I know you miss the Wainwrights, Bobby, but they were weak and stupid people - and that's why we have wolves and other large predators.
December 22, 2008 7:34 AM Subscribe
I want to see "Now, as I cut the umbilical cord, your baby's life begins."
posted by iamkimiam at 7:44 AM on December 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by iamkimiam at 7:44 AM on December 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
They don't really work, but it's very interesting thinking about why. I guess it's because drawing (or cartooning anyway) and photography are fundamentally different, they just happen to share a brain input channel, like talking vs music.
posted by DU at 7:47 AM on December 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by DU at 7:47 AM on December 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
Bummer of a birthmark, Hal.
posted by jquinby at 7:52 AM on December 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by jquinby at 7:52 AM on December 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
Thunderstick? That, my friend, is a Winchester thirty-aught-six.
posted by DU at 7:54 AM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by DU at 7:54 AM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
The world was going down the tubes. They needed a scapegoat. They found Wayne.
[DOWN WITH WAYNE] [WAYNE MUST GO!] [NO MORE WAYNE] [WAYNE YOU NERD]
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:07 AM on December 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
[DOWN WITH WAYNE] [WAYNE MUST GO!] [NO MORE WAYNE] [WAYNE YOU NERD]
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:07 AM on December 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
I like it better with drawings.
posted by autodidact at 8:09 AM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by autodidact at 8:09 AM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
I love the concept, and for amateur pics these are OK, but I'd love to see somebody do this with a bit of a budget and some time to set them up. Maybe there can be a contest or a "Farside photo reenactment tax break".
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 8:11 AM on December 22, 2008
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 8:11 AM on December 22, 2008
DU: Some of them don't work, but some of them are even funnier. I'm guessing it's because I'm a sick bastard.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:12 AM on December 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:12 AM on December 22, 2008 [3 favorites]
I love it! DU, the fact that they don't really work is what makes them fun, I think. Like karaoke.
posted by taz at 8:14 AM on December 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by taz at 8:14 AM on December 22, 2008 [4 favorites]
That group needs some serious moderation.
No doubt. The CAT FUD photo only makes sense because we are all familiar with the original. In the original, you can see the dog thinking "oh please oh please" which explains the entire point of the joke.
posted by DU at 8:18 AM on December 22, 2008
No doubt. The CAT FUD photo only makes sense because we are all familiar with the original. In the original, you can see the dog thinking "oh please oh please" which explains the entire point of the joke.
posted by DU at 8:18 AM on December 22, 2008
This one is spot on. Easy enough to do, but I laughed.
posted by slimepuppy at 8:20 AM on December 22, 2008
posted by slimepuppy at 8:20 AM on December 22, 2008
"Now this end is called the thagomizer... after the late Thag Simmons."
posted by steef at 8:37 AM on December 22, 2008 [22 favorites]
posted by steef at 8:37 AM on December 22, 2008 [22 favorites]
[DIDN'T WASH HANDS]
posted by resurrexit at 8:51 AM on December 22, 2008
posted by resurrexit at 8:51 AM on December 22, 2008
The CAT FUD photo only makes sense because we are all familiar with the original. In the original, you can see the dog thinking "oh please oh please" which explains the entire point of the joke.
I think that sort of thing is what makes The Far Side in particular difficult to replicate with something like this. Most of the jokes are relatively subtle, and rely on small visual details for a lot of the humor. The individual elements of the average Far Side panel aren't usually very funny, it's the precise combination of them that sell the joke.
It's the same reason why I cringe whenever someone uses a Far Side image in a PowerPoint presentation, because invariably someone doesn't get the joke and the presenter has to stop and explain why it's ironic that cow would be grilling a steak or whatever.
posted by burnmp3s at 9:04 AM on December 22, 2008
I think that sort of thing is what makes The Far Side in particular difficult to replicate with something like this. Most of the jokes are relatively subtle, and rely on small visual details for a lot of the humor. The individual elements of the average Far Side panel aren't usually very funny, it's the precise combination of them that sell the joke.
It's the same reason why I cringe whenever someone uses a Far Side image in a PowerPoint presentation, because invariably someone doesn't get the joke and the presenter has to stop and explain why it's ironic that cow would be grilling a steak or whatever.
posted by burnmp3s at 9:04 AM on December 22, 2008
I can't help but feel that the whole thing is some type of subtle Far Side joke.
posted by never used baby shoes at 9:13 AM on December 22, 2008
posted by never used baby shoes at 9:13 AM on December 22, 2008
For me, it works when I recognize the original cartoon that the Flickr shot refers too. Juxtaposing this very literal representation with my previous mind's eye version is what makes them funny.
posted by iamkimiam at 9:21 AM on December 22, 2008
posted by iamkimiam at 9:21 AM on December 22, 2008
I am inclined to think that many of these, lacking as they do the elements that made the originals funny, are the exact equivalent of tedious comedies like "Epic Movie" that make only a feeble effort to actually provide comedy, preferring instead to show us familiar set-ups from other, better movies and hope that the amusement of recognition will be enough to bring the funny. This is a pretty bargain-bin version of funny, which replaces the actual comedy with a comedy-like material.
That said, I did laugh out loud at the live-action CAT FUD photo.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:33 AM on December 22, 2008
That said, I did laugh out loud at the live-action CAT FUD photo.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:33 AM on December 22, 2008
I wish I had the time and resources to execute "Vampires! Vampires are everywhere! Everyone must beware! Vampires!"
posted by EarBucket at 9:38 AM on December 22, 2008
posted by EarBucket at 9:38 AM on December 22, 2008
That said, I did laugh out loud at the live-action CAT FUD photo.
I'm wondering how many sad, Larson-deprived people in the world wonder why that one's not on icanhascheezburger.com
Also, The Argyle Sweater is funnier than these pics. But still not as good as The Far Side.
posted by WolfDaddy at 9:44 AM on December 22, 2008
I'm wondering how many sad, Larson-deprived people in the world wonder why that one's not on icanhascheezburger.com
Also, The Argyle Sweater is funnier than these pics. But still not as good as The Far Side.
posted by WolfDaddy at 9:44 AM on December 22, 2008
That cat fud picture makes life worth living.
posted by melissa may at 9:45 AM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by melissa may at 9:45 AM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Remember me? Kenya. 1942. When you shoot an Elephant, you better be prepared to finish the job.
posted by cashman at 9:54 AM on December 22, 2008 [6 favorites]
posted by cashman at 9:54 AM on December 22, 2008 [6 favorites]
Never seen it before, but Argyle Sweater is the sort of Far Side rip-off that annoys me. These remakes are, as someone already put it, like cartoon karaoke. In a good way. Sort of dumb but looks like fun to make them.
posted by JBennett at 9:59 AM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by JBennett at 9:59 AM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
I don't like the ones that use photoshop to make the gag possible. Where's the fun in that? Sure, many of those would be really hard to do any other way, but I think that it'd be worth the effort.
posted by ursus_comiter at 10:12 AM on December 22, 2008
posted by ursus_comiter at 10:12 AM on December 22, 2008
The fact that ordinary people are attempting this makes me happy, and the pictures themselves are pretty charming and sometimes outright funny. The whole lo-fi aspect is part of the charm. What would the fun be if these were exact replicas, executed by professionals with big budgets and expensive gear?
posted by swift at 10:31 AM on December 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by swift at 10:31 AM on December 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
To no one's surprise, Metafilter responded to another charming link with snark.
posted by exhilaration at 11:15 AM on December 22, 2008 [10 favorites]
posted by exhilaration at 11:15 AM on December 22, 2008 [10 favorites]
Thanks for being my friend, Wayne.
posted by allkindsoftime at 11:22 AM on December 22, 2008
posted by allkindsoftime at 11:22 AM on December 22, 2008
#4:
I had SO much fun doing this! Hahaha! I'm so weird.
This ruins it for me.
posted by Free word order! at 11:28 AM on December 22, 2008
I had SO much fun doing this! Hahaha! I'm so weird.
This ruins it for me.
posted by Free word order! at 11:28 AM on December 22, 2008
Gary Larson's comics are classic, and this is a great tribute...
posted by jon_hansen at 11:30 AM on December 22, 2008
posted by jon_hansen at 11:30 AM on December 22, 2008
I had SO much fun doing this! Hahaha! I'm so weird.
This ruins it for me.
Me too. Pro tip: If you think you are 'so weird' and you're saying so, you quite positively aren't.
posted by kingbenny at 12:24 PM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
This ruins it for me.
Me too. Pro tip: If you think you are 'so weird' and you're saying so, you quite positively aren't.
posted by kingbenny at 12:24 PM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
I'd like to see a reenactment of How Nature Says "Do Not Touch."
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:29 PM on December 22, 2008
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:29 PM on December 22, 2008
Also, The La Brea Carpets would be pretty hard to do well, but would be worth the effort.
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:30 PM on December 22, 2008
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:30 PM on December 22, 2008
Needs more cow tools.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 12:37 PM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by soundofsuburbia at 12:37 PM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
I'd like to see a reenactment of How Nature Says "Do Not Touch."
Try reading MetaTalk.
posted by Wolfdog at 12:43 PM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Try reading MetaTalk.
posted by Wolfdog at 12:43 PM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
Oh you ol bah humbug-ers doing your bah humbug-ing.
(I thought many of them were chuckle-worthy.)
posted by mcbeth at 2:37 PM on December 22, 2008
(I thought many of them were chuckle-worthy.)
posted by mcbeth at 2:37 PM on December 22, 2008
I wished so hard for somebody to make an exploding click beetle....
posted by tehloki at 2:44 PM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by tehloki at 2:44 PM on December 22, 2008 [1 favorite]
A couple of these were fun, but of course there's only so much you can do on a limited budget.
The photos that seem to work best are the simplest, eg. the mummy, which retains a lot of the graphical simplicity of the comic. CAT FUD is somewhat amusing but fails to complete the joke. Didn't Wash Hands (not seen here but mentioned as a possibility) would succeed amazingly.
But a lot of Far Side gags simply wouldn't work as a photograph. Part of the genius of Larson's work is letting the viewer fill in the improbable scenes with his own imagination; photography sometimes shows too much.
Still, as a fun project, what's the harm?
posted by bwg at 3:41 PM on December 22, 2008
The photos that seem to work best are the simplest, eg. the mummy, which retains a lot of the graphical simplicity of the comic. CAT FUD is somewhat amusing but fails to complete the joke. Didn't Wash Hands (not seen here but mentioned as a possibility) would succeed amazingly.
But a lot of Far Side gags simply wouldn't work as a photograph. Part of the genius of Larson's work is letting the viewer fill in the improbable scenes with his own imagination; photography sometimes shows too much.
Still, as a fun project, what's the harm?
posted by bwg at 3:41 PM on December 22, 2008
"Ah, yes, Mr. Frischberg, I thought you'd come ... but which of us is the real duck, Mr. Frischberg, and not just an illusion?"
---
This particular one spawned a collection of Far Side cartoons back in Spring 1988 when I was at Arizona State. My college roommate and I pasted them on the door of our dorm room and they became known as the "Frischberg Collection" to our dorm-mates.
For my 40th birthday last year, my old college roommate (now my best friend) scrounged them out of his storage and put them all in a photo display book as a gift. I now have the Frischberg collection displayed proudly on my desk.
This link has inspired me to wonder if we might stage the Frischbergs with his wife and daughters as a cool art project!
Cool link, thanks!
posted by darkstar at 4:51 PM on December 22, 2008
---
This particular one spawned a collection of Far Side cartoons back in Spring 1988 when I was at Arizona State. My college roommate and I pasted them on the door of our dorm room and they became known as the "Frischberg Collection" to our dorm-mates.
For my 40th birthday last year, my old college roommate (now my best friend) scrounged them out of his storage and put them all in a photo display book as a gift. I now have the Frischberg collection displayed proudly on my desk.
This link has inspired me to wonder if we might stage the Frischbergs with his wife and daughters as a cool art project!
Cool link, thanks!
posted by darkstar at 4:51 PM on December 22, 2008
where has this slideshow been all my life.
am in L! O! V! E!
posted by liza at 6:31 PM on December 22, 2008
am in L! O! V! E!
posted by liza at 6:31 PM on December 22, 2008
btw, this is not only my favoritest Far Side panel evar and forevar, it's one of the best of the Flickr reenactments as well.
posted by liza at 6:39 PM on December 22, 2008
posted by liza at 6:39 PM on December 22, 2008
Howdy howdy howdy!
posted by schoolgirl report at 7:44 PM on December 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by schoolgirl report at 7:44 PM on December 22, 2008 [2 favorites]
The guy who actually put printer paper in his window to replicate the background of "Pants first, THEN your shoes" won it for me.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 1:15 AM on December 23, 2008
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 1:15 AM on December 23, 2008
> thagomizer
Hilarious edit war (paraphrased):
a: added mention that cavemen didn't have last names
b: removed, not relevant
a: re-inserted, it's an important aspect of the joke
b: removed, no it's not, quit inserting irrelevant trivia
a: re-inserted
b: ok, got a cite?
a: FINE! DELETE IT! DOES THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY, ASSHOLE?
posted by ryanrs at 3:30 AM on December 23, 2008 [1 favorite]
Hilarious edit war (paraphrased):
a: added mention that cavemen didn't have last names
b: removed, not relevant
a: re-inserted, it's an important aspect of the joke
b: removed, no it's not, quit inserting irrelevant trivia
a: re-inserted
b: ok, got a cite?
a: FINE! DELETE IT! DOES THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY, ASSHOLE?
posted by ryanrs at 3:30 AM on December 23, 2008 [1 favorite]
I never realized how many Far Side cartoons would actually be cruel and abusive if reenacted in real life...
Bobbing for Poodles
Tethercat
"Think there are any bears in this cave Jim?"
"We drew straws Hal. You lost."
"I love these things, crunchy on the outside and chewy centers." [Igloos]
And on. I think Gary and I may have a twisted sense of humor here.
posted by iamkimiam at 7:53 AM on December 23, 2008
Bobbing for Poodles
Tethercat
"Think there are any bears in this cave Jim?"
"We drew straws Hal. You lost."
"I love these things, crunchy on the outside and chewy centers." [Igloos]
And on. I think Gary and I may have a twisted sense of humor here.
posted by iamkimiam at 7:53 AM on December 23, 2008
This one gave me a big belly laugh: the mix of "innocuously arranged ordinary items", "what the hell is she wearing", "oh look at her face I know her mind" is exactly what made the Far Side so great. Too bad the photographer couldn't keep from commenting.
Years and years ago my wife and I were hanging out in a friend's kitchen before a dinner party. The hostess was digging around in the freezer for something. My wife decided she wanted more ice cubes in her drink, and put her cup in the dispenser on the freezer door. The complementary confusions --- one "this ice thingy worked a few minutes ago" and one "what is falling on my head" --- gave me the same belly laugh. Good times.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 10:42 AM on December 23, 2008 [3 favorites]
Years and years ago my wife and I were hanging out in a friend's kitchen before a dinner party. The hostess was digging around in the freezer for something. My wife decided she wanted more ice cubes in her drink, and put her cup in the dispenser on the freezer door. The complementary confusions --- one "this ice thingy worked a few minutes ago" and one "what is falling on my head" --- gave me the same belly laugh. Good times.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 10:42 AM on December 23, 2008 [3 favorites]
Don't sit there—that chair's just not safe.
posted by kenko at 6:15 PM on December 23, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by kenko at 6:15 PM on December 23, 2008 [1 favorite]
« Older It was Christmas Day and Danny the Car Wiper hit... | Peter Funch's Babel Tales. Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by marginaliana at 7:44 AM on December 22, 2008 [10 favorites]