Boc Chicken’s Pop Culture Influence
Recently, my wife and I tuned in to watch The Brady Bunch. Mostly me, but she was there. And, yes, you can still find it on cable TV. And, yes, I still have cable TV.
I turned to her and said, “let’s see how quickly I can identify this episode.” It was a game my brother and I used to play. We watched so many reruns of The Brady Bunch that we would race to see who could recognize the episode first.
As Marcia came riding up the driveway, gazing wide-eyed at nothing, I instantly called out, “Marci’s got a crush on the dentist.” No lines had been spoken, no other characters or clues. I was right. And weirdly proud. Still got it.
I asked, “so… is that impressive or pathetic?” With a slight smirk, Molly politely declined to answer. “Weelllll…,” she said.
I can’t help it. I have backlogs of useless, stored-up knowledge about pop culture. Frankly, it eats up much too much of my brain power.
Brady Bunch trivia? No problem. Cheers Normisms? I can quote many of them. Want to know the history of Happy Days? I can probably fill you in—from long-lost Chuck and the interior of the Cunningham home to Fearless Fonzarelli and jumping the shark.
Pop quiz: Which two Brady kids appeared on Happy Days?
Those are the things I watched over and over again. It’s basically just muscle memory at this point. Oddly, though, I also have an unnatural amount of knowledge about things I haven’t even seen. I can often identify movies or shows by plotline and/or cast members.
“What was that movie where Adam Sandler was a hairdresser from the Middle East somewhere?”
Me: “Don’t Mess with the Zohan.”
Why do I know that? I’ve never seen it. It looked incredibly stupid. But for some reason, I can name the movie.
Useless.
If only I had used this brain power for something more impactful. I probably could’ve been a doctor or a lawyer. At the very least, I would’ve gotten much better grades in high school.
While that might be lost, my fascination with pop culture does serve some purpose. It provides plenty of inspiration for Boc Chicken. Sometimes, it’s a subtle nod. Others, it’s a full-blown tribute informed by television, cinema, music, or print. Childhood favorites like Evel Knievel and the Lone Ranger. Or contemporary characters like Daredevil.
Pop culture also lays the foundation for Boc’s book. Imagine the Day pays homage to Rocky, Fonzie, and the Three Amigos. And tongue-in-cheek references are woven into the storyline.
While it may overload my noggin, pop culture has at least paid off for Boc.
