# Mr. Obama? Is this typical? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-obama-is-this-typical/522271 "2009-12-23T02:40:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-obama-is-this-typical/522271/21 "2009-12-23T13:49:46Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > More specifically, the New York Times does, and has done, this for a long, long time. It sometimes has strange results, such as calling (then) Secretary of State Colin Powell, “General Powell.” [Example.](http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/05/world/collision-with-china-diplomacy-powell-offers-china-aides-outline-for-standoff-s.html?pagewanted=1) I may be wrong about this, but I always thought that retired military officers were still considered part of the military, even though “off duty” so-to-speak, and hence still called by their military rank. Thus in the example cited, Powell was referred to in the first instance as Secretary of State and in the second, where someone else would be called “Mr”, as “General.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-obama-is-this-typical/522271/22 "2009-12-23T14:01:04Z")
> [@zut](#): > > The NYT archives are online. Surely one could find this review? > > Although Perlman is certainly wrong about the origin of this belief. [Here’s a _Sarasota Journal_ article](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yoA0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=RY4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4454,848471&dq=mr-loaf&hl=en) from 1978 that says, “one formal interviewer with the New York Times insisted on calling him Mr. Loaf,” so clearly a 1991 article can’t be the source of this. > > Are you sure you saw it in the Times, and not another publication? I tried their archives and the earliest review I could find was from November 30, 1977, titled “Rock: Meat Loaf Salty, Bombastic and Popular.” But I’d have to pay $3.95 to get access to the text. Does anyone else have free access? ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-obama-is-this-typical/522271/23 "2009-12-23T14:13:27Z")
> [@zut](#): > > Are you sure you saw it in the Times, and not another publication? Here’s a possibility: LA Times theatre critic Dan Sullivan wrote a review of the Rocky Horror stage presentation on March 25, 1974, titled “Two Views of ‘Rocky Horror Show.’” Sullivan was previously a critic for the New York Times. In the article, Sullivan runs down the cast, saying, …“'Meat Loaf” plays Rocky’s predecessor, Eddie, with lots of lard. Mr. Loaf is also very good as Curry’s nemesis, the crippled Dr. Scott." Not exactly the NYT, not exactly an interview, and not exactly an insistance on calling him “Mr. Loaf,” but right timeframe, and apparently not done tongue-in-cheek. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-obama-is-this-typical/522271/24 "2009-12-23T16:26:06Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I tried their archives and the earliest review I could find was from November 30, 1977, titled “Rock: Meat Loaf Salty, Bombastic and Popular.” But I’d have to pay $3.95 to get access to the text. Does anyone else have free access? I just read the article, and John Rockwell, the reviewer, calls him “Meat Loaf” throughout. He never says “Mr. Loaf,” sadly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-obama-is-this-typical/522271.md?page=1)