"Sir Basil Metabolism" in Manic Depressive Pictures Present is dependent on the US pronunciation of the name Basil, the same as 'basal', which that sort of metabolism is. Over here the joke falls flat, because the name is always pronounced with a short a, as is the herb 'basil', pronounced 'bazzle'. I believe that, even over there, the name of the British actor, the villainous/Holmesian Rathbone, is pronounced our way?

~M~