Far Side piano humor

[Threadslayer]

On 6/16/2022 at 11:24 AM, GovernorSilver said:

Gary Larson's music jokes are on point, partly because he is a musician himself.

 

According to this article, Larson intentionally quoted an outrageous price to Jim Hall's agent, when contacted about illustrating Jim Hall's album cover... in order to parlay a free lesson with that jazz guitar legend

 

 

 

After all these years of Gary Larson fandom, I never knew that he was a musician (and a jazzer) himself. It adds a whole new level of appreciation for his music-based humor. Also makes me wonder what his thing was with ducks...

[Outkaster]

Gary Larson was on the top of the world in the late 80's and just quit at the height of it all.  It baffled a lot of people at the time.

[Coker]

3 hours ago, Outkaster said:

Gary Larson was on the top of the world in the late 80's and just quit at the height of it all.  It baffled a lot of people at the time.

Yes, kind of like Lyle Mayes

[Tom Williams]

15 hours ago, Outkaster said:

Gary Larson was on the top of the world in the late 80's and just quit at the height of it all.  It baffled a lot of people at the time.

He was starting to run out of ideas.  I saw a couple of later strips that were exactly the same joke as earlier strips, except the later ones replaced "dang" with "damn."  My guess is that he and/or his publisher noticed the decline. 

 

It's great that he has resumed cartooning, even if at a slower pace.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

On 6/15/2022 at 8:31 AM, 16251 said:

This cartoon is still on the bedroom door of my old room at my parents' house from my teen years.

[Outkaster]

12 hours ago, Tom Williams said:

He was starting to run out of ideas.  I saw a couple of later strips that were exactly the same joke as earlier strips, except the later ones replaced "dang" with "damn."  My guess is that he and/or his publisher noticed the decline. 

 

It's great that he has resumed cartooning, even if at a slower pace.

 I remember him saying that all he wanted to do he did and then just quit.  He was all over, the books, strips, mugs and calender's also.  He was on top of the world.

[16251]

On 6/15/2022 at 5:59 PM, David Emm said:

I can't locate the piece in question for posting, but arguably the best one-panel cartoon on Earth is from The Far Side. One of Larson's frumpy women is on the phone and there's a big EYE in the window behind her. She's saying "Helen? Its Marge. I hate to bother you, but could you tell me what's in my front yard?" WE can only guess, but Helen knows. 🤣

I found it in a Farside book I own. A classic.

 

[niacin]

[marino]

Where, oh where is that Keyboard Magazine vignette from the eighties (I think), very much Larson-style, with a pianist falling down a waterfall together with a grand piano, still plinking it absent-mindedly and thinking "I'm not paid enough..."

 

If some kind soul could provide me with a decent resolution scan of that little masterwork, I'd be eternally grateful. I'm thinking of making a poster....  

Mm, could it possibly be in the "Playing Live" special issue?

[niacin]

[Mark Schmieder]

Oh, so are some of the posted cartoons more recent? Maybe that's why I didn't recognize a few of them. I did notice the repetition set in, and moved over to Bizarro at that point, but there are some real classics and I wouldn't fault a one-panel gag artist for giving it up after a number of years.

 

In the old days, adventure strips dominated, and even there, artists and/or writers would get a shot in the arm by moving on to a new strip. With the gag-a-day strips, people tend to stay more glued to a single creation. Charles Schultz always kept it interesting, adding new characters to Peanuts over its 50-year run. The syndicate wasn't happy about the risk involved, but he made sure early on that he called the shots.

[o0Ampy0o]

5 hours ago, marino said:

Where, oh where is that Keyboard Magazine vignette from the eighties (I think), very much Larson-style, with a pianist falling down a waterfall together with a grand piano, still plinking it absent-mindedly and thinking "I'm not paid enough..."

 

If some kind soul could provide me with a decent resolution scan of that little masterwork, I'd be eternally grateful. I'm thinking of making a poster....  

Mm, could it possibly be in the "Playing Live" special issue?

Not what you were recalling but reminded me of Larson’s Viagra Falls. 
 

 

[analogika]

On 7/19/2022 at 7:54 AM, o0Ampy0o said:

Not what you were recalling but reminded me of Larson’s Viagra Falls. 
 

 

😄 (not Larson, though — it says "Reynolds" at the bottom. 

[stillearning]

On 7/18/2022 at 8:29 PM, niacin said:

I seem to remember a variation on this one, might not be a Larson. A single panel with the same concept of “I won’t screw up, I won’t screw up…”. But it had a music stand showing a single page with only one note. Similar caption of  “____ screws up”. Anyone else remember such a cartoon?

[o0Ampy0o]

3 hours ago, stillearning said:

I seem to remember a variation on this one, might not be a Larson. A single panel with the same concept of “I won’t screw up, I won’t screw up…”. But it had a music stand showing a single page with only one note. Similar caption of  “____ screws up”. Anyone else remember such a cartoon?

This one is called "first note."

[o0Ampy0o]

On 7/20/2022 at 3:29 AM, analogika said:

😄 (not Larson, though — it says "Reynolds" at the bottom. 

 

Burt did a few impersonations.  Marlon Brando accused him of stealing work from him. At one point he was the most popular movie star in the world. This came up in a Far Side Google search. Talented guy.

 

Or was it Debbie who said she made men impotent upon seeing her nude?

 

...wait that might have been Ryan.

[16251]

[stoken6]

Deleted

[16251]

[Polkahero]

[Mark Schmieder]

I would think that if he stuck to music jokes, he'd never run out of ideas, but his audience might have a built-in growth limit -- which, at this point, probably wouldn't bother him.

[Tom Williams]

Polkahero, are you sure that is all Larson?  I've never seen any of his work with typeset content, nor with a photograph pasted in. 

[bill5]

On 7/11/2022 at 7:57 AM, Outkaster said:

Gary Larson was on the top of the world in the late 80's and just quit at the height of it all.  It baffled a lot of people at the time.

Same with Bill Watterson. And Billy Joel. Shame but if I could afford to retire and already had a successful career, I would too.

 

I take that back with Billy Joel. If I could compose and play like him, I would have kept making albums, even if at a slowed rate. Having had the composing bug bite me and concluding that at least at times I could come up with what IMO was worthy stuff, I can't imagine ever stopping entirely. I can't believe he doesn't have a bucketful of good songs written down somewhere (or even in his head) that he just never did anything with. 

[Mark Schmieder]

12 hours ago, Tom Williams said:

Polkahero, are you sure that is all Larson?  I've never seen any of his work with typeset content, nor with a photograph pasted in. 

Tom, I was surprised as well, but figured if he's getting back into it after decades, he may have decided to take a more pastiche approach, to be different. I think it's cool! And if it isn't Larson, I'd like to know who, so I can check out their other work.

[Polkahero]

13 hours ago, Tom Williams said:

Polkahero, are you sure that is all Larson?  I've never seen any of his work with typeset content, nor with a photograph pasted in. 

I can't vouch for its validity.  Local music store posted this on Facebook recently.

[analogika]

On 9/23/2022 at 2:52 PM, Polkahero said:

That edit is funny, but I’m afraid the original is a lot funnier: 

 

[Threadslayer]

Bowdlerizing Gary Larson? That's practically sacrilege. 

[analogika]

On 6/16/2022 at 2:48 AM, Polkahero said:

Also keyboard related:

 

 

since I was looking up that other original, I went on a spree. I’ve seen this one with a viola, as well, but I believe this is the original: 

[Polkahero]

I think the edits are funnier, lol.  The French horn example is brilliant.

[analogika]

4 hours ago, Polkahero said:

I think the edits are funnier, lol.  The French horn example is brilliant.

in the second case, I agree. 
 

but “hit the bird” is just fucking brilliant.