The blog of Richard Thompson, caricaturist, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Autodrivelalia


This is one I've wanted to draw for a while now, but I couldn't figure out quite how to do it, or if it'd be something that anyone would recognize. A daily strip about daily lives is obviously dealing with the quotidian, the mundane and homely, and the hard part can be teasing out the unexpected, unnoticed and weird from all that day-to-day stuff without making it unrecognizable.
That was unnecessary exposition to lead into a personal admission: I make silly noises when I'm driving, sometimes silly faces, too. And I don't think I'm alone in this (Hi, Paul!). I once heard a radio announcer say that on the way to work every morning he'd sing the Modern Major General patter song from Pirates of Penzance, just to loosen up his face and get his tongue going. He at least had some reason to do it, but me, I just babble, sing, talk in accents, parrot radio commercials, even do bbrrrm bbrrrm car sounds. It doesn't affect my driving, on the contrary, I'm sure it makes me more alert and speeds up my reflexes.
There, I've said it and I'm proud.

10 comments:

David Hagen said...

Erm....I thought I was the only one to make weird driving noises...
Oh dear.

Mrs. Denneldoff said...

I think I should probably switch from making road rage remarks to this other way of expressing one's self!

Shanster said...

Do you really use words like quotidian and unnecessary exposition when you talk to your family? *grin* If a word like that pops out of my mouth at home, my husband and I both pause from shock, look at each other slack jawed, yell "good word!" and give high fives... 'fore we go back to our regular farm speak with one or two syllables... grunts really. Cheers!

Kid Shay said...

It's posts like this that keep me coming back for more. You got a good comic out of it, too! It's a twofer!

Brian Fies said...

I cluck like a chicken. Sometimes when I'm doing it I realize with a start that I'm not alone in the car. My kids roll their eyes and my wife just shakes her head slowly. I regret giving them the ammo they need to have me put away.

arcticcircle said...

The worst thing about giving up having car was no longer having anywhere to sing along loudly and badly to Joni Mitchell songs. It is frowned upon on the number 67 tram.

richardcthompson said...

Here's where I could say, I don't really do this stuff! What, are you people CRAZY? But I can't, 'cause I do.

See, David? Everybody does it! Feel better?

Mrs. D, you could incorporate your road rage into you autodrivelalia, along with growls, barks and other such werewolf noises.

Shanster, I'm lucky if I can get a coherent three-word sentence out, much less a three-syllable word. And I've got to admit I looked up "quotidian" just to make sure I'm not tripping over my own typing. But if I worked it into a sentence I'd demand a high five, especially as it's got all of four syllables.

Kid, I try to squeeze as many strips as I possibly can out of this blog. Heck, I try to squeeze as many strips as I can out of the directions on a bag of Ramen noodles.

Brian, this chicken thing is worth trying, I think, and I'm suddenly sorry I don't drive real often as I'm anxious to start clucking. I went through a solid month of going m'nee m'nee like Porky Pig while driving, and my audience wasn't appreciative either.

Hungrydog! Try the # 68 tram, I hear it's chock full of Joni Mitchell fans. But I know the feeling; I once caught myself whistling on the DC Metro and suddenly realized it was weird and I'd better quit. If I'd actually singing, I could never again set foot on the Metro. What side do they drive on in Australia?

Mark Anderson said...

a-OOOO-ga!

paul bowman said...

I love it!

: )

arcticcircle said...

They drive on the right side in Australia, which is the left.