Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2011 October 19

= October 19 =

Looking for more shows of the same theme.
I've much enjoyed shows like The Sopranos, Oz, The Wire, Weeds, Trailer Park Boys, and Breaking Bad. Currently my well has run dry and wonder if someone can recommend similar shows? Brad (talk) 01:42, 19 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Homicide: Life on the Street. Treme. --Viennese Waltz 07:24, 19 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Dexter. Astronaut (talk) 11:28, 19 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Damages (TV series), The Riches, Justified (TV series). Especially recommend Damages.μηδείς (talk) 16:21, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

The theme of those shows seems pretty broad so you could be pretty much recommended any tv series. Mockumentary wise Phoenix Nights form here in the Uk is excellent, very well written. In the more dramatic series you have I would add The Shield, and also (I really enjoyed it) Numb3rs. ny156uk (talk) 22:46, 19 October 2011 (UTC)
 * The common theme I'm seeing from the original list of shows is crime from the criminal's point of view. So to that, I would add Sons of Anarchy. Orange Suede Sofa  (talk) 22:58, 19 October 2011 (UTC)
 * I hadn't thought of it that way but you're right. The shows are from the criminal pov. A lot of great suggestions here thanks. Brad (talk) 00:29, 20 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Also Boardwalk Empire. 208.111.198.216 (talk) 04:08, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

Sandy Baron
I noted when reading your wikepedia page on List of Comedians that comedian Sandy Baron was not listed. He was born on May 5, 1937 and died January 21, 2001. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.150.69.253 (talk) 16:42, 19 October 2011 (UTC)


 * There is a lot more than just his birth/death date in his article. -- k a i n a w &trade; 17:14, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

Mr. Churchill Says
I have never been able to determine to what degree The Kinks' songs about traditional English themes are driven by a genuine fondness for English/British heritage, or if it is largely sixties hippie commentary. A prime example is "Mr. Churchill Says", which recounts various motivational speeches by Winston Churchill, Louis Mountbatten, and so on during World War II. I'm getting confused by the fact that on paper, the lyrics appear to make tribute to the leadership of that era, but the vocal delivery is that of a sarcastic malcontent sitting around smoking a giant joint. To further complicate the matter, there are other songs on the same album which are very clear social critiques ("She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina", etc.), but I not able to tell if this same attitude is applied to a moment in history when the very survival of Britain was at stake. Are there any interviews or other sources which could shed light on their actual attitudes regarding the themes of their English-centric songs? I'm assuming that the real answer is here rather complex. Regards, Orange Suede Sofa  (talk) 18:18, 19 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Here is an interview from the time with Davies talking about his songs. I think I can find more links and will top up in a while.--TammyMoet (talk) 19:33, 19 October 2011 (UTC) I was thinking about the programme he did for the BBC, but it's no longer available to listen to, but there is a stub on the BBC website. --TammyMoet (talk) 19:42, 19 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Thank you; while the interviews don't address the specific song I had in mind, the first interview confirms that the similar sentiments expressed in "The Village Green Preservation Society" are genuine. At least for my own purposes, it is probably safe to extrapolate that to the rest of Davies' output. Regards, Orange Suede Sofa  (talk) 20:46, 19 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Bear in mind that the Kinks' songs were written 20 years after the Second World War, by someone who had no experience of it but who had grown up in its aftermath, at a time when social mores were still generally very conservative and life generally was not much fun. People like Davies rebelled against the older generation (like many young people do, in any generation), and, to some extent, against the deference shown by most of British society towards people like Churchill and the royal family, simply because they wanted society to develop in a more liberal and more forward-looking way.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 07:23, 20 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Another point to make here is Davies's use of observational writing. He grew up in 1950s London, a rapidly changing place, and so there is a sense of cataloguing what was being lost (Village Green Preservation Society in particular). The anti-Establishmentism the OP is referring to is most obvious in "Well-Respected Man" - although "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" also pokes fun at the Establishment part of the anti-Establishment, IYSWIM. Davies accurately reflects the British dry, sardonic and self-deprecating sense of humour. You could also make the point that there was no point in him writing about Burbank, California when there was so much material coming from life in Muswell Hill! His influences come from music hall, through Flanders and Swann, and his influence can be seen in modern artists such as Blur (band) and the Arctic Monkeys.(All of this is, of course, opinion and OR, so I'll close out by saying that people study Davies's work for degree level courses these days.) --TammyMoet (talk) 09:31, 20 October 2011 (UTC)
 * This review agrees with Ghmyrtle and TammyMoet, calling Mr Churchill Says a "sarcastic war protest". This essay describes the narrative theme of the album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire); "Arthur was born and grew with a big faith in the possibilities of the Empire ('Victoria'), serve it for his life ('Yes Sir, No Sir'), went to the War ('Some Mother's Son'), then went into the colony of 'Australia', found a small and beautiful house ('Shangri-La'), Arthur got old, remembers with melancholy the past ('Young And Innocent Days') and sadly found that his country didn't love him as he did ('Nothing To Say' and 'Arthur')." Alansplodge (talk) 00:09, 22 October 2011 (UTC)

@Ghmyrtle: According to Ray (and in Reality, I think) Life WAS much fun in the 50s - remember "Come Dancing"?--Geometretos (talk) 10:56, 22 October 2011 (UTC)

Destroying the Hulk
So, I know the Hulk is a tough son of a bitch, but has he ever been destroyed in any Marvel or Stan Lee-approved media? I don't mean supressed or removed from Banner, but actually physically annihilated or at least killed as the Hulk (rather than as Bruce Banner, but I don't know if Banner's ever been killed while the Hulk was part of him). Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie &#124; Say Shalom! 21 Tishrei 5772 20:37, 19 October 2011 (UTC)


 * I don't know if Marvel or Lee approved, but The Death of the Incredible Hulk says it all. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:00, 20 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Hmmm, looks like a death death (not just character disappears for a while). Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie &#124; Say Shalom! 23 Tishrei 5772 01:33, 21 October 2011 (UTC)