As the 1960s drew to a close, and mankind trained its telescopes on other worlds, old conventions gave way to a new kind of hedonistic freedom that celebrated sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. Derided as nerdy or dismissed as fluff, science fiction rarely gets credit for its catalyzing effect on this revolution. In Strange Stars, Jason Heller recasts sci-fi and pop music as parallel cultural forces that depended on one another to expand the horizons of books, music, and out-of-this-world imagery.

The stars look very different today: the end of the '60s -- Dancing astronauts of renown: 1970 -- In search of space: 1971 -- I'm the space invader: 1972 -- Comet melody: 1973 -- Secrets of the circuitry mind: 1974 -- Your memory banks have forgotten this funk: 1975 -- What can this strange device be?: 1976 -- A distant planet from where I come: 1977 -- Hit by space junk: 1978 -- When the machines rock: 1979 -- The planet is glowing: the start of the '80s.