Pandora played the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Californication" for me the other day, meaning that a link popped up on my computer screen with the lyrics to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Californication," meaning that I actually read and paid attention to the lyrics of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Californication" for the first time. Well, not for the first time as to some parts of the song (the phrase "first-born unicorn" has always come through loud and clear), but I did, for the first time, take note of the passage, "Cobain can you hear the spheres, singing songs off station to station/and Alderaan's not far away, it's Californication."
This was the second pop culture reference to Princess Leia's home planet to cross my radar in a month or so, and the timing was ironically appropriate, as "the other day" referenced in the above paragraph just happened to be May 20th, also known as "the day before the predicted last day of life on Earth." I found myself wishing that I had this t-shirt to wear on the 21st:
Get it? Monday, 72 and partly sunny; Tuesday, sunny and 74; Wednesday, 15,000 degrees due to a well-placed Death Star strike at the heart of the planet? Okay, you've SEEN Star Wars, right?
I don't know why this t-shirt (from SnorgTees) made me laugh so hard when I saw it, given that I don't share my children's love for all things Star Wars, but laugh I did, and I found myself chuckling at the gallows humor aspect of it yet again on the 20th. Difference between us and the Alder-what? Alderaanians? Dang, the kids are asleep at press time, or I'd have my answer in a flash. We'll go with Alderaanians: difference between us and the Alderaanians is, they never saw it coming.
Best way to go, if you ask me.
Just pulled up the "Alderaan" page on Wikipedia (Google also provided me with a link to the parallel page on WOOKIEpedia, but I took a pass on that one). Yup, Alderaanian is correct. Also, kind of amused that whoever wrote the content for the Alderaan page, perhaps confusing Wiki with Wookie, basically played it straight and wrote the piece as though the planet existed. (There is one fleeting reference in the first sentence to it not being an actual planet.) REALLY amused that a Wikipedia editor saw fit to put this impassioned plea (bulleted by a giant exclamation point) at the top of the page: "This Star Wars-related article describes a work of element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective." Allow me to paraphrase: "Does someone who isn't a sci fi geek know anything about this subject? No? Okay, will a more highly functioning sci fi geek please step forward and ungeekify this shiznit?"
My kids, of course, would take it completely at face value. Oh, and for the record - the Big Kid thinks that it is totally uncool that SnorgTees sells the weather forecast shirt in adult sizes only. I may have to buy one for him to put up for a year or so from now. I have a feeling that we'll still be a card-carrying expert on Alderaan a year or so from now.
(This just in: The SnorgTees shirt has added the shirt in a kid size. Wondering if the Big Kid didn't put a comment on their Web site . . . right after he submitted some content to Wikipedia.
Also, the "Alderaan gallows humor in pop culture" wave continues . . . click here for a hilarious piece on The Mary Sue Web site about a Star Wars-themed wedding. Alderaan-related payoff is in the final frame.)
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