BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama

Subject: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: Helen
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 09:31 PM

Hi all,

I was watching a re-run of Daria on TV on Thursday night and then Futurama last night and I was wondering how many 'Catters share an interest in these cartoon shows based on quirky humour, or satiric humour, or non-traditional, non-Hollywood-schmaltzy humour.

I know on different threads we have referred to The Simpsons & also to Dilbert, and the User Friendly on-line & printed comic strips, and I suspect that there are a lot of people at Mudcat who can relate to these types of humour more than the usual pulp which is served up to us.

For those who don't know about Daria, she & her arty friend Jane are world weary teenagers who - to use a phrase common in Oz & I suspect elsewhere - like to take the Mickey out of what is considered to be normal human life with these wonderful dry observations. Daria particularly loves dead-pannedly winding up her flaky & very popular sister, and her parents, and her school peers & teachers - well, everyone really.

Futurama is also written by the team who write The Simpsons, so same quirky take on life except it is in the future and the type of things that are sent up are different, I think.

There are a wide range of cartoon shows on TV now which can be considered controversial by a lot of people but in my opinion are a blessed relief, but some of them I don't like at all, e.g. Ren & Stimpy.

So, any comments gratefully accepted. In a lot of ways I am looking at this from a perspective of the social comments on life in these cartoons and comparing them to the philosophy of life that Hollywood etc presents.

What are your favourites?

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: Dale Rose
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 10:22 PM

Daria is the ONLY reason I have MTV on my favorites list. It took a while, but I have seen every show at least once in the last year or so. I would not consider it controversial at all, ESPECIALLY since it comes from MTV, home of the terminally stupid and mindless. Despite its genesis as a spinoff of Beavis and Butthead, you'll find that there is an underlying morality to the show. And though they don't often admit it, the characters care about one another, something hard to find in TV nowadays.

I know, I know, it is just a TV show and a cartoon at that, but I find it to be practically the only CURRENT show (aside from old reruns,PBS, History, Discovery, etc) that is worth watching anymore.

CHECK HERE for a site that keeps you up to date on showings in the US, and has links to another site that has a lot of info on characters, episodes, etc. Since MTV is constantly changing times and frequency, checking in at the Paperpusher is a must. The fourth season started today, and there is to be a movie in the fall.

Oh, and the MUSIC is better than the average, too!

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 11:09 PM

Love Futurama, King of the Hill, and there was a wicked one on MTV, something Fluxx, I think, a spider/warrior woman type thing, very futuristic, maybe it was Aeon Fluxx??

Helen, do you know if the scifi show, LEXX is from Australia? We've been enjoying it on the scifi channel, but it seems there were only a few episodes and now they are rerunning all of those two or three times.

I think Futurama has fantastic social commentary both of the furture it portrays and our own present times.

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: catspaw49
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 11:34 PM

Yeah Helen...I like 'em all...and also some of the completely idiotic ones. The "Cartoon Channel" is very popular in this house! Luckily we have several TV's 'cause Ol Dad can clear a room in a heartbeat by flicking to my preferences like the History Channel or A&E or TLC or Discovery or...gawd forbid...C-Span. But since the kids play games and watch on the TV that's in THIS room with the 'puter.....I have become schooled in a lot of simpleass cartoons. Problem is that a lot of the humor, although sometimes sophomoric (like me), is directed to an older audience like Bullwinkle used to be. I shamefully admit watching and laughing at "Johnny Bravo," "I am Weasel," "Dexter's Laboratory," "Cow and Chicken," and a few other equally mindless pieces of tripe. What IS funny are the promo spots that Catoon Channel runs for some of these.....They must be an insane lot at their ad studios! Maybe I could get a job........

BUT HELEN....Since you're here .... Lately, I keep seeing an ad for a hair removal product purported to be from OZ called "Nads." Now the name alone cracked me up and I don't want to use Nads on MY nads...but,uh...Is this stuff really Australian? They have the most disgusting commercial I have seen lately. They demo on a guy with hairy legs and when they rip off the cloth (after stroking it three times!!!--Please stroke MY nads three times, just not with this gel!!!) all the hair is on the cloth and then they use the same cloth again, doubling the hair...and they show it AGAIN. NASTY lookin' shit!!! So is this really Aussie?? Just curious!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 11:38 PM

Oh, and I forgot the best...Pinky and the Brain!!!!

Eeeewwwwww, Spaw, where in the world do you see such adverts???

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: Amos
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 11:41 PM

OK, Spaw...what is it this time? If you're looking for the "smooth-shaved" look you saw in the Swimsuit Issue, I suggest you forget it...even if you and Cleigh managed to make them entirely bald, there's no way you'd get them smooth....

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: catspaw49
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 11:45 PM

ESPN maybe?? Or was it A&E? I don't remember kat...but the shit is gross!!! They also remove part of an eyebrow on this one girl and ..there you go...an eyebrow on the cloth...Makes me wanna' barf.........

Actually Amos, I have this Cornish Rex that I'm thinking of turning into a Sphinx.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: Gary T
Date: 26 Feb 00 - 01:04 AM

I find the animated comedies far superior to the "live people" ones. I appreciate Daria, Futurama, King of the Hill, The Simpsons, and (past tense) The PJs. Lots of great digs, both forthright and subtle, at our and our society's foibles.

I will say that I also appreciate Malcolm in the Middle. It's the one non-animated comedy that dares to be different, following in the lonely footsteps of All in the Family and Roseanne (both of which, sadly, lost their edge over time--especially Roseanne).

Some of the music on Daria, as Dale mentioned, is absolutely cool (I'm middle-aged, already have my "Old Fart" button).

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Feb 00 - 02:41 AM

I believe that with cartoons, I may have prepared myself for what would later become this madcap Mudcat experience without realizing it.

You see, I have watched a lot of Itchy and Scratchy (on Simpsons), King of the Hill, and Beavis and Butthead. These shows and their characters moved in together into the same block in my brain. (Thus I became a blockhead.) This would not have presented any problem at all in the life I lead, thanks to the lowest-common-denominator rule here among the Uomi Tribe. However the cartoon-type commercials and a few Canadian Film Festival cartoons then osterized my forebrain completely.

The result is that all of these characters, towns, etc., have now morphed into all of you *beings* here on the soggy bottom of a banjo. And the soundtrack to this cartoon we collectively embody is stuck on THE LOG DRIVER'S WALTZ. I thank God that the song is in the DT so I can sing along. I am just barely managing. If Troll would share his meds I could just about make it. To get around at all, I have already had to exchange my remote for this little mouse.

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: Tchaikovsky
Date: 26 Feb 00 - 03:33 AM

Oh, Someone mentioned the Log Driver's Waltz....that is such a great little animated Canadian Cartoon. I used to play it in a Celtic Band and we to tell everyone to tell us where they heard it before and everyone would generally say it was from "that" cartoon. There are several short Canadian cartoons that are great...they make you think. I think the NFB puts them out. Does anyone remember a really weird little cartoon called "Dr.Snuggles"? It was really spooky and had really neat synthesized music.

The Simpsons of course and simply wonderful. I'm surprised no one has mentioned South Park. The first episodes were wonderful and then it went right down the tubes. Nothing in that cartoon is sacred....they make fun of everyone!! So no one can really find it offensive...but people do anyways.

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: raredance
Date: 26 Feb 00 - 09:49 AM

The South Park movie was much more clever than I had expected. I likely would have never rented the video, but my son did. It borders on being a musical and one of the songs "Blame Canada" which is full of sarcasm and R-rated lyrics was nominated for an Oscar in the 'Best Song' category. Historically the TV production of the Oscars has always included performances of the 5 best song nominees. It could be interesting to see how they handle this one, who performs it and if it's censored. ONe of the other best song writer/performers has said that she is better than Phil Collins (Tarzan) and has "threatend " to boo on camera if Collins wins, but that could be an idle threat to attract attention.

rich r

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Feb 00 - 11:01 AM

Hi Tchai--

Yeah!!!

That Log Driver's Waltz made such an impression on me with one hearing that I went nuts trying to catch a rerun of it to be sure of the tune, which would kinda come and go in my head. It did run again, within weeks, and I think I caught the tune (or an acceptable variation). Then I couldn't tape down the yrics, except the chorus. I didn't know then that there even were ways of researchng lyrics, so when I stumbled in here early in my first surfing days, and that song was in here-- which I had been sure would be way to obscure-- well I was hooked. I'd love to hear your version of it. If a recording is available, good quality or bad, I'd love it. If there's any chance, willya see me in the personal pages?

Subject: RE: BS: Quirky cartoon humour: Daria, Futurama
From: Helen
Date: 26 Feb 00 - 04:43 PM

Now I'm feeling frustrated because you are all mentioning lots of cartoons and I don't have access to any of them. We probably will get pay-TV sometime - my hubby had it when he lived up country, but he didn't get it when he moved back here, too busy socialising with his buddies again.

'Spaw,

Unfortunately yes: to the list of entitiies etc we have foisted on the world (Rolf Harris, Olivia Newton-John, Paul Hogan etc) unfortunately I have to add Nads, including the commercial - exactly as I have seen it on TV here. I didn't consciously know the use of the word as you describe it (luckily I'm not eating my breakfast yet) but it may explain why subconsciously I winced each time I heard it - apart from the extreme crassness of the ad, of course.

kat, I don't know about LEXX - never heard of it. I'll see what I can find out. I haven't seen Aeon Fluxx but your description reminds me of the live-action movie Tank Girl. It's great. I think it was based on a cartoon strip.

Dale, I agree about what you said about Daria, especially about the underlying morality. I guess when I used the word controversial I meant that, well the type of people Daria & jane consider to be fair game would be the type of people who would possibly object to it especially asa cartoon shown on our public/government funded TV channel at 5.30pm i.e. the time when kids are likely to be watching. Ren & Stimpy started out on the same channel at about the same time but had to be moved to about 9.30pm because of some viewers' outrage. Daria wouldn't create that sort of backlash because it is more subtle, but it reminds me of when Noddy books (British, kids books, by Enid Blyton) back in about the 60's were retracted from sales and the best I canmake out of the scanty info is that it was because Noddy said in one that he was "feeling a little queer" and Mr Plod, the policeman i.e. an authority figure, was portrayed as a plodding, pleasantly stupid man. Huh!?

Helen