify distinctly white America, even Julia which has been criticized as offering a white-America portrait of a young African-American nurse.
“The revolution will not go better with Coke
The revolution will not fight germs that may cause bad breath
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat”
The references here are to advertising taglines and slogans in popular commercials of the time. The message here is that the revolution—when it comes—will be sober and serious rather than a marketing ploy. The revolution will not be co-opted by advertisers for the purpose of selling product. It will, instead, be a grassroots efforts with soldiers on the ground freed from the corrupting agency of consumerism. It won’t be allowed to have been reshaped and reform and repurposed by outside influences; it will be authentic and genuine.
