I'm Spelling As Fast As I Can - Cultural References

Cultural References

• The sequence where Homer becomes addicted to the Ribwich is a parody of the Darren Aronofsky film Requiem for a Dream (2000).
• Boobarella, who appears at the beginning of the episode, is an obvious parody of Elvira, the seductive gothic character portrayed by Cassandra Peterson.
• While opening the school, Principal Skinner sings a parody of "School's Out" by Alice Cooper.
• The song played during the Spellympics and during the credits is "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
• The song played at the beginning of the Spellympics finals is "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. This song was also played in the episode "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass" and "To Surveil with Love".
• The song played during the TV ad for the Ribwich is a parody of "Like a Rock" by Bob Seger, which is best known as Chevrolet trucks theme music through most of the 1990s.
• The title of the episode is a reference to the 1981 book I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can, by Barbara Gordon.
• The stairs Lisa runs up are similar to the Rocky Steps.
• A reference to AC/DC is made when Otto asks Lisa to spell AC/DC and she spells it A-C-D-C, but after she finishes, Otto says "you forgot the lightning bolt" (referring to the band's logo).
• Homer following the Ribwich around with the Ribheads is a play on 'Deadheads,' fans of jam-band music (the Grateful Dead in particular) who follow the band when on tour in order to see multiple concerts.
• At one point, Krusty the Clown says "what a long strange product rollout it's been". This is a reference to the famous line "what a long strange trip it's been" in the Grateful Dead song "Truckin'".
• The Ribwich is a parody of McRib and its promotions.