As well as being a celebrated cartoonist,Far Side’s Gary Larson was also a huge music fan and dedicated guitarist. It’s therefore not surprising that so manyFar Sidecomics have jokes about music - and some even take on real-world musicians.
Here are the 10 funniestFar Sidecomics inspired by real-life musicians and bands, from Elvis Presley to Metallica.
10Madonna
The Singer’s Iconic Cone Bra Just Became a Huge Problem
Madonna made headlines in 1990 with the debut of Jean Paul Gaultier’s cone bra, unveiled during herBlond Ambitiontour. While some were inspired and others were outraged,Gary Larson had a truly unique reaction: asking whether the garment could puncture a lifeboat. ThisFar Sidecomic says yes, with a group of survivors sadly not long for this world after the iconicVogueandLike a Virginsinger falls over headfirst.
9Liberace
Far Side’s Brings Back the Pianist’s Unique Sense of Style
Liberace was known for his flamboyant style as much as his talent as a musician, with ‘The Glitter Man’ sporting a range of vibrant costumes with the themes of gold, pink and shimmer. However, while Liberace’s theatrical style was made for the Las Vegas stage, Larson imagines it in a far more mundane setting. Larson redefines Liberace’s style not as something that emerged from his role as a performer, but as a happy coincidence that - up until he got famous - he was still wearing every day.Open the image gallery below for moreFar Sidecomics set in classrooms.
8Elvis Presley
Gary Larson Knows What Really Happened to the King
Elvis appears a few times acrossFar Side’s run, with Larson playing on the popular conspiracy theory that the King of Rock and Roll isn’t actually dead. Larson imagines Elvis accidentally stepping into the plot ofPsychoand hiding out with Salman Rushdie during the period in which he was in hiding while targeted by Imam Khomeini’sfatwa.
7Charlie Parker
Far Side Sends the Jazz Icon to Hell
Gary Larson made more references to the music hehatesthan the music he loves inThe Far Side, with various comics mocking accordionists and ukulele players.However, New Age music appears to be his bête noire.In this strip, he imagines revolutionary jazz musician Charlie Parker forced to listen to the milquetoast musicin his own personal Hell, contrasting the composer’s love of fast tempos and creative improvisation with the placid sounds of Enya.
6New Kids on the Block
Gary Larson’s ‘Albums to Avoid’
Taking aim at everyone from country music singer Grandpa Jones to heavy metal group Metallica, Larson serves up a range of duets where the musicians involved aren’tbad, but are embracing songs and collaborators that are diametrically opposed to their usual style.Larson slips in a sincere dig at New Kids on the Block, who aren’t shown doing anything unusual - they’re just worth avoiding (at least in Larson’s view.)
5Fats Domino
Far Side Knows the Real Lyrics to Blueberry Hill
Larson loves the gag of mishearing song lyrics. In this strip, the character (or his friend)have apparently misunderstood the lyricstoBlueberry Hill, which states,“I found my thrill, on Blueberry Hill.“Or maybe it’s us who have been getting it wrong the whole time - after all, this character’s drillwasexactly where he expected.
Blueberry Hillbecame famous thanks to Fat Domino’s rock and roll interpretation, but was first released by Sammy Kaye and composed by Vincent Rose.
4The Kingsmen
Louie Louie Isn’t the Whale Son We Expected
Scientists listening for whalesong are generally hoping to pick up the distant, sonorous modulations of underwater calls. However, inthe world ofFar Side, everything is far more literal, leading to a karaoke-hungry whale serenading Larson’s characters with a cetacean rendition of The Kingsmen’sLouie Louie.Open the image gallery below for moreFar Sidecomics starring whales.
Jeremiah was a bullfrog
He was a good friend of mine
I never understood a single word he said
But I helped him drink his wine
And he always had some mighty fine wine
Fans have debated the meaning of these lyrics for decades, including Biblical reasons centered on the prophet Jeremiah. However,Far Sideargues for a far more literal reading - it’s just an alcoholic frog reminiscing about a former acquaintance.Open the image gallery below for moreFar Sidecomics starring frogs.
2Dizzy Gillespie
Far Side Imagines the Trumpeter’s Childhood
Iconic jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie is considered one of the greatest trumpeters of all time, and Gary Larson imagines him possessing superhuman lung capacity even in childhood, blowing a party horn for all he’s worth.Gillespie appears again inFar Side’s ‘infamous moments in jazz,‘which commemorates the (fictional) lowest points of the musical genre.
It’s no surprise to see jazz musicians inThe Far Side, as it’s actually the job Larson always wanted.Larson has loved jazz music for decades, discussing it in his infrequent interviews and apparently playing guitar on a daily basis. In a quote published byThe San Francisco Chronicle, Larson wrote:
I’m interested in jazz and I play the guitar, so here’s my fantasy: I’m on the bandstand of a smoke-filled club in New York. Joe Pass is on one side of me and Django Reinhardt’s on the other. I have on dark shades; a cigarette is hanging from my mouth; I have 100 times the ability I have today. I finish my solo and Joe Pass starts his. I lean over and say, ‘Come on Joe, get it together.’
1The Philadelphia String Quartet
Far Side Takes Air Guitar One Step Further
A string quartet founded by Veda Reynolds, Irv Eisenberg, Alan Iglitzin and Charlie Brennand, the Philadelphia String Quartet were renowned for their incredible musical skill. So of course Gary Larson strips them of their violins, violas and cellos and reduces them to incredibly technically adept air guitarist.
Those are the 10 funniestFar Sidecomics about real musicians and bands - let us know below which of these strips is the best, as well as what bands you wish Larson had satirized.
