SoSfDavidO here, confused as heck at today’s strip! Who are these people? What happened to the old grey-haired guy that looked like an ancient toddler!?
Oh, it’s Funky and Holly, watching television in an oddly stiff, non-relaxed manner as they snark on PBS for aiming for the non-white, non-late 40s, non-pizza store owning demographic.
Son of Stuck Funky 
You almost expect Adam Savage to do his nature show host voice as he talks about the Entitled WASP Jackhole in its native habitat and its habit of regarding anything new and different as an attack.
How on earth does TB get a contract and paid for this dribble? What dirty secrets does he hold over Brenden Burford?
The only reason to like today’s comic is that it involves a pun on the band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Dukes, other than that, this week still blows.
Yeah, how dare they try to broaden their demographic, especially since they rely on donations from the public to stay in business. Where’s my Riverdance, dammit!
The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and the Cleveland Plain Dealer will never drop Funky Winkerbean or Crankshaft. Batom® is still regarded as a hometown hero of sorts.
Some context with this dreadful strip:
“Southside Johnny” and his band, the “Ashbury Jukes,” have always had a following in Northern Ohio dating back to the early days of Bruce Springsteen (the station that championed both artists, 100.7 WMMS, had been portrayed by Batom® several times in the gag-a-day era). It didn’t hurt that Johnny sounded similar to Springsteen.
But that Batom® even went with a gag that only works in one market really tells (not shows) you a lot. He’s basically daring the so-called “500 newspapers” that carry Funky to drop it.
My roommate in college (early 80’s) had a Southside album, I believe it was “I Don’t Wanna Go Home.” The band got some decent rock station airplay in CT back then. I agree very few people would get this joke, just another Batiuk pun he was dying to share.
At least Harry Dinkle isn’t hawking his third autobiography and the Great Claude Barlow Book o’ Madcap Fun for a $10 pledge to your local PBS station.
It’s way more fun if you imagine that pizza on Funky’s Montoni’s t-shirt is a big condom.
Yeah Funky, they must be trying to snag that coveted “old boring weirdo” demographic, eh? Southside Yanni…good old TB, right on top of today’s popular music scene. BatIck doesn’t need an editor or a proofreader as much as he needs someone to stand behind him and smack him in the head. Even after all this time I am still utterly astonished that anyone could possibly get paid actual money for writing things like this. Seriously, it just shouldn’t be possible.
I have only been following Son of Stuck Funky for the last several months, so this may have been pointed out before, so pardon my “Duh” moment if this is the case. I have always pronounced “Montoni” as MON-Toni, but it has occurred to me that it also can be pronounced similarly to the word “monotony”.
Since monotony is defined as “lack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine”, the word perfectly describes Batiuk’s creative approaches to “Funky Winkerbean” and “Crankshaft”.
BTW, synonyms for the word “monotony” include tedium, tediousness, lack of variety, dullness, boredom, repetitiveness, uniformity, routineness, wearisomeness, tiresomeness, . . . Ad nauseam.
All of which equally apply to describe the works of Mr. Batiuk.
Right, like Funky Winkerbean watches PBS.
Also like Batiuk understands that there’s a world outside Metro Cleveland. Hmmm. I wonder if he’s going to start slamming Drew Carey for being a better ambassador than he is.
@JerrytheMacGuy: You aren’t that far off. The original cast in Funky Winkerbean – outside of the title character, which is purely a nonsensical joke name – was composed of pun names. Les Moore the loser, Bull Bushka the bully, Holly Budd the immolant majorette, Fred Fairgood the guidance counselor, Jack Stropp the football coach, etc.
The original owner of Montoni’s was the long-since-retired (mercifully for him) Tony Montoni. And the pizzeria in the gag-a-day era was one of the most boring places in town… literally monotonous.