# If I Say "It Goes Up to 11," Do You Know What I'm Talking About? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616 "2011-02-16T18:51:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/1 "2011-02-16T18:51:36Z")
A cow-orker pointed out that someone had thrown a speaker into our dumpster. I put on a thick British accent and said “And it goes up to 11!” He looked at me like I had grown a pair of horns. I was rather surprised. “It goes up to 11” is, IMHO, a relatively common movie meme, like “I am your father.” You’d think someone in his mid-20’s would be familiar with the phrase, even if he hadn’t seen the movie. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/2 "2011-02-16T19:01:27Z")
I am disappointed, but I am not surprised. The kids these days don’t know nothing. A friend complained that she got her shoes wet and I said “Those things don’t work on water, unless you’ve got power” and no one got it. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/3 "2011-02-16T19:06:54Z")
And for those that haven’t seen the movie, **[here is the relevant clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll7rWiY5obI)**. Do make sure to watch it soon, this clip tends not to last that long. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/4 "2011-02-16T19:08:51Z")
Does your co-worker know there’s a fine line between stupid and clever? ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/5 "2011-02-16T19:09:42Z")
I knew the phrase in the OP - great, great movie - but not the one from PSXer. I had to look it up. Then again, I haven’t seen or thought much about Back to the Future II since it came out. I saw it in the theaters and couldn’t tell you much about it now. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/6 "2011-02-16T19:13:54Z")
I am heartened by the early results of the poll. You could ask yourself, “How much more common could this term be?” and the answer would be “None. None more common.” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/7 "2011-02-16T19:31:23Z")
Mid 20’s is too young to be readily familiar with the line. Just asked a 23 year old co-worker…no idea. A 35 year old beer salesmen just walked by also no idea, but I’ll call that a fluke, he was at least familiar with the movie. I’m 30 and know the movie, but I had to go out and rent it, it came out when I was 4 years old. I mostly ended up watching it because of other movies with the same group of actors (Best In Show etc). I think you’re going to have to look at the 30 and up crowd before you’ll be able to say “But it goes to 11” and have people know exactly what you’re referring to. And while we’re talking about it. I found myself behind [this car](http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f44/JoeyJoeyPP/goes211.jpg) twice in one month. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/8 "2011-02-16T19:35:17Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I was rather surprised. “It goes up to 11” is, IMHO, a relatively common movie meme, I’m tempted to do the pedant thing and say that that’s not the quote, but instead just tell you to play it again, Sam. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/9 "2011-02-16T19:39:46Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Mid 20’s is too young to be readily familiar with the line. That’s silly. That’s like saying that the under 75 crowd is too young to be familiar with The Wizard of Oz. Classics is classics. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/10 "2011-02-16T19:41:32Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > That’s silly. That’s like saying that the under 75 crowd is too young to be familiar with The Wizard of Oz. > > Classics is classics. My best friend is 28, and he’d not only never heard the line, he’d never seen the movie. It is now one of his favorites 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/11 "2011-02-16T19:49:41Z")
As it should be. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/12 "2011-02-16T19:55:53Z")
Ha! I met a Derek Small last week. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/13 "2011-02-16T20:14:46Z")
Small nitpick: The actual quote is “These go to 11” - no “up to”. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/14 "2011-02-16T20:16:46Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Small nitpick: The actual quote is “These go to 11” - no “up to”. And “But this goes to 11.” ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/15 "2011-02-16T20:22:28Z")
I’ve got the movie, thanks to recs from WordMan and Crotalus. It’s a fine quote. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/16 "2011-02-16T20:22:53Z")
I had a similar thing happen to me a year or two back. There was a story on the BBC about a smaller version of Stonehenge being found. I was reading it over the shoulder of a 20-something colleague. Me - Ah! 18 inches high is it? Him - No! what would be the point of that? Me - :smack: ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/17 "2011-02-16T20:53:09Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Me - Ah! 18 inches high is it? > > Him - No! what would be the point of that? Good thing you didn’t say anything about it being trodden on by a dwarf. That would have really confused him. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/18 "2011-02-16T21:05:40Z")
I’m pretty sure most of my neighbors (those over 65, at least) don’t have the slightest idea what “these go to 11” means, nor have the seen the relevant movie. Just for kicks, I’m going to ask our next coffee get-together. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/19 "2011-02-16T21:09:45Z")
The amp which I have for my electric guitar [goes to 12](http://www.peavey.com/products/instamplifiers/guitaramps/vypyr/). Seriously. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616/20 "2011-02-16T21:10:13Z")
It’s from that Powerpuff Girls episode where the Professor won’t let Bubbles practice in the simulator if it’s set above “3,” but she sneaks in at night and sets it for “11,” right? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-say-it-goes-up-to-11-do-you-know-what-im-talking-about/571616.md?page=2)