(no subject)

[turps]

I've been talking about this elsewhere and am curious.

Mikey's comment about the conch shell, do you get what he means?

( sorry for the bad quality btw, but this is the specific section I wanted )

I was reading elsewhere today and came across comments that said his conch shell comment proves that he's a weirdo that says stupid things. And really, the reference can't be that obscure surely?

Comments

[northern]

I read a story where that reply was a main plot point. The story didn't explain what it meant, though.

[imsinkingfast]

I know some people believe he was referencing Lord Of The Flies, but it's been too long since I read the book to remember what the reference is *lol*

I always thought that when he was so rudely interrupted by the others he was about to say "so you can talk to yourself", but of course when you talk into a conch shell then bring it to your ear your supposed to be able to hear the echo of what you said *shrugs* So I always thought it was a clever answer for spur of the moment *lol*

[turlough]

I don't think anything, this is the first time I've concentrated enough to hear what he says :-)

[risha]

I thought that was hilarious, actually!

For those who haven't suffered through an English class about Lord Of The Flies (the suffering was the symbolism discussion, not the book itself, which was excellent): the conch shell is used by the kids during meetings - IIRC, whoever held the shell is the one allowed to talk. In other words, Girard should bring a conch shell so that he can talk all the time.

[chalcopyrite]

Okay, when I read airgiodslv's story referenced above, never having seen the footage, my immediate association was Lord of the Flies, even though I've never read the book. So it *can't* be that obscure, no. And he does say "So you can always talk." I'd be with Risha.

... I think everyone else is going to have to bring their own shell...

[delphinapterus]

This clip - and a lot of other MCR ones - always vex me because the others seem incapable of letting Mikey finish his sentences.

I'm assuming it's either a Lord of the Flies (don't get me started on that book) reference or, like the others have said, a point about hearing the echo of your words in a conch. Given that it sounds like he says something about talking to yourself it seems more likely he was referencing the echo idea but I don't think the Lord of the Flie reference is much of a stretch.

[ladyfoxxx.livejournal.com]

It's a Lord Of The Flies reference.

And I don't think having read Lord Of The Flies makes Mikey a weirdo, if he's anything like yours truly, he probably had to read it for english class.

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

The only thing I get out of 'conch shell' in that context would be a reference to Lord of the Flies. Surely I'm not the only one that thinks so? Mind you, that book gave me some sleepless nights while I was doing O Level Lit.

[myorangecrush.livejournal.com]

Conch shell was a genius comment - I've always found it amusing. Ignore the haters, they've obviously read nothing more taxing than bad!fic.

[nokomis305.livejournal.com]

I don't think that reference is obscure at ALL. And I think it proves that Mikey is one of the funniest mofos in MCR. (I LOVE his random references all the time. He's like the hottest geek to ever exist.)

[shinetheway.livejournal.com]

Well, I didn't get it, but that is because the one and only time I read Lord of the Flies (yes, for an English class) I loathed it so much that I seriously almost set it on fire after the class was over. It's the only book in the world that I hate. So I thought he was making a sex joke. with the conch thing, or a joke about listening to the ocean in it. [grins] But I like that he's able make over-the-head literary jokes, that makes me all warm and squishy inside. :)

[inlovewithnight.livejournal.com]

I could tell it was supposed to be a reference to something, but I managed to dodge Lord of the Flies in high school, so I didn't know what. Interesting how people spin that.

[lovesongwriter.livejournal.com]

I always got annoyed with people I thought were really smart totally missed that reference.

[anoneknewmoose.livejournal.com]

I never really thought about the conch shell comment, but if anything just figured Mikey was being silly. (FTR, I took Pre-AP/AP Englishes all through high school in south Texas, and no one I know ever even had the possibility of reading Lord of the Flies for school. I know it's about some sort of society of boys on an island that goes wrong? But that's about it. It's not much en vogue these days.)

[greedy_dancer]

I didn't get the ref at the time, because although I did read Lord of the Flies about 10 years ago, I did it in French and so "conch shell" didn't ring a bell at all. I only got it recently, when I read a fic that mentionned it! *g*

[gala-apples.livejournal.com]

I never had to read it for class, when I was going through a I <3 dystopias phase I read it but that was a few years ago. So I didn't actually catch the book reference. I just figured he was being a smart ass about trying to hear the ocean, or using it as horn call thing (which was right, I can see from the comments). No thoughts of weirdos or stupid came up in my head, and I sort of want to smack those that said that.

[mizubyte.livejournal.com]

I made the reference to Lord of the Flies right away, and always found it slightly amusing that he immediately gets interrupted and thus can't finish what he's saying, when the whole point of the conch shell in LotF is so that "he who holds the shell gets to speak"

is it really that random a reference? I thought most (US) kids had to read that book in 8th or 9th grade.

also, A+ to Mikey to knowing what he'd need to survive his band, since something needs to shut Geeway up sometimes :-P