Pop Goes the Culture

What is it about pop culture references that we appreciate so much? I wonder if they've always been so pervasive in television shows and movies, or if The Simpsons set a precedent. Time was, even the mention of Mr. T or some other ‘80s icon would be enough to bring a smile to my face. It's possible that the shows I watched as a kid worked in references that I was simply too young to appreciate, and now that I've become old enough for people my age to be making the shows I watch, they're pulling from shared experiences I recognize and identify with. In an entertainment-based culture, nostalgia looks to the works of actors and musicians.

Shows become increasingly smart, and go beyond mere mentions to derive humor. I remember one episode of Scrubs in which a main character mentions that he wanted to get married in a church where the priest reminded him of ”Sulu”. The inevitable payoff is that later in the episode, he goes to this church and George Takei is playing the role of the priest. Another episode had the Janitor claiming to be an actor, and later using an actual clip from The Fugitive to prove his point, because Neil Flynn, who plays the Janitor, really had a small role in the movie. Stuff like that is brilliant.

Family Guy is another show that throws in references to movies, actors, cartoons, comics, music and more at a frenetic pace. I'm sure that even I don't get every single one. There was one episode a few years back in which the gang, sailing in the arctic, passes some bizarre character with long arms and cat makeup reciting some “fishy-o” poem that made me think of Dr. Seuss. Of course, many of you are no doubt jumping up and down at your computers screaming ”Monty Python's The Meaning of Life”, but I know that--as of this morning. Yes, the quest to see everything continues. I actually have seen bits and pieces of TMoL over the years and recognized many of the sketches, but I've never seen it in its entirety, and certainly not the “Fishy-O” guy. What a bizarre sequence that was. I think I know what an acid trip must be like now.

I wonder if Seth Macfarlane gets permission from the creators of all the shows he references. In Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, one sequence actually has original voice actors from Thundercats reprising their roles. I think the thing about pop culture is that entertainment offers a way to hang on to pieces of our past. There really isn't anything we can't see again, even if it's a reasonable facsimile. Long-dead figures appear in commercials, and I've seen everyone from Steve McQueen to Biggie on television again. I'm not so sure that's a good thing, but the point is the technology exists; we CAN see them again.

Is it all nostalgia then? What if some of it is recycling? Will television collapse in on itself and implode? In 2017 will a VH1 show look back on this decade, and have Haley Joel Osment, Dakota Fanning, Greg Grunberg and more fondly look back on clip shows like ”I love the ‘80s”? Regular readers know how much I appreciate pop culture, but when we reach the point that we're remembering the time that we remembered the time, I think it will be out of hand. For now though, I'll enjoy my references as often as I recognize them.