Pop culture where you were "late to the party"

Cafe Society
1

I was inspired to start this thread by the fact that I:
A. Am finally reading World Without End, the sequel to Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth (which I read about three years ago)
and
B. Just yesterday saw Tim Burton’s adaptation of Sweeney Todd with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.

I am thoroughly enjoying the book. There’s a little too much soap opera, and I could do without the obligatory “War Scene” (“Arrows falling like rain, injured horses screaming in agony, blah blah blah”) and yeah, some of the soap opera could be toned down. Still, I’m liking it. A lot.

I also really liked the movie. I’d never seen the stage production, so, while I knew roughly the plot, I didn’t really know the ending, and didn’t know what to expect. I liked the music. I was specifically impressed with HBC’s performance. I wouldn’t describe myself as a fan of Tim Burton, and haven’t seen too much of her work. I thought she nailed the role perfectly.

So, what pop culture were you “late to the party” with?

2

Plenty. An old example would be The Smiths. I started listening to music properly in the late 80s, and just didn’t pick up on them for some reason. I’m a few years past their prime, but I went though British University without owning a Smiths album. This is an impossibility for any self-respecting British music fan currently aged 30-40 - I don’t know how it happened. My wife was a big fan, so I caught up with all of their stuff in the late 90s way after the fact.

It sucks because The Smiths are a legendary band. As the years go by it is increasingly evident that they’re up there with the 1 or 2 bands that shape whole decades of music. to have been living in NW England in the 80s and have not been listening to them and seeing them play live is just a tragedy. Don’t know how I missed them :frowning:

3

I’m only just now watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Arrested Development. It also took me a disappointingly long time to see Alien and Blade Runner. (I was worried I’d have to hand over my geek cred card!)