Hannibal and Subutai on saddle chaffing.
August 28, 2012 5:18 PM Subscribe
Dante Alighieri and Lenny Bruce on fart jokes.
posted by Yesterday's camel at 5:22 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Yesterday's camel at 5:22 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Bach and Handel. Give them a pipe organ and a harpsichord and challenge them to a clavier face-off.
posted by TrialByMedia at 5:23 PM on August 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by TrialByMedia at 5:23 PM on August 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
H.P. Lovecraft and Frederick Douglass discussing the 2012 Presidential election
posted by hermitosis at 5:27 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by hermitosis at 5:27 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]
Either Newton and Einstein on the nature of discovery in science, or Elizabeth I and Victoria on the nature of being a powerful woman in a male dominated society and the expectations of said power.
posted by strixus at 5:28 PM on August 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by strixus at 5:28 PM on August 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
I'm not all that interested in what people from the past think about what they were able to learn back in that period. Could we instead get Leo Fender to build a Stratocaster for Mozart?
posted by anonymisc at 5:30 PM on August 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by anonymisc at 5:30 PM on August 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
John Lennon and Mick Jagger discussing the topic "which band is better - Blur or Oasis?"
posted by awfurby at 5:32 PM on August 28, 2012 [16 favorites]
posted by awfurby at 5:32 PM on August 28, 2012 [16 favorites]
Jesus vs Xenu - Debating on the topic of global warming.
posted by pla at 5:34 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by pla at 5:34 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Whoever you want and Spike Milligan. (He's a historical character in my life, ok?)
posted by sneebler at 5:35 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by sneebler at 5:35 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Mick Jagger's dead? I thought he only looked like it.
posted by Tsuga at 5:35 PM on August 28, 2012 [9 favorites]
posted by Tsuga at 5:35 PM on August 28, 2012 [9 favorites]
I just wanna put a Neanderthal in a room with Richard Nixon and see what happens.
posted by cmoj at 5:35 PM on August 28, 2012 [11 favorites]
posted by cmoj at 5:35 PM on August 28, 2012 [11 favorites]
ME AND NEWS RADIO ERA MAURA TIERNEY what comeonmanfuckyourrules
posted by samofidelis at 5:36 PM on August 28, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by samofidelis at 5:36 PM on August 28, 2012 [7 favorites]
Please give the Neanderthal some means of defense.
posted by BlueHorse at 5:37 PM on August 28, 2012 [10 favorites]
posted by BlueHorse at 5:37 PM on August 28, 2012 [10 favorites]
Jesus and Tomás de Torquemada.
posted by Algebra at 5:37 PM on August 28, 2012 [12 favorites]
posted by Algebra at 5:37 PM on August 28, 2012 [12 favorites]
Lord Palmerston and Pitt the Elder on qualities of a great Prime Minister?
posted by N-stoff at 5:37 PM on August 28, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by N-stoff at 5:37 PM on August 28, 2012 [7 favorites]
Oh oh also I would accept me and Jean-Ralphio.
posted by samofidelis at 5:39 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by samofidelis at 5:39 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Fred Rogers and Ayn Rand. Puppets and love will carry the day.
posted by Garm at 5:40 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Garm at 5:40 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Thomas Müntzer and Klemens von Metternich on would you rather slide down a razor blade into a vat of lemon juice or drink a barrel of monkey snot.
posted by DaDaDaDave at 5:40 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by DaDaDaDave at 5:40 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Clarence Darrow and Henry VIII, on the death penalty.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:41 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:41 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
T Jefferson and B Franklin on the tea partiers.
posted by njohnson23 at 5:42 PM on August 28, 2012 [9 favorites]
posted by njohnson23 at 5:42 PM on August 28, 2012 [9 favorites]
Me and Marilyn Monroe. What we talk about is none of your damn business.
posted by donpardo at 5:42 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by donpardo at 5:42 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Hunter S. Thompson and Bill Hicks about anything.
posted by deanklear at 5:42 PM on August 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by deanklear at 5:42 PM on August 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
Darwin and Einstein.
Nixon and Machiavelli. A sharp knife. Weld the door shut.
posted by BlueHorse at 5:42 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Nixon and Machiavelli. A sharp knife. Weld the door shut.
posted by BlueHorse at 5:42 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Jackson Pollock & Jesse Helms: Modernism and Morality.
posted by R. Mutt at 5:44 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by R. Mutt at 5:44 PM on August 28, 2012
Rush Limbaugh and Vlad the Impaler. Have them discuss ethics.
Above--Darwin and Einstein? Anything they'd talk about I'd be a fly on the wall for.
posted by BlueHorse at 5:46 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Above--Darwin and Einstein? Anything they'd talk about I'd be a fly on the wall for.
posted by BlueHorse at 5:46 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
I’d like to hear Plato and Roger Bacon discuss the scientific method.
Marcus Aurelius and Ghandi on on the nature of empire.
Shakespeare and Cleopatra on the balance between image and fact
I like the suggestions where the people share no common language, because I like to imagine the greatest minds of history trying to pantomime abstract concepts.
posted by aubilenon at 5:48 PM on August 28, 2012 [33 favorites]
Marcus Aurelius and Ghandi on on the nature of empire.
Shakespeare and Cleopatra on the balance between image and fact
I like the suggestions where the people share no common language, because I like to imagine the greatest minds of history trying to pantomime abstract concepts.
posted by aubilenon at 5:48 PM on August 28, 2012 [33 favorites]
Isherwood and Auden, who would win a fight, a caveman or an astronauts?
posted by The Whelk at 5:49 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by The Whelk at 5:49 PM on August 28, 2012
Buddha vs Jeffery Dahmer
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:49 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:49 PM on August 28, 2012
Tesla and Einstein.
posted by Malice at 5:49 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by Malice at 5:49 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]
Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. Today's Republican Party: What the Fucking Fuck???
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:52 PM on August 28, 2012 [41 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:52 PM on August 28, 2012 [41 favorites]
Hitler and Andre the Giant. Topic: why are you hitting yourself? Huh? Huh?
posted by Paragon at 5:52 PM on August 28, 2012 [56 favorites]
posted by Paragon at 5:52 PM on August 28, 2012 [56 favorites]
Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls on fidelity in marriage and the positive impact of a father figure.
posted by Chuffy at 5:53 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Chuffy at 5:53 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Rumi and Tupac Shakur: on the soul and the nature of man.
posted by cashman at 5:53 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by cashman at 5:53 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. Art all night long.
I get a translator, right?
posted by heyho at 5:54 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
I get a translator, right?
posted by heyho at 5:54 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Nicola Tesla and Timothy Leary on inspiration
posted by localroger at 5:55 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by localroger at 5:55 PM on August 28, 2012
Two completely random (and most likely historically insignificant) ancestors of mine.
I'd just like to see them to compare notes about living in different time periods.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:56 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
I'd just like to see them to compare notes about living in different time periods.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:56 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
James Madison and Earl Warren debate whether the United States Constitution is intended to be a living document.
posted by resurrexit at 5:57 PM on August 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by resurrexit at 5:57 PM on August 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
Elizabeth 1 and Catherine the Great --- both of 'em would agree, compared to them, Victoria was a marshmallow.
Marie Curie and Einstein, on the topic of their choice.
posted by easily confused at 5:59 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Marie Curie and Einstein, on the topic of their choice.
posted by easily confused at 5:59 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Siddhartha and Gandhi on the designated hitter.
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 6:00 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 6:00 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
I would surely love to get Franklin and Jefferson to go over the text of the Constitution and tell us exactly what they meant, line by line.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:00 PM on August 28, 2012 [26 favorites]
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:00 PM on August 28, 2012 [26 favorites]
Harpo Marx and George Burns, on the nature of comedy.
posted by easily confused at 6:04 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by easily confused at 6:04 PM on August 28, 2012
Don Barthelme and anyone. Topic: "How do you pronounce your fucking name?"
posted by Lorin at 6:10 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Lorin at 6:10 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Newton and Feynman
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 6:11 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 6:11 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Two completely random (and most likely historically insignificant) ancestors of mine.
I'd just like to see them to compare notes about living in different time periods.
Yep. Most all the people everyone are picking, while fascinating people, did a great job of documenting much of their thoughts and opinions. But this--this would be fascinating.
posted by sourwookie at 6:15 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'd just like to see them to compare notes about living in different time periods.
Yep. Most all the people everyone are picking, while fascinating people, did a great job of documenting much of their thoughts and opinions. But this--this would be fascinating.
posted by sourwookie at 6:15 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Shakespeare and Brecht just talking about theatre in general.
They'd either become best friends or get into a knife fight.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 6:16 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
They'd either become best friends or get into a knife fight.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 6:16 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Groucho Marx and Otto von Bismark. Topic: Frito Lay Jalapeno Cheese Dip, abomination or epiphany?
Jesus and Judas Iscariot. Topic: So...about leaving early at that last supper party.
King Arthur and Mordred. Topic: Best 2 out of 3?
Stanley Kubrick and Russ Meyer. Topic: Contemporary female psychology.
Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Topic: a) rematch or b) The 2008 Florida Gator football season.
James Dean and Sam Kinison. Topic: Hey, don't drive drunk. Really.
May Great Aunt Peg and her sister Joe Anne. Topic: Which one had the best legs in the 1940s. An argument I heard when they were alive many times, including at funerals, and sometimes with photo evidence. Drunk on highballs. Is that what awaits in heaven? Thank god I'm not religious.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 6:24 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Jesus and Judas Iscariot. Topic: So...about leaving early at that last supper party.
King Arthur and Mordred. Topic: Best 2 out of 3?
Stanley Kubrick and Russ Meyer. Topic: Contemporary female psychology.
Gore Vidal and William F Buckley Topic: a) rematch or b) The 2008 Florida Gator football season.
James Dean and Sam Kinison. Topic: Hey, don't drive drunk. Really.
May Great Aunt Peg and her sister Joe Anne. Topic: Which one had the best legs in the 1940s. An argument I heard when they were alive many times, including at funerals, and sometimes with photo evidence. Drunk on highballs. Is that what awaits in heaven? Thank god I'm not religious.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 6:24 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Do they both have to be dead? Because I'd love for Jesuah ben Joseph to have a chat with the pope on the Word and Intent of God. On live television. Small matter of language, but hey, reanimating dead people, I think we can gloss it.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:24 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:24 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]
Anyone interested in this would probably like Van Loon's Lives, a book with just this premise. As a bonus, it was written during WWII in Nazi occupied Europe so there is a very interesting meta-story going on as well. I highly recommend it.
posted by AndrewStephens at 6:27 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by AndrewStephens at 6:27 PM on August 28, 2012
I want to hear Rose Chan talk about how she managed to get away with being a burlesque star in 1960s Malaysia to the point that she is still remembered fondly as a legend, when nowadays thinking about doing the same thing will get you arrested pronto.
posted by divabat at 6:28 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by divabat at 6:28 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Cato the Elder and Abraham Lincoln on slavery.
Mother of god the rhetorical heights...
posted by Palindromedary at 6:32 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Mother of god the rhetorical heights...
posted by Palindromedary at 6:32 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
I would surely love to get Franklin and Jefferson to go over the text of the Constitution and tell us exactly what they meant, line by line.
Why those two? Franklin was 81 and in poor health during the Constitutional Convention, and Jefferson was in France at the time. Madison and another delegate (e.g. Washington) would be better choices, I think.
posted by jedicus at 6:41 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]
Why those two? Franklin was 81 and in poor health during the Constitutional Convention, and Jefferson was in France at the time. Madison and another delegate (e.g. Washington) would be better choices, I think.
posted by jedicus at 6:41 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]
Adam Weishaupt and the Count of St. Germain on what's really going on in the world.
posted by Apocryphon at 6:41 PM on August 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by Apocryphon at 6:41 PM on August 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
Mohammed and Osama Bin Laden on the tenets of Islam.
posted by jeremy b at 6:44 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by jeremy b at 6:44 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
dorothy parker and s.j. perelman, just shootin' the shit
posted by facetious at 6:45 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by facetious at 6:45 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
H.G Wells and Robert Oppenheimer on Inevitability.
posted by sendai sleep master at 6:47 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by sendai sleep master at 6:47 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, on politics. THE REMATCH. And Buckley's hands would be tied behind his back.
posted by JHarris at 6:57 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 6:57 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Mark Twain discussing Prohibition, women's suffrage, and phrenology.
oh please be true
posted by ChuraChura at 7:01 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
oh please be true
posted by ChuraChura at 7:01 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
I wanna get drunk with Tesla and then egg Newton's house.
posted by elizardbits at 7:01 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by elizardbits at 7:01 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
derp. EDISON's house.
drunk already
posted by elizardbits at 7:01 PM on August 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
drunk already
posted by elizardbits at 7:01 PM on August 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
Steve Allen's take on this: Meeting of Minds
posted by mach at 7:03 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by mach at 7:03 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Bob Ross and Adolf Hitler painting happy little trees.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:06 PM on August 28, 2012 [13 favorites]
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:06 PM on August 28, 2012 [13 favorites]
Lee Harvey Oswald and JFK just TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT ALL
posted by Lucinda at 7:08 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Lucinda at 7:08 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Hitler and Charlie Chaplin on whether their shared mustache is indicative of a sense of whimsy or a sign of unspeakable evil.
posted by reenum at 7:16 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by reenum at 7:16 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Also I wanna see Margaret Sanger hit Rush Limbaugh with her reticule.
ideally there will be a brick in it
posted by elizardbits at 7:18 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
ideally there will be a brick in it
posted by elizardbits at 7:18 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Thomas Merton and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the greatest Catholic mystic and the greatest Catholic scientist of the 20th century, on compassion, social justice and the natural order of creation. I would then nail the transcript on the doors of St Peter's and burn a copy of Humanae Vitae out front.
posted by xthlc at 7:20 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by xthlc at 7:20 PM on August 28, 2012
Aristophanes and Shakespeare on old and new comedy.
Thomas Huxley and Samuel Wilberforce, on which of them was surprised upon death.
J.R.R Tolkien and Robert E. Howard on fantasy and worldbuilding.
Louis XVI and Robespierre on republican government. Comparably Robespierre and Napoleon.
Ayn Rand and Aristotle or Ayn Rand and Victor Hugo, either in a moment like the famous Marshall McLuhan scene in Annie Hall.
posted by graymouser at 7:22 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Thomas Huxley and Samuel Wilberforce, on which of them was surprised upon death.
J.R.R Tolkien and Robert E. Howard on fantasy and worldbuilding.
Louis XVI and Robespierre on republican government. Comparably Robespierre and Napoleon.
Ayn Rand and Aristotle or Ayn Rand and Victor Hugo, either in a moment like the famous Marshall McLuhan scene in Annie Hall.
posted by graymouser at 7:22 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
We can do that now let me begin the DARK NECROMANCY.
Oh don't look at me like that, you knew we weren't getting out of this without some dark necromancy.
posted by The Whelk at 7:25 PM on August 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
Oh don't look at me like that, you knew we weren't getting out of this without some dark necromancy.
posted by The Whelk at 7:25 PM on August 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
Pliny the Elder and John Holmes talk about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
posted by "Elbows" O'Donoghue at 7:26 PM on August 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by "Elbows" O'Donoghue at 7:26 PM on August 28, 2012 [4 favorites]
Robespierre and Lenin on do's and don'ts for an orderly transfer of power in a revolutionary setting.
posted by N-stoff at 7:28 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by N-stoff at 7:28 PM on August 28, 2012
Can't we just use regular necromancy?
posted by aubilenon at 7:28 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by aubilenon at 7:28 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
No one made a deleted-as-chatfilter joke yet? Surprised!
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:37 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:37 PM on August 28, 2012
Empress Wu and Terry Southern discuss online community moderation in the 21st century.
posted by The Whelk at 7:41 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 7:41 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Elvis and JFK, just to find out once and for all if they are really dead.
posted by TedW at 7:43 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by TedW at 7:43 PM on August 28, 2012
Geoffrey Chaucer and George Carlin on storytelling and language
posted by zippy at 7:50 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by zippy at 7:50 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Keith Moon and Oliver Reed (again) on shenanigans.
posted by Kinbote at 8:24 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Kinbote at 8:24 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Francis Marion and Ho Chi Minh on principles.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 8:31 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 8:31 PM on August 28, 2012
Off-topic, perhaps, but :
Does anyone have recommendations for a good site with awesome questions like this, which is updated regularly? I have a podcast that could use a good "question of the week" topic, so I'd be happy to plug whatever site it is. If you don't want to self-link, just send me a MeFi Message.
posted by revmitcz at 8:36 PM on August 28, 2012
Does anyone have recommendations for a good site with awesome questions like this, which is updated regularly? I have a podcast that could use a good "question of the week" topic, so I'd be happy to plug whatever site it is. If you don't want to self-link, just send me a MeFi Message.
posted by revmitcz at 8:36 PM on August 28, 2012
Tony the Fish and Jesus on the origin, uses, and care of feet.
posted by perspicio at 8:36 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by perspicio at 8:36 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Leonardo da Vinci and Shakespeare, on inspiration and creation.
I'd also like to show them some Calvin and Hobbes comics, maybe have them read excerpts from Snowcrash and Necronomicon, go to see a movie with them, just to hear their input.
Then I'd just make sure I left lots of blank paper, pencils, erasers, quills, paints and brushes on hand and quietly sit at their feet, because you know they'd come up with some new stuff.
Also, Steve Jobs and da Vinci, to see what they came up with together (after I showed Leonardo a bunch of TED talks to bring him up to date on current technology).
posted by misha at 8:37 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
I'd also like to show them some Calvin and Hobbes comics, maybe have them read excerpts from Snowcrash and Necronomicon, go to see a movie with them, just to hear their input.
Then I'd just make sure I left lots of blank paper, pencils, erasers, quills, paints and brushes on hand and quietly sit at their feet, because you know they'd come up with some new stuff.
Also, Steve Jobs and da Vinci, to see what they came up with together (after I showed Leonardo a bunch of TED talks to bring him up to date on current technology).
posted by misha at 8:37 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Billy the Kid and Socrates. Topic: What do you think of San Dimas?
posted by Grandysaur at 8:38 PM on August 28, 2012 [12 favorites]
posted by Grandysaur at 8:38 PM on August 28, 2012 [12 favorites]
Grandysaur's answer is the correct answer. We can all go home for the evening now.
posted by sendai sleep master at 8:52 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by sendai sleep master at 8:52 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Oscar Wilde and Dorothy Parker on whatever.
posted by thivaia at 8:58 PM on August 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by thivaia at 8:58 PM on August 28, 2012 [6 favorites]
Catullus and John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester on sex.
posted by Pallas Athena at 9:03 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Pallas Athena at 9:03 PM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
I'd get Louis Armstrong to give Mozart a crash course in jazz. And then they could jam.
posted by wabbittwax at 9:08 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by wabbittwax at 9:08 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
John Lennon and George Harrison could get together and consider the question of how Paul McCartney sleeps at night.
posted by wabbittwax at 9:11 PM on August 28, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by wabbittwax at 9:11 PM on August 28, 2012 [7 favorites]
I've always thought it would be cool to bring back historical figures and just show them what society and technology was like now, and hear their thoughts, and see what they think about it. Would Issac Newton or Galileo be able to figure out how to use a computer?
posted by delmoi at 9:13 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by delmoi at 9:13 PM on August 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Joni Hendrix and Robert Johnson could talk about what they might have done if they'd lived past 27.
posted by wabbittwax at 9:14 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by wabbittwax at 9:14 PM on August 28, 2012
Umm Jimi. Jimi Hendrix.
posted by wabbittwax at 9:14 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by wabbittwax at 9:14 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
iTunes would blow Mozart's mind.
posted by wabbittwax at 9:16 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by wabbittwax at 9:16 PM on August 28, 2012
Joni Hendrix: Electric Blue
posted by jaduncan at 9:18 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by jaduncan at 9:18 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
da Vinci: Behold! My 'Aerial Screw'!
Jobs: I think it sucks!
da Vinci: Why?
Jobs: It just does.
da Vinci: In what sense? Give me a clue.
Jobs: Its shape is not innovative, it's not elegant, it doesn't feel anthropomorphic. You have this incredibly innovative machine but it looks very traditional. There are design firms out there that could come up with things we've never thought of, things that would make you shit in your pants.
da Vinci: .posted by mazola at 9:27 PM on August 28, 2012 [18 favorites]
Dee Dee Ramone and Bob Stinson on what is the PROPER way to huff Carbona
posted by DecemberBoy at 9:30 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by DecemberBoy at 9:30 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Tonight I watched the RNC Shitparade and got real sad so I made choco chip + walnut cookies and I don't know why but I put the raw eggs in my mouth and put my head over the mixing bowl and mashed my cheeks with my fingers so that the egg splooshed out (largely via the nose because of craylaughing) into the creamed sugar, and I want to hear a debate between Diogenes of Sinope and KHal Drogo about what the fuck is wrong with my life.
posted by samofidelis at 9:37 PM on August 28, 2012 [15 favorites]
posted by samofidelis at 9:37 PM on August 28, 2012 [15 favorites]
George Washington against Ronald Reagan - BUT... only if Washington got to watch 2 hours of The Daily Show and then 2 hours of Fox News first.
And then I'd have them debate the role of Government vs. Free Market in contemporary America.
posted by revmitcz at 10:31 PM on August 28, 2012
And then I'd have them debate the role of Government vs. Free Market in contemporary America.
posted by revmitcz at 10:31 PM on August 28, 2012
Khal says you should leave out the walnuts and you're on the right track with the eggs but you're supposed to put them into the mouth of a foe's severed head.
posted by lordaych at 10:43 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by lordaych at 10:43 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]
Plato and Karl Popper on a subject of their choosing.
posted by quazichimp at 10:59 PM on August 28, 2012
posted by quazichimp at 10:59 PM on August 28, 2012
Heath Ledger and Brittany Murphy so the world can see one more film from the two of them. Musical score provided by Aaliyah and Amy Winehouse.
posted by Apocryphon at 11:38 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Apocryphon at 11:38 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Fred Rogers and Adolph Hitler on the origin of and realtive importance of human individuality.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:45 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:45 PM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
John Lennon and George Harrison.
They can debate what songs they're going to play, as I'll have Paul and Ringo in the other room with instruments for my very own command performance Beatles concert.
posted by Davenhill at 1:01 AM on August 29, 2012
They can debate what songs they're going to play, as I'll have Paul and Ringo in the other room with instruments for my very own command performance Beatles concert.
posted by Davenhill at 1:01 AM on August 29, 2012
FDR and Reagan to discuss the role of the government/welfare state.
Nina Simone and Gil Scott Heron on an artist's duty to address the social issues of their day.
Richard Pryor and George Carlin on pushing the envelope (language and subject matter) of comedy.
posted by Davenhill at 1:22 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
Nina Simone and Gil Scott Heron on an artist's duty to address the social issues of their day.
Richard Pryor and George Carlin on pushing the envelope (language and subject matter) of comedy.
posted by Davenhill at 1:22 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
Mark Twain and H. L. Mencken on satire.
... I'll stop now :)
posted by Davenhill at 1:24 AM on August 29, 2012
... I'll stop now :)
posted by Davenhill at 1:24 AM on August 29, 2012
Omar Khayyam and Ibn Battuta, on the relevance of gnosticism, while being in a plane that will crash after the one stipulated night. They can choose to exit the plane earlier to certain de-animation, if you will, or choose to parachute down and discuss this on land. They can do this only if both agree to do so, and tell us why.
posted by the cydonian at 1:41 AM on August 29, 2012
posted by the cydonian at 1:41 AM on August 29, 2012
My late father, and his biological father (whom he met only once in 1951 when Dad was 16, and about whom we know next to nothing), so they could get to know each other. Topic: probably politics, because all sides of my family have always had raging political discussions that go on for hours. Seriously, we're all on the same (left-wing hardcore liberal) side, but I've seen discussions last from 7 pm to 6 am. So I'd love to see what they came up with.
Also, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Janis Joplin discussing music, because how fucking awesome would it be if they started jamming?
posted by MexicanYenta at 2:38 AM on August 29, 2012
Also, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Janis Joplin discussing music, because how fucking awesome would it be if they started jamming?
posted by MexicanYenta at 2:38 AM on August 29, 2012
Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler: cats or dogs.
posted by Pendragon at 3:00 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Pendragon at 3:00 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
Richard Feynman and Einstein to discuss... whatever the hell they feel like discussing. I'll record. Step 3: PROFIT!
posted by anonymisc at 4:46 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by anonymisc at 4:46 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
What if they want to discuss Two and A Half Men, though.
posted by elizardbits at 6:01 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by elizardbits at 6:01 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
All of these above, I keep picturing the conversations literally 'reanimated', zombie/skeleton chats.
posted by fuzzypantalones at 6:21 AM on August 29, 2012
posted by fuzzypantalones at 6:21 AM on August 29, 2012
Jack Kirby and Shakespeare. I don't know what they'd talk about but it'd be awesome.
posted by bettafish at 7:09 AM on August 29, 2012
posted by bettafish at 7:09 AM on August 29, 2012
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X on the season finale of Bunheads.
posted by Smallpox at 7:13 AM on August 29, 2012
posted by Smallpox at 7:13 AM on August 29, 2012
Marx and Gibbon on history, or Marx and John Rawles on the just society. Mostly because I curious what Karl would think of the actual attempts at implementing Communism and the further excesses of capitalism that have happened since he lived.
posted by Diablevert at 7:35 AM on August 29, 2012
posted by Diablevert at 7:35 AM on August 29, 2012
Hunter S. Thompson and Bill Hicks about anything.
You know it'd be about drugs within 20 minutes anyway.
posted by DigDoug at 7:41 AM on August 29, 2012
You know it'd be about drugs within 20 minutes anyway.
posted by DigDoug at 7:41 AM on August 29, 2012
Steve Ballmer and Leonardo da Vinci on creativity and innovation.
posted by mazola at 7:42 AM on August 29, 2012
posted by mazola at 7:42 AM on August 29, 2012
Johnny Cash and James Beard on The Perfect BBQ.
Sammy Davis, Jr. and Frank Sinatra on Attachment Parenting.
Thurgood Marshall and Oliver Wendell Holmes on literally anything related to law or justice.
Kenneth Lay and Joe Paterno on why I keep hitting them in the knees with a hammer.
posted by Navelgazer at 8:19 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
Sammy Davis, Jr. and Frank Sinatra on Attachment Parenting.
Thurgood Marshall and Oliver Wendell Holmes on literally anything related to law or justice.
Kenneth Lay and Joe Paterno on why I keep hitting them in the knees with a hammer.
posted by Navelgazer at 8:19 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
Fred Rogers and I don't care who else or what they talk about. I'd just like to see him for another day.
posted by Deathalicious at 8:32 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Deathalicious at 8:32 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
John Lennon and George Harrison could get together and consider the question of how Paul McCartney sleeps at night.
Too bad you don't get to choose 3, then you could have Paul join them.
posted by TedW at 8:44 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
Too bad you don't get to choose 3, then you could have Paul join them.
posted by TedW at 8:44 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
Groucho Marx and Karl Marx on why Louis Armstrong was the world's greatest astronaut.
posted by sendai sleep master at 9:57 AM on August 29, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by sendai sleep master at 9:57 AM on August 29, 2012 [2 favorites]
Hypatia and Einstein on cosmology.
posted by homunculus at 11:13 AM on August 29, 2012
posted by homunculus at 11:13 AM on August 29, 2012
Kant and Nagarjuna on ontology.
posted by homunculus at 11:20 AM on August 29, 2012
posted by homunculus at 11:20 AM on August 29, 2012
I'd like to get Newton and Jonathon Edwards (the dead 18th century "fire & brimstone" preacher, not the 21st century "I talk to dead people" tv psychic, John Edward) in a small room, hand them a cell phone and ask them to explain it to me in terms of good or evil.
posted by arkham_inmate_0801 at 11:34 AM on August 29, 2012
posted by arkham_inmate_0801 at 11:34 AM on August 29, 2012
Fred Rogers and Nelson Mandela on how to remain optimistic and work towards the greater good in the face of overwhelming cynicism and adversity.
posted by misha at 1:03 PM on August 29, 2012
posted by misha at 1:03 PM on August 29, 2012
mr_crash_davis: I would surely love to get Franklin and Jefferson to go over the text of the Constitution and tell us exactly what they meant, line by line.There would be blood.
Seriously - does anyone seriously believe that there was one common interpretation behind the words? Wording was intentionally left vague enough that every single faction (and there were at least 40) could leave his own private worldview intact. Thus, "other high crimes and misdemeanors", "during good behavior", and even "the right to bear arms".
--
Someone - Mark Russell? - used to host this show on PBS, except that the panel was typically 4-5, not 2. I only remember Genghis Khan enjoying Emily Dickinson reading her poem, A Bird Came Down:
A bird came down the walk:--
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.
All that being said, I'd still ask for Jesus ben Joseph (called the Christ) and President George Washington to discuss what we got wrong.
posted by IAmBroom at 1:05 PM on August 29, 2012
Montezuma and Caligula, play-by-play of Monday Night Football.
posted by furiousthought at 2:02 PM on August 29, 2012
posted by furiousthought at 2:02 PM on August 29, 2012
Dante and Giovanni Boccacio on whether comedy or tragedy is the appropriate artistic response to tragic events.
Boccacio and Shakespeare to compare notes on the bawdy shit they wrote and how weird it is that most people today don't get how utterly filthy they were being.
Amelia Earhart, Judge Crater and Jimmy Hoffa on "okay, where the hell WERE you?"
Karl Marx with Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky on: "wait, guys, let's back up a few steps and revise the plan here."
Hallie Flanagan and Hrosvitha on what the double-whammy of being a woman working in theater in a patriarchal society and being someone who spoke ahead of her time is like.
And I know it's cheating, but I want Victoria Woodhull to come visit Sarah Palin and smack her upside the head.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:17 PM on August 29, 2012
Boccacio and Shakespeare to compare notes on the bawdy shit they wrote and how weird it is that most people today don't get how utterly filthy they were being.
Amelia Earhart, Judge Crater and Jimmy Hoffa on "okay, where the hell WERE you?"
Karl Marx with Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky on: "wait, guys, let's back up a few steps and revise the plan here."
Hallie Flanagan and Hrosvitha on what the double-whammy of being a woman working in theater in a patriarchal society and being someone who spoke ahead of her time is like.
And I know it's cheating, but I want Victoria Woodhull to come visit Sarah Palin and smack her upside the head.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:17 PM on August 29, 2012
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posted by phaedon at 5:21 PM on August 28, 2012 [5 favorites]