Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Phish is breaking up. Phish is breaking up. BAHAFBWERHSISbshsnsapapwy203921180`8`94523
Let me swallow my emotional despair for a second and say that I'm very, very glad that they're quitting while they're ahead (something that Cheap Trick and Jim Davis definitely could take a lesson from). Nothing is more pathetic than rock bands jumping the shark. It is not hard to imagine a huge decline in the quality of Phish's music in the near future... I mean, I guess there already has been somewhat of a decline; since their hiatus, they frankly haven't been playing as well together, and their tours have been getting shorter and shorter and their compositions have been getting less inspired. That's what I think, anyway.
On the bright side, I think the individual members are all definitely going great places with their music. I think Trey's recent visit to Africa could really open creative doors for his music, as it did for Paul Simon in the 80s. (I have always prefered Paul Simon's solo stuff to the Simon and Garfunkel albums anyway, so there you go.) Grudgingly I admit that their breakup is for the better.
OK, so today I decided to check out a certain web comic that I used to love but got disenchanted with a while ago for some reason, yes, you know the one; and I was struck by this strip, which bares some resemblance to a certain strip I did some years ago. It's unlikely, but not impossible, that David Simpson stole it from me, and it's really not UNCANNILY similar, so I'm just going to assume that he arrived at the joke independently. And it's not like I really care either way, it's just hmmm.
And look, wow, he's got a new political cartoon going, and it looks pretty good. He's a better artist than I once gave him credit for. Yet more inspiration for me to get into cartooning again.
So yeah, I'm working on character designs for a new comic strip, but I don't think I should plan TOO much, because I think the best comics start off weird and then sort of "plan" themselves. It's Darwinian as hell. The best ideas stay, and the bad ones know their place. Cool.
Let me swallow my emotional despair for a second and say that I'm very, very glad that they're quitting while they're ahead (something that Cheap Trick and Jim Davis definitely could take a lesson from). Nothing is more pathetic than rock bands jumping the shark. It is not hard to imagine a huge decline in the quality of Phish's music in the near future... I mean, I guess there already has been somewhat of a decline; since their hiatus, they frankly haven't been playing as well together, and their tours have been getting shorter and shorter and their compositions have been getting less inspired. That's what I think, anyway.
On the bright side, I think the individual members are all definitely going great places with their music. I think Trey's recent visit to Africa could really open creative doors for his music, as it did for Paul Simon in the 80s. (I have always prefered Paul Simon's solo stuff to the Simon and Garfunkel albums anyway, so there you go.) Grudgingly I admit that their breakup is for the better.
OK, so today I decided to check out a certain web comic that I used to love but got disenchanted with a while ago for some reason, yes, you know the one; and I was struck by this strip, which bares some resemblance to a certain strip I did some years ago. It's unlikely, but not impossible, that David Simpson stole it from me, and it's really not UNCANNILY similar, so I'm just going to assume that he arrived at the joke independently. And it's not like I really care either way, it's just hmmm.
And look, wow, he's got a new political cartoon going, and it looks pretty good. He's a better artist than I once gave him credit for. Yet more inspiration for me to get into cartooning again.
So yeah, I'm working on character designs for a new comic strip, but I don't think I should plan TOO much, because I think the best comics start off weird and then sort of "plan" themselves. It's Darwinian as hell. The best ideas stay, and the bad ones know their place. Cool.
