Pop culture jokes

Sigh. I'm not sure if I'm amused or annoyed. While reading of the fantasy opera of elvish singers in Middenheim for the Carnival which is the backdrop for the Power Behind the Throne module, I came across this very dated early 80s British pop culture reference.

Elven niuromaintiech music, with its complex vocal sounds, its performers’ eye-catching costumes has found an enduring audience among the other races of the Old World. The audience at this recital show their admiration of the performers by imitating their bizarrely-cut clothes, elaborate hairstyles, and lavishly-applied makeup. Those attending this recital are treated to performances by perennial favourites Adamantiel ‘Prince Charming’ Dandihyweiman, the Elven League, and the so-called ‘Wild Elves’ themselves, Duriandian Leboniel and his quintet (who plan to honour the city of Ulric with their popular ditty ‘Hungry Like the White Wolf ’).

While that's a cheeky reference to New Romantic music, it's a pretty dubious claim to have said nearly 40 years after the fact that it's found an enduring audience, or that the strange fashion and make-up affectations of the New Romantics look like anything at all these days that anyone would recognize. I'm not even sure that the references to Adam Ant and his two hits "Prince Charming" or "Stand And Deliver" (from whence the line Dandy Highwayman, referenced as a pun above) are even remembered. A reference to the Human League is more straightforward, as is about four Duran Duran references in a row "Wild Boys", Duran Duran almost said outright in the name, Simon Lebon, and of course "Hungry Like the Wolf"... but Duran Duran does at least have some enduring popularity. Heck, I saw them in concert last year, and it was pretty packed. Although the Depeche Mode concert was more packed and the tickets more expensive too. I guess they have even more enduring popularity when all is said and done.

It is somewhat ironic that the publishing house that literally brought us the word grimdark from the tagline of their futuristic variation on the game, although it applies equally well to the fantasy version, is at the same time so invested in these corny puns, but there it is. Even when the first version of this adventure was written in the 80s itself, this might have been pretty obscure. Maybe not in Britain, I suppose.

The reference the next page down to Wilhelm Pikewaver's famous play A Knight's Midsummer Dream is possibly even more ridiculous. Pikewaver? Really?

And a couple of pages after that, a reference to "What A Swell Party This Is"; holy crap, is it written for my dad? He's nearly 80, but he's always loved High Society. If he hadn't, I doubt I'd have recognized that reference.