How many here know Donnie and Marie?

I tend to use a lot of pop culture references in my stuff, and I always wonder how many people will get them, especially when they're older than--say--twenty years or so. For example, if I were to introduce two characters named Donnie and Marie, and then quote their most famous duet as part of the final frame gag (http://www.dt3x.com/dt3x/pages/archive/archive.php?Number=16), I would wonder how many readers the joke (what there is of it, anyway) would be lost on. Then again, there's something appealing about slipping things in here and there that only a select few readers will get.

Do you think about that kind of thing (whether a reference is too obscure/old/whatever) when you write your material? If so... what do you think? :D

I think she's a little bit country and he's a little bit rock n' roll.

Now there's a man who knows what I'm talkin' about! Slippin' the GEICO gecko into your latest strip... very cool...

I used to HATE Donnie and Marie, because their show was on at the same time as "The Six Million Dollar Man" and my sister would always cry to my dad so she could watch Donnie and Marie in color, leaving me and my brothers to use the tiny b&w set in the kitchen.

...hmmm...how many people know what "The Six Million Dollar Man" was? Or a b&w set?

"Television is an eraser" - Kurt Vonnegut

Now there's a man who knows what I'm talkin' about! Slippin' the GEICO gecko into your latest strip... very cool...

Now you've got ME worrying about people not catching things. That's a chameleon!

how many people know what "The Six Million Dollar Man" was?Greatest. T. V. show. opening. sequence. ever! Can still hear that gripping theme song, awash in tension... :clown:

<theme music>
DUN dun dun DUN DUN dun dun DUN DUN dun dun...
rattatattaTAT!
DUN dun dun DUN DUN dun dun DUN DUN dun dun...
rattatattaTAT!
</theme music>

Seriously, they used to show the re-runs on some obscure cable station a few years back right around dinner time, and I'd tune in just to watch the opening credits, then I'd put on Cheers or something.

Now you've got ME worrying about people not catching things. That's a chameleon!Nooooooo... I'm pretty sure that's the GEICO gecko--look again! :p ;) I'd think you'd know better than to take me seriously by now... I may be pretty dense, but I'm not that dense! :D

http://members.tripod.com/jsikes/dynamite/

I don't know if you want audience outside US, but as for me, I didn't get anything in the strip. It will always be the problem, some things can be really hilarious - but only if you know what is behind them.

Nooooooo... I'm pretty sure that's the GEICO gecko--look again! :p ;) I'd think you'd know better than to take me seriously by now... I may be pretty dense, but I'm not that dense! :D

Hey man, I can never tell if people's herpetology is on the same level as their Osmondology.

I used to torment one of the girls in grade school by telling her that Donnie died in a plane crash.

I don't know if you want audience outside US, but as for me, I didn't get anything in the stripNot even the quote from Psalm 23?! :O_O: ;) Don't worry about it: half the time even I don't understand my strips...

Alas, American pop culture is such excellent fodder for web comics, and I'm afraid it's just too tempting to use it often. Sorry for the obscurity! That's actually the reason I've started embedding links in my strips again (i.e. if you click on one of the hamsters or the song quote, you'll be taken to a web page that explains things a bit).

I used to torment one of the girls in grade school by telling her that Donnie died in a plane crash.He DID NOT! SHUT UP!!! Donnie's FINE! I just saw him in an infomercial for the JuiceMaster3000 this past weekend! He is NOT DEAD! SHUT UP!!!

Ummm... I mean, gosh that's cruel. :D

If you play "One Bad Apple" backwards you can hear a voice saying "Donnie is a dead man, miss him, miss him".

half the time even I don't understand my strips...

Don't worry, same happens to some other people aswell, including myself. I just don't get some of the things I have written or done later on. Human mind is something wrong? :D

If it makes you old coots feel any better, I'm 21 and I understood completely every single reference you made.

I'm not sure how I ever got exposed to this much retro crap, I guess I just watched too much TV when I was a kid.

I liked the 6 billion dollar man, and The bionic woman is apparently my great great aunt twice removed or something. Donnie and Marie will never die, no matter what, I've tried it all!

One bad reference don't spoil the whole strip, girl!

Well, I am 23 and pretty much qualify as a general pop culture vacuum. Specific gaming gags or obscure Star trek references may put me off, but Donnie and Marie isn't all that far from my grasp. I got the strip.

Those kinds of things are fun, and I don't nearly use them enough. That's actually one of the things that I always thought was so genius about The Simpsons. They made countless references to pop culture in every episode, yet you didn't necessarily need to "get it" to enjoy the show. Of course, if you did "get it", it made things 100 times better, plus you felt cool.

I made a reference to Eazy E one time, and I don't think anyone got it.

...hmmm...how many people know what "The Six Million Dollar Man" was? Or a b&w set?Sadly, from what I hear that's yet another franchise that's going to be remade for another generation. With Jim Carrey in the Lee Majors role, no less.

I remember the Bionic Woman, and even the Bionic dog...

There's no mistaking that tss-tss-tss-tss sound of the characters performing their bionically enhanced tasks, such as jumping to the roof of a building. What always made me laugh was that whenever they would be running at super-speed, they'd actually be showing slowed-down footage. Whuh?

I can remember many nights of not being able to watch the color TV, because my dad would insist on watching some nature show. (Which actually meant sleeping on the couch while the show was on.) So my sister and I would have to huddle around the small b/w set in the living room, so that we could get our weekly Diff'rent Strokes fix.

Anyone remember being your parents' remote control? ("Go turn to channel 8...no, go back to 6. And turn it up a hair.")

Sadly, from what I hear that's yet another franchise that's going to be remade for another generation. With Jim Carrey in the Lee Majors role, no less.Please, please tell me you're %#@&in kiddin' me! :O_O: I think I'm gonna be sick... :O_o:

I think she's a little bit country and he's a little bit rock n' roll.

I loved it when Pepsi used them in one of the Ozzy/Pepsi Twist commercials. Talk about a screwed up nightmare for poor Ozzy.

Please, please tell me you're %#@&in kiddin' me! :O_O: I think I'm gonna be sick... :O_o:I %#@&in kid you not:

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12752,00.html

I %#@&in kid you not:

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12752,00.htmlThere is no God...

I don't know if you want audience outside US, but as for me, I didn't get anything in the strip. It will always be the problem, some things can be really hilarious - but only if you know what is behind them.

If it makes you feel better, it's gonna be mostly Europeans who are familiar with the pop singer in the strip I just uploaded.

There is no God...

Yes there is. He just hates us.

Yes there is. He just hates us.Even better. :headshot:

If it makes you feel better, it's gonna be mostly Europeans who are familiar with the pop singer in the strip I just uploaded.

Hmm, nope. Never heard of him. Maybe my general knowledge is just too bad. As for 6 million dollar man and bionic woman, they've actually shown the series here at Finland, but I never actually watched them with a thought. I've really started to dislike most of the stuff that comes out of the telly. Basically all I watch now are some random documents, the Simpsons when I happen to remember when it comes the right time and some sports. Sometimes even news. But thats about it...

Ah yes, as for the age, I'm not even 20 (but about to be).

I had to ask my mother, but I've heard of them....I just can't identify them only by their first names

Ah yes, as for the age, I'm not even 20 (but about to be).

Well that explains it. You haven't yet developed a taste for German oompa oompa folk music sung by albinoes in sunglasses.

Steve: *rofl* HEINO!

Actually, the only reason I know who Heino is was because I once visited the Heino shrine... a page which is now dead, but featured a looping track of music and a checkerboard pattern of animated Henio gifs.

Don't believe me? This is what it looked like. (http://web.archive.org/web/20000614110803/www.inch.com/~snack/heino.html)

Steve: *rofl* HEINO!

Actually, the only reason I know who Heino is was because I once visited the Heino shrine... a page which is now dead, but featured a looping track of music and a checkerboard pattern of animated Henio gifs.

Don't believe me? This is what it looked like. (http://web.archive.org/web/20000614110803/www.inch.com/~snack/heino.html)


YOW! That's like an early 80's MTV video directed by Leni Riefenstahl!

I first heard of him in Jello Biafra's section of RE/SEARCH INCREDIBLY STRANGE MUSIC. I've caught vid clips of his variety show and there's a great webpage about him here:

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/5991/

I must admit though that I wish the FAQ section would hurry up and give us the promised answers to such questions as "Does Heino visit nudist beaches?"

Steve: *rofl* HEINO!

Actually, the only reason I know who Heino is was because I once visited the Heino shrine... a page which is now dead, but featured a looping track of music and a checkerboard pattern of animated Henio gifs.

Don't believe me? This is what it looked like. (http://web.archive.org/web/20000614110803/www.inch.com/~snack/heino.html)


My god, that's the scariest looking page I've ever seen!

To be fair to Erik, I should stop derailing things with German pop folk crap.

To address the concerns, I do think it's good to be willing to reference things that involve a little cultural experience. I remember an MST3k interview where someone mentioned the satisfaction they got from quips that only 1/4 of the audience would get.

That said, beware how close it gets to the punchline. People who don't get the reference may chuckle any way at hamsters called Donnie and Marie, but they may find the punchline less satisfying. Of course this all varies in terms of your audience. If you have a lot of American Gen Xers then I think you should do a week of Donnie and Marie and comment on how white and pretty Donnie's teeth are.

Greatest. T. V. show. opening. sequence. ever! Can still hear that gripping theme song, awash in tension...I dunno about anyone else, but I keep thinking of the Great American Hero theme song.

http://www.plif.com/archive/wc189.gif

good lord that was obscure, and yet somehow I knew

It's 1:31 am and I'm laughing soooo hard.