Is something going to happen here? Why can’t Les just spout this stuff to Crazy Harry back in Westview? The reactions would be about the same. How is this advancing today’s plot at all? Today’s strip is just cumbersome. Mason is trying to be polite but Les is taking his single-word answers as interest.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this story is fascinating. Let’s try an experiment tomorrow, Snarkers. Recite, word for word, the Pavarotti story to a co-worker, friend, family member or mailman. See if they seem even slightly interested.
I’ll do the same and let you know how it goes.
Son of Stuck Funky 
I didn’t think this anecdote could be more mundane, but Batiuk pulled it off.
Hm, let’s read some random Wikipedia entries. Hey, this is kind of cool about Pavarotti. Huh. I bet I could get an entire week of strips out of this. Oh, I am totally thinking like a piker…or a bully troll. I bet I could get an entire month out of this. Thanks, Wikipedia!
Les Moore is that guy you can’t escape from at a party.
Typical Batom. Why tell a story in a few panels when you could take all f*cking week and really drag it out? Day after day, droning on with his stupid stage nails anecdote, it’s excruciating. He gets those dumb gags or weird little bits of minutia stuck in his brain and not only does he go out of his way to wedge them into the strip, he spends days at a time on them too. Meanwhile, whatever the “story” (really just a premise) is supposed to be gets pushed to the sideline as the Great Author indulges himself again. He deserves every bit of cynical snark he gets if you ask me (although few do).
And why does Les suddenly give a shit about Mason? I thought he was dead set against this Hollywood nonsense, what gives? And look at whatshername there, the assistant. Are we witnessing the start of some unholy “Les single-handedly saves the production” story arc here? I mean no, it can’t be, too ambitious, right? I just kind of thought he’d be at least preparing to take his little book and go home in a huff by now, you know? That TomBat, always full of really boring surprises.
I kind of get the impression that Batiuk heard this little “pearl of wisdom” while listening to NPR in his car.
Since we’re left to imagine subtext, I’m going to pretend Mason’s “Seriously?” is said in the same tone as “Your point?”
Consider a cartoonist who, whether by volition or by contractual obligation, feels the need to illustrate a conversation in which one of the characters is explaining Pavarotti’s superstition about the bent nails. If the cartoonist is any good, he’ll illustrate the action with the voice-over as captions. We would see the sewing of the secret pockets. We would see Signore Pavarotti caching the talisman in his special pockets. We would see him at La Scala.
But noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. If he’s the author of Funky Winkerbean, all he gives us is Les Moore, telling us all about it. Very slowly.
Oh, oh. I think I know how this lame piece of trivia about Pavarotti is going to end. With a patented lame Batiuk pun!
Les to Mason: “. . . and so those little nails in his pocket helped Pavarotti combat his ‘performance anxiety’. Seriously!
Say, that story reminds me. I need some cash. Would you give me two fives for a Tenor?”
*sigh*
@TheDiva, the subtext I got was, are you still rattling on about this? Of course I’m sure TB meant for us to believe that Tupperware Container is enraptured by this story … 1/4 inch from reality my ass.
@JerrytheMacGuy, nailed it! Don’t hit me please.
Les does give off the air as the person so clueless, he doesn’t realize he’s being told to stop talking because he has nothing to say.
And quoting myself from the comic’s comments, this would’ve been a good chance to build up Mason’s character. Have him say something about himself to give Mason more depth. But nope. We get two days of effectively the exact same strip.
Things that could be added to make Mason more interesting.
1.) He could show Les a copy of his very first professional script and how he always goes over it before it’s time to go on stage.
2.) A lucky penny that’s been passed down from generation to generation, dates back to the Great Depression and his grandfather getting a job at a factory.
3.) Him mentioning that he never knew Les was into opera, and that one of Mason’s family is actually touring right now.
4.) Mason mentioning that he’s more a fan of Carreras than Pavarotti.
But like I said, two days of the same strip.
Before the pockets, Pavman kept the nail in his pants and everyone just assumed he was glad to be there…hawhahwahwahwhashcLOLwut? Oh, and fuck you, Les.
Here’s a trivia tidbit from Pavarotti’s Wikipedia page that is surely more relevant to Mason than this silly nail business.
I forget Les’ assistant’s name (Orrin Hatch maybe?), but her blouse is badly in need of a lint roller.
Seriously, Les. SHUT THE FUCK UP!!
This was boring yesterday – I think Mr. Jar is thinking “yes I need a couple of nails – nails long enough to stab into my ears so I won’t ever have to hear this insane little man droning on about Pavarotti.”
The two strips of yesterday and today are so similar that I initially thought I’d screwed up and linked to the same comic twice.
Not just you, DavidO. They’re all an indistinguishable blob of mindless blathering, I can’t tell them apart without dates. This might be the single most plodding week of the year so far. You seriously took one for the team this time around, soldier. I salute you!