Happy Interdependence Day!

What, Me Worry?

MAD Magazine was the reason I learned to read early. It was a huge influence on my sense of humor growing up. It’s why I still believe nothing in life is too sacred to satirize.

Nexus

Al Feldstein died last Tuesday. He was the editor of MAD Magazine from 1956-1985 and I confess, in that capacity he totally shaped my world view. I was addicted to MAD . I was lucky that my uncle ran a small bookstore so I was always flush with the magazine from its very beginnings. I couldn’t get enough of its irreverent, sarcastic, smart-alecky take on the world. There was nothing sacred in its pages. Everything was fair game– from politics to Madison Avenue advertising, from popular culture to Wall Street, MAD took a swipe at it all. Its loads of marginalia also supported close reading.

And it was Al Feldstein who created the environment of out of the box thinking that allowed this creativity to thrive. Born in Brooklyn in 1925, he attended the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan. He received a scholarship to the Art Students League and attended Brooklyn…

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Election Day Trivia

Archie Roosevelt, with Presidential pet badger Josiah, who bit visitors.

WOO-HOO!  It’s OVER!  Those suffering from arrested development will continue to whine for a bit if their man or woman didn’t win, but the wisest will progress to more important matters.   Like raking leaves, cleaning the gutters, and throwing out those stupid lawn signs.

The Talking Dead

(You may stop selling.  I have already voted, by mail.) “Chaaange!  CHAAANGE!”

Because Presidential elections follow a week after Halloween, it’s fun to make visual associations between traditional zombies (the walking dead) and politicians (the talking dead).

All-Star Day Off Silly Song Playlist

My Wonderful, Hideous, Golden Opportunity

No one suspected that cuddly, lovable Spice was also…

THE HELLHOUND

Deluxe Gift Baskets (#2)

Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight!

detail from the Universal Comedy Flow Chart, care of the Ministry of Secret Jokes http://www.ministryofsecretjokes.com/

There’s nothing I like better than a good laugh.  It’s better than a good meal.  A unique gift of the human species is the ability to observe tragic circumstances and see humor in it. There’s nothing we can’t find funny; funerals, starvation, alcoholism, bad smells and bankruptcy.

The 18 Degree Tilt

Eugene opens his thermos.  When he attempts to pour himself a glass of milk, it comes out at an angle, missing the glass.  When Ernie Kovacs presented this trick, it had never been done before.

Companion on the Road

I had lunch at a place where a Mexican Mothership was landing, bringing to Earth the gift of Giant Cosmic Chiles.  I’ve been cranking around the Wheel really hard lately.  I landed a part-time job at an Urgent Care Clinic.  It’s not enough work to get my wife back, but it’s a start.  I needed a break. I took a bus to Seattle to see a show at the Paramount Theater, built in 1928.  It was given by performers I’ve listened to and loved on radio for 35 years.

Unseen & Outspoken

Interview with an Invisible

You MUST Meet Mr. Dickens

The novels and stories of Charles Dickens, and the adaptations of them for other media, speak to us and teach us about our own times.  They are easy to read and filled with characters whose qualities we can see in ourselves and others.  If you haven’t met Mr. Dickens, you’ve missed a great pleasure.