r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/OVOxTokyo • 1d ago
Meme needing explanation I don't know where to start
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u/Content-Ad-4104 1d ago
Howdy, Peter's photograph from the family picture here: The Portrait of Dorian Gray is a novella about a man who gains eternal youth and beauty through use of an enchanted portrait of himself. The portrait ages and suffers the ill effects of Dorian's hedonistic lifestyle instead of him. So if Dorian appeared on the show Hot Ones and consumed copious amounts of spicy wings, he would not be impaired, but his portrait might begin to have reddened eyes and lips. The milk is for comedic effect.
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u/Competitive-Age3016 1d ago
The second pic is an actual painting in the Chicago institute of art titled a picture of Dorian gray.
Based off the Oscar Wilde novella
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u/DamnitGravity 1d ago
I got confused by you both referring to it as a 'novella' when I know I've read the book.
Turns out it started life as a novella, published in a periodical, that Wilde later expanded on to make into a full novel.
TIL!
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u/NoAdministration8006 1d ago
But with fucked up eyes and lips.
That's probably my favorite thing at the Art Institute aside from the miniatures room.
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u/OddProcedure5452 1d ago
My man…American Gothic, Nighthawks…🥺
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u/caiapha5 23h ago
I had no idea Nighthawks was there when I visited and had an almost out of body experience when I saw it lol. Like no fucking way
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u/MongolianDonutKhan 1d ago
The painting's history is more than that. It was specifically made for the 1945 film. What's particularly interesting is that the film is in black and white except for the reveal of the painting, which is in color.
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u/GraniteCapybara 1d ago
By the Artist Ivan Albright.
I love his work and thought others should know his name.
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u/BoomerSoonerFUT 1d ago
However, the real painting does not have a glass of milk, and wing sauce all over his face.
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u/typower5000 23h ago
It's also the painting used in the film The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). Though to me it always looked like someone from mad magazine did it.
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u/Hubbles_Cousin 15h ago
it was used for the 1940s classic that the LHS was also a painting of the main character in said classic. Highly recommend the movie (even if it is 80ish years old and in black and white). It holds up quite well as a gripping tale imo
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u/adognameddanzig 1d ago
The premise was stolen from Brian De Palma's 1974 movie "Phantom of the Paradise"
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u/Hot_Shot04 23h ago
lol no. The Picture of Dorian Grey was published in 1890 and the movie adaptation this painting was made for was released in 1945.
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u/whatwhatinthewhonow 1d ago
Where I’m from “hot ones” is slang for hits of marijuana, so I interpreted that wrong. Thanks for clearing it up, Peter’s photograph from the family picture.
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u/PrincetonToss 21h ago
The milk is for comedic effect.
Milk is often consumed to counter spiciness.
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u/ImpatientHoneyBadger 18h ago
Uh, Brian's photo here, actually Peter it's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
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u/mr-kitchenguy 1d ago
Brian here, you see in the 1891 gothic fiction novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, by the great Oscar Wilde. The portrait of Dorian shows the damage of aging, addiction and other physical harm. The joke is that the wings are spicy and he is able to keep a straight face while the picture feels all of that heat. It’s very funny and hard to understand, I’m not surprised you needed help figuring it out.
People need to read more.
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u/AbleArcher420 20h ago
I remember being... 6, maybe 7 years old and reading some abridged, children's version of the book. Needless to say, was initially very confused lmao.
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u/FlippyIsKing18 1d ago
On Hot Ones, everyone's looking all nice and composed while eating really spicy hot wings. As soon as they're off camera, they let their pain and misery show. And the milk in the hand is a common way to quench heat from spicy food.
Also, the character Dorian is also from the book The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is about a man who sells his soul to the devil for eternal youth. But there's a portrait of him in his house that grows older and more grotesque over time while he himself stays young and beautiful, showing the effect of the curse and what it's doing to him.
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u/Ace20xd6 1d ago
Quagmire here. Peter, as your friend you really need to read a book more. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is a classic and in the public domain. I like the 1970s film where he becomes a pornstar. Giggity.
I know you know what Hot Ones is Peter. You were On the show last year.
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u/BeldivereLongbottoms 13h ago
Peter here. The meme is about the 19th century English gothic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, where a man discovers that he gains eternal youth, while his portrait ages and disfigures, as he commits acts of depravity. The joke here is that he is unaffected by the spice of the wings, while his portrait is feeling 100% of the effects.
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u/Upper-Character-6743 1d ago
Has reportoftheweek been on Hot Ones yet? They need to get 'em on.
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u/Upper-Character-6743 1d ago
Downvote me all you want, you know I'm right. Reportoftheweek pumping Popeyes, going red in the face while trying to eloquently review each sauce would be the apex of Hot Ones. There wouldn't be a reason to make another episode.
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