October 16, 2008

Wizardry in Germany.

WaPo reports this amusing dialogue:
Q. Which Germans do you know besides [Dallas Maverick] Dirk Nowitzki?

A. Is David Hasselhoff German?

I heard that you all like him.

Q. He's an American . . .

A. Okay, then only Dirk.

-- Wizards forward Caron Butler in an interview with the German tabloid Bild. The Wizards were in Berlin to play an exhibition game with the New Orleans Hornets.
Let's not assume Butler was being dumb. I think a lot of Americans, trying to formulate an answer to that question, would think: Well, Hitler, of course. Everyone knows Hitler. And that would have been awkward. So coming up with Is David Hasselhoff German? and Okay, then only Dirk isn't so dumb. It might even be a smart joke. What's dumb is the question "Which Germans do you know?"

40 comments:

TerriW said...

This post is almost overshadowed by its triumphant tag salad: Germany, Hasselhoff, hitler, sports.

I once traveled to Viet Nam when I was 17 -- this was back in the early 90s -- and people were always asking me if I knew folks that they knew in the states. "You live in Minnesota? Do you know my cousin Anh in Ohio?"

Martin said...

Hitler was actually Austrian.

Simon said...

Nur Deutsche sind lebendig? Ich würde gesagt haben Anne Brendler! Und, natürlich, kanzler Merkel, Britta Steffen, Katarina Witt...

Simon said...

Martin said...
"Hitler was actually Austrian."

So was Einstein. They have to take the rough with the smooth.

George M. Spencer said...

Hitler is upset with Brett Favre.

Not as good as the Bear Stearns and Obama parodies, but still amusing.

Meade said...

He could have said BMW.

Anonymous said...

Best answer would have been:
Mercedes Benz

AllenS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hoosier Daddy said...

"Which Germans do you know?"

Frau Blucher

AllenS said...

Correct spelling: Jacob Leinenkugel. I must have had too many of them last night.

MadisonMan said...

That same scene has been done, brilliantly, for storm chasers. Here

Ray said...

"Angela Merkel, she's a down ass bitch. First female German chancellor, the next Maggie Thatcher, for realz. Reppin the CDU to the fullest, yo. Right wing politics is now back in the building. Hamburg bitches, whut!"
- Caron Butler, in a slightly alternate universe.

Kirk Parker said...

Are we sure of the identity of the interviewer? The interview almost ventures into "Vennnn vill you vear vigs?" territory.

Trooper York said...

What about Colonel Klink and Sgt Shultz?

Trooper York said...

And that 99 baloons girl.

Trooper York said...

That's balloons, sorry teacher.

George M. Spencer said...

That's funny, too. Also, Xbox, World of Warcraft parodies, no telling how many others.

If you watch the movie itself, Der Untergang, and listen to the director's talk, he says that these screaming fits were common. And could go on for hours and were petrifying.

--

And besides Merkel, there's the acting Israeli PM, and the presidents of Argentina and Chile are women.

Trooper York said...

I can't believe that Caron is dissing Detlef Schrempf like that.

Chip Ahoy said...

Charles Windsor

Ophir said...

Ann said:
I think a lot of Americans, trying to formulate an answer to that question, would think: Well, Hitler, of course. Everyone knows Hitler. And that would have been awkward.

Clearly he was trying to follow Basil Fawlty's advice and not mention the war.

Chip Ahoy said...

Dieter from SNL's Sprockets

AllenS said...

Wiener Schnitzel.

Chip Ahoy said...

Lili Von Shtupp

Trooper York said...

Cedarford.

MadisonMan said...

Lili Von Shtupp

The UW has apologized because a snippet from Blazing Saddles was shown -- I think the snippet was the railroad workers -- at some training event for students. Story here.

I still love that movie!

Anonymous said...

Q. Which Germans do you know besides [Dallas Maverick] Dirk Nowitzki?

I guess he hasn't met any McCain supporters. The NYTimes told me they were all Good Germans.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

My aunt.... who was a small child during WWII. Her father was a brown shirt and disappeared at the end of the war. They had no idea what happened to him. Her mother used to tie her to the bicycle when they went shopping so no one would steal the bike. It was very valuable.

dbp said...

This post calls for the Hasselfoff regression

Anonymous said...

Foreigners are so funny. Especially in Europe. Their dumpy socialist dystopias produce nothing and no one of substance and then they laugh at know-nothings from the United States (where -- what? -- one in six people is famous?).

dannyboy said...

Marlene Deitrich.

Now that was some fine Teutonic tang there.

dbp said...

Seven,

Germany may not produce many people of substance, but they make some fine automobiles.

dbp said...

Silvio is from there, if I am not mistaken...but he is an American now, so maybe he doesn't count.

Revenant said...

"Hitler was actually Austrian."

So was Einstein.

Are you sure about that? I'd always thought he was born in Germany, and Wikipedia claims he was born in Ulm

Dave TN said...

Don't forget the great biathlete Kati Wilhelm. Very popular in Germany.

Cedarford said...

Further evidence the Althouse blog attracts more gays and closeted gays like Trooper. (normal guy, works in a women's appareil shoppe - come on!).

No mentions of Heidi Klum.
No one brought up Natassia Kinski.
Steffi Graf? Katerina Witt? Claudia Shiffer. Stiffler's Mom? Sabine Ehrenfeld - the one who had the "It's all the O" commercials...

Guys like Schumacher?

We do tend to be America-centric. We do allow for famous Aussies and Brits. We have plenty of Canadian celebs, too...because we treat Canada as a good farm team.
The rest of the world is "out of luck" with our media..

blake said...

Honestly, I'd have a hard time naming Germans, too.

Dirk Nowitzki doesn't sound like a German name. Seems sorta Polish.

Was Hitler Austrian or German? Even if he was born in Austria, didn't he do his best work in Germany? (Kaff.) Aren't Einstein and Oppenheimer and all those other krauts--well, weren't they really American?

Klaus Kinski and Werner Herzog. They're pretty German. Wim Wenders. 'course, Klaus is dead, but don't Herzog, Wenders and even Nastassja Kinski live in the USA?

Eric said...

Hitler was born in Austria, but one of his parents was German.

What about famous composers? Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Wagner? Or are we only doing modern?

Ciarand Denlane said...

In addition to the point you make, I'd let Caron off the hook because the question is ambiguous. It could be understood as asking "Which Germans have you ever heard of?" But it could also be understood as asking "Which Germans are you personally acquainted with?" To be sure, if Caron and Hasselhoff aren't acquainted, Caron obviously understood the question in the former sense, but, for all I know, he does know Hasselhoff even in the latter sense.

Eric said...

What about Colonel Klink and Sgt Shultz?

Oddly enough, Werner Klemperer, the man who played Klink was German. John Banner, who played Schultz, was born in Austria and spent some time in a German concentration camp before they started killing people (though his family didn't make it).

Trooper York said...

Cedarford, sorry if I hurt your feelings man, it was just a joke.