References | David Mitchell's SoapBox
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- Опубліковано 16 чер 2010
- David Mitchell discusses the use of references around children.
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David Mitchell, star of UK TV favourites Peep Show and That Mitchell and Webb Look, brings us his unique perspective on the issues facing men of the world today. - Комедії
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3:30 the idea of a kid "switching off in disgust" when happening upon an unknown word is hilarious, the perfect way of showing how ridiculous these fears are
If nobody ever told anybody about things everyone doesn’t know about, human knowledge and communication would grind to a half
This is why I love Phineas & Ferb. That show makes dozens of references an episode that no person within their intended demographic could understand. And those references are quite hilarious.
That and Bowling for Soup's incredible theme tune
His cleverest post yet, I think. Denying the power of curiosity isn't just futile, it's stupid and patronising.
Not to mention self- isolating. At ANY age.
Agreed, this one is amazing in the literal sense of the word, not in the American sense of the word.
Hah, the bench has '6,684ft' etched on it which is the height of Mount Mitchell.
What a twattish reference to include, I didn't know that, I'm unsubscribing.
Breezy Cheeks saved me googling it! ta
Well crap, I found an obscure film from the 20s due to the length of film used :\
I looked this up, eheh
The WWII bomber on the poster is the B25 Mitchell
I can't help myself:
1. "Here's Johnny" in the opening is probably a reference to The Shining (though the line itself was a reference to The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson).
2. "Put the Lotion in the Basket" is from The Silence of the Lambs.
3. The flame trails in the street are a reference to Back to the Future.
4. Mrs. Lovett's Pies on the left is a reference to Sweeney Todd.
5. La Bodeguita del Medio I had to look up and all I could find was that it's one of those famous places lots of famous literature types hung around in (when they passed through Havana, Cuba). I don't know if it's a specific "reference" other than that.
6(?) I also don't know what the movie posters on the front of the theater were for.
7. Big Yellow Taxis (a storefront that passes by very quickly just before David appears) could be a reference to the Joni Mitchell song famous for the line "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot"
8. A^2+B^2=C^2 is the Pythagorean Theorem devised by Pythagoras or P-Thaggy to his friends.
9 & 10. Other commenters pointed out (and I didn't know) the B-25 was the American "Mitchell Bomber" and 6,684ft is the height of Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, depicted above the number.
11. I don't know what the red lighthouse is referring to.
12. "Romanes eunt domus" comes from The Life of Brian (just as he's mentioning Monty Python).
13. The moon with a rocket stuck in is from "A Voyage to the Moon" the old French silent film / special effects blockbuster.
14. The shadow on the wall is from "Nosferatu" the silent film that (unsuccessfully) tried to skirt Dracula's copyright by calling their vampire Count Orlok.
15 & 16. The bottle labelled "Drink Me" is from Alice in Wonderland, or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (depending on the version), but I'm not sure if the little red... door? on the wall is also, or if it's a reference to something else.
17(?) I'm sorry to say I can't identify the structure on top of the mountain in the background.
18. The silhouette of a witch on a broomstick could be referencing The Wizard of Oz, or Halloween-decoration-style witches in general, or something else entirely I suppose. There have been a lot of witches.
19. The silhouette of a bicycle flying past the moon is a reference to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
That's the best I could do!
Number 17: the structure is an observation tower on the top of Mt. Mitchell, NC.
Number 6: these were to become the two favorite movies of the atomic kid ;)
7. I thought it was a reference to Taxi Driver
11. I didn't know it either, but a quick googling reveals that it looks like what's known as "The Little Red Lighthouse" (a real one, in New York), which is portrayed in a similarly-titled book. Which (and this is probably *not* the intended reference here) was turned into a beautiful animation by a... Mary Mitchell! www.marymitchelldesign.com/little-red-lighthouse
16. A little door is directly related to the first shrinking bottle Alice drinks, but there's no mention of it being any particular color. imgur.com/a/degSUdt
Well, that's better than what I assumed, @@RodrigoBernardoPimentel. I had thought that is was, unfortunately, a reference to the red light district.
Never heard of the street artist -P-THAGGY before. Sounds dope. Wonder how he compares to the most sketch street artist of all, U-KLID!
emlmm88 P-Thaggy sounds like a Klingon word
A lot of the jokes from peep show required pretty specific knowledge about music and history, among other things. I think that's one of the things that made it stand out against other sitcoms.
References for me worked in a way that when I was younger, I completely ignored whatever I did not understand and continued to watch on the parts I do understand.
Then some years later I re-watch the same thing and find those references that I sub-conciously ignored.
It’s what make films like Shrek and Ice Age work when their sequels don’t. When I was a kid Lord Farquard was funny because he was a short man trying to be big and powerful. When I was older it was funny because Farquard said in the right accent sounds like f**kwad. Now I find it funny because I know that he was styled after a company executive the production crew hated.
This is a beautiful way to explain why I loved Monty Python as a child ... and as an adult ... Who am I kidding? I'm not an 'adult'.
when i was 14 i lurked on programming forums not understanding anything but finding it all completely fascinating. there is something about being in way over your head that is good for human creativity. i have never since been as good at learning as i was then. perhaps it's unrelated. everyone says kids just learn things better due to neuroplacticity. but i do think there is something there.
I agree. The numerous references in the Simpsons intrigued me when I was 8 years old and they still intrigue me now that I'm 22 and I think it also accounts for my own obsession with literature :D
Monty Burns said " I'd like to book a ticket on the autojiro from Prussia to Siam. " ( An aeroplane ticket from a region of Germany to Thailand) The joke being that Mr Burns is so old he still uses these antiquated terms.
Autogyro :)
YES. Way back when my sister and I had very small vocabularies and hadn't really been talking all that long, my father would frequently pepper his speech with large words we didn't understand. Instead of "big" he would use multisyllabic words like, "gigantic" or "enormous." When he turned on a light, he would say silly things like, "Photons are our friends!"
My mother would pester him to use smaller words, but we really did understand a LOT through context, and learned even more from asking. :)
Agree! That's why Sesame Street is fun. It has layers. (also, that keeps it entertaining for the parents forced to endure childrens tv, whereas I am, within half an episode, tempted to throttle Dora).
Tempted? I nearly lost a finger when I punched through the screen in my attempt.
Being from America, I've learned a huge amount about British culture via television and related media. This rant of Mitchell's in particular is especially gratifying for me.
I first encountered Niccolo Machiavelli from Assassin's Creed, now I've got a library of his works, not that I would ever apply those works in real life because I am a virtuous person.
"not that I would ever apply those works in real life because I am a virtuous person"“.Very clever,that's exactly what a machiavellian would say.
AC2 and Brotherhood also got me into renaissance history! Stellar games, stellar topic.
Fun fact: the Prince was actually a satire pointing out the duplicity of the Medici.
There's more to it than that. The final chapter - on the need to unite Italy and drive out the barbarians - is written with real passion. In that light, you can read the earlier chapters as advising Italian statesmen about how to build a polity capable of achieving these goals.
...By the way, I was lying. I read Machiavelli before that game came out. Gasp.
Haha nice refrence to David Mitchell from the poster of the B-25 "Mitchell" bomber.
I love this man. People I know often try to accuse me of being "high and mighty" because I can reference classic literature or moments from history. Just like David Mitchell, I first heard a lot of my references from pop culture and then sought them out in their original form. Learning from the primary source didn't stop me from enjoying "stupid, "low-brow" comedy but made me love it even more. It proved way more intellectual than most people realized.
Amen. There is nothing more sacred and valuable to a child than hidden knowledge. I (like so many of us) probably learned as much from 'figuring out' references, as I did from school. That's a good thing! It means you're learning to use deductive reasoning (which is a vital survival tool). We should encourage kids to learn this way rather than just being spoon-fed information. When you figure something out you're more likely to appreciate the knowledge, as you had to work for it. Someone once told me "Count your blessings.". Without hesitation I replied, "Count your victories. Blessings are a gift. Victories, you earn." (I have my moments). In this case, a mystery is the gift, and solving it is a victory well earned... :)
Okay, this was a fun one. So, I see references to Mt. Mitchell and the Mitchell Bomber (which I had to google), Life of Brian (which I saw as a kid but did't remember that particular scene, so I had to google that as well), Alice in Wonderland, ET, and Pythagorus. I'm scratching my head over the red lighthouse on David's left, though.
I'm glad he mentioned Bugs Bunny (also my first exposure to Wagner). Looney Tunes cartoons were packed with references I didn't get until years later because, while they had plenty of appeal to children, they were also meant to be entertaining to adults in ways that went right over kids' heads.
Brilliant and true- I was introduced to Cyrano de Bergerac through a Mitchell and Webb sketch!
Is that what it was referencing? I switched it off in disgust
I just realized the Steve Martin movie Roxanne was inspired by the play Cyrano de Bergerac.
Great points raised here! I've never been put of by these sorts of references; quite the reverse!
One of my all time favourite TV shows is the original 60s version of "The Prisoner". Where did I first hear about it? On the CGI cartoon series "ReBoot", which had a whole episode paying tribute to it, from clever use of the title sequence to "Be Seeing You"! From that episode, it made me want to see the source material, and I'm so very glad for that!
Friday a week ago was the very first time I have ever heard the word ennui on television. It was in the penultimate episode of The good place. Now I first heard the word in 1979 and I know that because I remember the exact context in which I heard it. It was on a recording of a comedy skit on radio by John Clarke aka Professor Fredd Dagg (now sadly deceased) he was giving a lecture on the ABC Science show here in Australia on The meaning of life and he was introducing the listeners to Rene Descartes. I hope I don't have to wait another forty years to hear the word again. Thank you for your time.
The world (and children's /youth TV) needs more people like this guy!
That was brilliant. Well done, sir.
There's a certain amount of personal joy experienced when one makes incredibly obscure references in general conversation without any intention of them being understood. Kind of makes you feel like a serial killer if you do it too often though.
Bloody well said, David!!! I couldn't agree more. It's scary and sad the way things are going.
6,684ft = the elevation of Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina.
Ah.
IMHO I think one of the best rant's ever from David M. As it is true and can actually be used on day to day creativity. Nice
The "All-England Summarise Proust Competition" sketch is one of Monty Python's absolute finest
if only more youtubers wrote their scripts as well as david. Colossal is crazy is probably the next best thing
This is perhaps the best and tru-est of Mr Mitchell's fine rants.
I didn't know who David Mitchell was before someone else referred to him today. I'm glad they did. Proof of concept!
Gilmore girls is a fine example of a show with obscure references that many people enjoy. Knowing the references makes you feel cool, and looking up the references introduced me to the mighty mighty Lemon drops. Good times had by all.
This is a particularly good one.
The box slams down twice making itself a reference to the podcast it actually belongs to. Nice touch.
B-25 "Mitchell"... I LOL'd :)
When I used to watch "Pinky and the Brain" as a little kid, I had no idea there were political references flying right over my head, but watching it later, it's clearly better for them. I do remember occasionally being confused when a little older I would watch "Rocko's Modern Life" or reruns of "Ren and Stimpy" (though those shows were confusing anyway), but I never felt tempted to change the channel as a result.
I think that the red lighthouse is a reference to Sands Point Lighthouse in New York, "sometimes referred to (as) the Mitchell Lighthouse, after Samuel L. Mitchell, the man fought for it to be constructed".
Lots of random Mitchell references and I don't think that they've all been listed, yet!
Really good point, and well said. Heck, I'm middle-aged, I'm still learning things every day, and that's how it happens: you encounter a thing you don't know, you find out about it, and it gets added to the store of stuff that you DO know. It's not as if you even have to get off your arse and go to a library to find things out anymore, just waggle your digits a bit.
The way I see it, if you learn something every day, you still are only learning a finite amount compared to the infinite amount of that which is knowable. Mathematically, this is is a number approaching zero, which is the equivalent of zero, so I am just as well off not knowing anything at all. If not better, since I'm not deluding myself into thinking I know something.
@@subg8858 Well, they do say "ignorance is bliss" ... and it's probably true. A lot of stuff that you learn about does just tend to make you worried, angry, anxious, etc., and tbh there's not a whole lot that you can do about most of the worrying stuff, so remaining blissfully ignorant of it is a valid choice.
We all have limited brain storage-space and a limited amount of time available to fill it, and can therefore only learn a limited number of things - as you said, near enough zero in the grand scheme of things.
Being selective and filling your brain with the subjects that interest you and make you happy is the way to go. Personally, I'd far rather have a head full of obscure song lyrics and film trivia than understand the intricacies of taxation.
I love references to unusual or eclectic topics, and I have tried to actively investigate references I didn’t initially understand.
Love this!
The ability to find information is so much more useful than simply retaining a limited amount of information. We're all smarter for being able to look up any piece of information easily at any time.
I have been asked to change all local references in stories to American ones, so they won't be alarmed and confused by an unfamiliar term.
No American has ever changed any of their local references in books I've read so I'd understand. I had to look them up or figure them out, and I was glad to do so.
Amen, David. A great deal of the stuff I now like very much was discovered through being mentioned or referenced in something else.
he is the best person for random rants-all talent lol
Spot on. You are the man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The people called Romanes, they go, the house.
Now write it 100 times.
Hail Caesar.
If it's not done by sunrise, I'll cut yer balls off.
Much more than Latin grammar, this scene taught me that Graham Chapman's classics teacher should be arrested
He's mentioned "today's 12 year olds", which is funny because I was 12 at the time this video was uploaded.
haha same
+OmikronGT What??
+OmikronGT Awwww your a baby! :)
They're considered an adult now, actually.
Aermachrael No their not..... 12 year olds are not considered an adult, literally anywhere in the world
Totally agree. I grew up before the Internet, but I learned so much from the same cartoons David mentioned, as well as Monty Python, etc. As an American youth, many of the Python references were alien to me, but from context, and research, I found a deeper love of British comedy (partly, I think, because I had to 'earn it'). Reference on!
i love how he picked the LHC at CERN for the one thing to reference at the end to get people to look it up.
Apart from some of the space missions the LHC is probably one of the most fundamental research projects to understanding the fabric of the universe we have. and of those two it is the one much less well known.
Haha, I had to watch this one twice! The first time I couldn't concentrate on what David was saying because I was so busy trying to spot all the references.
I love you for this. You hit the nail on the head. Family Guy puts me off all the time for this very reason :| still watch it though. I love learning :)
Ha! love the mount Mitchel reference. Love these videos. Is it weird that i agree with most of not all of them?
And the "B25 Mitchell bomber " poster
Genuinely good point
That's the best TV-show in years. A big part is all the references, from Titanic to the nature of quantum mechanics, to early 20th century literature. The two biggest parts are everybody's, excluding Candice's, ignorance of amazing accomplishments and incredible coincidences ("Oh! There you are, Perry"), and the way it's all about positivity.
YOU ARE BRILLIANT
David Mitchell - you make my day!
=]
100% agree with everything you said. Actually, I don't just "agree", I know this to be the case. All through my childhood and then teenage years I as constantly learning about things from before my time through references on tv. It did make me seek out those things and the process was enjoyable! Other times if I didnt notice something was a reference, it made the moment I saw the actual thing even more enjoyable.
At some point, I forgot to listen to David and just started to stare at the Nosferatu shadow. It was quite eerie actually. Love the continuously increasing 'references' :D
David Mitchell sitting next to a poster of a B-25 Mitchell bomber perfect
10/10 explains what makes the cartoons I enjoy so great
The fact Horrible Histories is doing so well proves David here right.
I'm American, and if I tuned out as soon as I heard a reference I didn't understand, I would have given up on British television after my first episode of Python. I would never have discovered Fry and Laurie, QI, 10 o'clock Live, The Chase, and ultimately, any of the sketch comedy, quiz, and panel shows I've come to love. Hell, I learned about David Mitchell by accident on an episode of Mock the Week, and if I hadn't dug a little deeper, I'd probably have missed everything about the man.
So right!
6684ft The height of mount Mitchell. I Googled it :)
I had a big laugh at "p-thaggy"
The real challenge is to produce a family show. The Simpsons is a good example. The movement and colour entertain 3 year olds, Bart's antics entertain 12 year old. But there are also references that adults know only they will understand.
Loved the B-25 poster :)
@Southenisland Best place to see a YGO TAS reference! (Made my day)
It is so true. I have watched shows as a child and then seeing them with my younger cousin and knowing the references and pissing myself laughing.
Amy Sherman-Palladino, a writer who is NEVER afraid to reference even the most obscure things.
Mount Mitchell is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in mainland eastern North America. It is located near Burnsville in Yancey County, North Carolina, in the Black Mountain subrange of the Appalachians, and about 19 miles (31 km) northeast of Asheville.
David Mitchell - you maketh my day =]
What people also forget is that children's shows, at least the ones I know in the US, have often had lots of references adults understand so that the shows also appeal to parents. I've rewatched everything from Bugs Bunny to Sesame Street as an adult and been amazed at how much went over my head as a kid, but I didn't care then. Shows can be multilayered.
'People called Romanus they go in the house?'
'It says Romans go home.'
'No it doesn't.'
Good god I love this man! I have been making this tirade(less articulately) for years!
OMG OMG, i love to listen to david mitchell go on about life, when playing games hehehe
Nice reference to Mt Mitchell there!
Thanks!
Every time David mentions childhood/being a child I think we probably had a lot in common as children. Especially the time on WILTY where he mentioned being afraid of the sun. Though, I did grow up with smartphones and google.
Arrested Development was great for the way it referenced stuff.
loving the pythagora's theroem on the wall
so true - cartoons in my childhood were responsible for a lot of my general knowledge - they refer to things people don't generally talk about; philosophers, classical music, trivia etc
Every kid should have to read Bill Bryson's" A short history of almost everything" before they turn 13. It is a fascinating book and the hardcover copy really builds up the arm muscles.
@TGNProfessor I was just about to do that. Thanks for saving me time.
He's so right. The Simpsons have loads of references to American products or stars which the British don't get, yet it's still massively popular.
Well said :)
Fantastic rant ^_^
I love the references in the background. I suppose the fact that I was scribbling the ones I didn't understand on a sticky note and now I'm off to look them up gives credence to the theory that people like to be challenged.
Can anyone see the image on the moon? My eyes are playing tricks on me.
@PeepingTomWaits At the start there's also Back to the future with the fire lines and the street, "here's johnny" obviously being a reference to the Shining. La bodeguita is a reference to a piece of art by Samuel Toranzo. Mrs Lovett's pies is a reference to Sweeney Todd, "put the lotion in the basket" is a silence of the lambs quote, and "big yellow taxi" is a song written by Joni Mitchell. I have no idea who the witch cross the moon is, but there's also the ET bike scene too for a second.
Had a weird moment at a gig recently that is very relevant to this point. Went to see Deep purple with my dad, and my younger brother. There was a moment when I looked over at my brother and he was looking up 'Deep purple' on wikipedia on his iphone. It felt very post-modern.
And yet, I got the Pandora reference and still don’t know what “the hatch” is.
Brilliant.
My 15 year old brother doesn't know who Audrey Hepburn is, he doesn't understand ANY Monty Python references, he doesn't understand references I make to Star Trek, Star Wars, or any other sort of geekery, he doesn't understand music references…
I find this to be a problem. And this video totally nails that problem on the head.
References are a part of culture, and kids should DEFINITELY be introduced to them!
I love english comedy and english shows because I mainly don't understand it. The new plane of context gives me much interest.
Haha, P-Thaggy.
The massive discord between 80s and 90s cartoons and modern ones is a part of this lack of awesome references. Some of my favourite cartoons contained long-ass words most children wouldn't automatically know, and indeed many adults might not know because they simply didn't watch enough good cartoons as a child.
I learned an astounding amount from cartoons. From the Simpsons to Bugs Bunny to Earthworm Jim.
I am loving the P-Thaggy sign.
Ahaha, holy crap that's a good one I didn't notice that! Wow I feel old. Awesome.
I am glad that I was not the only person introduced to Wagner by "What's Opera, Doc"
I had to watch it twice to pick up the references, and still didn't get Mt Mitchell - so, thanks to the helpful commentators! :)