Colorfully Curious
Before it scrolls all the way off the front page I want to make another point about that Lois Lane comic I mentioned last week, and I was reminded again after writing yesterday's post on wax cylinders and mentioning I Love My Wife.
My, but the world is a far different place than it was 35 years ago. I apologize if I'm repeating things you already know, but the title of that comic, "I Am Curious (Black)," was a reference to a notorious film of the day, I Am Curious (Yellow). It was an import from Sweden and provided one of the first instances of full-frontal nudity in mainstream American theaters, yet here it was being alluded to in a kids' comic (and despite what we hear today about comics aren't just for kids anymore, this one definitely was, and probably intended more for little girls than little boys). I guess today it would be comparable to a Brokeback Mountain call out in Fantastic Four or something. That's almost unthinkable, given Marvel's stated policy that it would only use the gay Rawhide Kid character (outed in a miniseries a few years ago) if the comic was issued under its explicit MAX imprint with a Parental Advisory on the cover. But it's not just that they made the reference, it's the fact that, at ten years old, I got it. I certainly didn't know the details, but I knew that I Am Curious (Yellow) was a controversial sex movie. I suppose a fair number of today's ten-year-olds would get a Brokeback Mountain reference, now that I think about it, but I can't imagine a mainstream publisher in this day and age making it without getting ready for a storm of controversy.
posted by Doug @ 8:25 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
It was a simpler time for comedy back then as well. I remember that Parade magazine used to have a feature called "My Favorite Jokes." It would be a page-long list of jokes, usually from some mid-level celebrity like Joe Flynn or Slappy White. Your post reminded me of one from the Tim Conway page: "I didn't go to see 'I Am Curious (Yellow)' -- I was more yellow than curious!" And yes, I too was just a kid then with only the slightest idea of what that movie might be about -- but I still got the joke, such as it was.
Yesterday I referred to my shirt (a very 70's western deal with snaps instead of buttons) as "kind of Brokeback" to squeals of approval from my 14-year old's girlfriend. "Oh my God, your dad is so cool!" The truth is I just accidentally stumbled into the phrase, not knowing it was a common descriptor. Of course I didn't tell her, my son, or the other kids there that.
At my age you take “cool” where you can find it.
Unfortunately, it's always easier to impress somebody else's kids than your own. Did your son agree with his girlfriend (and if he did, was it merely because she's his girlfriend), or did he metaphorically roll his eyes?
That's a great story, Ron. I also want to know how your son reacted....
My son rolled his eyes, and not metaphorically. But that's quite OK. I've found it's not good to be too cool to your kids. In fact, the whole trick is to navigate the fine line between being aware and being a duffer.
That's a good point. Speaking of being a duffer, have you taken up golf, yet? That's pretty stodgy and uncool to most kids.
Golf?! Toyed with it as a once or twice a week hobby 20+ years ago - so long ago in fact that my woods are actually made of wood - but haven't played a round in a couple of years now. The clubs the kids haven't lost in the yard are currently happily delaminating in the garage.
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