Jeff Overturf who? part 4: Turf Log-"Kindegarten: The Final Frontier"

"Turf Log" issue #2. Written and Drawn in 1994, color slapped on it in 2009. It's a love story. As always, click the smaller thumbnails to view full size. Enjoy!

Some of the names of the innocent and the guilty have been changed.

Happy Independence Day!

A happy 233rd birthday to this tired old country of ours. To Uncle Sam, Columbia, their 3 kids (Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness) standing here amongst the amber waves of grain, beneath their purple mountains majesty, stretching from sea to shining sea!

Yes, she's tired and yes she's got some miles on her, but she still looks damn good.

As far as a National Anthem?

I think "The Star Spangled Banner" is a better poem than it is a song, it's too hard to sing.

"God Bless America"? I like the sentiment and Kate Smith could belt the hell out of it, but I take umbrage to the idea we have to seek protection from a higher power instead of getting done what needs to be done on our own. That's for 12 step programs, not us of the "good ol' American ingenuity".

I still favor "This Land is Your Land". Some say it's a cynical view from a leftist, satirizing it's surface meaning. I say horseshit. I think Woody is saying this country is great, but it's got some real troubles. But because it's great, we can fix those troubles. It's worth fixing. It's worth working on. It's worth doing.

Here's a couple versions of the song for you to judge by yourselves.

Here's a montage video with Woody himself warbling away these respectful, insightful, funny and true lyrics.



And here's a more recent video of Woody's son Arlo singing the song with Pete Seeger helping along. Just check out ol' Pete flailing on that banjo and raising his voice so all can hear, like he just heard the song for the first time. Great stuff.



Happy birthday America. And when I say that I mean all of you who are America. They said you would never make it. Look at you go.

Historical Smegma

"Smegma Wad of the Week"

Charles Ponzi

Not to be confused with...

"Smegma-Free"

Fonzie

Jeff Overturf who? part 3: "Singin' Cowboy"

These 5 pages of "Turf Log" were a supplement in the back pages of issue #1, that I posted here on June 20. When I first did this comic book back in 1994, I wanted each issue to have a song to go with it. How odd that a song should be in a comic with no music? Oh well, I was ahead of my time. Nowadays it can easily be done in a web comic with an accompanying mp3 loaded next to it. And I may just try that out as I post new stuff.
You'll probably not be hearing a file with this song though. I like the sentiment behind the song (I do wish there were still singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers and I wish I was one), and I like the end-cap of the song to the quick black out joke referenced in the story (Flint Limpus and I on a sleepover discussing what we'd like to be when we grew up), but it has it's shortcomings.

I was still new to stringing together words in a song, and the song is unintentionally derivative of a pop-country song that came out around that time called "I Want to Be A Cowboy". I was slightly aware of that at the time I think, but I was trying to point out that there was a difference between a cowboy, a "Singing Cowboy" and a country music singer. That point never quite came across in my song, so it's better left behind me.

I wanted to post it though because I do like the cartoons I drew for it...all except the horse. Never got the hang of cartooning a horse. I'm Equine Challenged.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little out-take. Remember, just click the smaller thumbnails to view them full size. See you tomorrow.

Blues Poet

Willie Dixon would have been 94 years old today.

Willie was "The" blues poet on the Chicago Blues scene through the 1950's and early 60's, writing for Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter and a lot more. He also was a bass player and singer with his own trio. Phil and Leonard Chess of Chess records even made him a producer and A&R man...a pretty impressive fete in those decades for a man of color, even on a "race record" label in a culturally diverse town like Chicago.

But mainly, as I said, he was "The" blues poet. He wrote countless songs you know like "Little Red Rooster" and "Back Door Man" covered over and over by The Doors, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Yardbirds and lots more.

Why do I know about this guy? I came of age in the late 70's early 80's. Popular music was CRAP! There was of course the Disco and Urban-cookie-cutter-Cowboy music which permeated the airwaves...both of which I can blame on John Travolta movies. When those scares went away, there was middle of the road new wave shite. Punk never made it to Montana, and by the time new Wave hit it had already been saccharined up with electronic drum kits (an abomination) Casio keyboards (a travesty before God) and the rest. And the lyrical content of top 40 pap was abysmal. Eric Clapton put it into words best as to why he was drawn to blues over pop. Pop, he said, was "Boy's" music, he wanted "Men's" music. I felt the same.

I was out in the middle of the great prairie though, so I had to really hunt my stuff down. I had to special order the great blues records I wanted through my local record store, and whenever I got a new blues album, I would scour the liner notes and songwriter indicia for leads to more and more that I would like.

One name kept popping up over and over. Willie Dixon. Just check out some classic "Man" song lyrics:

"BACKDOOR MAN"

I am the backdoor man
I am the backdoor man
The men don't know
But the little girls, they understand

"BUILT FOR SPEED"

Some folks are built like this
Some folks are built like that
But the way I'm built
Now, don't you call me fat

'Cause I'm built for comfort
I ain't built for speed
I got everything here
That a good girl needs

"HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN"

Gypsy woman told my mama
Before I was born
You got a boy child comin'
Gonna be a son-of-a-gun
Gonna make these pretty women
Jump and shout
And the world want to know
What it's all about

On the seventh hour
On the seventh day
On the seventh month
The seventh doctor said
'He was born for good luck
And I know you see'd
I got seven hundred dollars
Now, don't you mess with me

"SEVENTH SON"

Now, I can hold you close
And I can squeeze you tight
And I can make you cry for me
Both day and night
I can heal the sick
I can raise the dead
And make you little girls
Talk out of your head

That's way more powerful stuff than Hall & Oats ever sissy-fied your sons with.

And he had a presence for singing and a skill with bass playing too...








Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy (above)

Willie Dixon, "Steady Rollin'" Bob Margolin and Muddy Waters (below)

Thanks Willie.