Hucklebug Episode 198: Shout-outs, Pet Stories, What’s Up With That?, Fuck offs & You Rules, Comic Strips we Love and Hate.
Music: “The Hucklebuck,” performed by Otis Redding, Lee Rocker, and Frank Sinatra.
Editor’s note: Stennie incorrectly identifies one of her favorite comics. The strip is called “Non Sequitur,” by Wiley. Not “Wiley” by Wiley.
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I think there can be a lot of movies that are good, but you don’t enjoy them — I call them “movies I’m glad I saw once but would never see again” — Schindler’s List, Hotel Rwanda, and Reservoir Dogs come to mind. I think they’re great films, but “enjoyment” is not a phrase that comes to mind. Then there are movies that people think are great and leave me cold. “Citizen Kane” and “Raising Arizona” come to mind for that. But as we all know, bad movies can be wonderful.
And NTCNTC is growing up in a part of the world where feeding one’s child Cheez Doodles or Cheetos is paramount to child abuse. He can eat whichever one he wants, so I am already in “trash mama” territory, although it would probably be the Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s version. I also think he’s growing up to be an “anti-check-writer-at-the-register” kind of kid — whenever the line is going too slowly or I’m going too slowly, he looks over at me and says “Pay the man, pay the man!” That’s only going to be cute for so long.
Mike — I’m not sure I agree with the check logic. If you can’t afford it with a check, you can’t afford it with plastic. I use credit cards so I can write only one check per month (or with auto-debit, no checks). For some reason, I use checks at the doctor’s office, but now that they stopped returning checks too me, I’m not sure what the purpose it serves, since I no longer have the “receipt” for my records.
No, I’m not having trouble on Stennieville with leaving the name and e-mail info – it stayed there.
Totally too tired to give this episode the listening pleasure it deserves. Be back in a few hours!!
FUCK CHECKS. And FUCK CATHY. ACK ACK ACK, go kill yourself, Cathy.
What, no Peanuts? Which was classic at the beginning, and that completely outlived its welcome?
I also have a soft spot for Walt Kelly’s Pogo which I stole my pseudonym from years ago.
Bloom County was a favorite, but it remains a time capsule of the Reagan/MTV era and is soooo not as funny revisited. I still occasionally attempt to vote for Bill the Cat though.
So glad the fez-monkey thing has been worked out, since I was about to resort to telling you that if you two couldn’t play nice, I could take the sock monkey away altogether. That’s some classic, mean-spirited parenting right’cher. Besides, you’re both wrong: I AM THE ONE WITH THE FEZ.
There is no such thing as too much swearing!
I’m cool with the New Favorite segment and utterly joy-ridden about the pet segment! I suppose i’ll survive through movies. I’ve made it this far.
Some clarification on my joke from the last comments. I’d only send stuff like that to libtard slinging nitwits I want to shut up. I don’t normally have more issues with conservatives than I do liberals. I’m not a liberal or a conservative basher, I just hate morons like Bet’s good buddy who wouldn’t stop with the libtard crap.
OK, finished the HB. My thoughts on Good-Bad movie agreement – movies have roughtly 3 aspects. The first is technical (lighting, acting, photography, so on) and the second artistic. Since mankind has never agreed on what is art (I know it when I see it), that aspect of movies will always be in disagreement. However, I think the technical side is less an issue. A well crafted movie is obvious just like a well crafted piece of furniture. The third aspect movies have is influence. You may not like Citizen Kane but there is no denying it was influential if you study cinema. Because of the impact, Kane is important whether you like it or not. People key on all three of those things and like or dislike a movie depending on what appeals to them. “Popcorn” movies are all craft but little art. Some Indie films are the opposite. Most movies are some combination and how they combine the mix determines if you’ll like it or not.
Hey! I like a good pet story and this week you had 2 good ones.
I hated most of your cartoon strips too, especially Kathy. I disagree on Dilbert. I still read it, but like stennie says, it only makes sense if you’ve lived in a large corporate office. Any comic that has Remora, the office co-worker who attaches himself to your neck and leaches all your work, is brilliant.
Scout is the cutest kitten in the world. I took one look at her and it put me in a Cute Coma for 30 minutes.
Haha, OK, OK, Bet, I owe you $5 🙂
And Stennie, it sounds like we agree in the end. I didn’t dislike “Inception” because it “just wasn’t my cup of tea.” I didn’t like it for specific technical reasons. You cite “Raging Bull” as having great acting, writing, etc, but that you don’t like it anyway. That’s not what’s going on with me and “Inception.” It doesn’t have good writing and while the acting isn’t bad, it doesn’t make up for the lack of character development in the writing. This is where I differ with Duke. I agree that there are the two aspects of filmmaking–the technical and the artistic–but when it comes to creating emotion, the technical side can do that just fine. And I feel like I can point at “Inception” and say “almost no character development” and be reasonably sure that anyone can see what I mean due to the fact that we are shown very little backstory for any of the characters. That doesn’t mean the spectacle of the film can’t entertain you. But that doesn’t make it a good movie from a critical POV. I’ll now leave this point alone.
I also like Lily’s concept of movies that are good, but that you don’t enjoy them–I would add “The Last King of Scotland” to that film. Powerful as hell, but I was sobbing like a baby after. Don’t need to go there again!
Thanks for the ruling, Bet! Now I know can sit on a pillow and in the floor at the same time. WHEW!
Sten, I have no expectation of a “New Favorite” in every episode, so I’m good. I think I do like that you guys are changing things up a bit. No need to keep such a strict structure in every episode. Keeping it fast and loose is a good idea 🙂
CONGRATS ON THE KITTY, STEN! Scout is adorable. I tried to comment on one of your YouTube videos, but YT kept insisting I link my google account to my YT account and I’d rather not do that. Google is far too many places these days…
Re: Hucklebug.com remembering my name/info, I think it’s a setting someplace, Sten–I just left a comment on Stennieville and it remembered me. Also, I don’t remember getting emails when other folks commented after me. Can that be turned on?
Alas, poor Mister Stripey!
I’m with Patrick and Stennie: FUCK CHECKS! PAPER IS DEAD, MAN!!
I’m with you guys on Ann Rice. Very cool that she was so public about it. She’s been a kind of publicity whore in the past, but this is for a good cause, so I don’t mind this publicity whoring. May she sell more books!
Favorite comics strips:
Bloom County
specific favorite: the one where Cutter John admits he just wants to walk again. Not funny, but awesome. (Runner up: the one where Milo cuts George Lucas’ head off–very funny *and* awesome.)
Doonesbury
specific favorite: when Joanie’s dead gay friend first begins to haunt her (I cried). Bet, I do get why people don’t get Doonesbury. It appeals to me because it reflects real life so well in a format that is usually not very good at that.
Peanuts
specific favorite: any strip where life is cruel to Charlie. I like it when Charlie suffers.
Personally, I think the Peanuts comic is unfairly maligned by most folks. I can understand why people don’t like it, but it’s sort of like saying you hate “I Love Lucy.” OK, so it’s not as good as people pretend it is, but it’s still a huge part of the medium and bagging on it isn’t going change that. And yes, Cathy can FUCK OFF. Ack that, bitch!
OH yeah: I always enjoyed Calvin & Hobbes, but a guy I knew in college did a parody sequel to C&H (this was before it ended) that follows Calvin’s adventures into puberty. It was a really brilliant parody while managing to maintain the spirit of the original, believe it or not. He drew about 12 or 16 of them for our underground comic. As I recall, he sent a copy of them to Watterson and got a C&D back from Watterson’s lawyers 🙁
I reeeally enjoy Baby Blues, Bet. Well, I used to when I still read the paper.
I’ve heard paper is dead, actually. :\
Sten, you just named all the reasons I enjoyed “Family Circus”–it was so creepy and messed up 🙂 GO TO HEAVEN GRAMPA!! STOP STALKING ME!!
I’d like to nominate Duke to be the lead tactical general in the coming Stupid Wars. Yes, it’s time we wage a war on stupid!
However, I think if Duke, or anyone else, experiences “cute-related” troubles while watching Stennie’s videos of Scout, they should please check out this very informative episode of The 5 Minute Show, which deals directly with this important issue that effects so many of us:
http://tv.thepete.com/post/629375560/the-5-minute-show-episode-16-for-april-17-2006
On an unrelated note:
KAHHHHN!!!
I’m a big fan of Doonesbury. What I really like about it is more for the historical chronicle it represents. I have a lot of the old collections, and it’s really fascinating to go back and pick up a series of strips from 15 years ago and it brings back all the little stories that were popular at the time. I like it for the social commentary that isn’t like a ton of anvils dropping on your head. The characters also age over time, although a bit more slowly than the rest of us.
I think it’s a bit pretentious to have it on the editorial page or Obviously Not On The Comics Page, but I like it.
The comments don’t remember me, either. *sigh* Anyhow, I just wanted to add a fuck off by proxy please: “Dr” Laura. The bitch doesn’t even understand what she is guaranteed under the first amendment. Sure, she can say whatever she wants, but people are also free to disagree with her. Giving up your radio show? Good riddance. I’ve never listened to you, anyhow.
Favorite Far Side: Midvale School for the Gifted is an easy pick. As well as anything with cows (e.g., cow tools). And this one:
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll156/5150xcrazy/FarSide1.jpg
And the irish setter one:
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb259/Manzanita42071/Miscellaneous/MoodsIrishSetter.jpg
As far as comics I hated….I can’t think of any. Even the ones you mentioned do not create a strong negative impulse from me. Cathy and others may suck, but I never bothered with them anyway.
Favorite comic strips: Bloom County and C&H, obviously. I liked Outland. No love for B.C.?
Sorry, but never got around to it. My father passed away last Thursday and I’ve been a little busy of late.
First, a resolution: I’m going to strive for more plain-English, layperson-accessible analysis of legal issues. Less Gordian knot; more Alexander’s sword.
As to your nomination of me to the Supreme Court, I appreciate the thought, but the way to change the law is not by SCOTUS but by legislation reform (namely, a rejiggering of the Copyright Act’s Fair Use Doctrine so that a record company can’t sue some random mother who posts a YouTube video of her toddler diddy-bopping to “Let’s Go Crazy.”
And while having, y’know, passed the bar is not necessarily required, I probably stand a better shot at being confirmed for the bench once I’ve actually passed the thing. As for my exam results, I’m supposed to find out sometime around the end of Aug or the beginning of Sept. Not a day has gone by that I don’t have some kind of dream or memory of the exam that confirms my suspicion that I didn’t pass.
Can we also get a hale and hearty fuck off to Target for contributing $150,000 to the campaign of a hard-right, anti-gay gubernatorial candidate in MN? Best Buy did too, and I’m boycotting them both until they unfuck themselves. Target, especially, is breaking my heart.
Favorite comics: Bloom Co., C&H, Doonesbury
I always loved Doonesbury, though I haven’t read any comics since about 2005. I really enjoyed reading the stuff from the early ‘70s when I was in high school; it was a nice insight into the Watergate era.
Favorite Far Side: Three toy poodles talking conspiratorially while their owner, an elderly woman, is hunched over a sink in another room with her back to them. One of the sinister-looking ones says to the anxious-looking one, “Yes, Fifi, that IS a downside. When we kill her, the pampering will end.”
Does anyone know at what point B.C. went and got all Christian? Was it always that way? I don’t remember any of the that when I was a kid.
We’ll see if the remembering thing works for me.
We don’t do RIP’s as such, but Michael Been of The Call. “The Walls Came Down,” a favorite song from the 80s. Interesting story about him.