[Smt-talk] Music Theory in the Funny Pages

[Brian Robison]

Speaking of the Beatles: For my money, the *non plus ultra* of music theory
in the funny pages is still a "Robotman" (now "Monty") strip by Jim Meddick
... from the 1980s, I believe ... in which the titular android, listening to
the Liverpool lads' music, offers a hilariously impersonal, technical
analysis of, e.g., the "flat submediant key switches" ... which is even
funnier when you know that it's a verbatim quotation from William Mann's
article in the (London) TImes of Dec 23, 1963.

Alas, I've had no luck finding a link to the strip.

All best,

Brian Robison, Lecturer
Department of Music
Northeastern University
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston MA 02115




On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 3:17 PM, David K Feurzeig <mozojo at gmail.com> wrote:

> This is a funny coincidence, because "Forget You" is the song I use as a
>  "contemporary" example of the classic (Beatles-initiated) progression
> I - II# - IV - I.
>
> David Feurzeig
> UVM
>
>
> On Sep 9, 2011, at 1:16 PM, Paul Lombardi wrote:
>
>  A music theory textbook flies across the screen in the music video
>> *Forget* You by Cee Lo Green.
>>
>> Paul Lombardi, Ph.D.
>> Lecturer III
>> Department of Music
>> University of New Mexico
>>
>> On 9/9/2011 5:07 AM, Dave Headlam wrote:
>>
>>> Indeed! I like the blue wrist braces . . .
>>>
>>> On the general topic of music theory in popular culture, there’s a
>>> notable episode of an old TV show, Moonlighting, which starred Cybill
>>> Shepherd and Bruce Willis. In the episode, Willis is dating a cellist,
>>> and he goes over to her wall, and she has a diploma of some sort in
>>> Music Theory. So, Willis says, “Music Theory, huh? [ plucks the C string
>>> on her cello ] -- I was going to get a degree in Music Theory, but Grand
>>> Funk Railroad broke up!”
>>>
>>> Dave
>>>
>>>
>>> On 9/9/11 6:59 AM, "Justin London" <jlondon at carleton.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>>   OK, so which one of us bribed Woody Wilson and Make Manley to get
>>>   the "music theorists often use math to understand music" shout out
>>>   into today's comic?
>>>
>>>   http://www.oregonlive.com/**comics-kingdom/?feature_id=**Judge_Parker<http://www.oregonlive.com/comics-kingdom/?feature_id=Judge_Parker>
>>>
>>>   And next time, let's talk to Garry Trudeau or Darby Conly(!)
>>>
>>>   ***************************************************
>>>   Justin London
>>>   Affiliated Researcher, /Centre for Music and Science, /University of
>>>   Cambridge
>>>   Professor of Music (and other stuff), Carleton College
>>>   Department of Music
>>>   One North College St.
>>>   Northfield, MN 55057 USA
>>>   507-222-4397
>>>   fax 507-222-5561
>>>   jlondon at carleton.edu
>>>
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-- 
Brian Robison

www.brianrobison.org
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