S4E5: Desi Lydic and the 1977 NYC Blackout

Summary

SNAFU with Ed Helms

Episode: S4E5: Desi Lydic and the 1977 NYC Blackout
Air Date: November 5, 2025
Host: Ed Helms
Guest: Desi Lydic (The Daily Show correspondent)

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode of SNAFU dives into the infamous 1977 New York City blackout, unraveling how a chain of freak accidents, human error, and strained city infrastructure led to chaos and looting in America's largest city. With guest Desi Lydic, Ed Helms explores both the historical disaster and its emotional/metaphorical ties to today's world, blending humor, history, and social commentary.

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KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. Opening Banter: The Weight of Satire

• Ed introduces Desi Lydic, applauding her work on The Daily Show.
  • "You're so good at what you do, Desi, and I'm so psyched you're here. Welcome to SNAFU." (01:24)
• They discuss the emotional toll of working in satire, especially when it requires constant engagement with the world's "screwups."
  • Ed: “It kind of took a toll on me over a long period of time, focusing entirely on a little bit of the darker side of things.” (05:04)
  • Desi: “Well, Ed, I’m dead inside, so I feel nothing anymore. It is gone. I’ve lost all sense of humanity.” (05:58)
  • “Some kind of action, even if it’s just finding the comedy in it... being forced to find the humor in it somewhere is therapy. It is redeeming it, really.” (06:29)

2. Personal Snafus & Embarrassing VHS Tapes

• Desi’s childhood snafu: taping over her cousin’s graduation video with Madonna’s Like a Virgin MTV performance, which caused family mortification.
  • “We grab my cousin Tracy’s graduation video and put it in. And it's Madonna humping the floor. And everyone looks at me like, Desi. Oh, my God, I felt so terrible.” (08:36)
• Sets up the theme that personal and societal snafus often stem from small mistakes spiraling out of control.

3. Setting the Stage: New York in 1977 (10:00–15:00)

• NYC in ‘77: budget-strapped, rising crime, Son of Sam killings, heat wave (97°F for 9 straight days), social and economic stress.
  • “The city was a bit of a mess. Unemployment was at 12%.... And just to spice things up, the Son of Sam was still on the loose.” (10:00)
• Desi and Ed riff on the joys and horrors of hot NYC summers, particularly the infamous "city funk" of heat-baked trash and odd street commerce.
  • “Even among all the defecation and masturbation on the subway, it's so special.” – Desi (12:46)
  • “We should make a candle that has that New York summer smell.” (14:50)

4. Breaking Down the Blackout (17:56–24:56)

Chain Reaction to Darkness:

• Key storm events:
  • 8:37pm: Lightning hits Buchanan South Substation.
  • 8:55pm: Another bolt at Sprain Brook in Yonkers.
  • 9:24pm: Ravenswood “Big Alice” generator fails.
  • 9:36pm: All of NYC loses power—full blackout.
• Causes: combination of bad luck (lightning), deferred maintenance, and unmanned power stations.

Immediate Fallout:

• Traffic lights fail, subways stop, stores are plunged into darkness, emergency services stranded.
• Anecdote: Mets game at Shea Stadium stopped mid-inning.
  • “Mets third baseman Lenny Randall... thought to myself, this is. My God is coming for me.” (21:13)
• “There was a perfect storm of a snafu. Just a series of mishaps, one right after the next.” (19:39)

Social Unravelling:

• By 10pm, looting and arson break out in multiple neighborhoods.
  • “Looting erupted across the city in neighborhoods already strained by unemployment and economic hardship. ... Arsonists set over 1,000 fires.” (23:10)
• Desi and Ed discuss how quickly social order collapsed, with humor and pointed realism.
  • “The looter got looted. There’s some weird justice in that, I guess.” – Ed (24:29)
  • “It's just the second some people have that opening, it's like, ugh, now's my time.” – Desi (24:41)

5. Comparisons to Other Blackouts & Modern Life (25:22–27:52)

• The 1965 blackout saw calm; the city's stability was better. In ‘77, underlying desperation led to chaos.
  • “In 1965... people treated that blackout like it was just a weird snow day. But in 1977, the city was in full blown crisis already.” (25:22)
• Parallel to pandemic: New Yorkers banding together with nightly applause, showing resilience.
  • “I like to think that New Yorkers, you know, would do the right thing and come together. Yeah, but then they’re the masturbators on the subway, so I don't know.” – Desi (26:54)

6. Aftermath & Repercussions (27:42–32:22)

Fallout:

• 4,500 arrests, $350 million in damages ($2B today).
• Blackout exposed and worsened NYC’s reputation as a troubled city.

Political Change:

• Ed Koch’s election as mayor seen as direct fallout—he lifted spirits, altered policies, but often at cost to low-income communities.
  • “He began a more comprehensive public housing system, put over a billion dollars towards parks projects, and took Times Square from sleazy Central Plaza to a tourist mecca.” (30:00)

Public Blame & Lawsuits:

• Con Ed sued for “gross negligence”; lost the case.
  • “The Federal Power Commission also accused the company of not employing emergency measures efficiently after the lightning strike.” (31:10)
• Ed Koch cameoed in Muppets Take Manhattan—the segment turns light and nostalgic.
  • “That was such a good movie. I think that was my intro to New York City.” – Desi (32:22)

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NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• "There's always in these snafus, there's always a lot of human error." – Ed (19:45)
• “The Daily show is your therapist, is what you're saying?” – Ed (07:01)
• “It’s comforting... it’s like fresh cut grass. Like, it sort of brings back memories.” – Ed (14:46)
• “It is like, it's just the second some people have that opening, it's like, ugh, now's my time.” – Desi (24:41)
• “Are we in a metaphorical blackout now?” – Desi (26:34)
• “How do you think New Yorkers today would handle a blackout?” – Ed (26:43)
• “I like to think that New Yorkers, you know, would do the right thing... but then they’re the masturbators on the subway, so I don't know. It could go either way.” – Desi (26:54)
• “I think I would make everyone who comes into New York City learn how to walk on the street.” – Desi (35:11)
• “If you get yelled at in New York City, you are legally required to forget about it.” – Ed (36:04)

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PHILOSOPHICAL / METAPHORICAL TAKEAWAYS

• Blackout as a Metaphor: Ed and Desi reflect on how the blackout stands in for modern moments of “unseeing”—from information overload and misinformation to societal breakdown in trust.
  • “I think it’s possible that we are having our own blackout moment right now. Metaphorically, not literally, but we're just not seeing anything right in front of us... Where we. What are facts? What's even. We're blind to what's actually happening out in the world.” – Desi (36:40)
  • Ed: “This particular blackout happened at a time of unusual desperation among New Yorkers... a clean metaphor for this moment of information overload and conspiracy theories...” (37:11)
• Resilience and Hope: Despite chaos, both believe in the potential for communal healing and better times.
  • “I believe in New York City. I’m just, I’m such a believer in the spirit of that city, and I’m a believer in our country.” – Ed (39:32)
  • “I do too. I do too. I’m hopeful. I’m right there with you.” – Desi (39:48)

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IMPORTANT SEGMENTS & TIMESTAMPS

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|-----------------| | Humorous Desi Lydic introduction | 01:24 | | Emotional toll of satire | 05:04 | | Desi’s Madonna VHS anecdote | 07:14 – 09:44 | | NYC in the late '70s: setting the scene | 10:00 – 15:37 | | The Blackout breakdown ("Night of Terror") | 17:56 – 23:10 | | Looting, social unraveling, Upper West Side story | 24:22 – 25:22 | | Blackouts then and now—a societal reflection | 25:22 – 27:52 | | Modern takeaways, hope for resilience | 36:40 – 39:52 |

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TONE & ATMOSPHERE

The episode is brisk, funny, and self-aware, blending thoughtful history with wry asides. Ed and Desi flip from earnest to sarcastic, using humor to cope with bleak facts—mirroring the spirit that helped New Yorkers muddle through the real-life blackout.

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CONCLUSION

Ed and Desi close with a hopeful message—both for New York and for humanity at large. The 1977 blackout was a catastrophe born of cascading failures, but it also illuminated the power of community (and the importance of better infrastructure). The conversation draws a line between past and present “blackouts”—and reminds listeners of the need to work together amid darkness.

Final Quote:

“I believe in New York City. I just love our country. And I think we can bring it around.” – Ed Helms (39:32)

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For more SNAFU episodes and to explore their book, visit www.snafu-book.com.

Transcript

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See mint mobile.com A teenage girl on the Upper west side lamented that some boys offered to help carry her looted clothing and radios, but then ended up running off with them. So she was quoted saying, that's just not right. They shouldn't have done that. I love that.

[A]

Never trust a boy on the Upper west side.

[B]

The looter got looted. There's some weird justice in that. I hello, I'm Ed Helms and this is snafu, the podcast about history's greatest screw ups. My guest today is the amazing Desi Lydic, who has been absolutely crushing it on the Daily show since 2015 with her razor sharp next level satire. And just, let's just be honest, brilliantly funny, insightful and fearless reporting across the board. You're so good at what you do, Desi, and I'm so psyched you're here. Welcome to snafu.

[A]

Thanks for having me on. That is way too kind. Entirely too kind. No, it is. And I'm not sure factual, but I really appreciate it. Thank you. This is very cool to be on with you because I was a regular, avid watcher of the Daily show for many, many years while you were on. And you're part of the reason why I wanted to be on the Daily show. Admiring your work and John's and Steve and Steven and every and Sam. It just. Yeah, this is very Cool. So thank you.

[B]

That is so sweet. Go on.

[A]

Yes. Well, another thing that I specifically like about your performance.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Your everyman likability, your razor sharpness.

[B]

This will all get edited out, but I'm loving it. Yeah. So we do have the Daily show in common. It's been. I hate to say this, but it's been almost 20 years since I worked there. Oh my God, that feels insane to me. But you are there now and you've been there a bunch of years. Yeah, 10.

[A]

Almost 10. Which is just crazy too.

[B]

So badass you guys are. How was this transition? So when I was there, obviously Jon Stewart was the full time host and I was sort of a part of a cadre of correspondence and we did focus mostly on field segments and then the studio pieces with John. But now. And that's kind of how you started too, right? With Trevor.

[A]

Yes, definitely.

[B]

At a certain point you transitioned into also part of this rotating host formula, which I just think is so cool. I think it's working so well. What was that like? What was that transition like?

[A]

Crazy. There was a period of time where we were kind of testing out some different ideas and we didn't really know what was going to happen and who the host was going to be. And then it started to open up a little bit and I kind of threw my hat in the ring and put my hand up and said, hey, put me in coach before about it too hard and just by some chance that they would consider me. And then this format came about and John came back to the show and yeah, it was a little terrifying because, you know, being a correspondent, it's not an easy job by any means, but you're in character. So I was very accustomed to being on the show as the character of the correspondent and when you're hosting, you're basically yourself. So it was a whole other type of work and requires practice and giving it a shot. And so I didn't really know if I could do it but the team here is so incredible. It's a well oiled machine. Everyone had our backs and we all support one another and we've got John who could not be a more exceptional leader and watching him every Monday is like a masterclass. So to get to try something new creatively and something so exciting and to get to look to him is. It's beyond a dream come true.

[B]

I think comedians in general or comedy people are trained or it's almost like an instinct or a reflex to look for snafus. Yeah, we're always kind of trying to look under the surface at kind of what's going wrong, and especially at a place like the Daily show, like you're looking for what's going wrong in order to generate satire. I actually found that I loved it, and it was, like, very invigorating. I felt like I was part of a meaningful satirical voice at the show. But it kind of took a toll on me over a long period of time, focusing entirely on a little bit of the darker side of things. And I wonder if you've ever felt that or felt a sense of exasperation. Yeah, it can sort of, like, eat you a little bit. That's what I found.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, Ed, I'm dead inside, so I feel nothing anymore. It is gone. I've lost all sense of humanity. No, it is taxing. It really is. And I think for me, I've kind of gone up and down on it. It's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, a mental roller coaster, because you're right. There's no escaping it. You can't just bury your head in the sand and be like, well, I'm just gon to not pay attention to the news today. But I will say I think some kind of action, even for us, even if it's just finding the comedy in it, even if it's just creative action, it feels good to do something and just talk about it. Admit that it's happening in a room full of people who can kind of provide catharsis and support, and we can talk it out with each other. And then also being forced to find the humor in it somewhere is therapy. It is redeeming it, really. And especially this year.

[B]

Yeah. So the Daily show is your therapist, is what you're saying?

[A]

It totally is. It totally is. They should be billing me. I'm sure I'll get an invoice in the mail. I pay them to do the show.

[B]

Before we dive into today's snafu, what is a major snafu from your life?

[A]

Oh, God, I have too many to choose from. I feel like I'm a Snafu A Day kind of person.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

We were just chatting right before we started here about old VHS tapes. And it brought up this, like, humiliation, the snafu that happened. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Madonna. Like many young girls, I wanted to be Madonna. And I think I was maybe somewhere around 8. I probably wasn't allowed to watch MTV, but I was snaking it. And Madonna had this performance. It was her MTV Video Music Awards. I think it must have been a rerun. Cause I was, like, trying to think of what the timeline was, but she performed like a virgin.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

On stage. You remember?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And she legendary, like, humped the floor, crawled around, gyrated on the floor. And I was just. I didn't know what any of it meant, but I was so mesmerized. And I knew that she was about to come on. And I grabbed a VHS tape and put it in the recorder. By the way, your young listeners are gonna be like, what's a vhs? What is she talking about? So I throw a VHS in the machine and I hit record just really quickly.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

And months later, my relatives come over and they go, oh, we should watch Tracy's graduation video. Oh, yeah. You never got to see that nanny. We should put that on. And it's Christmas time, and the whole family gathers around. There's like 18 of us, and we're down in the basement. We huddle around the tv and we grab my cousin Tracy's graduation video and put it in. And it's Madonna humping the floor. And everyone looks at me like, desi. Oh, my God, I felt so terrible.

[B]

I'm imagining that, like, it's like, right as the president of the school is announcing your cousin's name, and she's about to walk up on stage, and then it's just like, cut to just the.

[A]

Worst Madonna, just all hip thrust, and.

[B]

The whole family's gathered around.

[A]

It was so humiliating. I'm sure I got grounded for not only taping over my cousin since graduation, but also watching something that was highly inappropriate for me at that time.

[B]

Today's snafu is also kind of tech related. Oh, I wanna take you into a truly insane historical snafu. It's a story that gets very dark very fast. And I mean that in every sense, literally, figuratively, sociopolitically, and possibly even spiritually. Are you ready? Yes. It's July 1970, and the big Apple, baby. That's right. Disco, punk and rent you could actually afford. But it wasn't all Studio 54 and Skyline Dreams. The city was a bit of a mess. Unemployment was at 12%. Subway fares had just doubled from 25 cents to a whopping 50 cents. What is it now? Ooh, it's like $3.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And thanks to budget cuts, city services were pretty much in the toilet. Libraries, schools, sanitation, even the NYPD had all taken major hit. Oh, and just to spice things up, the Son of Sam was still on the loose. You're aware of that.

[A]

Oh, that old Guy.

[B]

Yeah, that guy. That old creep. The serial killer who claimed a demon was speaking to him through a barking dog. So, yeah, it was a hell of a time in New York City, Desi. This was New York at one of its most sort of chaotic and volatile moments. But let's be real, the city's always pretty intense. Do you thrive on that intensity? Do you kind of find your own calm in the chaos? Like, what kind of New Yorker are you?

[A]

Yeah, I've had to kind of thrive. I've had to adapt to it, that's for sure. But, you know, if you watch Fox News, they will tell you that it is this sort of 1977 version. All day, just a city of hell. It's just a walking nightmare. I don't know. Yes, it's intense and it's chaotic, but I love it. Yes, you have to be out in the middle of it. You have to interact with other people, good or bad. I was walking down the street with my dog the other day, and I look over and there was just a guy selling my little ponies with a light bulb coming out the top. Just 30 of them on the street. I thought, God, only in New York do you have this kind of quirkiness. Just out, out. And he was making a killing. People were buying him.

[B]

That's so funny, because my only in New York story is, like, seeing people defecating in the middle of Fifth Avenue.

[A]

Yeah, well, there's too. I'm sorry about that, by the way. I really had to go.

[B]

No, but I agree with you. I agree. I think there's, like, something super special about the intensity of New York. And it kind of. I don't know, it makes me feel creative, inspired, and also just knowing the density of cultural history that has happened and transpired. Like all of the incredible people that have lived and thrived in New York, it's just. I just. Yeah, I love it. I really miss it.

[A]

It's a magical place. Even among all the defecation and masturbation on the subway, it's really. It's so special. It is.

[B]

In spite of all that. Anyone who's ever been to New York City during the dead of summer knows that it is a particularly brutal time. But in 1977, it was next level brutal. The city was in the grip of a record heat wave with temperatures hitting 97 degrees for nine straight days. So the concrete jungle was basically like a concrete oven. Now, I'm from Georgia, you're from Kentucky, we know a thing or two about heat, but there's something Uniquely punishing about New York City. Summer, right? As much as we love New York.

[A]

Like, it gets hard, it's brutal because it's humid. It gets humid more so than you think. And the buildings really trap it all in. So you're just stuck in it. And you can't escape into your air conditioned car very easily because you don't really drive in New York.

[B]

So can we talk about the. Can we talk a little bit about the smell? It's like the trash is just baking. It's like the trash cans are these little ovens that bake everything. And then of course, anything, any street runoff is like just cooking on the hot asphalt and rising into the humidity.

[A]

Cooking up a stew. A city. Yeah, it's been urine. There's even here, where we film at the Daily show in lovely Hell's Kitchen, where in between a Subway restaurant which has the lovely aroma of baked bread, and on the other side are the horse stables. So it's just horseshit and a little bit of baked bread and then garbage and urine smell from the dog park across the street. Summer over here gets real, real interesting real quick.

[B]

It's funny how consistent that smell is. Like every summer, it's just the, like, you know, like, that's hot city smell and it's not good, but weirdly, I'm just gonna say it. It's kind of nostalgic now.

[A]

It's comforting.

[B]

It's like fresh cut grass. Like, it sort of brings back memories.

[A]

Maybe we should start an aroma company. Like, we should make a candle that has that New York summer smell and we could go out with it. Do you think it would sell?

[B]

City, summer funk.

[A]

The funk of city summer funk.

[B]

The funk of the city summer.

[A]

City, summer funk.

[B]

I think it would sell. I'm not gonna say like hotcakes.

[A]

I'm just throwing it out there.

[B]

I'll take it. Picture yourself in the middle of this heat wave throughout the five boroughs. It's the summer of 77, and remember, in the 70s, people wore a lot of polyester, which is not exactly breathable or moisture wicking. So at this point, you might be saying, wow, this is like pretty bleak already. And you'd be right. But we're just setting the stage here. We haven't even gotten to the snafu yet.

[A]

I'm sweating a little bit. Can you tell? Can you see? I'm swe.

[B]

Drink some water, stay hydrated, because here we go. Hey, Ed Helms here. Now, if you're listening to snafu, you probably love a good story, especially the kind that pulls you in, twists your brain a little, and leaves you wanting more. And you also like listening to that story. Well, if this describes you, I've got another podcast you should check out. It's called Irsay, the Audible and I Heart Audiobook Club, and I co host it with my good friend Cal Penn. Each week we dive into some of the most compelling new audiobook books from Audible, thrillers, reimagined classics, comedies, and we bring in amazing guests to help us unpack them. Think of it like a book club, but with zero pressure to actually crack open the book. All you got to do is listen to it. And by the way, listening is reading it is not cheating. So if you want more great stories in your Life, listen to Earsay now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Forget whatever plans you have this weekend.

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[B]

It's July 13, 1977. To quote the lovin spoonful, it's hot time summer in the city and as the sun goes down, the sky starts to churn. Thick ominous clouds rolling in like they've got unfinished business. Storms a brewin. And not just any storm, a monster electrical storm. At 8:37pm, a massive bolt of lightning strikes the Buchanan South Substation in Westchester county, tripping two critical circuit breakers. This lightning strike, combined with a loose locking nut and of course, some delayed maintenance, prevented the breakers from resetting, cutting off a major power source. Minutes later, at 8.55pm, another lightning bolt strikes the Sprain Brook substation in Yonkers, knocking out two more vital transmission lines. The system, already strained, begins to falter. Operators at Con Edison, the city's power provider, attempt to bring additional generators online. But some were actually unmanned, like there was nobody there, and the others just failed to start remotely. So by 9:24pm the situation had deteriorated rapidly. The remaining power lines were overloaded, and the city's largest generator, Ravenswood unit number three, nicknamed Big Alice, shut down to protect itself from damage. Minutes later, 9:36pm the entire con Edison system collapsed, plunging New York City into darkness. And thus began what would become known as the 77 Night of Terror.

[A]

What a perfect storm of a snafu. Just a series of mishaps, one right after the next.

[B]

There's always in these snafus, there's always a lot of human error. I mean, these obviously, like, the lightning is insane. This was like a really exceptional electrical storm, but there's always somebody messing up. Not enough maintenance was done. There was a loose nut somewhere. Did you, as a kid, did you, like in the south, we're familiar with big lightning storms.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Did you like a lightning storm?

[A]

Oh, it was kind of fun. I mean, I never liked having to come in from being outside playing. Cause back in those days, we played outside. Kids played outside.

[B]

I don't even know what you're talking about.

[A]

Yes. The younger generation doesn't get it.

[B]

We played outside through rainstorms, like, even through, like, electrical storms. We didn't care. Our parents didn't.

[A]

Because in the South, a thunderstorm would last sometimes like three and a half minutes, and then it would clear up, you know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We also had tornadoes. Did you have tornadoes?

[B]

We had very rare tornadoes. Did you, like, when the power went out?

[A]

I remember I was actually in New York during Sandy, which was. That was probably the closest to like the 77 blackout, but similar. I mean. Yeah, and that was kind of. That was terrifying. That was such an eerie feeling. Feeling to look outside and for sure see darkness all the way down the Bowery. It's crazy.

[B]

Things were getting real spooky. Traffic lights stopped working all over the city. Subway trains stopped moving. Streets and stores were pitch black all over town. At Shea Stadium, the Mets were losing 2 to 1 against the Cubs when the lights went out in the bottom of the sixth inning, Mets third baseman Lenny Randall was up to bat and later said, I thought to myself, this is. My God is coming for me. Can you imagine? Like, those lights are so bright right in those ballpark stadiums and they just. Yeah, like blackout. That would be. That must be jarring.

[A]

Terrifying.

[B]

Yeah. There was a pretty big problem right away. Responding to the power outage, many of the emergency personnel, first responders, police officers and firefighters lived outside of the city in New Jersey. And because of the blackout, they were unable to get into the city. So things are about to go seriously off the rails here. But for the record, I was in NYC for the blackout of 2003. No, that's not true. I was not actually in this. I was on a Daily show field shoot in 2003. I was in Birmingham, Alabama, on a field shoot and I was getting word that all my friends were in. This blackout in New York City was funny because all I heard were these great stories of, oh, I met the love of my life. Or I had this incredible one night stand. I went out and had some potato chips on my stoop and met these traveling musicians and we traipsed around the city serenading. Like, that sounded like such a wonderful blackout. This is about to go so, so dark. Do you think New York City is a good place or a bad place for a disaster?

[A]

It's all the things. Yeah, I think it really. Yeah, I think there's capacity for all of it because there's just so many different people in New York City and so many. But like, the state of the world certainly plays into that.

[B]

Definitely. That's huge. And that's gonna. You're exactly right. The state of the world is a major factor. So this blackout happens, and at first the city holds its breath in the darkness. But around 10pm, just a half an hour after the lights went out, New Yorkers began to emerge. And it didn't take long for things to go from a sort of mild curiosity to completely spiraling out of control. Looting erupted across the city in neighborhoods already strained by unemployment and economic hardsh. To your point, the blackout was a catalyst for unrest. Over the next 25 hours, more than 1600 stores were damaged or destroyed. Arsonists set over 1000 fires, overwhelming the city's fire departments. Mostly it was a very dark time, no pun intended. But there are a few anecdotes that I dug up that revealed some dark irony. Here's one I found in Time magazine. A teenage girl on the Upper west side lamented that some boys Offered to help carry her looted clothes. Clothing and radios, but then ended up running off with them. So she was quoted saying, that's just not right. They shouldn't have done that. I love that.

[A]

Never trust a boy on the Upper.

[B]

West side with your looted belongings.

[A]

No, no, no.

[B]

Like, the looter got looted. There's some weird justice in that, I guess. Does it freak you out how quickly, like, we just can, as a society, we can just unravel in something like a black.

[A]

It is like, it's just the second some people have that opening, it's like, ugh, now's my time. Now's my time. Yeah.

[B]

It goes from, like.

[A]

Especially when.

[B]

Yeah. You're like, lighting candles one minute and then it's just like full on purge vibes.

[A]

Yeah. I think if you're on the verge enough, if your needs aren't being met for whatever reason, like, you know, if I was in a particular head space, I might see an opening and go, you know what? I'm gonna put these candles down. Let's go rob a bank.

[B]

Yeah. It's like, I have had trouble making ends meet and getting enough groceries for my family for months now. I'm going to the grocery store to just get as much as I can.

[A]

Now's my chance. Everyone else is doing it.

[B]

Sure. Well, so we were talking about other blackouts. Just 12 years before this blackout in 1965, there was another one that was much bigger. Affected 25 million people compared to the 1 in 77. That only affected 9. Only affected 9. But during that 65 blackout, City was totally calm. And historians think this is because NYC was simply more stable economically and socially in 1965. People treated that blackout like it was just a weird snow day. But in 1977, the city was in full blown crisis already. High unemployment, crime, budget cuts, all of that. And of course, Son of Sam just walking around. Son of Sam. It's like, you don't know. Son of Sam could be, like, in a blackout. He could be right behind you.

[A]

Yeah, totally.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Totally. That guy was everywhere. Fear is a powerful motivator. It really is. It can cause you to do some crazy things. Not that we would know anything about that today in any context politically.

[B]

Yeah. I felt like you were about to just sort of like, unravel the tapestry of modern politics.

[A]

I'm like, are we in a metaphorical blackout now?

[B]

Interesting.

[A]

Can we not see what's right in front of us? Is that what's happening to us right now in this moment?

[B]

Do we feel like a metaphorical Son of Sam is stalking all of us right now. How do you think New Yorkers today would handle a blackout?

[A]

I was here during the pandemic the entire time. It was such a scary time and such an awful time. And. And I vividly remember we open up our windows every night at 7pm and people stuck their pots and pans and banged on them to cheer on our healthcare workers. And to have that moment just once a day, to hear New Yorkers come together and show some gratitude and appreciation for the real heroes doing the hard work. I mean, I like to think that New Yorkers, you know, would do the right thing and come together. Yeah, but then they're the masturbators on the subway, so I don't know. It could go either way.

[B]

Yeah, there's. But you're speaking to sort of the resilient spirit of the city, which I also kind of appreciate and I think is always under there somewhere. And it's kind of worth rooting for that always. Anyway, 25 hours later, when the lights finally flickered back on, the damage was staggering. Around 4,500 arrests had been made. And the estimated cost of the blackout was $350 million, which is nearly $2 billion today.

[A]

Oh, my God, think of all the subway rides you could get with that.

[B]

I know the lights may have only gone out for 25 hours, but the blackout had a big effect on New York. That night brought national attention to some of the systemic issues plaguing nyc, economic and otherwise. Many citizens felt abandoned by their institutions with an absent and rundown police force. But the blackout also reinforced the wider narrative that New York was a declining city. It took businesses a while to recover, and voters were ready for change. So In November of 1977, New York voters elected Ed Koch as their new mayor. I think we have a photo of old Ed Koch.

[A]

There he is.

[B]

I don't know when that photo was taken in his tenure as mayor or even as a candidate, but, man, he looks just. He looks worn out.

[A]

It's not going well. No, but it's not going well.

[B]

I mean, is there any harder job than mayor of New York City?

[A]

It's gotta be the hardest job. And the most. I feel like the only job that is less appreciated is the job of being a mother.

[B]

It's just.

[A]

No one ever likes the mayor. Everyone complains about the mayor. The mayor's never doing enough. It's just a thankless job.

[B]

But I would even say that just to compare the epic heroism of motherhood to any job is doing a disservice to mothers everywhere. Especially to compare to Ed Koch.

[A]

Just thankless, thankless.

[B]

Koch had already served in Congress for five terms, and many people said he made them feel optimistic while the city was still reeling, lifting New York out of that 70s slump. Others say he balanced the city's budget, but mostly at the expense of low income communities. He began a more comprehensive public housing system, put over a billion dollars towards parks projects, and took Times Square from sleazy Central Plaza to a tourist mecca that is still bustling.

[A]

A sleazy tourist mecca.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. I don't think Koch totally unsleezed it.

[A]

No. Still some sleaze on that old Times Square. If I can never go to Times Square again, I am a happy woman. I will go anywhere else in New York. I have no interest in time. Just the bodies. Just all the bodies. Especially in the summertime. Just the hot, hot bodies.

[B]

No, also the people walking around Times Square. They don't know how to do New York. They don't know how to walk fast and get out of the way. They don't know how to jaywalk properly.

[A]

They're stopping and going. And then you have all the bright lights. Now it's all the screens. So people get distracted.

[B]

It's very Blade Runner.

[A]

It's stimulating. It's too much.

[B]

The vultures descended on Con Ed in the aftermath of this blackout, looking for someone to blame for the night's chaos. In 1978, the lawsuit Koch vs Con Edison was filed. Though the case would drag out until 1982, a court eventually ruled that Con Ed's gross negligence was responsible for the big blackout. The Federal Power Commission also accused the company of not employing emergency measures efficiently after the lightning strike. Con Ed's president bit back, saying that the events were so extraordinary that they went beyond the design and capability of the system and that really nothing could have been done. But I'll leave that up to you to decide. Fun fact. Ed Koch also made a cameo in Muppets Take Manhattan.

[A]

I loved that movie.

[B]

Right? That was one of the. That's the one where Kermit the Frog was riding a bicycle in Central park and you could see his frog legs pedaling the bicycle. And I still like, how'd they do that? In this age of like, crazy cinematic, you know, like crazy animation. Like, how the hell did they do that?

[A]

Oh, my God. Oh, that was such a good movie. I think that was my intro to New York City. Joan Rivers was in that movie. Oh, what a great movie.

[B]

Amen. Hey, Ed Helms here. Now, if you're listening to Snafu, you probably love a good story, especially the kind that pulls you in, twists your brain a little and leaves you wanting more. And you also like listening to that story. Well, if this describes you, I've got another podcast you should check out. It's called earsay, the Audible and I Heart Audiobook Club and I co host it with my good friend Cal Path Pen. Each week we dive into some of the most compelling new audiobooks from Audible, thrillers, reimagined classics, comedies, and we bring in amazing guests to help us unpack them. Think of it like a book club, but with zero pressure to actually crack open the book. All you got to do is listen to it. And by the way, listening is reading it is not cheating. So if you want more great stories in your Life, listen to Earsay now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm here with spinquest where you can.

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[B]

If you became mayor of New York City, Desi Lydic, what would you do? What's the first thing you would change?

[A]

I think I would make everyone who comes into New York City learn how to walk on the street. That's what I would do. A masterclass in walking.

[B]

It's sort of like there's a citizenship test, but for New York City, there's a tourist test. Have to pass all these, like, rules of etiquette of New York City etiquette, which is so different from, like, the rest of the world.

[A]

That's right. You gotta keep your pace. You have to have a healthy, healthy sense of boundaries between you and other people. If you're gonna stop and look at your phone, you peel off. Peel off to the side, off to the shoulder of the sidewalk.

[B]

If you breach New York City, like pedestrian etiquette, you will get screamed at. And you better just roll with it. Cause that's how it ridiculed. That's how it works.

[A]

And you take it.

[B]

That's how it.

[A]

You take it. You get roasted to your face. And if you can't handle it, go to Jersey, go to the jurors, go to Jersey. That's your punishment.

[B]

If you get yelled at in New York City, you are legally required to forget about it.

[A]

Forget about it.

[B]

Mm. Right. Sorry.

[A]

I think we could see. We could fix New York.

[B]

I think we could.

[A]

We got that, right? We could have handled this blackout.

[B]

We'd be a good team in that mayor's office for sure.

[A]

Totally, totally desi lydic.

[B]

That is the blackout of 77. The night of terror. Any, like, macro takeaways here? Reflections, ideas, thoughts?

[A]

I think it's possible that we are having our own blackout moment right now. Metaphorically, not literally, but we're just not seeing anything right in front of us. That's what. That's been, my big aha moment. Like, oh, this is happening right now. Where we. What are facts? What's even. We're blind to what's actually happening out in the world. What is reality right now? I took an edible before I started here, and so I'm. No, no.

[B]

But I actually think that's really keen and savvy. This particular blackout happened at a time of unusual desperation among New Yorkers. And that led to some pretty terrible outcomes during the blackout. And I think it's a really clean metaphor for this moment of, like, information overload and conspiracy theories, which are effectively a kind of blackout because they're blurring what's maybe, like, a real take A take on reality, like, what's really happening.

[A]

You have fear as a huge motivator.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Kind of clouding your vision. Yeah. And when people's needs aren't being met, that's when people act out of desperation and bad things happen. And when you don't feel like you can trust your leaders to take care of you or your government or the economy is failing and you can't put food on the table. Yeah. It's. It can be a scary time. Well, hopefully we aren't on the brink of that right now, but.

[B]

Oh, we are.

[A]

I don't know. We'll see. Oh, we're really maybe something.

[B]

It was like, any. It was literally like, any minute now.

[A]

Yeah, any minute.

[B]

Any minute. It's just, like, full Lord of the Flies.

[A]

I don't disagree.

[B]

I do think that there's just to kind of spin it back around on a positive note. The city did emerge from this blackout, and as difficult of a chapter as it was, it is also a testament to the resilience of the city. And I kind of feel like, to your point about the broader metaphor, this moment that we're in nationally, I hope, is something that can, as we sort of, like, push through the darkness and the sort of siloed information bubbles that we're all in, that there is a kind of new cohesion that rises out of it, a new sense of community, like national community and national sort of how much we're just interwoven and interdependent on one another that becomes like a point of pride instead of something to sort of shame and ridicule. I believe in New York City. City. I'm just. I'm such a believer in the spirit of that city, and I'm a believer in our country. I'm still like, this weird. I'm just like this dorky patriot. I just love. Love our country. And I think we can. I think we can bring it around.

[A]

I do, too. I do, too. I'm hopeful. I'm right there with you.

[B]

Amen.

[A]

And I think it starts with our campaign for mayor of New York City, for co mayors.

[B]

We're turning it around. Desi. You and me, baby.

[A]

You and me.

[B]

Here we go. Forget about it. That's our campaign slogan. Forget about it.

[A]

Forget about it.

[B]

You got troubles. Forget about it.

[A]

Forget about it.

[B]

Desi and Eddie are here. All right, Desi, thank you so, so much. This was an absolute blast. Keep crushing it. You're doing great. Snafu is a production of Iheart podcasts and Snafu Media, a partnership between Filmation Entertainment and Pacific Elite Electric Picture Company. Our post production studio is Gilded Audio. Our executive producers are me, Ed Helms, Mike Falbo, Glenn Basner, Andy Kim, Whitney Donaldson and Dylan Fagan. This episode was produced by Alyssa Martino and Tori Smith. Our video editor is Jared Smith. Technical direction and engineering from Nick Dooley. Our creative executive is Brett Harris. Logo and branding by the Collected Work Legal review from Dan Welch, Megan Halson and Caroline Johnson. Special thanks to Isaac Dunham, Adam Horne, Lane Klein and everyone at iHeart podcasts, but especially Will Pearson, Kerry Lieberman, Nikki Etor, Nathan Otoski and Alex Corral. While I have you, don't forget to pick up a copy of my book the Definitive Guide to History's Greatest Screw Ups. It's available now from any book retailer. Just go to to snafu-book.com thanks for listening and see you next week. This time of year, most of us are checking off our holiday gift lists. But identity thieves have lists too, and your personal information might be on them. Protect your Identity with LifeLine LifeLock monitors millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss. If your identity is stolen, LifeLock will fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Make this season about joy, not identity theft. With Lifelock, save up to 40% your first [e-mail] iheart terms apply.

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