# Obvious things about a creative work you realize after the millionth time (OPEN SPOILERS POSSIBLE) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117 "2009-07-24T13:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 159
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3162 "2018-10-31T03:09:43Z")
DEROCHE: So, let’s talk about your results so far. MARTIN: Ah, yes. DEROCHE: Well, firstly, you’ll be pleased to know your references from your current airline are excellent. MARTIN: Oh! Are they? DEROCHE: Indeed. Positively glowing report from your CEO, and another from your Chief Pilot. MARTIN: Well, that’s very … from who? DEROCHE: Your Chief Pilot – Mr. Richardson. He is most complimentary: “Myself apart, there is no-one at MJN whose abilities as a pilot I rate higher.” MARTIN: How kind(!) DEROCHE: And we also request your CEO to select at random a member of the cabin crew to fill out a questionnaire, rating you on various attributes from ‘poor’ to ‘very good’. In your case, the respondent drew in and ticked an additional box at the end of each line, labelled ‘brilliant’. MARTIN: Gosh! I wonder who that was? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3163 "2018-10-31T13:29:20Z")
I invite continued discussion of _Cabin Pressure_ [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=864776), so as to keep this banter flying merrily along on gilded wings without derailing the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3164 "2018-10-31T14:55:52Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > I’ve never read Miracleman, and I guess you post recommends it. > > Should I also look for the next two you mention? Yes, absolutely. There are three graphic novels of the Moore run on Miracleman but they can be hard to find. I have them and I ain’t selling. The other two, TDoCM and GLMK are both widely available and worth reading, if not up to the standards of Moore. Then again, saying something’s not written as well as Moore is like saying a blues guitarist is good, but he’s not as good as BB King. It’s just not fair. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3165 "2018-11-05T04:58:39Z")
Oh and Terrence Stamp and Malcolm Mcdowell why did nature give us two of this guy? In case one broke down? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3166 "2018-11-05T05:18:00Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Oh and Terrence Stamp and Malcolm Mcdowell why did nature give us two of this guy? In case one broke down? You never want one British bad guy to gain too much power. For example, if David Warner started getting out of hand, Stamp and McDowell could team up to bring him down. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3167 "2018-11-05T06:06:52Z")
Ah, that makes perfect sense! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3168 "2018-11-05T16:01:03Z")
Bob Dylan’s song Highway 61 Revisited begins with the lyrics "God said to Abraham kill me a son/Abe said “Man, you must be puttin’ me on.” Dylan’s father’s name was Abraham; hence, Bob himself is the son God wants killed. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2018, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3169 "2018-11-06T01:39:38Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Bob Dylan’s song Highway 61 Revisited begins with the lyrics "God said to Abraham kill me a son/Abe said “Man, you must be puttin’ me on.” > > Dylan’s father’s name was Abraham; hence, Bob himself is the son God wants killed. This makes no sense at all. He can’t ever write about the biblical Abraham without it really being his father? ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3170 "2018-11-06T13:41:57Z")
My son has just started reading “The Watchmen”. He’s finished the first chapter and is in the first chapter break, excerpts from the fictional book written by the the retired original Nite Owl, Hollis Mason. He’s writing about the phenomenon of costumed vigilantes in his fictional world called “Under the Hood”, ‘cuz, duh, it’s about costumed vigilantes who wear hoods and masks and cloaks (this graphic novel pointed out the problems with capes long before Edna Mode). What I never picked up on before speaking about it aloud with my son is that Hollis Mason became an auto mechanic, and ‘under the hood’ is also referring to the inside ‘under the hood’ look at costumed crimefighting. ::dopesmack:: ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3171 "2018-11-06T13:54:45Z")
I was today years old when I figured that out. (About halfway through your post.) ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3172 "2018-11-06T15:15:46Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > I was today years old when I figured that out. (About halfway through your post.) Well, about halfway through, I myself did realize it was a somewhat lengthy post. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3173 "2018-11-12T04:05:02Z")
With a s00n-to-be two year old I’m watching a lot of childrens songs, and ABCs and counting songs on youtube. Quite a few of them have something extra for the bigger kids to enjoy. For example the song “wind the bobbin up” has an animation of two mice having tea, the table at which they are seated is a bobbin. I was watching one count down from 10 song and they had in a small square in the corner with different animals for each number. I wasn’t sure why at first then I noticed that the number of letters in the animal name corresponded to the number on screen, eg. 3 was a cow. They didn’t do anything for “2” and “1” though, so I was a bit dissapointed - I was hoping for a panda on “2” (two letters - “p” and “a”. That would have been fun. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3174 "2019-01-16T23:29:40Z")
I just realized that the character of Olson Johnson in “Blazing Saddles” is a reference to the comedy team of [Olsen and Johnson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olsen_and_Johnson). ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3175 "2019-01-17T16:20:11Z")
Long and boring: _The Sting,_ has been around for 45 years; I’ve seen it at least 4 dozen times. I had the soundtrack album on vinyl, then on CD; I’ve listened to it well over 200 times. The Marvin Hamlisch pieces are titled after characters. Except a nifty little 1930s-sounding tune called “The Glove.” Could never figure out why it’s called that. It hit me yesterday, out of the blue: the song is playing “on the radio” as one of the characters, an assassin, is pulling on his gloves (a plot twist/red herring). D’oh! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3176 "2019-01-17T17:23:08Z")
“Mad Libs” is a riff on “Ad Libs.” Never did figure that out till I saw a Mad Libs book the other day and the M was obscured. Oh well. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3177 "2019-01-17T17:59:35Z")
I just posted this on another board, but a few days ago I was watching Scrubs and noticed that Dr Moyer, the head of radiology that [yells at them for calling him in on a weekend](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6N6EJ3IQuI), is Mike on Seinfeld, the guy[that got into an argument with George over a parking space](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RMQEBWo1aQ). ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3178 "2019-01-17T21:22:14Z")
It occurred to me the other day that that the _Underdog_ villain Simon Bar Sinister’s name literally means Simon The Bastard. :eek: I can’t help wondering how the heck poor Peter Dinklage ended up playing him in the movie. Think he’s related to Fat Bastard from _Austin Powers_?😉 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3179 "2019-01-18T14:42:05Z")
Since this thread has been resurrected again: It recently occurred to me that Dylan’s album title “Blood on the Tracks” has nothing to do with trains. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3180 "2019-01-18T15:10:40Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > My son has just started reading “The Watchmen”. He’s finished the first chapter and is in the first chapter break, excerpts from the fictional book written by the the retired original Nite Owl, Hollis Mason. He’s writing about the phenomenon of costumed vigilantes in his fictional world called “Under the Hood”, ‘cuz, duh, it’s about costumed vigilantes who wear hoods and masks and cloaks (this graphic novel pointed out the problems with capes long before Edna Mode). > > What I never picked up on before speaking about it aloud with my son is that Hollis Mason became an auto mechanic, and ‘under the hood’ is also referring to the inside ‘under the hood’ look at costumed crimefighting. > > ::dopesmack:: Speaking of _The Watchmen_, I was just re-watching the movie and noticed that Ozymandias had a damaged but complete version of the statue of Ramses II referenced in Percy Shelley’s poem. I’d always wondered about why Adrian Veidt selected the name Ozymandias; considering that the poem has as a theme how fleeting are the works of man, and Adrian’s ego and ambition seem not to recognize any limitation. I decided Adrian comes from an alternate universe where the statue of Ramses II was not destroyed as in our universe where no trace of it remains but survived. Now the name makes sense. The statue of Ramses II survived for more than 3,000 years. Not too shabby. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3181 "2019-01-18T23:45:32Z")
I was listening to Abbey Road for the 1,435,277th time, and while the song “Mean Mister Mustard” played, I was thinking of our **Mean Mister Mustard** , and heard the line, “his sister Pam works in a shop…” I was idly wondering if the Doped MMM has a sister named Pam, when the album sequed to the next song, “Polythene Pam.” And for the first time I realized that Polythene Pam is Mean Mister Mustard’s sister. Never made the connection before! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=158) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=160)