When was the last time something caught you off-guard? I don’t mean checking your gas bill and finding that you’re paying a fortune. I mean when you saw or heard something that made you go “Wait. What the f**k was that?”

Well recently, I’ve had two such occasions. And I think they’ll surprise you, too. The first one is the movie Grease. It’s a classic movie, loved by many generations. Many people didn’t know this, but it was a Broadway stage show before it became a movie. Look it up on IMDB and read the trivia. Some of the facts will amaze you.

We watched it the other night, and what I discovered was shocking. I’m surprised that Grease only has a PG rating, because to be honest, I think it needs to be M. Some of the language both in the songs and general conversation is nothing short of “adult”. And if you read the trivia, you’ll see there are even more R rated references to the stage show (which was more risque than the movie) and to sex in general.

Case in point is when John Travolta is singing the Greased Lightning song and rubs saran wrap (glad wrap if you’re an Aussie) against his crotch.

But the second instance of “Wait. What?” occurred today on the way home from work. My iPhone automatically connects to my car so I can play my music instead of listening to the crap that passes as radio these days.

I was skipping through some of the superfluous rubbish on my phone, when an old Johnny Cash song came on. I like a lot of Johnny’s music, and if you haven’t seen Walk the Line, do yourself a favour and get it. It’s the story of Johnny’s life and it’s a movie with a great soundtrack and great insight into life back then. And even more amazingly, Joaquin Phoenix who plays Johhny actually does a better job with some of the songs.

But I digress. So this Johnny Cash song comes on and it’s got a pretty catchy tune, and I find myself wanting to sing along. And then the “chorus” comes on. And I quote…….

America for white. Africa for Black; Send those apes back to the trees. Ship those niggers back.

Amazing right? You can understand my “Wait. What?” moment. And the song only get’s worse. Lyrics such as:

Ring that bell. Shout for joy. White man’s day is here; Hand that chimp his ugly stick. Hand that buck his spear.

I was dumbfounded. Gobsmacked. Bewildered. Strangely, nobody has covered “Ship those niggers back” since Johnny’s passing. Go figure.

So tell me: when have you had such an intense “Wait. What?” moment??