This is the weekly dispatch from Bizarro Studios North, where I have been writing and drawing the Monday through Saturday Bizarro comics since 2018. My partner and friend Dan Piraro created Bizarro in the late twentieth century and continues to do the Sunday comic from Rancho Bizarro in Mexico.
Wayno
As neither the enjoyment nor the capacity of
producing musical notes are faculties of the least use to man in reference to his daily habits of life, they must be ranked amongst the most mysterious with which he is endowed.
Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man
Darwin was right about many things but missed the mark regarding music. For your cartoonist, music is crucial to the daily habits of life, and existence would be dismal without its presence. It affects our mood and contributes to our well-being, and I feel sad for those people who are unable to engage with music.
I can't imagine a world without music any more than one without art, food, wine, coffee, friends, or cartoons.
Perhaps Charlie realized that music offers benefits to humans, but his singular focus on "use" prevented him from understanding them.
He at least recognized that, within his frame of reference, producing and enjoying music were "mysterious" facilities.
As always, I welcome your recommendations for music I may not have heard before.
One of our blog commenters sent a link to a fascinating Paris Review article from 2017 about the Jean-Paul Sartre Prize for Prize Refusal, inspired by J-P's brush-off of the Nobel Prize in 1964. The story, written by author Ursula K. LeGuin, included this excellent photo of Sartre looking particularly contrary.
I have a pipe pic of LeGuin herself in my files. She'll turn up here soon.
Also, if by some miracle I win the National Cartoonists Society award for which I'm nominated, I will not follow Sartre's lead.
Today we have a first for the blog: an almost pipe pic.
Photo by John Sewell
Bizarro reader Kathleen C sends us this pipe-like creature that appeared in an antiques column in Toronto's Waterloo Region Record newspaper.
Appraiser John Sewell described it as
[A] rare coal-oil dip cigar lighter used to share at home or office. The front wick provided a constant flame while the hat, with an attached soaking swab, could be lit on the flame and then used to light one’s cigar. This lighter dates to about 1890...
I sincerely thank Kathleen and the anonymous blog reader for these images, which came with such interesting backstories.
Now to review the latest gags, with eyes peeled for pipes and our other Secret Symbols.
When drawing this panel in March, I learned how to spell "minuscule."
The vertical strip layout accentuates the contrast between the caddie and the golfer. In a normal horizontal strip, I would have had to drastically reduce the entire drawing or leave half of the caddie out of frame.
I also decided not to scale the golf ball to the clubs. Considering how small comics appear in some papers, the ball would have disappeared.
Feast your eyes upon that rarest of creatures: an honest car dealer.
The health risks of exploding cigars are both immediate and long-term. A safer choice would be a bubble pipe (which counts as a Secret Symbol).
All I can say about this gag is a paraphrase of Dan Piraro's first editor:
This is an example of why the feature is called Bizarro and not Normalo.
Three Rocks is nominated for a 2024 Will Eisner Comics Industry Award for Best Reality-Based Work, and we're pulling for him to win it.
If I may indulge in some self-promotion, my original drawing for the above Bizarro panel will be among the works exhibited in The Nancy Show. I'm thrilled to have a piece of art displayed along with many of my esteemed cartoonist colleagues.
Motor pool assignments were already spoken for.
That's it for another week of words & pictures from Bizarro Studios North, but we'll be back on June 1 with another bucketful of buffoonery.
Bonus Tracks
Tony Burrello: "There's a New Sound" Horrible Records, 1953
This lease-breaker novelty was written by Tony Burrello (née Tamburello) and Tom Murray when their serious musical compositions proved to be unsuccessful.
When my niece and nephew were kids, I'd often compile cassette tapes of unusual music or children's records for them. The first time my nephew heard "There's a New Sound" (also known as "The Sound of Worms"), he raced through the house, accelerating along with the music for the full three minutes.
Take that, Darwin.
NRBQ: "God Bless Us All" from God Bless Us All (Live at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel)
Rounder Records, 1987
One of my all-time favorite bands recorded this Burrello & Murray composition for their live album of the same title.
A Bucketful of Bizarro
If you like what we do and appreciate that it comes to you free of charge, we encourage you to explore any or all of the following links.
I cannot imagine a world without music indoors! Even when we leave the house, the SONOS stays on so that 1) the dogs have music; and 2) there is music as soon as we walk in the door.
However, music outside annoys me - I want to hear the birds!!
Look towards the bottom of the golf bag - think of those puffy fat letters that you see on train car graffiti. I saw this one, but immediately thought of his 4/22 "comedy barn" cartoon - I couldn't see that one even after I was told it was in the bib overalls - I went back now and can finally see it.
Glad you could use the pipe pic from the Paris Review, via fellow cartoonist Teresa Burritt's (Frog Applause) Frog Blog! I also cannot imagine a world sans music of all kinds. (Well, OK -- not crazy about some types.) But, as humanist Kurt Vonnegut humorously noted, all music is holy... and as he said, "If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: 'The only proof he needed for the existence of God was music.'" Wonderful stuff, and so on. Meanwhile, re: "Nancy Fest" -- will there be a corresponding "Sluggo Fest" [small chuckle goes here]? -- Doc Atomic
Wayno, I think Darwin was making almost the same argument that you are. We haven't discovered an evolutionary argument for appreciation of music, but almost all of us experience it. Darwin was pondering why we love music, while you are focusing on spinning some highly-evolved tunes. Sometimes containing worm sounds.
I interpret Darwin's quote differently. He says "...neither...are faculties of the least use to man..." implying they are of greater importance, thusly creating the mystique.
The New Sound cover reminded me of the vacuum cleaner used in Sylvain Chomet's Triplets of Belleville.
Bruno, the dog in the animated film, of course harks visually to Jerry van Amerongen's The Neighborhood & Ballard Street.The inert insett was a wonderful chuckle. Thanks for all you do.
https://youtu.be/qgrpvVSwrS4?si=6iPaP5QsxEvXEOFA
No dogs here but hey, did they tell you you could have another apple? Yes...from the periphery.
I had the same thought! I sent it as a reply to the email. It was fun to reread the “plot” of the film. I really enjoyed it back when I saw it in the theater.
And Waterloo...it is an hour and 42 minutes from Toronto. Calling the Waterloo Region Record paper a Toronto's is like saying the Hershey Sun is a Philadelphia journal of record.
My husband is a musician, he plays bass. I played the harp as a child and teen. We have music playing in our house every day. As luck would have it, neighbors on both sides of our house are musicians, too, so none of us complain that our neighbors are playing music too loudly.
"Worms do not possess any sense of hearing. They took not the least notice of the shrill notes from a metal whistle, which was repeatedly sounded near them: nor did they of the deepest and loudest tones of a bassoon. They were indifferent to shouts, if care was taken that breath did not strike them. When placed on a table close to the keys of a piano, which was played as loudly as possible, they remained perfectly quiet." - Charles Darwin, whose wife was taught piano by Chopin, and whose son played bassoon.
"Worms do not possess any sense of hearing. They took not the least notice of the shrill notes from a metal whistle, which was repeatedly sounded near them: nor did they of the deepest and loudest tones of a bassoon. They were indifferent to shouts, if care was taken that breath did not strike them. When placed on a table close to the keys of a piano, which was played as loudly as possible, they remained perfectly quiet." - Charles Darwin, whose wife had piano lessons with Chopin, and whose son played the bassoon. He found a scientific use for music in his study of earthworms! I don't believe he was incapable of enjoying music, rather that he thought it transcended the mundane daily needs of life.
To Anon re: 3rd symbol in golf cartoon - I answered you yesterday, but it never appeared. Look towards the bottom of the golf bag and think of those puffy fat letters seen on train graffiti. It's like the symbol on the 4/22 Comedy Barn cartoon, which I couldn't see even after I was told it was on the bib overalls. I as soon as I saw this one, I went back to that one and could finally see it!
I have the blog set to allow me to review comments before posting. I've just set it to let comments post without moderation, but I reserve the right to go back to reviewing them before they post if we start getting spammed.
At first I thought that your worm cartoon was going to be one worm talking to its own end and not knowing it. But It occurred to me that you wouldn’t draw such an old gag and you had given each worm a “clitellum” so that people would know that it was two worms. Because there’s only one clitellum per worm. Of course I had to look up the parts of a worm because (practically) no one is going to know what a clitellum is, particularly me. I love your work. PS I guess that the music in Darwin’s time was unappreciated by him. Or he didn’t study the evolution of it.
Hmm.. Is that jerky as an unpleasant worm, or as a dried out piece of worm on the sidewalk??
ReplyDeleteYes!
DeleteTake your pick!
DeleteI cannot imagine a world without music indoors! Even when we leave the house, the SONOS stays on so that 1) the dogs have music; and 2) there is music as soon as we walk in the door.
ReplyDeleteHowever, music outside annoys me - I want to hear the birds!!
We have had SONOS all around out home since 2014 or so...hopefully they won't obsolete our stuff someday.
DeleteBirdsong is beautiful.
DeleteHelp! I can't find the 3rd symbol in the golf cartoon!
ReplyDeleteLook towards the bottom of the golf bag - think of those puffy fat letters that you see on train car graffiti. I saw this one, but immediately thought of his 4/22 "comedy barn" cartoon - I couldn't see that one even after I was told it was in the bib overalls - I went back now and can finally see it.
DeleteGlad you could use the pipe pic from the Paris Review, via fellow cartoonist Teresa Burritt's (Frog Applause) Frog Blog! I also cannot imagine a world sans music of all kinds. (Well, OK -- not crazy about some types.) But, as humanist Kurt Vonnegut humorously noted, all music is holy... and as he said, "If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: 'The only proof he needed for the existence of God was music.'" Wonderful stuff, and so on. Meanwhile, re: "Nancy Fest" -- will there be a corresponding "Sluggo Fest" [small chuckle goes here]? -- Doc Atomic
ReplyDeleteOne never knows, Doc, but Nancy is really the star.
DeleteWayno, I think Darwin was making almost the same argument that you are. We haven't discovered an evolutionary argument for appreciation of music, but almost all of us experience it. Darwin was pondering why we love music, while you are focusing on spinning some highly-evolved tunes. Sometimes containing worm sounds.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thoughtful comment. You may be right about what Darwin was saying.
DeleteI interpret Darwin's quote differently. He says "...neither...are faculties of the least use to man..." implying they are of greater importance, thusly creating the mystique.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I misread Darwin after all. Thanks for the counterpoint.
Deletei think you meant buffoonery.
ReplyDeletethe .007 iron would make for a deadly shot!
I missed that spelling error and so did the app that's supposed to alert me. Thanks, TJ. I have corrected it.
DeleteThe New Sound cover reminded me of the vacuum cleaner used in Sylvain Chomet's Triplets of Belleville.
ReplyDeleteBruno, the dog in the animated film, of course harks visually to Jerry van Amerongen's The Neighborhood & Ballard Street.The inert insett was a wonderful chuckle. Thanks for all you do.
https://youtu.be/qgrpvVSwrS4?si=6iPaP5QsxEvXEOFA
No dogs here but hey, did they tell you you could have another apple? Yes...from the periphery.
https://imgur.com/gallery/jerry-van-amerongens-neighborhood-is-underappreciated-gem-of-newspaper-comics-ZljSAwv
I'd forgotten about the Triplets of Belleville!
DeleteJerry van Amerongen is a great cartoonist, and he's been doing some wonderful paintings. I should also mention that he's a kind gentleman.
https://www.instagram.com/vanamerongenjerry/
I had the same thought! I sent it as a reply to the email. It was fun to reread the “plot” of the film. I really enjoyed it back when I saw it in the theater.
DeleteThanks, Michelle! I'm sorry I seem to have missed your email, so I appreciate you also commenting here.
DeleteAnd Waterloo...it is an hour and 42 minutes from Toronto.
ReplyDeleteCalling the Waterloo Region Record paper a Toronto's is like saying the Hershey Sun is a Philadelphia journal of record.
But I stickle despite the tickle.
Geography is not my strong suit.
DeleteMy husband is a musician, he plays bass. I played the harp as a child and teen. We have music playing in our house every day. As luck would have it, neighbors on both sides of our house are musicians, too, so none of us complain that our neighbors are playing music too loudly.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great neighborhood.
Delete"Worms do not possess any sense of hearing. They took not the least notice of the shrill notes from a metal whistle, which was repeatedly sounded near them: nor did they of the deepest and loudest tones of a bassoon. They were indifferent to shouts, if care was taken that breath did not strike them. When placed on a table close to the keys of a piano, which was played as loudly as possible, they remained perfectly quiet." - Charles Darwin, whose wife was taught piano by Chopin, and whose son played bassoon.
ReplyDelete"Worms do not possess any sense of hearing. They took not the least notice of the shrill notes from a metal whistle, which was repeatedly sounded near them: nor did they of the deepest and loudest tones of a bassoon. They were indifferent to shouts, if care was taken that breath did not strike them. When placed on a table close to the keys of a piano, which was played as loudly as possible, they remained perfectly quiet." - Charles Darwin, whose wife had piano lessons with Chopin, and whose son played the bassoon. He found a scientific use for music in his study of earthworms! I don't believe he was incapable of enjoying music, rather that he thought it transcended the mundane daily needs of life.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I always learn something from Bizarro's readers.
DeleteTo Anon re: 3rd symbol in golf cartoon - I answered you yesterday, but it never appeared. Look towards the bottom of the golf bag and think of those puffy fat letters seen on train graffiti. It's like the symbol on the 4/22 Comedy Barn cartoon, which I couldn't see even after I was told it was on the bib overalls. I as soon as I saw this one, I went back to that one and could finally see it!
ReplyDeleteI have the blog set to allow me to review comments before posting. I've just set it to let comments post without moderation, but I reserve the right to go back to reviewing them before they post if we start getting spammed.
DeleteAt first I thought that your worm cartoon was going to be one worm talking to its own end and not knowing it. But It occurred to me that you wouldn’t draw such an old gag and you had given each worm a “clitellum” so that people would know that it was two worms. Because there’s only one clitellum per worm. Of course I had to look up the parts of a worm because (practically) no one is going to know what a clitellum is, particularly me. I love your work. PS I guess that the music in Darwin’s time was unappreciated by him. Or he didn’t study the evolution of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wormy education.
DeleteAlso, I may have misinterpreted Darwin's comments. See earlier comments from Vere and Mick.
Wayno, I have read and re-read your Darwin quote and I keep coming up with the same conclusion. Namely that Darwin did not like or appreciate music.
Delete