Over the years I have found that most comic strip readers think syndicated cartoonists were born--if not already married and had kids--around the time the record industry switched from 78 rpm singles to that fancy LP technology.
Hence, I can confidently bet that some people looking at the first panel of today's Sally Forth are thinking, "'Vampire Monkeys'?!? That's just the kind of band name I'd expect from some no doubt 65-year-old cartoonist who when he's not playing golf is wondering why PBS still gets funding!"
Well, here's the pointless breakdown: I like Vampire Weekend. I like Arctic Monkeys. Hil and Faye's band is The New Delhi Monkey Gang. They often sings about vampires (when not making concept albums about suburban werewolf life cycles). Hence "Vampire Monkeys." Ta-da.
Oh, and if you happen to be at Roseland tonight, make sure to look for the sensibly dressed Midwestern couple wondering how on earth beer could cost $8 a cup.
4 comments:
Are you not allowed to use real band names? More to the point, are you not allowed to accept payola from real bands under the table to use their names?
I suppose its possible that many bands with pretentions of hipness would actually pay to not appear in Sally Forth. This too is a revenue stream to be explored.
Huh. I thought it was a hip New York reference to the obscure experimental ambient jazz group Vampire Monkeys and I was just too tragically un-hip to know about them.
Ha ha, Mr. Cartoonist! Who's un-hip now? Huh?
I was really expecting a cameo by Pela. They RAWK!
This is hilarious, thanks for explaining-it-all Francesco. The awesomest thing of this art imitating life imitating art is the fact such a bandname actually exists afterall, when yours was a satirical invention in the strip. I was googling for the answer to this (why did Sally Forth make an apparent reference to Vampire Weekend among VW's media explosion), and it brought me to your blog, which in turn has added new ironies in my understanding of Sally Forth. I may continue my years-long wretching bemusement at the dull thud of punch lines or lack there-of when I come across this strip in my morning paper, but I will now have a greater respect for some of the subtle linguistic tricks and internal manufactured culture you are inventing in the strip (such as the cross references of the kid's band name, with the popular rock band the parents saw play in NYC). In other words Sally Forth kind of bugs me but your blog forces me to admit there are interesting subplots if I think about it in light of the explanations posted here. Thanks Francesco. Rock on.
Post a Comment