Today’s oldie A&J isn’t so moldy; it’s from 2014. I recently turned in a week of Arlo & Janis that included only one cartoon with more than a few words. I really didn’t notice this until I’d almost finished the batch of six. You’ll know that week when you see it. Most of the strips were like the one above, with only one panel of dialog, if any. I do this more often the longer I’m at this game. I take a bit of pride, because it’s an old saw in the biz that a cartoon which can be understood without words is a “pure” cartoon, while a cartoon which can be understood without the drawing isn’t really a cartoon at all. Perhaps that is a bit extreme. If it literally were true, “Henry” and “The Little King” would be the greatest comic strips ever. However, I get it, but as usual there’s a happy medium. That is one thing that sets a comic strip apart from other forms of cartooning. It is a happy marriage of image and word, a little play within which the two components reinforce one another. I must remember that.
220 responses to “Think “Disco””
Jackie: I don’t remember that story but I know that “Will the bass fit?” was part of all car- buying decisions in Bob’s family after he began playing in 7th grade. You’d be surprised how many vehicles they will fit into, including an old Beetle. He never could make it work with his grandparents’ Renault though, but that may have only been because it was a four-door so the seats didn’t fold forward.
Good afternoon Villagers….
Just dropping in to see if everyone in the South are still afloat. The national radar shows a slow moving rain, and whether.com says almost 24 inches are to be expected. Sending prayers.
GR 😉 glad you are in check with your Mother…..good to know you still listen to your mom.
Husband did well with surgery yesterday morning….but being there for so long brought back so many memories of my mom…good old SIN, where everyone knows your name…Mom was highly thought of and remembered graciously.
…ya’ll have a blessed and safe evening
love to all…..debbe
Glad you’re OK Debbe. Louisiana in North not faring well. We are fine here in Oklahoma.
Laying in bed ordering lilies, hydrangeas and daylilies, iris. I have faith these will be planted and not get stomped into oblivion.
By time rain stops my hip will be out if pain enough to get my hoe and dig up weeds from giant bed (entire front yard remaning) so we can plant solid in perennials and shrubs. Rocks will be thrown in for paths.
‘Wichita Kansas is doing Gilbert and Sullivan Pirates of Penzance and I need to find my calendar to see where I am supposed to be then. Yes, I would drive to Wichita for that.’
That would be great if it were the standard G&S operetta. I hope it is. The disastrous but highly popular Broadway version of some 15+ YA had G&S twirling in their graves. There is a special place in the afterlife for ‘creative’ directors: the plank. Peace,
A really old old joke:
A number of years ago, the Seattle Symphony was doing Beethoven’s Ninth under the baton of Milton Katims.
At this point, you must understand two things:
There’s a long segment in this symphony where the bass violins don’t have a thing to do. Not a single note for page after page.
There used to be a tavern called Dez’s 400, right across the street from the Seattle Opera House, rather favored by local musicians.
It had been decided that during this performance, after the bass players had played their parts in the opening of the Ninth, they were to quietly lay down their instruments and leave the stage rather than sit on their stools looking and feeling dumb for twenty minutes.
Once they got backstage, someone suggested that they trot across the street and quaff a few brews. After they had downed the first couple rounds, one said, “Shouldn’t we be getting back? It’d be awfully embarrassing if we were late.”
Another, presumably the one who suggested this excursion in the first place, replied, “Oh, I anticipated we could use a little more time, so I tied a string around the last pages of the conductor’s score. When he gets down to there, Milton’s going to have to slow the tempo way down while he waves the baton with one hand and fumbles with the string with the other.”
So they had another round and finally returned to the Opera House, a little tipsy by now. However, as they came back on stage, one look at their conductor’s face told them they were in serious trouble. Katims was furious! And why not? After all…
It was the bottom of the Ninth, the score was tied, and the basses were loaded.
All classical EXCEPT opera (sorry, guys). String quartets bottom of that list, choral toward the top. I just figured out how to set up a Pandora. Four or five classical stations. Chanticleer, King’s Singers, Rene Clausen, Morten Lauridsen, Dan Forrest, etc. Film scores. And for a leap, three country & western—-Toby Keith, Josh Turner (because BASS), and Home Free (because harmony).
Steve, a long buildup for a good pun!
emb, what I found on that G&S performance in Wichita: http://www.wichitagrandopera.org/pirates-2016.html
And the Dallas Showboat. http://dallasopera.org/season/2015-2016/showboat/
Funny Jackie should mention this. Local newspaper had a story about a couple who bought the full-scale boat used in the 1950’s movie version and brought it here. They are going to turn it into living quarters on one of the lakes hereabouts
I don’t care for country and western much. I do favor bluegrass. Yes to symphony, with thanks to Walt Disney for Fantasia showing me what it was. Also strings, electronic, rock, church music both new and old. No real exposure to opera so unable to say whether I might like it or not.
When you think about it, the music you tend to notice first is what your parents are listening to. And if they don’t listen to certain styles, nor are performances of those easy to find where you live, you can’t develop a taste for it. That’s how it is with me and opera.
The Showboat is same one Houston Grand Opera did, not the musical comedy version. Wichita Grand Opera has good reputation. I need a date willing to travel. Both are in English of course.
Surely I told the story of my oldest daughter at age nine having a screaming fit and when we were heading home she said “when we get home I will go to Jones Hall to the opera but not a step further.” The opera never took with her alas. Despite attending until she was a young teen, nor did symphony, ballet or any other arts. So much for parental influence.
I took my parents to their first symphony in my late 30s, their first musical comedy same time. They died never seeing a ballet or an opera nor a harpsichord (my favorite instrument)
So much for parental influence.
My thanks for the kind comments. It looks at this point like hospice will come in tomorrow. Mother is eating and drinking just enough to keep breathing and there are long periods when she doesn’t appear to be doing that. Most of what she says we can’t understand. She gets energetic enough at times to throw something although I haven’t seen that myself. I will stay until at least tomorrow and beyond that I have no idea.
If staying harms you Jerry don’t stay. You must take care of yourself, your health is fragile. Your mother will be in good hands.
Dear Jerry, It’s tough to be in the hospital with a very sick parent. I’m sure you will handle it well, and I hope that things turn out better than you expect.
Back on my desktop computer, much faster typing than my new iPad. Any advice on touch-typing with an on-screen keyboard? It looks impossible!
Nice to see the discussion of music. I grew up with traditional music, hymns in church, Mother’s piano playing, singing in elementary school including Christmas carols — lucky our small town paid for a music teacher in school! I had no close friends in high school so never got into popular music the way so many people did. The first record album I ever bought was H. M. S. Pinafore. December of Freshman year in college I met a graduate student, WW 2 veteran, who loved classical music and was an all around nice guy. We fell in love and shared symphonies, operas, Baroque music, ballet music and more, for many happy years. Our children had to listen to Bach, Beethoven etc., growing up. They moved on to The Beatles, rock music and all, but some of our favorites stuck with them.
The most awful thing I’ve ever had to endure was standing at the foot of my sister’s bed when she drew her last breath. The only thing I can imagine being worse would to have not been there when she drew her last breath. But that is a very personal (and often complicated) decision and must be made by each individual.
Yes, Sweet Charlotte, I have a recommended solution for your iPad typing conundrum…
http://www.amazon.com/ZAGG-PROfolio-Ultrathin-Bluetooth-Keyboard/dp/B00AI3RRAA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1457740500&sr=8-3&keywords=zagg+folio
I’ve had one for my 3rd generation iPad for over two years, and it has served me well.
Ghost I held Mike’s beautiful hands as he died after I had to take him off life support. I begged him to push off and go, not try to stay. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do and the only time I have ever been early for an appointment in my life which he wold have found ironic. But I wanted every minute I could have with him.
Only hospice was with Mike’s mom because we were two hours away. We arrived minutes later. They were good and loving caretakers.
EMS was with my mom but I held her in hotel room until they arrived. I could not be with her in emergency. Each circumstance was different and I did what I could. It is always too soon and never enough but you do what you can.
Charlotte: typing advice is the same for the screen or the keyboard Ghost suggested – practice, practice, practice. It does get easier, but I still go to my desktop computer when I need to do anything longer than this 🙂
True that, Jackie. I was only referring to those situations where you have the opportunity to make that choice. Which, of course, is far from being all of them.
Mark: Cannot tell for sure from a short excerpt, but that looks to be straight-up G&S. Hope it is.
Nancy: ‘String quartets bottom of that list.’ Chacun a sont gout [sp?]. For me, they’re near the top. Beethoven’s op.18 no. 5, 3rd movement, a theme and variations, might justify calling it his ‘surprise’ quartet, much like Haydn’s surprise symphony. Peace.
emb, earlier headline I saw, but didn’t read story, said they were doing the full version.
Jerry, I know it’s hard to do, but take care of yourself through this. Hospice is a true help when done properly and eases the burden of both the patient and the family. Again, my prayers for your mom and you and your family.
emb: Yep. (Spelling right, I believe.) When it comes to either music or books, I know well that it is great to recommend, to say that *I* like something—but that certainly creates no certainty, or obligation, that someone else will like it! It makes for good discussion, though—almost as good as food, perhaps? Good for you for starting it, Jackie.
I do not want to be alone when I take my last breath and I was there with my dad and hopefully will be there with my mother. A psychiatrist is in with her now, We will meet with hospice tomorrow.
Good for you then Jerry.
Now there is truly no longer an Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/12191762/Keith-Emerson-has-died-aged-71.html