Mad Men Writer: Influenced By Environmentalism, Materialism and Bohemians

Mad Men is taking over the airwaves, gangbusters style, taking home Emmy nominations and a big chunk of cable ratings. The show is a brilliant and interesting look at the world of ad men in the early 1960’s. And we’re not talking about today’s family-friendly advertising executives who are probably at this very minute brainstorming about the next Hannah Montana campaign or the new Dove commercial. We’re talking shady, neurotic, hard-drinking, chauvinists who climb over each other for a promotion, lust over their babysitters and call their secretaries “sweetheart.”

Just how did show creator Matthew Weiner come up with the very original concept of the show? He gave reporters a little insight at this year’s TCA panel on Mad Men. “I mean, the creative process is mysterious. I had an obsession,” he said. “I’m now in a place where I can start thinking about my childhood. My grandfather lived with us. His clothing was from this period. He was very important to me, and I always was attuned to Frank Sinatra and other things like that. It was a golden Age for the United States.”

The importance of the 1960’s didn’t escape Weiner while writing the script. “I know it’s seen as a repressed period, but its really a culturally open period, a lot of freedom and a lot of ideas that we associate with the ‘60s were born in that period, and I was interested in those –environmentalism, attitudes towards materialism, Bohemianism, art, plays –its just that’s something that interesting me.”

Check out some of the stars talking about their characters on Fancast.

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