Wednesday, December 1, 2010

We Glorified Apes

Bizarro is brought to you today by The Blog.

I've heard that "Two and a Half Men" is America's most popular sit-com. As a person who would like very much to get into the TV business, this distresses me. I have only been able to watch a few minutes of a couple of episodes of this juggernaut before my brain ratcheted into survival mode and told my hand to change the channel. On each occasion, it took hours to shake off the willies.

I often find most extremely popular comedies to be utterly repugnant. This does not portend well for my chances in Hollywood. So I thought of this cartoon and I really like it. This would be a funnier premise for a sit-com, in my opinion.

My turtle penthouse gag is from a collaboration with my good friend and holder of one of the best pun names ever, Richard Cabeza. Since a tortoise's shell is his home, imagine what a high-rise apartment building of tortoises would look like. I don't even want to try to draw that.

Another popular TV show that makes me wonder if I am the same species as the millions of people who cannot live without it is "Dancing with the Stars." I wrote this gag weeks ago just because I hate the show, but when it ran in the papers last week, Bristles Palin's bid for top honors on that very show was in the news. A lucky coincidence. As many other people noted, how is this person a "star"? Becoming famous because you are the unwed pregnant teen of a megalomaniac hardly endows one with star quality.

But celebrity is often unearned, that is the nature of our human world. Humans are glorified apes who happened to evolve a very powerful brain. If any other species had been genetically gifted in this same way, they'd likely make just as big of fools of themselves as we do.

My apologies to any of my readers who are fans of the shows I've trashed here today. These are just my opinions, your results may vary wildly. As well they should. I'm just another random, glorified ape making a fool of myself on an hourly basis.

A parting gag: in reference to a blog a few days ago I accidentally referred to Ziggy as Zippy in a comment on Facebook. These characters with similar names could scarcely be at further ends of the cartoon scale but it gave me the idea to combine them. I present to you here, the yin/yang hero/villain, Zigpy the Pudhead, with apologies to Bill Griffith and Tom Wilson.

11 comments:

Nate F said...

I have no clue how people can watch Dancing With the Stars - and ENJOY it. Really baffles me. And now they have Skating With the Stars. Really?! Are we that dumbed-down as television viewers?

Prospero said...

You hit both nails on the head with those shows. Personally, I hate all so-called "reality" shows.

Gitte said...

There is a similiar program in Norway called "Skal vi danse?"/"Shall we dance?". I like watching professionals dance because they are so skilled and graceful in their movement. However, watching various celebrities' rather unsuccesful attempts at dancing is more embarrassing than entertaining.

(Just out of curiosity, is there any particular TV-shows that you like?)

Anonymous said...

consider it a compliment your not mainstream! mainstream is idiotic. listening to charlie sheen spew his misogyny and bad jokes for a half an hour or bristol (nice name) palin dance around like a numb nut in a silly, slutty suit is hardly for the thinking, enlightened audience.

your work rocks and makes me think more, which is a good thing!

DARG said...

Aw Dan, you vandalized ziggy....

Anyway, my kid is asking what you use to draw your cartoons.

Anonymous said...

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/images/2007/12/03/yertle_or_snake.jpg

-Y.T. Tuttle

idsvil said...

I want a Zigpy the Pudhead doll,ahem-"actualization figure" for the holidays! At least a t-shirt! GENIUS! Maybe they aren't really that different from each other. They are both drawn as mutant throwaways,with Zig usually at the sh#% end of the tide of society, and Zip usually on the ever consuming consumer rip current, blissfully attaining enlightenment all the way down.
Or maybe it just depends on the dose of acid one has taken...

YOW, indeed.

john said...

Dan, the turtle gag was done by Dr Suess in Yertle the Turtle. you need the back story.

matts2 said...

Regarding the turtle hi-rise, did you forget about Yertle The Turtle?

Anonymous said...

Ted Geisel and Dan Pirraro... great minds think alike. Like Alexander G. filed his application just hours before his competitor, Elisha Gray. Sinchronicity... deal with it and dig it.

Anonymous said...

I saw the turtle comic and instantly thought "It's turtles all the way down!" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down