# 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:** 243
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2022, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4845 "2022-04-02T22:39:45Z")
Good question. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2022, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4846 "2022-04-03T12:22:16Z")
Yesterday there was a family thing and Pandora playing songs. A song off the Boston album came on and I mentioned that the song was on my all-time favorite album. And for some reason mentioned that the album cover was probably on the TV (I couldn’t see it from where I was sitting). My college age nephew, who probably didn’t even know who Boston was mentioned the space ship was shaped like a guitar. I had all their albums and had seen it lots of times and I had never seen it. And he saw it right away. I searched through the thread and saw a couple people also hadn’t realized it was a guitar so maybe it isn’t so obvious (but my nephew noticed it right away). ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4847 "2022-04-04T10:41:31Z")
In _Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain_, the guy who was imagining things about photographed strangers was a reference to Sophie Calle? Or am _I_ imagining things? Are there more connections to her work in that movie? ---
**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:** [April 5, 2022, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4848 "2022-04-05T22:12:25Z")
I was listening to Dr. John’s “Right Place, Wrong Time” in the car today and I think it’s the first time I really paid attention to the lyrics. About 1/2 way through come the lines _Just need a little brain salad surgery Got to cure this insecurity_ A lightbulb goes off in my head…Ah, so _that’s_ where ELP got the name for the album! (a bit of research seems to confirm that their manager suggested the term as an alternative to the title they had in mind, " _Whip Some Skull on Ya_") ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2022, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4849 "2022-04-10T21:23:32Z")
It recently occurred to me that the hill the Wise Ass sits on in the _Pearls Before Swine_ comic strip is not earth but just a load of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4850 "2022-04-10T22:49:35Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > It recently occurred to me that the hill the Wise Ass sits on in the _Pearls Before Swine_ comic strip is not earth but just a load of shit Do you have a picture of this so we can get what it is about? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4851 "2022-04-10T22:50:43Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > I searched through the thread and saw a couple people also hadn’t realized it was a guitar so maybe it isn’t so obvious (but my nephew noticed it right away). I’d never heard a Boston song before until a little while ago, but when I saw the album cover, I did see it right away. So I guess some people notice it, though I also see how it could be hard to notice as well. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4852 "2022-04-11T00:28:12Z")
The Wise Ass shows up today, which is presumably what prompted the observation: > **[Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for April 10, 2022 | GoComics.com](https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2022/04/10)** > > April 10, 2022 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4853 "2022-04-16T20:07:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The Wise Ass shows up today, which is presumably what prompted the observation: Yes, a prime example. I thought of this a few weeks ago but just recently got around to pointing it out. I believe the Wise Ass is sitting atop a dung heap. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4854 "2022-04-30T19:24:10Z")
I was making a Wizard of Oz reference in another thread and for the first time I noticed the connection between the names of Dorothy’s Aunt Em and Emerald City. The name of the city that Dorothy was trying to reach expressed her desire to go back home to her family. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4855 "2022-04-30T19:28:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I was making a Wizard of Oz reference in another thread and for the first time I noticed the connection between the names of Dorothy’s Aunt Em and Emerald City. The name of the city that Dorothy was trying to reach expressed her desire to go back home to her family Wait. Really? Is there more of that kind of thing in the movie? Or book, I should say. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4856 "2022-04-30T20:20:48Z")
I don’t know if it’s a creative work, or if it’s obvious, but the lemniscate, the mathematical symbol for infinity, looks to me like an hourglass on its side, which, if you’re timing things with an hourglass, pretty much describes infinity. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2022, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4857 "2022-04-30T20:49:57Z")
I’ve always thought it represented the Ouroboros. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4858 "2022-04-30T20:52:03Z")
I always see it as a Möbius strip. ---
**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 1, 2022, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4859 "2022-05-01T04:47:10Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Wait. Really? Is there more of that kind of thing in the movie? Or book, I should say. I don’t know what Baum’s creative process was. But this is an author who gave the name Gale to a character who was carried around in windstorms, so I feel the Em/Emerald connection being deliberate is possible. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2022, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4860 "2022-05-01T06:58:21Z")
To me, it’s always just been a “lazy 8” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4861 "2022-05-01T16:28:40Z")
Mind. Blown. > As a comment noted, if you can have horny cars, why not zealot planes? ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4862 "2022-05-03T13:01:37Z")
In The Life of Brian, “I’m Brian and so’s my wife!” when they show up with a pardon… is a riff on the famous “I am Spartacus.” scene. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4863 "2022-05-03T13:08:11Z")
The Cars franchise doesn’t bear too much close scrutiny. For example, they consume gas and oil…but they also consume food (consider Mater’s experience with wasabe, for example). In which part of them does their sentience lie, and what can be replaced, added or removed without issue? Why do the towns have sidewalks? Etc etc etc ---
**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:** [May 3, 2022, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/4864 "2022-05-03T13:32:49Z")
It’s the “happy” side of Stephen King’s short story _Trucks_/ movie **Maximum Overdrive**. People are long gone by now, but the existing vehicles, which seem to have no knowledge of the human-filled past, simply accept Things As They Are. [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=242) [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=244)