IHO lasagnasshole, what major cultural/pop culture things have you been unaware of? What's something you know you should know about but don't?
Not exactly the same, but I have never read any of the Harry Potter books or seen any of the movies. I don't get any of the jokes or references
also, I really know little about classic rock and roll. I have vague knowledge of names of famous bands and songs but...it's embarrassing how little I know about, say the Rolling Stones.
I didn't know who Cesar Chavez was until I moved to West Texas like 8 years ago. So, I learned Roots and Alex Haley and the Harlem Renaissance, but zero about Chicano history.
also, I really know little about classic rock and roll. I have vague knowledge of names of famous bands and songs but...it's embarrassing how little I know about, say the Rolling Stones.
But those are some of the best/craziest stories! Really though there are only two facts you need to know about these classic rock bands because all the stories come back to those two facts in one form or another. Overdoses and groupies.
I mean really, we could be here all day listing all of the classic rock guys who OD'd and we could be here all day discussing shit that their groupies did, that they overtly got their groupies to do.
I'm still unclear as to what happened with Led Zeppelin and the shark.
Oh there were a handful who died in plane crashes fwiw.
until the thread over the 4th i realized i never actually saw the footage of the challenger explosion nor have i seen footage of the berlin wall coming down. i do know what both things are
My grandmother and greatgrandmother watched the news every night, you know, the real news, not the watered down 24 hour news network pundit bullshit. So I picked up a ton of current events in that era. I saw the Berlin Wall come down, Tienanmen Square, the discovery of the Titanic, the Challenger, etc. Though I think some of them I saw in later discussions like when there was a trial or it was brought before the UN, or when National Geographic released a special.
I also watch a LOT of MTV back when Kurt Loder used to break in every half hour with actual news and when shit worthy of note actually happened at the VMAs.
DH and I were watching Apocalypse Now last weekend and I mentioned that I know embarrassingly little about the timeline of the Vietnam War.
I'm actually not shocked by this. The Vietnam era was really messy and for a long time, no one was willing to talk about it. I think of all of the wars, this one is the least discussed. It doesn't help that what's persisted in pop culture are the protests and Oliver Stone's cocaine fueled take.
Okay I've read like one chapter with Jackson but HP is his thing with MH so that's all.
This surprises me, given how much you read.Â
Honestly it surprises me! I think a couple things worked against HP for me. One is that I haaaaaate starting series before they are finished so I actively avoided picking it up at first. Two is that I don't read much YA at all. Three is that outside of GOT I don't read much of anything that has magic or stuff like that. I was actually surprised by how much I loved GOT, and have started actively seeking out similar stuff and am less biased against it all now. The only thing I avoided more than fantasy/magic/etc. was dystopian lit but I did really enjoy THG so I've been more willing to read that kind of thing too.
I think I missed out on the hype initially and just never got sucked in or chose to sit down and read it, unlike some other popular series like THG, or GOT.
I keep meaning to pick it up, but haven't ever gotten around to it. Usually I pick up on things like this when the last book comes out and I binge read/watch. GOT broke my rule because I wanted to know what was going to happen so badly after I watched the first season. We have all the books even... I kind of thought I would read it with Jackson but my husband (who isn't much of a reader) got into it with him so I left it to him.
Post by meshaliuknits on Jul 22, 2014 22:07:11 GMT -5
I was grown when I saw Tron. Which I saw so I'd get the Simpsons references. See also, Warriors & Paint Your Wagon (which is unfortunately not painted with blood).
GoT is an exception to your rule, eclaires because so fucking much of it is world history. It's the War of the Roses, dammit and how is that not appealing to people like me and you?
I will be straight up honest. Harry Potter is not really my jam. I know all of the people, I generally know the references but if I didn't have kids of the Harry Potter age, I wouldn't give a shit. Well, except for my enduring love for British actors and the overlap between Harry Potter and British period and even non-period pieces.
The cross over between Harry Potter and Merchant and Ivory productions is stroooooooooong.
Honestly it surprises me! I think a couple things worked against HP for me. One is that I haaaaaate starting series before they are finished so I actively avoided picking it up at first. Two is that I don't read much YA at all. Three is that outside of GOT I don't read much of anything that has magic or stuff like that. I was actually surprised by how much I loved GOT, and have started actively seeking out similar stuff and am less biased against it all now. The only thing I avoided more than fantasy/magic/etc. was dystopian lit but I did really enjoy THG so I've been more willing to read that kind of thing too.
I think I missed out on the hype initially and just never got sucked in or chose to sit down and read it, unlike some other popular series like THG, or GOT.
I keep meaning to pick it up, but haven't ever gotten around to it. Usually I pick up on things like this when the last book comes out and I binge read/watch. GOT broke my rule because I wanted to know what was going to happen so badly after I watched the first season. We have all the books even... I kind of thought I would read it with Jackson but my husband (who isn't much of a reader) got into it with him so I left it to him.
That's funny because I never read any fantasy until Harry Potter. My aunt started reading the books, gave them to my cousin who read them, then she finally gave them to her son! They all told me how good they were. I saw the first movie and a few months later, read all 4 of the first books in about 2 weeks.
After the 7th book came out, my husband (then boyfriend) thought I should pick up a new fantasy series and gave me A Game of Thrones. In retrospect I think it was a test because it's his favorite book series!
True, GOT is basically history so no wonder I love it.
I think the only YA I've read as an adult is THG and Twilight. And both times I picked them up because I couldn't stand being the only one not knowing wtf was going on. Luckily I enjoyed THG and Twilight is in the so bad it's funny and entertaining category.
I have never watched a lot of the major TV shows that are discussed on here - basically if it was super super popular and has been on in the past 5 years or so, I have not seen it, especially dramas. I blame school.
Off the top of my head, the one's people are always up in arms about when I say I've never seen: Game of Thrones Breaking Bad Orange is the New Black (I saw part of the first episode once!) Scandal House of Cards The Wire Boardwalk Empire
ETA: The Walking Dead and Lost
To be fair, these are all on my "to watch" list and very much know they exist.
I didn't see Rocky until about a month ago. Any of the Rockys. I live in Philly now, so I had to.
I've never seen Top Gun all the way through, but I know what happens. I'll try to think of some more... Terminator? No.
I think that's the thing some of us are trying to get at in the other thread. It's okay to have never seen these things through, especially as many of them predate us. But to not get the reference or be aware of them is just bizarre to me.
I don't think I've seen any of the original Terminator movies start to finish. It's kind of understandable because even though they were released when I was a child, they weren't appropriate for children. By the time I was old enough for them, there were other movies to watch. But I am aware of lines from the Terminator.
OH! I never read The Hobbit. This made my ex-husband sad. But I knew what it was.
They make excellent fucking movies, thank you Peter Jackson because really, I tried to read those books and I felt my brain leaking out through my earholes. Not everything of significance needs to be fully ingested to understand the significance.
I also hate The Lion, The Witch, and the fucking Wardrobe. GO THE HELL AWAY. And reading A Wrinkle in time was a trial.
i watch a ton of movies but i havent seen "classics" like A Clockwork Orange, The Graduate, Annie Hall, Breakfast at Tiffanys, etc.
A Clockwork Orange is underwhelming ever since Tarantino. That's probably sacrilege.
It's a bit similar to how I felt after reading Elie Wiesel's Night. I was all THIS is significant? It is because it was one of the first books to discuss a first hand account of the camps. But if you've read a bunch of Holocaust memoirs it makes less of an impression.
Breakfast at Tiffany's is difficult for me to watch personally because of Mickey Rooney's undeniably over the topic racist ass portrayal as the Asian downstairs neighbor. Buck teeth, thick accent, buffoonery. Plus, I mean it's a movie about a call girl and a gigolo.