Urban Myths

____no5

____no5

Free Man
roger_waters_peru.jpg


It's been a while I wanted to creat this topic as the subject interesses me a lot

Before to start, let's see wiki's definitions :

An urban legend is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them. The term is often used to mean something akin to an "apocryphal story." Like all folklore, urban legends are not necessarily false, but they are often distorted, exaggerated, or sensationalized over time.

Despite its name, a typical urban legend does not necessarily originate in an urban setting. The term is simply used to differentiate modern legend from traditional folklore in preindustrial times. For this reason, sociologists and folklorists prefer the term "contemporary legend."

Urban legends are sometimes repeated in news stories and, in recent years, distributed by e-mail. People frequently allege that such tales happened to a "friend of a friend"—so often, in fact, that "friend of a friend," ("FOAF") has become a commonly used term when recounting this type of story.

Some urban legends have passed through the years with only minor changes to suit regional variations. One example is the story of a woman killed by spiders nesting in her elaborate hairdo. More recent legends tend to reflect modern circumstances, like the story of people ambushed, anesthetized, and waking up minus one kidney, which was surgically removed for transplantation.

the whole article here

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So that's what's all about. In this topic everyone can contribute with stories that a friend of a friend has told

I start with mine :

My friend's friend was in a mountain lodge*, somewhere in a mountain.
It's winter time, and he has some friends with him.
In the room there are lots of other people...
There is a fire burning in the depth of the room.
Night.

One of friend's friend compagnion, takes his guitar to sing with his mates.
Some other people come to joint them when they hear the sound of the guitar 
.......Fataly, as it always happens in the companionships of 16- 22 when they play,
they start playing "Wish you were here" -Floyd of course

In that time and while friend's friend dude was still playing the intro,
a stranger stops him : He's around 50 with gray hair -seems tired from life and quite a mysterious guy
-"Hey dude, you ain't play that part like this"

My friend's friend's dude stops playing really angry
-"What ? What are you telling me, and who the fuck you are to tell me so ??"

...to receive this answer : -"I wrote that song dude"

it was Roger Waters that had interrupt him playing !!


ps :  I 've heard that same story from a completely other sourse, but this time the place was a rock bar
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[*] mountain lodges are some rustic houses in the mountains where mountain climpers can sleep for free
 
Real urban legends are funnier. Like the dude in california who found a mouse in his house and instead of just killing it he decides to be cruel, lights it on fire and throws it outside. The little rodent is freaking out and runs back inside the house burning it down :D... THAT is awesome.
 
Or the bloke who decided it's all over and decides to shoot himself. His wife comes to him, and spends two hours persuading him not to do so. When she finally succeeds, he puts the gun down, but it fires accidentally and kills his wife. :D
 
I've actually heard of that one :D. The Biography channel had a show dedicated to this very theme. They would present three "urban legends" except one of them really happened and they would tell you at the end which one it ones. Between breaks they presented 'mini myths', some true some false, the one of the mouse on fire... true :D

Another true one was of a man in france who dropped off his motorcycle in the shop and was walking back home when a torrential down pour started and he couldn't really see where he was going. He fell in an open sewer and when he came to his first reaction was to put on his motorcycle helmet and then he slid through the muck like a toboggan and  like 2 miles later finally stopped and was rescued... his helmet saved his life, because it prevented fatal injuries.. 
 
Onhell said:
Another true one was of a man in france who dropped off his motorcycle in the shop and was walking back home when a torrential down pour started and he couldn't really see where he was going. He fell in an open sewer and when he came to his first reaction was to put on his motorcycle helmet and then he slid through the muck like a toboggan and  like 2 miles later finally stopped and was rescued... his helmet saved his life, because it prevented fatal injuries.. 
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it wasn't in Spain ???  :D
 
____no5 said:
it was Roger Waters that had interrupt him playing !!
Click to expand...

Heard a similar story from a friend of mine. My friend was at a concert in California in the 1970s - not a big concert, just a local band playing a small club. The guitarist was horrible, and the crowd was jeering, trying to boo him off the stage. He said into the microphone: "If any of you think you can play better, come on up here!"

A man who had been at the edge of the crowd took on that challenge, and walked onstage to replace the guitarist ... to rapturous applause, once the crowd recognized that it was Eric Freakin' Clapton.
 
My friend was living in Calgary, and is a huge BB King fan.  The man was playing a concert, but Dan couldn't get tickets.  His buddies invited him out to the blues/jazz house in town, for the local music.  Dan, feeling so heartbroken, didn't go.

Of course, who shows up after his concert and played till the sun came up?  BB King.
 
I like the way that Roger Waters story has been translated to incorporate the term dude. Not entirely sure an Cambridge educated man from Surrey and in his 60's would ever say dude. :D

As for urban myths, I do know of one - but it is not entirely pleasant and so I won't disclose (it involve sending a Curry back in an Indian restaurant, and so on). However, many years ago, a few at work were talking about urban myths and brought up that one - only for one guy to pipe up and say it happened to his Mum. "But it's an urban myth!", we said. He was still adamant it did happen to her.
 
Albie said:
I like the way that Roger Waters story has been translated to incorporate the term dude. Not entirely sure an Cambridge educated man from Surrey and in his 60's would ever say dude. :D
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he quited Cambridge -so he is authorised  to say dude  :D
 
I'm resurrecting this thread of mine to post one small text that I wrote some years back quite relative to the matter. Well.. :D
It's not an Urban Myth per ce, but more how history becomes myth and then repeat itself in a funny way, somewhere in time.

In my translation I tried to imitate the pompous & archaic style of the original, but naturally, I failed. Feel free to make suggestions, changing words or whatever, in order to make it look like old English.

Based in a 100% real incident :D

Alexander The Great

Yesterday as I was coming back from work, I found 2-3 parking spots on my street and naturally I preferred the one that was closest to my door, but the tinniest from all them, too.
There he was standing; the mighty one. The robust and wise Arab outside his shop looking at yours as I was sweating to park my car; and more I was feeling his glance, more anxious I was getting. And more I was sweating.
Confusion. The Gates of Embarrassment.
“Do I fit here, isn't? ” I finally say to him with a much impolite tone; more to break his 'spell' than to say something.
He looks at me late and a bit ironically, with a suspicion of smile behind his dark beard and “yes, my son” he says, “you fit”
But the spell did not break and following a bad manoeuvring, Ι JAMMED in the door of the car in front -leaving a big dent behind.... fortunately it wasn't his!
Helpless. The Gates of Terror.
In my panic and humiliation, I quickly clutch reverse gear to disappear and.. BANG!
I crashed and threw down the public trash box… Klaxons.
Klaxons? Terror.
Tons of them. For how many time they've been klaxoning?. Lots of cars. Behind. Waiting to pass.
Desperation. The Gates of Redemption.
Oh thou heartless street you haven't swallow yours, neither my most beautiful car that would be a horse in some other time, in some other place.
At that crucial moment, the old Arab looks at me with the merciful sympathy of the man who knew too much and says with a calm voice of wisdom : “My son, ask for thyself another parking, for which you're trying, is too small for thee”










Mon fils cherche une autre place pour te garer car cella, elle est trop petite pour toi.
 
Popular urban myths:

1. There used to be a legendary strongman in [insert town name here]. Even when he was a very old man, he could snap iron nails with his fingertips to amuse the kids

2. My mate saw an argument between a driver and a dog walker at a railway level crossing. The car bumped the man's legs when it stopped by the crossing. The man tied his dog to the barrier and went to argue with the driver. The argument got so heated the police were called to sort it out. In the meantime, the train had passed. The signalman raised the barrier and the dog was left dangling from the barrier.

3. Children's cartoon Captain Pugwash featured characters with completely inappropriate sexual innuendo in their names

All of these did the rounds at college. And at quite a few other colleges too :)
 
Thanks Brigantium. Here's another one. Decor: It's night & it's raining. The Phantom car & the Hitchhiker. Plus there's a popular song about it. Here a version by Tom Waits, from Nighthawks at the Dinner.

Well you see I happened to be back on the east coast a few years back tryin' to make me a buck like everybody else, well you know.. Times get hard and well I got down on my luck.
And I got tired of just roamin' and bumming around, so I started thumbin' my way back to my old hometown..
You know I made quite a few milesIn the first couple of days, and I figured I'd be home in a week if my luck held out this way.
But you know it was the third night I got stranded, it was out at a cold lonely Crossroads, and as the rain came pouring down, I was hungry, tired freezin', caught myself a chill.
But it was just about that time that the lights of an old semi topped the hill..
You should of seen me smile when I Heard them air brakes come on, andI climbed up in that cab where I knew it'd be warm at the wheel!
Well at the wheel sat a big man; I'd have to say he must of weighed 210, the way he stuck out a big hand and said with a grin "Big Joe's the name. And this here rig's called Phantom 309".
Well I asked him why he called his rig such a name, but he just turned to me and said "Why son don't you know this here rig'll be puttin' 'em all to shame, why there ain't a driver on this or any other line for that matter, that's seen nothin' but the taillights of Big JoeAnd Phantom 309"
So we rode and talked the better part of the night and I told my stories and Joe told his and I smoked up all his viceroys as we rolled along.
He pushed her ahead with 10 forward gears -man that dashboard was lit like the old Madam La Rue pinball, a serious semi truck.
Until almost mysteriously, well it was the lights of a truck stop that rolled into sight, Joe turned to me and said "I'm sorry son, but I'm afraid this is just as far as you go, you see I kinda gotta be makin' a turn just up the road a piece," but I'll beDamned if he didn't throw me a dime as he threw her in low and said "Go on in there son, and get yourself a hot cup of coffee on Big Joe".
And when Joe and his rig pulled off into the night, man in nothing flat they was clean outta sight.
So I walked into the old stop and ordered me up a cup of mud sayin' "Big Joe's settin' this dude up" ..but it got so deathly quiet in that place, you could of heard a pin drop and as the waiter's face turned kinda pale, I said "What's the matter did I say somethin' wrong?" I kinda said with a half way grin.
He said "No son, you see it'll happen every now and then. You see every driver in here knows Big Joe, son, but let me tell you what happened just 10 years ago, yeah it was 10 years ago out there at that cold lonely crossroads where you flagged Joe down and there was a whole bus load of kids and they were just comin' from school. And they were right in the middle when Joe topped the hill, and could have been slaughtered except Joe turned his wheels, and he jacknifed, and wentInto a skid, and folks around here say he gave his life to save that bunch of kids, and out there at that cold lonely crossroads, well they say it was the end of the line for Big Joe and Phantom 309.
But it's funny you know, cause every now and then, yeah every now and then, when the moon's holdin' water, they say old Joe will stop and give you a ride, and just like you, some hitchhiker will be comin' by"
"So here son," he said to me, "get yourself another cup of coffee, it's on the house, you see I want you to hang on to that dime, yea you hang on to that dime as a kind of souvenir, a souvenir of Big Joe and Phantom 309"



There's another version, this of ghost hitchhiker. You are the driver. Again, night+rain.
I almost gave a ride to one (and YES, it was night & raining) but when I stopped the car and turned my head she was gone :D
 
Are you guys familiar with Slender Man?

Slender Man is a fake urban legend created by the people at the Something Awful forums while they were trying to create "the scariest thing ever". It's entered pop culture as a series of movies and games based on the concept. Really interesting stuff to see how a mythos can be grown.

http://theslenderman.wikia.com/wiki/Slender_Man
 
Thanks for the contributions guys.
Paul's Dead never qualified in my book as a genuine Urban Myth. Yet I absolutely love Abbey Road cover. This is the essence.
LooseCannon said:
Are you guys familiar with Slender Man?

Slender Man is a fake urban legend created by the people at the Something Awful forums while they were trying to create "the scariest thing ever". It's entered pop culture as a series of movies and games based on the concept. Really interesting stuff to see how a mythos can be grown.

http://theslenderman.wikia.com/wiki/Slender_Man
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Urban Myths is a subject of great interest for me and particularly the bolded text is what there is most exciting. I took a look at your link, a lot of stuff to read. Yes, this is what is all about.

I'll come back with another one soon, which I consider the mother of the Urban Myths.. I have to find some more time to write it down only and make it look readable.
 
I believe it was a genuine myth back in the day but I can't say how many actually believed it. It was very widespread though :lol:
 
______no5 said:
Thanks for the contributions guys.
Paul's Dead never qualified in my book as a genuine Urban Myth. Yet I absolutely love Abbey Road cover. This is the essence.
Click to expand...
Yea, agreed.


Slender Man is pretty creepy. Cool how it grew though.
 
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