Horse of a Different Decade
Cidu Bill on Sep 4th 2009
So… Does this make sense to anybody who isn’t, you know, approaching geezerhood?
Filed in Bill Bickel, Hey Geezers! Comics!, Leigh Rubin, Rubes, comic strips, comics, humor, music | 51 responses so far
Frosted Donut Sep 4th 2009 at 12:10 pm 1
Given the prevalence of Classic Rock radio stations, there’s some chance that people under the age of 50 would get it.
But even as a geezer it took me a few moments to figure it out.
Young people:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0KKGdb4qUY
ty Sep 4th 2009 at 12:24 pm 2
Unlike many comics that strive for obscure references, this one give you all the clues you need to find the answer.
Elyrest Sep 4th 2009 at 12:40 pm 3
ty - it might have given all the clues, but you had to know the song to understand the answer. I’m a geezer and I loved the song when it first came out, but it took me a little while to put the horse with a tag with no name with the song A Horse With No Name. Once I saw it it was obvious - not so much before hand.
Dan Sep 4th 2009 at 12:52 pm 4
What do you consider geezerhood to be? I’m 39 and I got it.
Frank the curmudgeon Sep 4th 2009 at 12:54 pm 5
I didn’t get it until I saw the video. I was thinking mullet.
bws Sep 4th 2009 at 01:21 pm 6
I’m 34 and I figured it out pretty quick…
iz Sep 4th 2009 at 01:23 pm 7
I’m 47 and I thought it was hilarious although it took me a minute to figure it out. Those other horses are really old timers.
Carl Sep 4th 2009 at 01:34 pm 8
I needed the hint, and I actually own that album.
meep Sep 4th 2009 at 01:39 pm 9
I’m mid-thirties, and I got it.
Bill Zilch Sep 4th 2009 at 01:39 pm 10
22, and I got it.
Nathan C Sep 4th 2009 at 01:50 pm 11
I’m 26, and it took me a minute, but now I’m riding through the desert on a Horse with no Name.
ty Sep 4th 2009 at 02:00 pm 12
Elyrest - No, you don’t have to know the song. The cartoon tells you that it’s about popular song. It has something to do with horses. Something to do with names or name tags. It gives you the year. That, and Google, is enough to piece it together.
Longest A Sep 4th 2009 at 02:29 pm 13
I’m 19, and I got this one, but I had to think about it for a moment. I suppose it helps that my mother loves that song, though…
Scott Sep 4th 2009 at 02:30 pm 14
27 and I got it. It’s a very well-known song.
Lucky Sep 4th 2009 at 02:56 pm 15
I’m 21 and got it. Thank you GTA: San Andreas.
Dan V Sep 4th 2009 at 03:02 pm 16
This one was very well done. Had to think, but then laughing out loud.
Rasheed Sep 4th 2009 at 04:09 pm 17
I just turned 31. I got it immediately, but the “Mr” part in Ed’s tag isn’t sitting right with me for some reason. I think the song is pretty embedded in pop culture, although the band America probably isn’t. I figure any song that makes an appearance on the Simpsons will have an uptick in search engine popularity.
Elyrest Sep 4th 2009 at 04:53 pm 18
ty - if you don’t know the song the comic is just not going to be funny and if I have to Google it to figure it out then all the clues really aren’t there. I got the joke. All I was saying as if you didn’t know that there was a song about a horse with no name then it wouldn’t really be funny.
Sal Sep 4th 2009 at 05:08 pm 19
I got yer geezer hood right here!
az Sep 4th 2009 at 05:28 pm 20
Sadly, one didn’t have to feed hay to this “horse.”
Harise Sep 4th 2009 at 05:33 pm 21
the best horse comic I saw, that relied on the unsaid punchline, was a scene that showed the rider being insulted, probably in the usual *(&)*&^%$ manner, I actually forget, but the horse was talking to another and saying, “you should have heard what he said about ME”.
don’t put this post in the “don’t get it” pile.
Hey, we should amend the Washington Post slogan and provide a link to this site, for If You Don’t Get It.
Cidu Bill Sep 4th 2009 at 06:04 pm 22
Harise, I like that one.
Actually, I’m reminded of an incident a few years back when several members of my family and I were having dinner with a well-known actress (long story, and I’m not going to name names) who, after a few drinks, saw fit to tell a number of people, including our waiter and the people at the next table, “F*** you and the horse you rode in on. She also, for no apparent reason, similarly insulted my brother’s wife, who was home sick at the time. My brother said “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about my wife OR the horse she rode in on.”
I don’t know, I thought it was funny.
furrykef Sep 4th 2009 at 08:33 pm 23
It took me a long time to get it and I’m definitely familiar with the song. (I’m 25, for what it’s worth.)
waferthinmint Sep 4th 2009 at 09:47 pm 24
Wildfire?
… Freebird?
(just joking, it felt good to be out of the rain.)
Drdan Sep 4th 2009 at 10:33 pm 25
I’m 48
after about 3 seconds of scanning the comic it got an audible laugh
it is actually worth posting on the office wall (the interns would not get it though)
Nicole Sep 4th 2009 at 10:47 pm 26
I am a geezer and it took me a few tries to get it .. I thought Chestnut Mare (the Byrds wrong band, wrong year ) , then Wildfire (America .. right band .. wrong year) then the DUH! moment and it came to me
Katie Sep 4th 2009 at 11:22 pm 27
I’m 24 and I got it! It did take me a few seconds.
chuckers Sep 5th 2009 at 04:07 am 28
It does take a few minutes for it to “click” into place.
Thing is, that is the ONLY bit of the song that I know.
Todd Sep 5th 2009 at 04:11 am 29
My first thought was of the common expression that compares men to horses. Then I noticed the name tags, briefly wondered why the fourth horse’s tag was blank, then figured it out.
Rasheed, Mr Ed is a talking horse that had his own show on early tv. And since neither Silver or Trigger can talk, he should be the one making the comment.
Kit Sep 5th 2009 at 05:13 am 30
My first thought was of the horse in “Godfather” . . . which would have made this an “Ew!”
Keera Sep 5th 2009 at 05:47 am 31
Like many geezers here I had to think first but then got a good laugh.
Patrick Sep 5th 2009 at 07:25 am 32
Nicole, “Wildfire” was by Michael Martin Murphey, not America. And for some reason, that was what I thought the comic was referring to, for about a second, before I saw the blank name tag and the actual name tag-nag-gag came to me.
Karen Sep 5th 2009 at 07:31 am 33
I’m not a geezer (36 doesn’t qualify) and i got it. A Horse With No Name. The fact that I got it can probably be blamed on my dad, who insisted on listening to “his” songs everytime he drove us somewhere.
The Bad Seed Sep 5th 2009 at 09:39 am 34
I never mind a comic that takes me a minute to figure out, as long as it’s funny enough to warrant the work. This took me about 10 seconds, but it was funny enough to make me smile more than any other comics that day. But then I was sad, because I knew it would end up here as a Geezer Strip, and I’d feel old.
Mark M Sep 5th 2009 at 10:07 am 35
I agree with The Bad Seed. It’s almost like a comic and puzzle combined! For every comic that has a reference only older folks would be likely to get, I would guess there are 5 that only youngsters would get.
Powers Sep 5th 2009 at 10:32 am 36
Stop making me feel old; I’m only 32. I’ve listened to music from this era my whole life.
Powers &8^]
Emi Sep 5th 2009 at 10:34 am 37
16 and I got it instantly. Love that song!
Nicole Sep 5th 2009 at 10:37 am 38
Powers, Emi and others who don’t fall into the geezer category … since you are all listening to ‘our’ music, does this mean that for the very first time in history, the music of today really IS awful ?
LOL LOL LOL LOL
CaroZ Sep 5th 2009 at 10:43 am 39
Got it real fast (and I’m in my late thirties).
And I hand it to the commenters here for educating me! I know the song pretty well but somehow always thought it was by Neil Young (the vocal style and the weird-and-forlorn lyrics just sound like him).
The speech bubble should definitely be coming from Mr. Ed!
Morris Keesan Sep 5th 2009 at 02:40 pm 40
CaroZ, I also tend to assume it’s a Neil Young song whenever I hear it, but this is apparently common.
Wikipedia quotes the composer as saying, “I know that virtually everyone, on first hearing, assumed it was Neil.”
Kamino Neko Sep 6th 2009 at 12:51 am 41
Took me a mo to get it, but, got it I did.
Not a geezer, but my parents are. (Hey, I’m in my early 30s, and they had me late-ish…they officially count as geezers at this point.) I’ve heard that song a lot. And taken to listening to it of my own volition (not often…I got tired of it in my teens).
These ‘hey Geezers’ entries are beginning to make me weep…I’ve gotten most of them, and I’m just getting old enough to feel a bit old. >_>
Rasheed Sep 6th 2009 at 01:32 am 42
I’m well aware of the talking horse, of course, I’ve just never seen any name tag with “Mr.” anything on it. Maybe “Dr.”
For grins, let’s go for obscurity and look for the horse named Friday…
bAT L. Sep 6th 2009 at 01:41 am 43
I’m 26 and I got it, along with all the other horse names. It did take a second because I was trying to figure out what would have gone on the nametag, until I understood and … TNLOLAW (tried not to laugh out loud at work).
Then again, it might help that I watched a whole lot of TV while growing up.
Cidu Bill Sep 6th 2009 at 01:54 am 44
Rasheed, I always assumed “Mister” was just part of his name, like “Mister T.”
Powers Sep 6th 2009 at 08:38 am 45
Besides, the quotation at the top of every episode was “Hello. I’m Mr. Ed”. Which is exactly what the name tag says. It’s worth a bit of unrealism to achieve synchronization.
Hunt Sep 8th 2009 at 09:00 am 46
In the desert, you can remember your name…unless you don’t have one, in which case, I guess, you can’t remember it.
DevilDan Sep 8th 2009 at 11:03 am 47
I’m in my early thirties, and I’m actually a little annoyed that they gave so many clues. It’s enough for me that the name tag is blank.
Frog72 Sep 8th 2009 at 01:18 pm 48
I own the album, though I was born in 1972….
Alex S Sep 8th 2009 at 11:18 pm 49
18 and got it right away. Love that song.
Baumenn Sep 12th 2009 at 02:23 pm 50
I’m 20 and got it immediately. I know it from Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, where I’ve heard the song like a million times in my thousands of hours of playing.
Araxie Oct 25th 2009 at 01:36 am 51
Dammit, how the heck didn’t I get that? I kept thinking that “Hello I’m ______” was the name of something from the early 70s. Maybe the horse named “Mr. Ed” distracted me or whatever….