# Have you met someone who didn't know a really well-known pop or historical reference?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 22, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658 "2013-03-22T17:57:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 15
### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/281 "2013-04-03T05:42:32Z")
> [@OurLordPeace](#):
>
> And I would say that both are hard-rock, whereas metal describes Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and in general the (usually) dark folk/classical derived work that follows from Black Sabbath.
>
> With that said, there is often overlap, to a greater or lesser extent.
Black Sabbath and the heavy metal that followed from them are folk/classical derived? š
I thought Sabbath and other Metal musicians were reacting _against_ all the folk and classical influences that infected the Prog Rock of the time. That is what made them differnt from ELP or Fairport Convention, or even Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/282 "2013-04-03T06:37:14Z")
I wouldnāt be a very good hipster, I know all of the references mentioned. I guess I follow pop culture too close.
Just this week I found out my partner does not know anything about movies. He says he likes Goodfellas, but did not recognize the name Martin Scorcese. Or Coppola. Or Kubrick. Never saw The Godfather or 90% of the movies we were asking about.
A couple years ago my National Guard unit had to drive some old vehicles to Lakehurst Naval Airstation where they were being turned in. When we were done I was talking to a couple of my soldiers and I pointed to the open area a short distance away. āThatās where the Hindenburg crashed.ā Blank stares. Never heard of the Hindenburg. I would guess its probably the most replayed film footage in history. Certainly in the top 5. Oh the humanity.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/283 "2013-04-03T07:53:48Z")
If Michael Bay had made a movie set against the Hindenburg disaster (instead of Pearl Harbor) everyone would know about it.
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### Author:  [@OurLordPeace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OurLordPeace)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/284 "2013-04-03T14:42:41Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> Black Sabbath and the heavy metal that followed from them are folk/classical derived? š
>
> I thought Sabbath and other Metal musicians were reacting _against_ all the folk and classical influences that infected the Prog Rock of the time. That is what made them differnt from ELP or Fairport Convention, or even Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.
I was referring to the way that Mahler/Wagner-style musical elements came to the fore pretty quickly, along with druid/Viking/generally tribal drumming. Blues was/were lessened. Plus, the look and doom-laden lyrical attitude was a huge contrast with the confident swagger of a lot of rock and rollers (like Zeppelin and Deep Purple), as well as the hippy happiness of the Flower Children.
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### Author:  [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/285 "2013-04-03T14:58:06Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> Black Sabbath and the heavy metal that followed from them are folk/classical derived? š
>
> I thought Sabbath and other Metal musicians were reacting _against_ all the folk and classical influences that infected the Prog Rock of the time. That is what made them differnt from ELP or Fairport Convention, or even Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.
Black Sabbath predates most Prog Rock so couldnāt really react against it, while Sabbath itself was a major influence on Prog Rock. Most histories of rock music put classical-and-folk-influenced bands such as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple squarely in the (early) Heavy Metal bracket, just like contemporary media labeled the bands.
Heavy Metal acts that post-date Prog Rock such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ronnie James Dio etc. most certainly did not not react against classical influences, or prog rock, but doggedly carried on many of the musical and lyrical themes of the prog dinosaurs when mass media had already turned against it. It was the punk rockers who hated folk, classical and prog; Metal Gods such as Steve Harris famously loathed anything to do with punk rock.
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/286 "2013-04-03T17:09:57Z")
> [@SCAdian](#):
>
> Iām 58, and I canāt name any Van Halen songs.
> [@Siam\_Sam](#):
>
> Not even āJumpā?
Well, I can name it now, but Iāll have forgotten it ten minutes after I leave this thread.
While weāre on the subject: People seem to be referring as a group/band/whatever. I thought Van Halen was a person - Eddie Van Halen, or some such. Am I confused?
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### Author:  [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/287 "2013-04-03T17:31:02Z")
> [@SCAdian](#):
>
> Well, I can name it now, but Iāll have forgotten it ten minutes after I leave this thread.
>
> While weāre on the subject: People seem to be referring as a group/band/whatever. I thought Van Halen was a person - Eddie Van Halen, or some such. Am I confused?
Yes, Van Halen is a band. Original lineup was Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony (I think.) I was never a huge Van Halen fan but they were probably at the height of their popularity when I was in high school so itās hard not to know about them. Iāve always been much more of an REM and U2 fan. š
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### Author:  [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/288 "2013-04-03T17:49:07Z")
I have a good friend who just yesterday found out about the āHarlem Shake.ā
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/289 "2013-04-03T17:59:46Z")
> [@TheFaerie](#):
>
> I have a good friend who just yesterday found out about the āHarlem Shake.ā
I still donāt know what it is.
I know Van Halen though. š
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### Author:  [@Molesworth\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molesworth_2)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/290 "2013-04-03T18:03:54Z")
I think I was about 25 when I realised that āSedanā wasnāt an automaker like, say, Ford or Ferrari.
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### Author:  [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/291 "2013-04-03T18:33:59Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> I still donāt know what it is.
>
> I know Van Halen though. š
š
I figure that if you wanted to know youād check out you tube yourself.
It was particularly odd because many of our mutual friends posted Harlem Shake videos on FB back when it was still a new meme, so it wasnāt like something that never crossed her radar. But all is well. She thinks itās as stupid as most people think it is. But to have never even heard of itā¦
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/292 "2013-04-03T18:55:51Z")
When I was a lad, a much sought-after treat was to be selected (out of ten kids) to have a sleepover at my paternal grandmotherās house. She loved to sleep in on a Saturday morning, and so she would leave a large bowl of individual-serving boxes of cold cereal on the kitchen table for her earlier-rising grandkids.
When she got up, sheād make what she called a āsecond breakfastā for us (generally of the bacon, eggs, and toast variety). And I donāt believe she ever read any Tolkien in her life, but when I read _The Hobbit_, the term gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling of recognition.
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/293 "2013-04-03T19:04:52Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#):
>
> Yes, Van Halen is a band. Original lineup was Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony (I think.) I was never a huge Van Halen fan but they were probably at the height of their popularity when I was in high school so itās hard not to know about them. Iāve always been much more of an REM and U2 fan. š
Eddieās son Wolfgang is now the bass player, so 3/4 of the band is named Van Halen.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/294 "2013-04-03T20:13:51Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> He lived there for most of his adult life and died there. The Ravens football team was named that for that reason.
They really should have named them āThe Screw-Turners.ā
Or failing that, the āColts.ā
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### Author:  [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/295 "2013-04-03T20:18:52Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> They really should have named them āThe Screw-Turners.ā
>
> Or failing that, the āColts.ā
I think the Colts was taken.
Just a little over 29 years ago.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/296 "2013-04-03T20:37:28Z")
> [@Pai325](#):
>
> I think the Colts was taken.
>
> Just a little over 29 years ago.
I heard.
They shoulda renamed that team the 500s.
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### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/297 "2013-04-06T05:18:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> I agree. Not all cultural references are created equal. Some of them, like the Beatles and George Washington, are big enough that everyone should know them. Others are more like Millard Fillmore or the Dave Clark Five.
Hey, I was a huge DC5 fanā¦ and Iām related to Millard, but not a fan (sorry, unc!).
My wife grew up not getting any cultural literacy from her family (long storyā¦), so she often gets references wrong.
As well as āOld Sayings That Everyone Knows.ā (which is another type of Cultural Literacy). Nope, in our house itās āOld Sayings That Everyone But Mom Knowsā:
_āOkay, thatās a cow of a different color over the moon.ā_
_āWell, arenāt you just pleased with the Kool-Aid?ā_
(I think she meant āPleased As Punchā)
And in the heat of an argument she triumphantly proclaimed: _ **āAha! NOW youāre walking a mile with the foot on the other ankle, arenāt you?ā** _ I still canāt believe I kept a straight faceā¦ and made it until she calmed down before I mocked her.
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### Author:  [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2013, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/298 "2013-04-06T05:44:17Z")
> [@digs](#):
>
> And in the heat of an argument she triumphantly proclaimed: _ **āAha! NOW youāre walking a mile with the foot on the other ankle, arenāt you?ā** _ I still canāt believe I kept a straight faceā¦ and made it until she calmed down before I mocked her.
I am totally going to steal that.
I thought I was bad one day when I exclaimed āWell, that threw a monkey in the wrench!ā
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/299 "2013-04-06T13:31:43Z")
> [@TheFaerie](#):
>
> I have a good friend who just yesterday found out about the āHarlem Shake.ā
Like others, I have heard of it but donāt know what it is.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-met-someone-who-didnt-know-a-really-well-known-pop-or-historical-reference/653658/300 "2013-04-06T13:59:48Z")
Iāve only heard of the Harlem Shake in the past month and have yet to see it.
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