Now we know what the Chicago Cubs and Styx have in common. Cursed by the Devil herself…
I filled this one with all types of references, as I’m a big fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and love their really deep references they would toss out. Today’s comic has a few of it’s own. Check your Chicago Cubs lore and you’ll get why I chose a goat as the Devil’s assistant.
Today’s comic title was a hit for the Louisiana-based John Fred and his Playboys in early 1968. Apparently he misheard “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” as “in disguise” instead of “in the sky” and wrote this song only to find out what it really meant. Catchy song with a really great bass line that I never learned to play… I’ll have to pick it up now. Guess what the Devil’s name is now? Yep… Judy.
More Devilish fun Wednesday, which will lead us all up to a SUPER special Halloween comic featuring a great guest artist. Be sure to toon in Saturday for that fun extra comic!
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A little trivia for you. I based the Devil’s staff on the one used in the “Lost In Space” episode called “The Keeper”. In it, a galactic zoo keeper wants the Robinson’s kids for his collection. Actor Michael Rennie played the Keeper and is best known as Klaatu from “The Day The Earth Stood Still” from 1951, not that damned remake of year or so ago. Anyway, here’s a shot for you all to savor!
The Keeper
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Discussion (31) ¬
Funny stuff. Love the sign in the background!
I love putting in little things like that into comics from time to time. I get a kick out of it. The sign is up because she can’t afford the liability insurance to have folks swimming in the river.
The concept of the Devil running a business cracks me up. Now you have to think, who is she buying her heat from? Gets me chuckling even thinking about it…
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GREAT, GREAT, GREAT! Had to share this one with my darling. XD
As a long time suffering Cubs fan, and a true hater of the song “Babe” I couldn’t resist tossing in these references. I mean, I’m dealing with the Devil, had to crack on somebody, and why not the Cubs and Styx?
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Loving the Halloween header!
Beware stoners who use bloody knives to carve their pumpkins. My 20 year old son is into horror flicks and I guess he’s rubbing off on me.
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Great comic, B! The colors really jumped out at me.
I found a great tutorial on YouTube on how to make lightning and it is so freaking easy, it’s not funny. Once you do it, you’re hooked. Here’s the URL to the tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq4hPJ21A3o
Oh, gods – I LOATHE “Babe.” And yes, something satanic definitly had something to do with that song. Your reference to it cracked me up. Thanks!
(You ever see the Behind the Music episode for Styx? It was perhaps the funniest installment of that show so far. The other band members had no bones about bashing the crap out of Dennis de Young; James Young essentially said they’d hated recording and performing his material, but the songs sold so well they put up with it for the sake of the bucks. Tommy Shaw – who was far wittier than I would have expected – was downright brutal. After a painful excerpt of Shaw and Young performing some stilted “acting” from Kilroy was Here amidst a chorus of boos from the audience, Shaw deadpanned, “As you can imagine, I was doing a lot self-medicating at the time…”)
Funny thing – I just bought a “Billboard Hits” collection with “Judy in Disguise (With Glasses” on it yesterday. A music shop by us was having a moving sale, and had a bunch of CDs on sale for .80 cents each. That compilation was one of the handful I bought less than 24 hours before you posted a comic with that rather obscure song on it. Weird…
The Force moves in mysterious ways, but I get a lot of people who state that the song title I had picked that day was on the radio or their playlist right before they read the comic. I am a musical influence in the Universe it seems… woooooooOOO!!!
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Yes, “Babe” totally sucks ass…
I never would have thought that a song written as a gift of love to the songwriter’s wife would be considered as something that was directed by Satan. I’m sure any wife would like that. After all, the song was never intended to be released on an album, but the ENTIRE BAND thought it would be good to include it.
Ron, as you can see in the reply below, I am fan of Dennis De Young. Regardless of the song’s intent, I am not a fan of it. Nor am I fan of ANY song in that style (Journey “Open Arms” Foreigner’s “Waiting for Girl Like You” etc, etc.) I am an old fart rocker who has a one track min (two really, it’s stereo) when it comes to music… I like the rockers.
I see from your link you are a fan of Dennis, and if I offended you, please accept my apologies. It is just my opinion and, thankfully, you and I live in a country where we can express those opinions openly and freely.
Dennis is awesome. I love how Styx hated his stuff yet they still go around playing it after they booted him, b/c that is what people like the best.
Don’t get me wrong, Dennis was truly the talent behind Styx, but after he did “Babe” he got a bit funny or power-mad or something, because by the time they did “Kilroy” I was totally irritated with him and the group. It just seemed to me “Babe” was a turning point for the band as they became more “show” than a rock band.
“Equinox” was their best album and it was a group effort but De Young led the way with talent. I saw Styx open for Bachman-Turner Overdrive in 1976 and it was one hell of a show. Styx had just released “Equinox” and was in high gear. Shaw had not joined the band yet and we Chicagoans LOVED Styx. BTO came out and had to put on a show a notch better and they did. Last concert I saw at the old Chicago Stadium too, I think. Got drunk at the greek restaurant Diana’s afterwards on wine and flaming cheese “Oopa!” Oh man, what a night… forget my date’s name… You can tell where my mind was that night!
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wow cool updated Byron. Love all the references, and a glimpse into hell! Also digging the Halloween header, nice touch!
Thanks Dawn! Ideas hit you and you just go with it. That’s what I like about the 1977 format, I pretty much can do what I want.
Yes, beware stoners carving pumpkins with blood stained knives… 🙂
Why is it that as soon as a band discovers the multi-platinum power ballad, everything goes to hell. I love Heart in the 70s, have a lot less use for them in the 80s just because of that. I am certain Satan was involved. Of course, Satan in this incarnation is seriously hot, so I’d be tempted, too. 🙂
I know, I share your feelings and frustrations. The ballads were big hits for those types of bands. Even the Rolling Stones did a disco song, so it’s just trying to appease the entire market place instead of staying with your core audience and musical styles.
Beethoven stayed with his strengths and he’s lasted this long. Rock groups should take a hint and stick with what they know.
Actually, Tom, Heart’s “change in sound” had less to do with power ballads than with the Wilson sisters’ erratic relationship histories with fellow band members: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_(band)
That said, I’m with you there. I had no interest in the band after the self-titled 1980s album.
I’ll state the bleeding obvious, it also has a lot to do with money. Their videos and songs of the 80s sold a lot of records/CDs. I’m not sure if they made out too well, as in most cases managers/producers/record labels/coke dealers take all the cash (How many VH1 specials have said the same thing: “We lost all our money buying cocaine…” Man…).
So you give up your artistic license in exchange for the “big” paycheck. I’d rather be poor and happy with what I do then have a ton of money and then hate my output.
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Too bad there isn’t a way to get money by pointing people to itunes, or Amazon.com to download the songs in your comic titles, and you get a slice of the sales. Your music theme would fit SO PERFECTLY with that. (I for one went to iTunes to check it out, thanks to you reminding me of the song referenced in this comic.)
I had thought about putting links to the songs I use on iTunes… I have an LinkShare account with iTunes and I could put a button on each comic so folks can buy the song, but that seemed a tad to commercial for me. But, money is money…
I’ll take a look at what it would take for me to generate a new button for each comic (that would be just one more thing for me to remember to do…).
Thanks!
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Hmm. Speaking from gig-sharing experience, I think the entirety of Styx – band and oeuvre both – can be tidily summed up as ‘a steaming pile of shite, right down there at the bottom of the food chain with Speedwagon and the rest of the Midwestern Ahh Murkan Total Fail brigade’ 😛 😛 😛 And I don’t give a toss how many records they’ve sold – the world is full of bad taste. In fact, bad taste is probably the default state of most music fans.
Of course, you and I disagree on quite a few things musically, despite being friends…not least about the Stones’ ‘Miss You’, which I’ve always considered to be in the same ‘sometimes white folks do it better’ category as Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ and ‘Fame’ or the Bee Gees’ (yes, may I be damned forever by Plan 9’s producer, the sodding Bee Gees) ‘Jive Talking’, so nyah nyah 😀 OTOH I break out in a rash if anyone ever inflicts ‘Waiting for a Girl Like You’ on me. Or ‘Kayleigh’. Or ~shudders~ ‘I Wanna Know What Love Is’. Eww eww eww.
BTW pleeeease tell me that the Devil Woman was responsible for Shania Twain? There’s no other explanation…
I have many, many guilty pleasures when it comes to music. I do like SOME of Journey, Foreigner, Styx, REO and other 70s/80s bands, but mostly the rock and roll stuff. But that said, I do own Neil Diamond and ABBA songs as well. But it doesn’t mean I’m a “fanboy” of either of them, just a few of their songs.
Music is one of those things that many people hold near and dear to their heart… and if a particular song came out at a moment of need, or love, or stress, or what ever, it rings a note with them for the rest of their lives. I have a few of those.
I’m not a “fanboy” for most groups, Bachman-Turner Overdrive being that exception. Even then when someone goes “they sucked” I ignore it as it’s just their opinion and they don’t have any power over me or my tastes (or lack there of).
One of the things I knew would come up from time to time is my making a joke at some song’s expense and pissing off that fan base. I riled up the Led Zeppelin camp a few months ago when I stated that I felt most of their music after the first four albums was pretty much off the mark. It’s my opinion, but it still stirred the pot.
Bowie’s “Fame” is a fantastic song, and the Bee Gees did make some good music if you can ignore the disco influences (which it is hard for me to do). Stones’ “Miss You” really misses me, and eh, what do I know… I’m a redneck from Illinois.
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Bugger – I meant to reply to you, not make a new comment. Obviously time for bed…
Never feel guilty about pleasure! 😉
I think you know my true opinion of Zep – they did some awesome stuff, but they’re not a patch on the real thing ~coughwormholeuniversecough~ especially in the lead guitar department. And I’ve never forgiven Page for the abomination he committed on Joe’s otherwise stunning version of ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ (nor for waking me at uncivilised hours in search of scrounging methadone off my housemate, but that’s another story, muhahaha).
Right, I’m commenting in yours, now go comment in mine when you get the chance 😛
Awesome! Those stalagmites get awfully dirty and singed down there!
During my early days as an engineer in the late 80s, I had my sole brush with fame. Joe Miceli, the drummer/percussionist for the Playboys had a day-job with the firm doing drafting work. He taught me more about real engineering than most of my professors.
Small world! Very cool! I love hearing from folks like you who had brushes with these types of folks! I’m friends with the members of the early 70s rock group Fanny and you forget they were “music stars” and know them as they are now, but the stories they tell…
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That’s the most evil devil EVAR!