Tell me, have I really grown up much in the last 2 years?
Remember Charo? I saw her on VH1 a few minutes ago and it made me think about that group
of celebrities that don’t really exist anymore. I never really knew why she was famous, or what she was good at, but she guest-starred on lots of t.v. shows and was well known. Kinda celeb you would catch on Hollywood Squares or in animated form on “Scooby-Doo” or something. (Remember when the Harlem Globetrotters would guest star on “Scooby-Doo?” Wow, I’m really dating myself now, ain’t I?) . What happened to these folks? People like the Gabor sisters, Yakov Smirnoff, “Refrigerator” Perry. I’m not dissing these guys, to the contrary, I miss them. They remind me of a simpler time, when fringe talents remained fringe, and we loved them for it. We saw just enough of them that we enjoyed seeing them every time we did. They didn’t act like they deserved to take the world by storm, even though they were no more than a light breeze in the pop culture climate, unlike their counterparts today. Today’s equivalents are people like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and reality show faux-celebs who think we should be lining up to hand them awards, buy their records, and watch them in movies even though they’re talentless. When I call those ‘80s talents fringe, I’m only remarking on their place within the dominant media of the time, the movies and television shows they frequented. But most were extremely accomplished in whatever field they used as a stepping-stone to fame. Charo was actually a prodigy, an accomplished classical guitarist. Perry has a Super Bowl ring, and Smirnoff, besides being an accomplished artist, initiated a whole new form of comedy. By the way, Fridge has his own G.I. Joe action figure and Smirnoff is who they named the vodka after. Nah, I’m lyin’. Not about Fridge, but about Smirnoff.
Remember Charo? I saw her on VH1 a few minutes ago and it made me think about that group
of celebrities that don’t really exist anymore. I never really knew why she was famous, or what she was good at, but she guest-starred on lots of t.v. shows and was well known. Kinda celeb you would catch on Hollywood Squares or in animated form on “Scooby-Doo” or something. (Remember when the Harlem Globetrotters would guest star on “Scooby-Doo?” Wow, I’m really dating myself now, ain’t I?) . What happened to these folks? People like the Gabor sisters, Yakov Smirnoff, “Refrigerator” Perry. I’m not dissing these guys, to the contrary, I miss them. They remind me of a simpler time, when fringe talents remained fringe, and we loved them for it. We saw just enough of them that we enjoyed seeing them every time we did. They didn’t act like they deserved to take the world by storm, even though they were no more than a light breeze in the pop culture climate, unlike their counterparts today. Today’s equivalents are people like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and reality show faux-celebs who think we should be lining up to hand them awards, buy their records, and watch them in movies even though they’re talentless. When I call those ‘80s talents fringe, I’m only remarking on their place within the dominant media of the time, the movies and television shows they frequented. But most were extremely accomplished in whatever field they used as a stepping-stone to fame. Charo was actually a prodigy, an accomplished classical guitarist. Perry has a Super Bowl ring, and Smirnoff, besides being an accomplished artist, initiated a whole new form of comedy. By the way, Fridge has his own G.I. Joe action figure and Smirnoff is who they named the vodka after. Nah, I’m lyin’. Not about Fridge, but about Smirnoff.Electrifying conclusion: As far as Charo, I think I might still beat. How ‘bout you? She was lookin’ kinda good on “I Love the ‘70s.” Cuchi, cuchi indeed Ms. María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza Rasten.
I love linguistics. I like how language changes and the study and science of language evolves over
time. I have never been satisfied with any hypothesis or theory of the intricacies of black language, which nowadays might be too influenced by socio-economic and age dynamics to be accurately studied anyway. And I do feel like rap artists have the greatest, most diverse applications of techniques never appreciated by the world in general. But it’s the synergy between words and pop culture that tickles my fancy – catchphrases, meta-language, neologisms and the like. I recently discovered the term “snowclones.” This is the definition:
A snowclone is a type of cliché and phrasal template originally defined as "a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different jokey variants by lazy journalists and writers.” An example of a snowclone is "X is the new Y", a generic form of the expression "pink is the new black". Another example is "Got X?" This was originated by the "Got Milk?" campaign which has morphed into phrases like "Got Jesus?"or "Got Beer?" on hipster t-shirts. There’s also "Will X for Y" derived from the phrase "Will Work For Food" that is most commonly seen on signs held up by beggars. Variations are often made to indicate what the person is willing to do, and what they wish for in return.
Meta-humor might be favorite. I’m a fan of it, and of the humor it makes fun of. This kind of meta-joke is a joke in which the joke itself, or rather a familiar class of jokes, is part of the joke. Examples of meta-jokes:
An Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotsman walk into a bar. The bartender turns to them, takes one look, and says "What is this - some kind of joke?"
A Catholic Priest, a Rabbi and a Muslim Imam all sit next to one another at a diner. The Rabbi turns to the other two and says, "Hey, did you hear the one about us?"
A meta-joke is a sarcastic jab at the fact that some jokes are endlessly refitted to different circumstances or characters without significant innovation in the humor. Example:
"Three people of different nationalities walk into a bar. Two of them say something smart, and the third one makes a mockery of his fellow countrymen by acting dumb."
My favorite is the McGuyver meta-joke. You know the one – “McGuyver can make a bomb out of a (x) and a (y).” (On a side-note, I don’t hear this one as often as I used to, and it really makes me realize that 30 years old is laughing at how close I won’t acknowledge it is to me).
Electrifying conclusion: Wikipedia is the shit. And I’ve realized that I’ve invented the “hip-hop humor meta-bars.” It’s when I say “I’m in this bitch like (insecurity; birth-control; penis envy; etc.),” or “I’m in the house like (Terrence’s cousin; I aint got shoes on; family dysfunction).” Let it be documented, right here, right now.
Big Brown has won the first 2 legs of the Triple Crown, the 11th horse to do so since Affirmed.
None have closed the deal.
Electrifying conclusion: Knowing that, as long as he doesn’t break his ankles, he will be rewarded with a lifetime of good food and endless horse vag, you should applaud me for resisting the urge (except on my Facebook “status”) to make jokes about comparing Big Brown to my penis.
I love linguistics. I like how language changes and the study and science of language evolves over
time. I have never been satisfied with any hypothesis or theory of the intricacies of black language, which nowadays might be too influenced by socio-economic and age dynamics to be accurately studied anyway. And I do feel like rap artists have the greatest, most diverse applications of techniques never appreciated by the world in general. But it’s the synergy between words and pop culture that tickles my fancy – catchphrases, meta-language, neologisms and the like. I recently discovered the term “snowclones.” This is the definition:A snowclone is a type of cliché and phrasal template originally defined as "a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different jokey variants by lazy journalists and writers.” An example of a snowclone is "X is the new Y", a generic form of the expression "pink is the new black". Another example is "Got X?" This was originated by the "Got Milk?" campaign which has morphed into phrases like "Got Jesus?"or "Got Beer?" on hipster t-shirts. There’s also "Will X for Y" derived from the phrase "Will Work For Food" that is most commonly seen on signs held up by beggars. Variations are often made to indicate what the person is willing to do, and what they wish for in return.
Meta-humor might be favorite. I’m a fan of it, and of the humor it makes fun of. This kind of meta-joke is a joke in which the joke itself, or rather a familiar class of jokes, is part of the joke. Examples of meta-jokes:
An Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotsman walk into a bar. The bartender turns to them, takes one look, and says "What is this - some kind of joke?"
A Catholic Priest, a Rabbi and a Muslim Imam all sit next to one another at a diner. The Rabbi turns to the other two and says, "Hey, did you hear the one about us?"
A meta-joke is a sarcastic jab at the fact that some jokes are endlessly refitted to different circumstances or characters without significant innovation in the humor. Example:
"Three people of different nationalities walk into a bar. Two of them say something smart, and the third one makes a mockery of his fellow countrymen by acting dumb."
My favorite is the McGuyver meta-joke. You know the one – “McGuyver can make a bomb out of a (x) and a (y).” (On a side-note, I don’t hear this one as often as I used to, and it really makes me realize that 30 years old is laughing at how close I won’t acknowledge it is to me).
Electrifying conclusion: Wikipedia is the shit. And I’ve realized that I’ve invented the “hip-hop humor meta-bars.” It’s when I say “I’m in this bitch like (insecurity; birth-control; penis envy; etc.),” or “I’m in the house like (Terrence’s cousin; I aint got shoes on; family dysfunction).” Let it be documented, right here, right now.
Big Brown has won the first 2 legs of the Triple Crown, the 11th horse to do so since Affirmed.
None have closed the deal.Electrifying conclusion: Knowing that, as long as he doesn’t break his ankles, he will be rewarded with a lifetime of good food and endless horse vag, you should applaud me for resisting the urge (except on my Facebook “status”) to make jokes about comparing Big Brown to my penis.
I know some talented people…
"Soul Banger" by Jah C featuring Cavalier
"TCB" by Mercury
I'm StarPower, and I approve this message.
"Soul Banger" by Jah C featuring Cavalier
"TCB" by Mercury
I'm StarPower, and I approve this message.
1 comment:
I'm in the house like Terrence's cousin. So true, so very fucking funny.
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