h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If we are to believe the popular story (one which sounds about right to me), the use of "like" and the whole "Valley Girl" trend of the 80s can be traced to a definite origin point--the Sherman Oaks Galleria in Sherman Oaks, California. Sherman Oaks is located in the San Fernando Valley (hence Valley Girl, but you probably already got that ), which functions as a massive suburb to Los Angeles. Beverly Hills is over Mulholland Pass to the south and west, and is about 15 or 20 miles away (which, accounting for traffic on the 405, is *much* further than it seems--it once took me 2 hours to get from Sherman Oaks to Beverly Hills).

Of course, Hollywood's movies take liberal license, and would you have watched a show called "Sherman Oaks, 91423"? Neither would I--not that I watched that other one, for that matter.

Sadly, however, the Galleria itself--that petri dish of willful stupidity--was demolished a few years ago.

Adding onto that, I was recently told by a longtime LA resident that the phrase "Valley Girl" was, if not coined, then at least popularized by none other than Frank Zappa, who did a song called "Valley Girl" with his daughter Moon Unit way back in 1981. Of course, he could have picked up the phrase and used it in the song, but I wouldn't be surprised if it went the other way around either--the timing is right...

Curious, I decided to hunt down the lyrics for Zappa's "Valley Girl," and the Web provided. I would post them here but they're perhaps a little, um, inappropriate for a G-rated medium. Spartus, you'll be pleased to see that the Galleria is mentioned--as well as a whole slew of So-Cal slang you haven't heard in at least twenty years.

I don't think I ever actually heard that entire song all the way through. Thanks for the tip--I'd never actually thought to look that up.

Ahhh, the slang of my youth. Thankfully, I was sheltered a safe distance away, so aside from the mocking "Gag me with a pitchfork!" comments now and again, I can read those lyrics, know very very few of them were part of my patois at the time, and as such, fail to be totally mortified.