# Question for you Iowans **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 7, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489 "2026-07-07T15:42:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/1 "2026-07-07T15:42:41Z")
How do you feel about the song “Iowa Stubborn” from _The Music Man_? This song states that Iowans are stubborn, cold, and unwelcoming to the outsider. Do you think it’s a slur on your state or do you agree with the lyrics? ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/2 "2026-07-07T16:02:09Z")
But we’d give you our shirt, and the back to go with it, if your crops should happen to die. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/3 "2026-07-07T16:33:12Z")
All I can say is James T. Kirk was from Iowa. And he was a bit stubborn. 🖖 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/4 "2026-07-07T16:51:12Z")
Remember, Iowa is the state whose two favorite political figures were the too-conservative-for-his-own-good Herbert Hoover and the too-progressive-to-be-a-Democrat Henry Wallace. The premiere of The Music Man was held not in Hollywood or New York, but in Willson’s home town of Mason City, Iowa. [At his funeral, (also in Mason City)](https://www.iowapbs.org/iowapathways/mypath/2568/meredith-willson) the minister eulogized him with the words, "He was Iowa stubborn but he was also Iowa generous.” Here’s a whole bunch of stuff about how much Iowa loved Meredith Willson. Whatever their feelings about one particular song, they seem to be over it. > **[Iowa’s Own Music Man – Meredith Willson.](https://ouriowaheritage.com/our-iowa-heritage-the-iowa-music-man-meredith-willson/)** > > Allow me, here, to take you through the life and work of Iowa’s very own Music Man, Meredith Willson… (S-0071) 1999 Broadway Songwriters Stamp Series. Featuring some of Broadway’s… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/5 "2026-07-07T17:14:31Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > All I can say is James T. Kirk was from Iowa. So were these guys. 🫣 [10 Infamous Serial Killers That Are Connected to Iowa - Discover Walks Blog](https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/united-states/10-infamous-serial-killers-that-are-connected-to-iowa/) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/6 "2026-07-07T17:50:05Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > So were these guys Someone should be arrested for murdering journalism. From this list: Spanger went on to kill his third wife Donna by pushing **him** off a cliff Charles saw his brother die with his own **bare eyes** That’s not the way anyone says that! Charles became a sociopath and a sexual abuser who ended up murdering 16 people, mainly children, between 1969. between 1969 and …_what?_ He committed a number of crimes in the Midwest including in Iowa where he was arrested for **theft** in Council Bluffs. After his parole in March 1923, Tommy joined other professional criminals like the Dillinger gang and they together **robbed a bank** Not _exactly_ a serial killer. But hey..whatever. Randy Kraft: Actually, there was one notation on the scorecard that referred to a teenage U.S. Marine from the state of Iowa He was born in California, grew up in California, did his military service in California, did his killing spree in California, was arrested, tried convicted and sentenced in California, but one of his victims was from Iowa. Well, alrighty then! (plus the completely unnecessary use of “actually” to start the sentence.) Can’t trust those Iowans! How many deaths was Jim Kirk responsible for, after all? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/7 "2026-07-08T03:42:58Z")
That song was about Iowayans; not Iowans. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/8 "2026-07-08T15:01:06Z")
Stupid san serif fonts. I read it as “low” ans. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/9 "2026-07-08T15:10:03Z")
I read LOWANS. I thought, dang…us poors now have a new derogatory name. ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/10 "2026-07-08T23:00:37Z")
But what the heck, you’re welcome! Glad to have you with us! Even though we may not ever mention it again… ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/11 "2026-07-08T23:22:17Z")
And this guy too. > **[Donald Piper (murderer)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Piper_(murderer))** > > Donald Arthur Piper (born May 11, 1961) is an American murderer and suspected serial killer convicted of killing two women in hotels around West Des Moines and Clive, Iowa in 1993 and 1997, but is considered a suspect in four other killings. For his confirmed crimes, Piper was convicted and sentenced to two life terms. Donald Arthur Piper was born on May 11, 1961, in West Des Moines, Iowa. Little is known of his personal background, except that he apparently suffered from frequent headaches as ... On a slightly lighter note, Slipknot are from Des Moines, and AFAIK most of them still live in the area. One of them is the partner (I don’t think they’re married) of Kelly Osbourne, and father of her young child. Kelly’s father put Des Moines on the map in 1982 for biting the head off a dead bat. I wasn’t there, but I knew a lot of people who were, and they said the story was true. ---
**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:** [July 8, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/12 "2026-07-08T23:23:10Z")
I’ve been watching The Music Man after recording it on TMC the other day. One bit I noticed; the town has a billiards parlor (owned by the mayor) but they are all up in arms about the arrival of a pool table, which they think is going to corrupt their youth. So is this meant as a joke? Or is billiards somehow respectable while pool is seedy? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/13 "2026-07-08T23:28:20Z")
Billiards is played by the upper-class elite. Pool halls are for low-life gangsters and juvenile delinquents. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/14 "2026-07-08T23:51:16Z")
And hypocrisy is for all! ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/15 "2026-07-10T01:15:02Z")
And then there’s the Shipoopi song. It seems that, from the lyrics, a girl is either a hussy, not fussy, or a Shitpoopy, er, Shipoopi. No other options! ---
**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:** [July 10, 2026, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/16 "2026-07-10T01:28:20Z")
Wasn’t Shipoopi the endearment that Jerry used in that one episode of Seinfeld? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/17 "2026-07-10T02:01:31Z")
Billiards and Pool are different games. Billiards tables don’t have pockets. Listen to the patter song Trouble, it’s all explained there. Yes, billiards requires thought, brains and maturity - did ya ever try to give an iron clad leave to yourself from a 3-rail billiard shot? Any boob can take and shove a ball in a pocket. And it’s the new pool table (that the song was about) **in** the billiard parlor that was owned by the mayor, which is why the constable told Hill that he had made a big mistake in taking up against it. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/18 "2026-07-10T02:09:03Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Billiards and Pool are different games. Billiards tables don’t have pockets. This. Technically “carom billiards,” as “billiards” is often used as a generic term encompassing pool, carom billiards, etc. This is a carom billiards table. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Hearst_Castle_Casa_Grande_interior_September_2012_006.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Hearst_Castle_Casa_Grande_interior_September_2012_006.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/19 "2026-07-10T02:27:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Billiards is played by the upper-class elite. Just like a wholesome trottin’ race (as opposed to a race where they set down right on the horse). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489/20 "2026-07-10T11:23:59Z")
Never mind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-you-iowans/1031489.md?page=2)