Two Bass Hit

This week we celebrated the birthdays of two of our favorite musicians. Monday was Bob Dylan's 80th and Wednesday marked 95 years since the birth of Miles Davis (1926-1991). These artists are heavily represented in our music library, and we'll share some appropriate comic art after we check out today's pipe pic.

Monty Python's Graham Chapman is shown here taking a break during the filming of Monty Python and the Holy Grail in 1973. Chapman (1941-1989) was often photographed with a pipe in his hand or between his teeth.

It appears that he's holding a pipe on the cover of this Python record, which he autographed for me during a lecture tour in 1981.

In the past, we've done comics featuring both of this week's birthday babies, which we're always happy to repost.

With those preliminaries out of the way, let's review our current cartoon output.

We hear that Crockpot's engineers are developing an ultra-slow cooker for consumers who can't get to the kitchen before their dinner is ruined.

Some readers thought I was making fun of the customer in this gag, but in truth I find his tolerance to be commendable.

PS: The Lost Loafer "Loaf is Good" t-shirt is ©2021 by Bizarro Studios.

One of our frequent musical references popped up in Wednesday's Bizarro. This monarch was known for opening his speeches by shouting "I, II, III, IV!"

The Widescreen Version

Shortly before leaving the Ramones in 1989, bassist Dee Dee released a rap album under the name Dee Dee King.

We don't own a copy of this legendary flop, but found a decent photo on eBay. Check out the crown on the back of his jacket.

 

One person's miserable job is another dummy's dream career.

 

The Grim Flusher signals that it's time to shuffle off this mortal bowl.

 

We closed out the week with yet another music-inspired pun.

The musician is based on Derek Smalls, Harry Shearer's alter ego from This is Spinal Tap. I arrived at this image after a couple of false starts.

 

My first sketch showed a stereotype politician speaking to a guy we'll call Generic Rock Dude.

When I penciled the panel, I drew John Entwhistle, the bassist from the Who. In the middle of inking the art, I changed my mind for some reason, and decided to do the Harry Shearer character (who looks a bit like the GRD in the early sketch).

I also decided to delete the unnecessary background details meant to suggest a political campaign. The UFO, dynamite and eyeball, on the other hand, are essential to a Bizarro comic.

You may award yourself a Jazz Pickle Gold Star if you can identify the fictional band whose logo is shown on the black t-shirt.

That's the latest from Bizarro Studios North in scenic Hollywood Gardens, PA. Thanks for stopping by. I'd also recommend paying a visit to Dan Piraro's weekly blog, for more colorful commentary along with a brand new Bizarro Sunday page.

Bonus Track

The Who: Silas Stingy
From The Who Sell Out (1967)

Last month, The Who Sell Out, was released in an expanded edition, which includes stereo and mono mixes of the LP, plus tons of b-sides, outtakes and demos. I've been listening to all of it over the past few weeks, and was reminded why it's my favorite of their albums. From the multiple real and imagined commercial jingles between songs to the product placement on its cover, Sell Out is the band's purest pop art expression. It's also packed with classic songs, including "Silas Stingy," which was composed by John Entwistle.

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