Comics I Don’t Understand

BBQIDU

Cidu Bill on Jul 4th 2009

Okay, this would make sense to me if this were some bigass grill… but it looks like the one I bought at Home Depot last month for $99. So unless the fanfare is overcompensation for the size of the grill, which doesn’t really make sense to me, I’m just stumped.

Filed in Arlo and Janis, BBQ, Bill Bickel, CIDU, Jimmy Johnson, comic strips, comics, humor | 30 responses so far

30 Responses to “BBQIDU”

furrykef Jul 4th 2009 at 04:36 pm 1

I dunno. But isn’t it funny how everybody knows “Also sprach Zarathustra”, but they don’t know its name?
furrykef Jul 4th 2009 at 04:40 pm 2

By the way, I’d suggest that the strip is nothing more than the beginning of a story arc, except Saturday would be a rather unusual day to start one. Does Arlo & Janis do this sometimes or do they just stick to Monday like most strips?
Lost in A**2 Jul 4th 2009 at 04:43 pm 3

It’s the Independence Day barbecue. Reason enough for a fanfare, to Arlo.
Cidu Bill Jul 4th 2009 at 04:45 pm 4

Is it so different from so many other bits of classical music we all know but can’t name? At least this one we do have a name for, or at least a name we can all use and most people will recognize (”The Music from 2001″).
S.P. Charles Jul 4th 2009 at 04:52 pm 5

Lost, I’d think an Independence Day barbecue would call for something like “Stars and Stripes Forever,” rather than German music most associated with apes.
Cidu Bill Jul 4th 2009 at 05:01 pm 6

Speaking of which, Charles…
Lost in A**2 Jul 4th 2009 at 05:09 pm 7

While I like “Stars and Stripes,” it’s not really a fanfare kind of thing.
Singapore Bill Jul 4th 2009 at 05:14 pm 8

CIDU Bill, comic strip wives are notoriously frugal and always get angry at any purchase made by their husbands. Do not question the comic strip logic.
CIDU Bill Jul 4th 2009 at 05:35 pm 9

Isn’t it, Lost? It sounds like a suitably rousing tune to me. I’d use it myself while rolling out the grill tonight, but then my wife would ask me why I’m making such a big deal out of such a small grill and I’d have to say I don’t know why, but I was hoping some of the visitors to my site will explain it to me.
Lost in A**2 Jul 4th 2009 at 05:57 pm 10

Fanfares are usually short pieces, thirty to sixty seconds. In my opinion, the various parts
of “Stars and Stripes” don’t lend themselves to that usage.

I also think it a shame that most people know no more than that of “Also Sprach
Zarathustra,” but that’s a different rant.
CIDU Bill Jul 4th 2009 at 06:56 pm 11

The part of Stars and Stripes Forever most people know lasts 10-15 seconds, a bit shorter than the part of ASZ most people know.
Norm Jul 4th 2009 at 07:15 pm 12

I’m gonna vote for the Washington Post March! One of my favorites watching the Marine Corps band as a kid.
yellojkt Jul 4th 2009 at 10:47 pm 13

I thought he was about to play the song on his grille using the spatulas as drumsticks like the apemen at the beginning of the movie.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat Jul 4th 2009 at 11:24 pm 14

Norm-
You mean the theme from Monty Python? Kinda lost its patriotic feeling to me after the Brits expropriated it.
DB Jul 4th 2009 at 11:54 pm 15

Looks like Arlo bought a smoker.
furrykef Jul 5th 2009 at 12:04 am 16

The Monty Python theme is the Liberty Bell March. I don’t think The Washington Post march is strongly associated with any show or movie in particular, though it does pop up frequently.
woodenmask Jul 5th 2009 at 06:25 am 17

Arlo just loves to grill. He’s making a big deal out of the fact that he’s grilling. It’s silly, but Janice is a good audience for his silliness.
David A. Rooney Jul 5th 2009 at 07:07 am 18

He’s just finished grilling lunch to perfection and is about to present it to Janis. Of course, as soon as he opens the grill he’s going to spill his drink sitting on top. At least, I hope that’s a glass, and not a container of lighter-fluid or Arlo may win a Darwin Award.
Keera Jul 5th 2009 at 07:28 am 19

Oh, Bill, thank you for that Muppet clip! You and the “weirdos” made me laugh more than the comics do.
Sili Jul 5th 2009 at 08:46 am 20

What woodenmask said.
Bob in Nashville Jul 5th 2009 at 09:34 am 21

I’m with Arlo. Who could resist an excuse to imitate the kettle drum part in that?
Patrick Jul 5th 2009 at 11:31 am 22

I don’t know what kind you bought for $99, CIDU Bill, but I think this IS supposed to be depicting a pretty big grill. Something like this: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07116641000P?vName=Outdoor+Living&cName=Grills+%26+Outdoor+Cooking&sName=Gas+Grills
eeyore19 Jul 5th 2009 at 12:23 pm 23

After getting us humming “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, I was expecting Arlo to wheel out a big black monolith of a grill.

Lost: your comment about people only knowing that part of “Also….” makes me think of the fact that “The Lone Ranger Theme” is pretty much all anyone knows of “William Tell.”
Mark in Boston Jul 5th 2009 at 03:03 pm 24

The Washington Post March is heard all through the football game in the movie M*A*S*H.
jjmcgaffey Jul 5th 2009 at 04:32 pm 25

So what is the real name of the carousel music? The organist in church played the whole piece today, and I recognized several bits of it, but it started with the music that carousels always play. My mother says it’s a Sousa march but couldn’t remember which one. AKICI CIDU Bill’s followers? (All Knowledge Is Contained In (normally Fandom)).
Bullthistle Jul 5th 2009 at 09:18 pm 26

JJMCGaffey - I didn’t hear your organist today but the Liberty Bell (Monty Python theme) is by Sousa and used on carousels.
http://www.amazon.com/Liberty-Bell/dp/B0010ZCPSO/ref=dm_ap_trk3
Powers Jul 6th 2009 at 07:23 am 27

Patrick, I think Bill was expecting something more along these lines: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07116654000P?vName=Outdoor+Living&cName=Grills+%26+Outdoor+Cooking&sName=Gas+Grills
Sari Everna Jul 7th 2009 at 11:34 pm 28

jjmcgaffey:
You’re in luck! I just bookmarked some sites recently that are useful tools in that sort of search.
First, Song Tapper: http://www.bored.com/songtapper/
Second, Musipedia(which is mostly classical stuff): http://www.musipedia.org/
And lastly, Midomi: http://www.midomi.com/
You may also wish to look up Tunatic, but that’s more for the actual recordings since it can tell you whose version it is, and besides, it must be downloaded.

I’m afraid I don’t have much to add to this conversation, otherwise. Enjoy the links!
Mitch4 Jul 8th 2009 at 08:18 am 29

(Finally caught up with the Muppets Stars & Stripes video.) They try to recite some of the Preamble to the Constitution. They must not know the version used in Vidalia, GA: ” … In order to Farm a more Perfect Onion, …”.
Mitch4 Jul 10th 2009 at 06:03 am 30

Sari Everna — Thanks so much for those music-search links! I’ve been playing with them this week and they’re quite intriguing, particularly Musipedia with its variant codings and thus lookup methods.