X is the Y of Z

“X is the Y of Z” is a snowclone–an adaptable, Mad Libs-like idiom like “May I compare thee to an X?”, “X is the new Y,” and “I for one welcome our new X overlords.” This snowclone touches on every subject imaginable, including music. So without further adieu, today’s topic is…

Pat Benatar

To the layperson, it would seem that glammy popstress Pat Benatar did not rock the world of rock quite as much as a Joan Jett, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Janet Jackson, or any other female singer brought to you by the letter J. But Benatar is still getting lots o’ linguistic love.

“After once scoffing off the notion of covering Lindsay Lohan demos, Clarkson now finds herself waist deep in Katy Perry rejects including ‘I Do Not Hook Up,’ a hook-heavy ode to anti-promiscuity that—when released—may fashion Clarkson as the Pat Benatar of the Promise Ring generation.”

(April 9, 2009, Queerty)

“SJS and I were talking through twitter earlier, and yes, that is the best line EVER. i love that sentence. and a B+ from EW is awesome. you’re right, they are usually pretty tough. side note: i love how they refer to demi as the pat benatar of the ‘juvie’ crowd hahaha. awesome, and so true!”

(Feb. 19, 2009, JonasHQ.org)

“She’s like the Pat Benatar of ping pong, only 30 years late.”

(Aug. 19, 2008, Deadspin)

“I have the Pat Benetar of zits on my shoulder, i.e. it’s all small and tiny, but the fucker is tough, resiliant, it just keeps coming back! Look for me and my zit playing carnival shows in ten years…”

(Jan. 12, 2008, Living in an Unkempt World)

“music:
tori amos. kate bush. the smiths. cocteau twins. bjork. sigur ros. aimee mann. ani difranco. charlotte martin. frou frou. imogen heap. rilo kiley. tegan&sara. m.i.a. everything but the girl. garbage. daft punk. lisa germano. radiohead. emily j. wood. kylie minogue. antony & the johnsons. postal service. yeah yeah yeahs. mum. depeche mode. liz phair. emm gryner. fiona apple. peaches. pj harvey. texas. cat power. air. regina spektor. phoenix. mirah. marianne faithfull. magnetic fields. lamb. courtney love. hole. erasure. deb talan. david usher. chicane. the cardigans. jonatha brooke. kelly clarkson (the pat benetar of the new millenium). le tigre. arcade fire. poe. nine inch nails. sparklehorse. the cure. ladytron. the futureheads. edith frost.”

(April 6, 2007, okcupid)

“I have a theory. Seinfeld was never a funny show.

Ever.

In fact I think of Seinfeld as being the Pat Benatar of sitcoms. It was never a good thing, but everyone was afraid to admit.”

(Oct. 19, 2006, Rob Fear, MySpace)

“A film like Teaser exposes the Bond mystique perfectly. This little nothing of a movie, a sordid rape drama with elements of swinging and white slavery doesn’t even star the Pat Benatar of the nudie cutie. Instead, that dreary distinction goes to human peculiarity Becky Sharpe (here playing the cleverly named BECKY Bartolucci). Some might find Sharpe’s angular manly moves kind of fetching, but she still resembles a sex change candidate in mid-surgical indecision. There is just something so masculine, so brawny and asexual about her presence that you can’t quite put your finger on it – nor would you ever want to. In Teaser, Sharpe is a clerk in a stamp shop by day, a student by afternoon, and an unreserved wild-ass stripper/go-go dancer as the sun sets over the horizon. Indeed, after a long day of philately, our heroine likes nothing better than to remove her clothes – and inhibitions – and shake that literal moneymaker before heading home to a very frumpy mother.”

(Sept. 6, 2005, DVD Talk)

Mark Peters is a language columnist and humorist who writes for Good, Visual Thesaurus and other mags, while maintaining too many blogs, including Wordlustitude, The Rosa Parks of Blogs, and The Pancake Proverbs.

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