A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Cookie Mobster

By Jimmy Johnson


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
I’m sorry! It’s been a very busy few days. I have not abandoned you here. In fact, the new Web site of which we spoke earlier this year is going into production finally. We’ll see. I actually have a cookie jar such as the one above. It’s battery operated and plays a recording of a chattering dolphin when opened. I’ve had it for years, and I love it. Unfortunately, I don’t keep many cookies in it anymore. It has occurred to me that much of the furniture in Arlo & Janis is similar to pieces in my own household: the sofa, the orange table with the Queen Anne legs, the simple mannish bedroom furniture, all exist in my real world. I guess that makes sense. The sofa I don’t actually have any longer, but I did have one very similar when I began to draw the strip. It turned out to be such a good comic-strip settee—low, simple, easy to render—that I’ve kept it all these years. It probably could use re-upholstering by now!

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327 responses to “Cookie Mobster”

  1. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    I’ll bet Janis has a moon hoe…and Arlo knows how to polish his belt buckle.

    A lot of buckles got polished during the “Urban Cowboy” era, as I recall, when we were wearing Levis and boots and *big* belt buckles, and everybody knew who Mickey Gilley was.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ugy7pVOn4

    I loved the way Debra Winger had down that Texas girl “‘Kay” for “OK”. She nailed it, judging by a Texas City gal I knew.

  2. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Of course we could tell who had won them and who just bought those buckles. Still can.

    Of course I had given up cowboys long before Gilley’s came along, the Pasadena days,

    Mickey, Jerry Lee and Jimmy. The Ferriday Trio. Grew up about one town away from my home parish. They are playing the Ferriday Medley in the background right now.

    Should there be those reading who do not know who the heck this is, it is Mickey Gilley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart who are cousins from Ferriday, LA in the Mississippi Delta, all play similarly piano style.

  3. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Anyone who doesn’t know who the three Ferriday cousins are probably never heard of Gilley’s, either. Or long-neck Lone Stars.

  4. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    And exactly how did you get to Pasadena, Ghost? Or Ferriday? I know how I did. Jerry Lee is in background right now. He played dances of course back then, after England he’d play anywhere he could.

  5. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    I’ve been around the block a couple of times.

  6. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    “Won the buckle” reminded me of that old Texasism “All hat, no cattle.”

  7. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    My mom was telling one of my west Texas friends about her “fabulous” Louisiana farm one time.
    He politely told her “Mam, I’ve got catch pens bigger than that.”

    Kenny Chesney is now singing in background “Smooth as Tennessee Whiskey” Mickey Gilley and Jerry Lee led to George Jones. Now Emmy Lou Harris. “One of These Days”.

    I barrel raced and pole bent, gave all that up when I married. High speeds around a barrel is actually kind of interesting. Never met anyone like Travolta of course but it would have been nice?.

  8. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Barrel racing always struck me as kind of like motorcycle racing on a four-legged motorcycle.

  9. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Thought you might think that. Low to ground almost horizontal at times, full speed ahead. I am too old for that one so I will do something more conservative, like learn to bury the rails. Not around buoys.

  10. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    More and more understanding why you named your van Helen Wheels, Jackie. šŸ™‚

  11. Mindy from Indy Avatar

    Hey now! I know who all three of those gentleman are, but did not know they were related. Then again, I have always done better with so good titles than artists. Will have to pass on all of the music links – too late, and missed too many. šŸ™ Got a bunch of spring cleaning done though. Hopefully tonight I get to sleep through the night with no spammers repeatedly calling at one-thirty in the morning. Felt guilty for shutting the sound off – Saturday nights into Sunday can be troublesome – but I needed to sleep. Night all!

    Can’t catch up, but I must contribute – https://youtu.be/-F8EKGyL-j4

  12. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Listening to Bohemian Rhapsody right now, been listening to Freddie and Queen all this time. Fat Bottomed Girls is one of my favorites. I have a friend who named his Scamp that and it is the absolutely best name given to any of the Scamps because that is exactly what they are. They are fat bottomed and cute and boats are females.

  13. sandcastlerā„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerā„¢

    Guess that explains the gybe and yaw in sailing, all the boats are females.

  14. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    That IS funny, Sand. And you spelled it right! No male sail boats I have ever heard of.

  15. domaucan1 Avatar
    domaucan1

    Jackie,
    Thanks for mentioning Jimmy Clanton. He and my wife were at Baton Rouge High School at about the same time. I knew another performer named Johnny Ramastelli, who is better known as Johnny Rivers. A real blast from the past. Blessings for everyone.

  16. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Ghost, one big difference between any racing on motorcycles and horses: with a horse your ride can think for itself, and it might decide it doesn’t want to do what you ask it to. Look at all those videos of steeplechase riders being thrown because the horse does not like the gate!

  17. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    And if the rider is incapacitated, the horse does have the ability to find its way home, unlike an automobile. At least, until they get the self-driving car worked out.

  18. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Jackie, is this where you got the name for the van? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdG7d3-r3YY

  19. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    And another good driving song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41qfIecwXFg

  20. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    You are of course right, Mark, I have broken ribs, shoulder blade, collar bone from horses refusing jumps. And yes, I rode both English and Western and hunt class, including open field and steeple chase type jumps. Not well but I did.

    Someone here actually suggested Helen Wheels (I knew the song) because my late husband had named my GPS Helen and I hated her with a passion. Still fight with her idiotic routes and can’t overcome what she wants to do.

    If I remember correctly he named my red Ford pickup “Old Blue” after the horse in Cat Ballou that Lee Marvin road or it may have been a horse in the Cheyenne Social Club?

  21. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Jackie, when I was in the SCA one of the members worked for a hospital in Birmingham. He was a transporter for the organ donor program there, would go where necessary to pick up the organ and bring it back to the hospital. He once asked me if I knew what doctors call motorcycles. When I answered no, he said “donorcycles”. Good enough reason for me to stick to cars.

  22. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    I have a good friend who raced motorcycles and ran a professional motorcycle race team for an international company. I will ask him how he survived but I suspect with some scars. I have always avoided bikes since I was a young kid with a Vespa scooter. Think Roman Holiday and Troy Donahue I think? Still have the scars from burned ankle from my one and only attempt to ride one of the old Harleys back in the 1950’s. I would try almost anything back then.

  23. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    In the 1950’s it was all drag racing and challenge racing down lonely highways. Think American Graffiti. My youngest daughter got involved with a crazy Texas racer who drove Dodge Viper, not road legal, spent all her time at places like Texas roadway or whatever it is called. The guy never made it out of Texas A and M so far as I know? Avoided being killed in 9/11 attacks, last I heard he still hadn’t grown up.

    I for my part consider myself fortunate to be alive and especially at such an advanced age. But still not grown up, just older.

  24. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    It has been noted that many of our frequent and favorite drop-ins around here are keeping a low profile. Any comments, opinions?