Today’s Wayno / Piraro Bizarro strip, yet another in their long line of Psychiatrist cartoons (today with Dr. Sigmund Freud as the therapist and Baron Victor Frankenstein as the patient) — a conventional form that, in the hands of an ingenious cartoonist, can be used as the vehicle for almost any joke:
(#1) The Baron makes a Freudian slip; Wayno’s title: “Unexpected Insight” (if you’re puzzled by the odd symbols in the cartoon — Dan Piraro says there are 6 in this strip — see this Page.)Doctor Doctor, this is no whim
I got a bad case of having created him
No pill’s gonna cure my ill
I got a bad case of having created him
Freudian slip, Frankensteinian slip: master, monster.
Yes, yes, a pile of bits and pieces jumbled together here (and full appreciation of the cartoon calls for lots of further background knowledge), so there’s plenty to talk about — and was, even before I introduced Robert Palmer into the mix. So grab your torches and pitchforks and let’s advance on this assemblage of oddly fitting parts.
Victor Frankenstein. From Wikipedia:
Victor Frankenstein is a fictional character and the main protagonist and title character in Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. He is an Italian-Swiss scientist (born in Naples, Italy) who, after studying chemical processes and the decay of living things, gains an insight into the creation of life and gives life to his own creature (often referred to as Frankenstein’s monster, or often colloquially referred to as simply “Frankenstein”). Victor later regrets meddling with nature through his creation, as he inadvertently endangers his own life and the lives of his family and friends when the creature seeks revenge against him
… The character’s first significant film appearance was in Universal Pictures’ 1931 film adaptation, directed by James Whale. Here, the character is renamed Henry Frankenstein (a later film shows his tombstone bearing the name Heinrich von Frankenstein) and is played by British actor Colin Clive opposite Boris Karloff as the monster. Clive reprised his role in the 1935 sequel, Bride of Frankenstein, which reunited Clive, Whale and Karloff, as well as first giving Frankenstein the official title of Baron.
… The character gained new life in 1957 when Peter Cushing first essayed the role in Hammer Films’ The Curse of Frankenstein, opposite Christopher Lee as the Creature. Cushing went on to star as Victor Frankenstein, identified as a Baron, in five more films for the studio, with each subsequent movie in the series uncovering different aspects of the character
(#2) Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein; you will recognize him in Wayno’s cartoon version in #1 (photo: Peter Cushing Appreciation Society)
Freudian slips. From NOAD on the nominal Freudian slip (aka parapraxis): ‘an unintentional error regarded as revealing subconscious feelings’. So, in #1, Victor’s revealing his (presumable) repressed sexual feelings for his mother via his slip of the tongue — by producing the noun mother instead of monster, while in the process of revealing to the therapist his fraught relationship with the monster he created. (Note: I’m reporting a version of the Freudian story here, not adhering to it.)
(#3) Just for fun: an AMZ academic collage on Freudian slips (with apologies to Edward Gorey); meanwhile, there are language-play postings of mine on Pink Freud and Freudian slippers
Startlingly, the therapist in #1 is (Wayno’s cartoonist version of) Freud himself, in a drawing modeled directly on a well-known photo:
(#4) (photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection / CORBIS / Corbis via Getty Images)
Doctor, doctor. Well, that was intricate enough already, before I threw Robertesque Palmeroid into the ring, cursing the moment he created the monster and despairing whether even the ministrations of the Great Freud would cure the great ill. Back in this world, from Wikipedia:
“Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)” is a 1978 song, written and originally recorded by Moon Martin, and sung a year later by Robert Palmer. The song became one of Palmer’s definitive hits.
You can watch the official video here. The bit that I altered for #1 goes, in the original:
Doctor Doctor, gimme the news
I got a bad case of lovin’ you
No pill’s gonna cure my ill
I got a bad case of lovin’ you
Bonus: one more visit to to the cartoon doctor. Accidentally encountered during a “doctor, doctor” search on Google. Tangential, but I found it entertaining:
(#5) Doctor Doctor, gimme the news / I got a bad case of hallucinatin’ about you
From the artist’s About page:
Pear-Shaped Comics is a webcomic by Kevin Kuramura.
The title refers to the British use of the term “pear-shaped,” which describes something that has gone horribly wrong. If you prefer to think of a rich, sonorous voice or a big booty lady or even a literal pear you go right ahead.
I have rather a lot to say about hallucinations, of a variety of types. But not today.
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