# 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:** 165
**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:** [April 28, 2019, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3282 "2019-04-28T04:19:15Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve read the _Fables_ comic book series. Today I was reading Jess Nevins’s annotations of the series. Somehow I had never realized that the Farm in the series is intended as a homage to George Orwell’s _Animal Farm_ (which I have also read). I love ‘Fables’. I should catch up on that. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3283 "2019-05-01T21:31:23Z")
I’m almost ashamed about this one because I didn’t realize it until I was almost 40. Even though they take place in different settings, **Cool Hand Luke** and **One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest** basically have the same plot. Their main characters also parallel one another (e.g., Luke=McMurphy, Dragline=Chief, The Captain=Nurse Ratched). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3284 "2019-05-02T22:33:44Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > I love ‘Fables’. > > I should catch up on that. The problem I have with _Fables_ is similar to the one I have with _Cerebus_. The author went so far off the rails in the latter parts of the series that it retroactively ruined the early parts of the series for me. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2019, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3285 "2019-05-03T18:58:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The problem I have with _Fables_ is similar to the one I have with _Cerebus_. The author went so far off the rails in the latter parts of the series that it retroactively ruined the early parts of the series for me. I guess you’re saying that I shouldn’t catch up with it. Maybe best leave we’ll enough alone. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3286 "2019-05-10T21:47:52Z")
Recently [this album](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_the_Artist_as_a_Young_Ram), _Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram_, came up in my YouTube recommendations and while not an above-average album it did upwardly revise my previous mediocre opinion of Ram Jam, but that’s neither here nor there. I thought the album _cover_ was an _original_ visual pun since it is _literally_ the portrait of an artist as a young ram, which references both the name of the novel, and the way that such a self-portraits might be titled. Then I realized that the reference, _Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man_, is itself titled in the style of an literal painting in addition to being a metaphorical portrait :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3287 "2019-05-11T19:41:19Z")
Billy Joel’s “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” - the singer meets with his old friend, they decide what the have (“…a bottle of red, a bottle of white”), they catch up with each other (“…things are OK with me these days”), and then they begin to reminisce about the old days with Brenda and Eddie. But just before the Brenda and Eddie part of the song begins, Joel plays a few measures with a fast bass line with a series of quick cascading or descending passages on the higher keys. It recently occurred to me that Billy was mimicking that cliched harp sound that signals a flashback scene in a movie! (Think of Wayne and Garth’s “doodle-doo doodle-doo doodle-doo” sound to indicate a flashback.) Was this obvious to everyone? Or am I reading too much into a quick piano solo? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3288 "2019-05-12T00:38:36Z")
It took me a long time to realize that “A Bug’s Life” is a comic version of “Seven Samurai.” ---
**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:** [July 2, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3289 "2019-07-02T16:54:31Z")
Cat Stevens’s song “Sad Lisa” has the lyric: Her eyes like windows, trickling rain Upon the pain, getting deeper: I just got the pain/pane (as in window) connection ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3290 "2019-07-02T18:32:18Z")
The Beatles shot their iconic “Abbey Road” cover the day before Sharon Tate was murdered. (August 8/9, 1969 - maybe the same day, depending on the time difference) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3291 "2019-07-02T18:37:47Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > There was a story awhile back that someplace had officially named an alley Kristie Alley. > [@commasense](#): > > I suspect [Kirstie Alley](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000263/?ref_=nv_sr_1) was not amused. Rudy Vallee spent years trying to get the city of Hollywood Hills to name his street Rue de Vallee, without success. He did put up a street sign, though. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3292 "2019-07-02T21:37:20Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > The Beatles shot their iconic “Abbey Road” cover the day before Sharon Tate was murdered. (August 8/9, 1969 - maybe the same day, depending on the time difference) The time difference goes against being the same date. Tate was killed after midnight on the 9th. It was already early morning in London. Nearly a full day after the photo shoot. But within 24 hours of each other. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3293 "2019-07-02T22:27:05Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > The time difference goes against being the same date. Tate was killed after midnight on the 9th. It was already early morning in London. Nearly a full day after the photo shoot. > > But within 24 hours of each other. And…? How is this an “obvious thing about a creative work you realize after the millionth time”? Is there an Abbey Road/Sharon Tate connection I should know? (Hmm, nope, Helter Skelter wasn’t on that album…) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3294 "2019-07-02T22:47:24Z")
> [@digs](#): > > And…? > > How is this an “obvious thing about a creative work you realize after the millionth time”? Is there an Abbey Road/Sharon Tate connection I should know? (Hmm, nope, Helter Skelter wasn’t on that album…) Yeah, it’s not obvious but I thought it was interesting, especially given the Manson/White Album connection. Also, the Beatles recorded their first album (in 11 hours) on the same day Sylvia Plath killed herself. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3295 "2019-07-03T01:19:15Z")
The connection is that every time somebody crosses Abbey Road on that particular crosswalk in that particular direction, somebody somewhere in the world is murdered. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3296 "2019-07-03T01:43:31Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > The connection is that every time somebody crosses Abbey Road on that particular crosswalk in that particular direction, somebody somewhere in the world is murdered. Everybody except Paul is dead? ---
**Author:** ![Clark\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@Clark\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_K)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3297 "2019-07-03T20:53:30Z")
Why does Twitter have such a crappy-looking “home” button? The sides of the house are slanted, and there’s hole in it! It almost looks like a birdhou … Oh. Right. Well, OK, then. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3298 "2019-07-05T03:15:12Z")
I read Arte Johnson’s obit today. Sad to see him go. I not only loved him in _Laugh In_, but he was great as REnfield in _Love at First Bite_. He also read the audio version of some of Dave Barry’s books. It wasn’t until I saw the name spelled out in print that I realized I’d gotten that character’s name wrong for years. The elderly “masher” character he’d played (opposite the hair-netted spinster played by Ruth Buzzi) wasn’t Tyrone F. _Hornine_, but _Horneigh_ – that is, essentially, “Horny”. Duh! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3299 "2019-07-05T15:59:59Z")
Just saw _Buckaroo Banzai_ for approximately the eight zillionth time. My son, watching it for the first time, noticed that, when Buckaroo returns to the Banzai Institute and is talking to the young woman who holds the fort while all the Hong Kong Cavaliers are on the road, she’s gesturing to him with a lollipop she’s just taken from her mouth. He takes the lollipop from her, finishes talking to her, puts it in his own mouth, and goes upstairs. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3300 "2019-07-05T16:28:23Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Just saw _Buckaroo Banzai_ for approximately the eight zillionth time. My son, watching it for the first time, noticed that, when Buckaroo returns to the Banzai Institute and is talking to the young woman who holds the fort while all the Hong Kong Cavaliers are on the road, she’s gesturing to him with a lollipop she’s just taken from her mouth. He takes the lollipop from her, finishes talking to her, puts it in his own mouth, and goes upstairs. I’ll have to watch for that next time. In _Caddyshack_, when Lacey and Ty are at his place, she takes a drink of tequila and a few seconds later blows a bubble with her chewing gum. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/3301 "2019-07-09T15:48:43Z")
Star Trek TNG: Picard seems to have a lot of trouble saying Geordi’s name. He gets it right about half the time, the other half the words “Mister La Forge” elude him. Sometimes he says “Mister Forge” and sometimes “Mist La Forge.” [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=164) [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=166)