586: Mission to Culture

|< < Prev Comic #586 (May 20, 2009) Next > >|

Mission to Culture

Title text: It can't be very MUCH money... they apparently can't even afford a sampler. I mean, with a little remixing, some of this could be kinda good!

Explanation

Cueball wants to take Megan out for his idea of a cultural experience; a symphony. The inference is that Megan's culturally impoverished because "all she ever listens to is techno". After much griping on various levels, for instance complaining that all the other attendees are above sixty years old, she starts to get into the experience — sort of. The big 'cultural lesson' she (mis)gleans from the experience is similar to what a sporting aficionado would gain from watching a sports event. So it could be said that Cueball's mission to culture was a mission impossible in Megan's case.

Her observation regards the seating configuration of a typical modern orchestra, in which the violinists all sit audience-left, while the violists, cellists and bassists, with clearly larger instruments, are on the right. But it is not the size of an instrument that determines the payroll of a musician.^{[citation needed]}

The title text is just icing on the cake. A sampler is an instrument frequently used in techno music that samples other sounds and plays them back, usually electronically altered. Remixing is a process, also often used in techno, of editing recorded music to get a different sound. Many classical pieces have had success as techno remixes. One example is Pachelbel's Canon in D major, referred to in the title text of 339: Classic.

Techno music is the subject of 411: Techno and is also referenced in 740: The Tell-Tale Beat.

Three of the old people in the line look very similar to the old people in 572: Together. In the very next comic 587: Crime Scene a man is again shown with hair only around the side of his head.

Transcript

[Cueball is pulling Megan by her feet. She is holding onto the carpet, which visibly folds under her tug.]

Cueball: We're getting some culture in you if it kills you.

Megan: Don't wanna.

[Cueball is pushing Megan at the front door, with steps leading down outside. Megan is curled up with both her feet and her hands up on the middle of the door, her back arching out towards Cueball.]

Cueball: All you listen to is techno.

Megan: But... the symphony?

[Cueball and Megan stand in line between two other couples; A guy, who only has hair around his neck and a cane, and Hairbun stands behind them. A guy with a sailor cap and a woman with a big hair stands before them.]

Megan: I think we're the only people here under 60.

Cueball: Shhh.

[The couple sit in the audience just before the concert.]

Megan: The right side is definitely better.

Cueball: Better?

Megan: They've all got bigger instruments. I bet they make more money.

Cueball: *Sigh*

 add a comment! ⋅  add a topic (use sparingly)! ⋅  refresh comments!

Discussion

If Megan's only got stick-figure arms with no hands or fingernails, how is she leaving multiple scratches on the floor in the first scene? ‎121.223.16.83 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I think she's grabbing the rug. --Qwach (talk) 16:08, 31 August 2013 (UTC)

With...what, exactly? 141.101.104.209 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

The implication of fingers. Sort of like how characters in old video games can grab things despite having blobs instead of hands. -Pennpenn 108.162.250.155 05:04, 8 April 2015 (UTC)

Edited the explanation section on orchestra seating to make plurals of violist, cellist, and bassist consistent with violinist. 108.162.219.21 05:25, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

Am I missing something or does the sentence "much griping on various levels, for instance..." not make sense? There is no other griping than the one described in the "for instance". And even that doesn't have various levels --172.71.160.71 21:06, 30 May 2024 (UTC)