I’ve just had an epiphany. There really was someone named Dan Fogelberg.
As far as I knew, it was a funny name in Bloom County, when Lola Granola revealed to fiancé Opus that she had a tattoo of Dan Fogelberg in an unmentionable place, resulting in his anguished cry: “I don’t even know who Dan Fogerburp is!”
Now I discover that there really was a Dan Fogelberg, who appears to have had a considerable musical career before his recent death, as commented on by several Dopers over here: Dan Fogelberg has died.
My friends have often commented that there are gaping holes in my knowledge of popular culture. I guess they’re right.
So, what popular cultural references have completely passed you by?
Over the holidays, it was discovered that neither I, nor my parents, nor my mother’s brother had ever seen ** Chitty Chitty Bang Bang**.
My brother, on the other hand, has seen it ad nauseum. (His wife likes it, and his small children like it. )
Still, it was kind of interesting discussing with the small children the fact that this was an old movie, and discussing which characters were played by actors that we recognized.
ETA: I have previously noted, while viewing Bye, Bye Birdie, that I have a hard time recognizing Dick Van Dyke without white hair. I know he got his role on Diagnosis Murder at least in part because of his past successes, but I’m mostly familiar with him because of Diagnosis Murder, where his son starred with him, and several grandkids showed up from time to time in minor roles.
I know who Dan Fogelberg is but my coworkers have been talking about a show called Reality TV for quite awhile. The winner apparently becomes the new American Idol. Second place earns the title of “Survivor” and the rest go home to shame as The Biggest Loser. It comes on at night. A popular documentary is called “The Office”. It is supposed to show people what working in an office is like. I actually work in an office so I don’t need to watch it. It comes on at night as well. There were several movies made last year. Some won awards and were reported to be good. I will give other pop culture updates to you later. I try very hard to keep track of what is going on with our culture.
I was a sheltered private school kid who’s family listened only to gospel or maybe old school country & western when they were feeling rebellious. Once I got to a public high school in the 80s I was so geeked to discover hair metal, and brit pop, and madonna and cyndi…I thought I was just soaked in the cool.
Until one fine fall day in 1988, during a first visit to the home of a totally cute boy I had a desperate crush on, when I looked at his poster covered wall and asked “Who’s Lye-nerd Sky-nerd and what kind of a silly name is that anyway?”
I stopped paying much attention to popular music within a few years of graduating from college in 1984, and know next to nothing about the current music scene.
I’m going in a couple of hours to see the new IMAX film U2 3D because I’m a journalist covering Imax, but I know nearly nothing about the band. I understand they’re Irish. Are they like the Chieftains?
Okay, I’m kidding. I know they play rock. But isn’t Sonny Bono getting a little old for that?
What?
Basically, I am working on the premis that any reference to anything that had to do with or comes out of the “Reality TV” movement will be eraced from the collective consiousness by global warming in at the most a year. So anything in that direction I have missed, I am fine with.
I spent most of the 80’s living in Germany and missed most American cultural references of that time. However, it seems I didn’t miss a lot other than mullets and powder blue leisure suits. Looks like I picked a good time to get out of Dodge.
