There have been many notable music-related comic-strip sub-plots: Bloom County‘s Deathtöngue was forced to testify in front of Congress, and everyone remembers the time Prince Valiant was arrested for selling DJ Red Alert mixes. But this week’s Doonesbury–your father’s favorite funny, especially now that Shoe is gone–finds Jimmy Thudpucker, the strip’s fictional classic rocker, bemoaning the state of the industry. It’s clearly tied to this week’s McCartney-Starbucks merger, and while Garry Trudeau deserves credit for the effort, someone needs to update his pop-culture shorthand: Limp Bizkit jokes haven’t been in vogue since mid-2002 or so, meaning that somebody has to get this man a Hinder EPK, pronto.
Tomorrow’s strip: B.D. and Zonker whine about how no one rocks it like Mick and Co. anymore, and then trade Michael Bublé CDs.
Doonesbury@Slate – Daily Dose [Slate]
I will never stop loving Deathtöngue.
“I CAN’T RELAX…
…cause I’m a BOINGER!”
Weirdly enough, Doonesbury actually did publish a series in the 80′s about Mike coming to terms with the fact that his taste in music is outdated. In it, he is ridiculed by his younger brother for not “getting” Soul 2 Soul, Paul Abdul, and Young MC. The song that kicks off the tangent? “Satisfaction.”
So Doonesbury was rocking Boomer Backlash content twenty years ago. Huh.
I was thinking about that same series as well — IIRC Mike breaks down ranting “I’M MY PARENTS! I’M MY PARENTS!”
I still have that Billy and the Boingers flexi … I think it’s time to take it out of it’s protective vault and fire it up again.
Anybody got an MP3?
Ned Raggett, you are a poster after my heart.
Maybe you can help me with this: at the end of the strip, doesn’t Mike console himself by going to a Paul McCartney concert? I think the joke is that everyone is looking for a lighter to hold up during “Hey Jude,” only no one has one because they’ve all given up smoking pot. I believe the punchline is a grizzled Boomer saying “My grandson made me give it up.”
We were just discussing at work yesterday how we’re losing interest in new music as we get older…
gregcoff, the last line of that particular strip was “my grandkids were all over my case.”
(for some reason the line “wanna hold my beeper? it glows.” also springs to mind. but i can’t place where/when exactly)
Wow, you guys, I’d always felt so alone in my love for Billy and the Boingers. It’s nice to know so many people remember. :)
Might be the case, I don’t recall…mostly I just remember Sal wondering what elevator music Mike was listening to. (I agreed with Sal 100% on the matter.)
And yeah, Deathtongue mp3s are now surely necessary.
Actually my favorite all time Deathtongue/Billy and the Boingers moment:
“‘With their latest record, the newly relevant Boingers weave trancelike melodies that slip over the transom of social consciousness and insinuate themselves into your dreams.’”
*pause*
“Yeah, but do we kick butt?!”
“Read it again.”
Seriously, long live Billy and Boingers. And I believe Idolator posted the B&B MP3s last year — so they’re in the vault.
And nice shout out to “Shoe.”
Ron Headrest was weak.
@Pete the Chop: Ah good, then I’ve got ‘em around somewhere. (I have the flexi but I admit I can be lazy when it comes to digitizing.)
…..Well, I don’t have to worry about becoming my parents, musically. I don’t think they’ve discovered FM radio, yet. They had a CD player, for a while, very few CDs, but it broke and hasn’t been replaced. Their cassette deck doesn’t work anymore either. The mono record player from the 1950s still works, though, and they might spin an Elvis or Johnny Cash 78 RPM record every now and then, or the soundtrack from “The Sound of Music.” I think my mother still sometimes imagines that she might grow up to become Julie Andrews…
…..My brother got them a VCR a few years ago, and it’s always flashing 12:00 on the front when I go over there. Their phones are rotary dial, too.
…..And my favorite comic is NOT Doonesbury. Depending on my mood, it’s either The Phantom or Dilbert. My kids won’t even read the paper…
…..I suppose I’m a generation-straddler, equally informed whether with newsprint, Morse code, or RSS feeds.
Hey now — Limp Bizkit jokes never get old.
“This must be how Randy Newman must have felt after he recorded “Mandy”.”
“Interesting comparison.”