Dust on the Needle & Extra Anchovies

It's Saturday again, Jazz Pickles, which means it's time for our usual commentary on the week's comics, this time with brief culinary and musical detours.

Let's jump right into a review of our latest Bizarro gags.

We started the week with some punning bathroom humor, quashing any accusations that the comic might be too highbrow.

A friendly reminder to lay off the bamboo tea at bedtime.

The heavier the lyrics, the more uplifting the performance.

Music is good for you, however you choose to listen to it. Contrary to several comments we received, I wasn't advocating or dismissing any format. Whatever delivery system you prefer, I'm all for it.

Years ago, before having a daily comics deadline, I spent an awful lot of time compiling and duplicating cassette compilations of oddball records, which I'd then swap by mail with a network of friends who were also in search of unusual music. One of them was (unsurprisingly) titled Surface Noise. 

Although I no longer have the technology to play cassette tapes, I still have a boxful stashed away in the studio. If I ever take a long-distance road trip in a car with a tape deck, I'll be ready.

Friday's gag references a classic and ubiquitous advertising image, which I imagined being based on an actual person.

Photo courtesy of Tom Heintjes

Comics historian Tom Heintjes reminded me that the famous pizza box art we've all seen awas created by cartoonist Gill Fox (1915-2004). Fox's signature appears in the bottom right corner. (Tom publishes an indispensable and award-winning comics magazine called Hogan's Alley. Follow him on Twitter @hoganmag.)

I based the box in the comic on this earlier pizza chef, from the 1950s or 60s, which was most likely also drawn by Gill Fox, although it didn't carry his signature. I prefer the more stylized clip-art look of the earlier drawing.

With pizza chef and box model Anthony Badamo

Fox's art also inspired a design I did in 2012 for my local pizza shop. I wrote a blog post about it at the time,  and noted that the printer offered an ink color called "standard pizza box red."

We hired a wonderful old-school sign painter named Dave Gunning to paint this massive menu board. Mr. Gunning has since retired, but many fine examples of his work are available to view on his Facebook page, Dad's Paper Signs.

If you're ever in the neighborhood, pop into Badamo's Pizza and try the Wayno pie.

At least the game would be quiet.

That's it from Bizarro Studios North for this week, but you can read more comics commentary on Dan Piraro's Bizarro Blog, and check out Dan's always-beautiful Sunday Bizarro pages.

Dan's long-awaited Graphic Novel, Peyote Cowboy, will soon begin appearing on an Instagram near you. I've seen some of the preliminary pages, and can't wait to read the whole story as it unfolds on the web. Check it out here.

Bonus Track

"Got a Match?" is a record I hunted for years without ever hearing it. A college friend described it to me after hearing it at at uncle's house, and I knew that I needed a copy. When I finally found it, I was not disappointed. Naturally, I featured it on one of my mixtapes.



In the years since the Frank Gallop record was added to the archives, I acquired three other versions of this tune.

Lou Stein, Russ Conway, and the Daddy-O's each do a fine job, but the Gallop version is still my favorite.