An interesting thing I didn't know until today

[Lymeswold Snork]

That’s weird, I somehow had the idea that the Cakewalk was that fairground “ride” like the one Sandy and Danny dance along in the big finale of Grease.

It is that as well. Last paragraph here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cakewalk

[Nocturnal Submission]

A cakewalk

Scott joplin was the great American composer. That he spent much of his life playing in brothels despite his fame and popularity speaks volumes for the american society of the time. I must admit that i'm a bit surprised that people might think that the thing that lead to the soul train line was primarily about minstrelcy

I had no idea that Scott Joplin was black!

[ursus arctos]

Jaw on floor

[Nocturnal Submission]

Jaw on floor

I mean, I would have realised if I'd seen a photo, obviously!

[ursus arctos]

It must be a USian thing.

Largely due to the ragtime craze that followed the release of The Sting, he is by some instance the best known early jazz musician in the country.

This is from 1983

[ad hoc]

Jaw on floor

Mine too

[Nocturnal Submission]

So, in my defence, I had heard of the guy but turn-of-the-last century ragtime isn't a great passion of mine so my knowledge of the songs and performers was extremely limited.

Just going by the name, I assumed that he was from either WASPish privilege or perhaps a Jew who had anglicized his original moniker.

I was also under the impression that there were few, if any, black entertainers to have entered the US mainstream at that time.

[Gangster Octopus]

To be fair to NS, the face of the music for The Sting was Marvin Hamlisch, who was very white.

[Hot Pepsi]

I get Scott Joplin and Al Jolson mixed up.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

So, in my defence, I had heard of the guy but turn-of-the-last century ragtime isn't a great passion of mine so my knowledge of the songs and performers was extremely limited.

Just going by the name, I assumed that he was from either WASPish privilege or perhaps a Jew who had anglicized his original moniker.

I was also under the impression that there were few, if any, black entertainers to have entered the US mainstream at that time.

Yeah, I can see that. He's called Scott Joplin for god's sake. If you only saw it in passing you might easily make that assumption. I mean Louis Armstrong is a name you might see in a high church graveyard in England.

As for entering the mainstream, very few people would have ever seen him or heard him play, but they would all have seen the sheet music.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I get Scott Joplin and Al Jolson mixed up.

This on the other hand..... oh HP!

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

To be fair to HP, it’s very easy to confuse two people with vaguely similar names if you’re not into the sub-field of culture, sport, politics or whatever that either of them is famous in. Apparently so many people got Naomi Klein confused with Naomi Wolf that NK wrote a book inspired by the experience of being on the wrong end of that. There are countless pairs of celebs that I confuse despite their A-list stardom because their names are similar and neither of the pair means anything to me.

edit: or even bands. For years I didn’t know the difference between Steeleye Span (English folk revivalists) and Steely Dan, on account of not liking anything either of them had produced.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

And on the “I’d no idea X was black” thing, my missus recently admitted that after Malorie Blackman was one of the 16 people whose faces featured on an old Pointless question round we saw recently.

[Hot Pepsi]

To be fair to HP, it’s very easy to confuse two people with vaguely similar names if you’re not into the sub-field of culture, sport, politics or whatever that either of them is famous in. Apparently so many people got Naomi Klein confused with Naomi Wolf that NK wrote a book inspired by the experience of being on the wrong end of that. There are countless pairs of celebs that I confuse despite their A-list stardom because their names are similar and neither of the pair means anything to me.

edit: or even bands. For years I didn’t know the difference between Steeleye Span (English folk revivalists) and Steely Dan, on account of not liking anything either of them had produced.

Glenn Close reports that people have praised her for her performance in some film and a few sentences in, she realizes they're talking about Meryl Streep. A lot of people think Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard are the same person.


We did a whole thread on bands we get mixed up, including pairs that don't sound anything alike.

I always got Tool and Pavement mixed up somehow. I guess because they both sound like names for bands doing something hard and bleak.

Another one is Spoon and The 1979. No idea why those got mixed up. And there are a few others like that.

I also can't remember which Naomi is which. I also used to get John Updike and John Irving confused. I've never read anything by Updike. Irving is the wrestling guy.

Anyway, Jolson's wiki is quite a ride.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jolson


I get the mixed up because they have the same number of syllables and, I guess, "Al" sounds more like a 19th century name than "Scott." Al Jolson wasn't his real name anyway.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Apparently so many people got Naomi Klein confused with Naomi Wolf that NK wrote a book inspired by the experience of being on the wrong end of that.

That one is easy. Are you more afraid of being bitten by something small or a wolf? Well the same is true of the Naomis

edit: or even bands. For years I didn’t know the difference between Steeleye Span (English folk revivalists) and Steely Dan, on account of not liking anything either of them had produced.

hahaha. yes. I'm with you on that.

[Nefertiti2]

The oldest company brand in history has ended, apart from on the original tin.

That article doesn't have the original King James Version of the bible verse

"out of the eater came forth meat, out of the Strong came forth sweetness"

[Patrick Thistle]

But did we all know that by taking the honey from out of the lion carcass, Sampson broke one of his sacred vows... which started the whole chain of events that led to his betrayal by Delilah and his death?

[WOM]

This is from 1983

That is from a Black Heritage series illustrated by my (creative) partner's father.

[San Bernardhinault]

Apparently so many people got Naomi Klein confused with Naomi Wolf that NK wrote a book inspired by the experience of being on the wrong end of that. There are countless pairs of celebs that I confuse despite their A-list stardom because their names are similar and neither of the pair means anything to me.

edit: or even bands. For years I didn’t know the difference between Steeleye Span (English folk revivalists) and Steely Dan, on account of not liking anything either of them had produced.

I get Kristen Bell, Kristen Wiig, Kristen Stewart, Kristin Scott Thomas and Kirsten Dunst confused.

I also get Emma Stone, Emma Watson and Emily Blunt confused, and Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet.

Basically, I'm rubbish at remembering actresses.

[WOM]

The first time I heard the name Steeleye Span, I thought it was someone doing a riff or parody on Steely Dan. Then I learned one of the older Pogues was in it at one time.

[S. aureus]

The first time I heard the name Steeleye Span, I thought it was someone doing a riff or parody on Steely Dan. Then I learned one of the older Pogues was in it at one time.

That last sentence would be AITIDKUT.

[WOM]

That last sentence would be AITIDKUT.

Terry Woods. I had to look it up.

[slackster]

I always had it in my mind they were called Steeleye Spam. Bloody malaprops.

[Patrick Thistle]

I get Kristen Bell, Kristen Wiig, Kristen Stewart, Kristin Scott Thomas and Kirsten Dunst confused.

I also get Emma Stone, Emma Watson and Emily Blunt confused, and Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet.

Basically, I'm rubbish at remembering actresses.

The Good Place
Ghostbusters (the all female version)
Hunger Games
Not sure - serious movies?
Spider-Man (opposite Tobey Maguire)

Less confident on the Emma's and Emily - although I could pick Emma Watson out of a photo challenge

Cate and Kate are easy.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Kristen Stewart's saga was Twilight. The Hunger Games saga was Jennifer Lawrence.