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
Greetings from Bizarro Studios North as we welcome the arrival of Spring.
I had a productive work week despite violating my practice of staying at home on "school nights" not once but twice to hear live music. Both performances differed from my usual fare: Celtic roots rock and classical piano with a symphony orchestra.
I felt energized and focused when I started working the morning after each show.
Our first visit to New Orleans in the early 1980s came to mind. We ate at the Palm Court Cafe, which featured traditional jazz. My only prior exposure was corny watered-down TV variety show "Dixieland" music. But being in an intimate room and watching the unspoken communication between seasoned players, and sensing the joy they felt was a revelation. At that point, I "got it," and traditional jazz is now one of my mainstays.
It's always worthwhile to experience accomplished musicians playing material they love, even if it's not something you usually listen to at home.
Although I know it's beneficial to shake up the daily routine once in a while, I sometimes need to be reminded, as I was this week.
Today's pipe pic comes from my friend Tom W.
In the opening scene of the film Holiday Inn, Bing Crosby sports a necktie with a wild pipe pattern.
Tom also contributed a charming family photo of his mom wearing her brother's World War II army gear. That shot was featured on the blog in 2021.
Thanks to local boy Tom W. for both photos and being a good pal.
I hope there's a healthy dose of the unusual in the latest batch of Bizarro panels.
We got the obligatory Saint Patrick's Day gag out of the way on Monday.
That could be my test paper on the teacher's desk.
This panel evoked a memory of my Junior High shop teacher. When familiarizing us with the various tools we were to use, he held one up and said, "This is a bastard file."
It was neither necessary nor wise for Mister P. to use the full name of this item in front of a bunch of adolescents. "File" alone would have sufficed, and I suspect it was a test to see what sort of kids he'd be dealing with for the year.
He didn't have to wait long. One of my bolder classmates raised a hand and asked, "Where can you buy one of those bastards?" We didn't learn a thing after that.
Apparently, the bastard file has coarse teeth for quick, rough shaping. A file with medium teeth is called a second cut, and the finest is called smooth. Whoever named that bastard was asking for trouble.
Speaking of trouble, Wednesday's panel was quite challenging to draw, but I was pleased with the result.
The strip layout required more rearrangement than a typical gag. The night after I finished it, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep because I wanted to
change the bunny picture in the upper left corner, obsessing over it being "wrong" because it was oriented in agreement with the window beside it.
Oddly, I wasn't upset that the front door, barista, and bus stop sign were aligned similarly.
The old guard always resents the young lions.
At the end, Pete smashes his violin.
Yesterday I learned that in 1970, Pete Townshend put on a posh accent and introduced their new work as "Thomas." It's another case of art imitating Live at Leeds (as heard on the five-disc Fortieth Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition).
We're always looking for a way to make another Magritte joke.
This gag was inspired by an episode of the YouTube series Tasting History, a favorite at our place. The host, Max Miller, makes historic recipes while providing historical context. I recommend it!
Bonus Track
The Who: "In The Hall of the Mountain King"
From The Who Sell Out
Track Records, 1967
Track Records, 1967
Sell Out showed the Who to be both a pop group and a Pop Art group. Their take on Edvard Grieg is, dare I say, classic.
A Bucketful of Bizarro Baloney
If you like what we do and appreciate that it's free of charge, we encourage you to explore the following links.
Wayno,
ReplyDeleteI forwarded your “The Whom” comic to a friend with a similar comment before I read yours. Mine stated, “during the encore Peter decimates his Stradivarius!” LOL!
You said it more eloquently!
DeleteMagritte is hilarious. I can’t get the image of his “face” in a boars roasted mouth!!
ReplyDeleteAlso the Erin go broke and the 4 leaf clover flatulence pic….love this stuff
Thanks, David! We hare at Bizarro love any chance we get to do a Magritte gag. By the way, the therapist was drawn to look like Monsieur Magritte, so he's analyzing his own self-portrait!
DeleteAnalyzing his own self portrait 😂 Great second layering of the humor ☺️
DeleteErin Go Broke took a while. It felt like a cryptic crossword clue, sitting in my forebrain, but just out of reach. It was worth the effort thó.
ReplyDeleteThenks, Kevin. I attempt the Guardian's cryptic crossword puzzles, even though they always make me feel dense...
DeleteThe gag of the reality check was amusing. Including the inverted-shade lamp in the image was brilliant. Scot.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. I had fun with that one!
DeleteThe Whom LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Franco!
DeleteKeith Moon was gone by the time I discovered The Who Sell Out - but I was still quite pleased to find media critique fully integrated into the music of this album and it remains a favorite. However, my copy does not include Hall of the Mountain King - a true bonus track ... from somewhere?
ReplyDeleteI have that track on the 2009 "deluxe" 2CD version of The Who Sell Out, which has a TON of extra material recorded at the same time as the album.
DeleteShould I be concerned that I actually knew what the caption was before it scrolled into view? As I read Roger's words and took in their apparel I instinctively said to myself "The Whom".
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work!
I recognized them as well ☺️
Delete