Hi, everybody! Just wanted to drop a few syllables on you all this fine morning, nothing big, just stuff… first, here’s some shots of last Saturday’s Art Hop taken at Tapas Downtown…
Here’s a shot of the incomparable Benita Epstein, cartoonist extraordinaire, published in the New Yorker, Reader’s Digest. etc. etc., the schlub on the left was once published in Hakeem’s Liquor’s Monthly Coupon Circular. Hey, they have some great prices. The man in the mirror is former Penguineer, Greg Pate. (Photo courtesy of Benita’s husband, Ted)
In this photo, the Literati mingle, chat and suck down free wine while the cartoonist toils and sweats. Ain’t it the way? That’s A News Cafe.com’s own Jim Dyar shuckin’ and jivin’ with Greg.
In other news…
“Beat The Reaper” Is Big Hit, Twice!
Josh Bazell’s dark comedy, “Beat The Reaper”, is a big hit and will soon be a major motion picture. That’s swell and all, but fans (and even members) of the comedy troupe Firesign Theatre are a little bewildered that nobody seems to mind that the title of Mr. Bazell’s bestseller rhymes with a famous FST bit from their first album, “Waiting For The Electrician, Or Someone Like Him” called “Beat The Reaper”.
The Firesign version is a game show parody wherein a contestant is injected with various diseases and he must guess, from his symptoms, what malady he’s contracted. A correct answer will “Beat The Reaper” and earn a shot of the antidote. Failure results in, well…you get the picture. The audio skit is deeply ingrained in popular culture and, despite the generational differences, it’s hard to believe Josh had never heard the phrase in connection with the piece. I’m not saying there should be a lawsuit or anything, but it would be nice if the author at least acknowledged that the title was Firesign’s creation.
I saw the book on our local library’s “New Release” wall and checked it out… I loved it. Clever, dark and fast-paced, it deserves its success. I think the Firesign guys deserve their credit as well.
