Comic Interlude 3

We interrupt regular broadcasting again to bring you a few cartoons from our resident cartoonist…

1.

Roadway Castration – Created by Don Cheke

One day while Denise and I were out for a drive we were discussing how a man is like a bull in his own pasture. I said that the reason he was alone in the pasture was that if other bulls were housed in the same one, much discord would ensue. I suggested that there would likely be some maiming or killing during such an event. I explained that it was just the nature of being a male. Sure, put in any number of fertile cows in with him and he would go about his business without hesitation. He might even work his way around three or four times just to make sure the job was done right. Denise wondered why cows were not present for him all the time and I just said that he likes to rest on Sundays. Of course, Denise noted that it was currently Wednesday, and I just said that there must be some mix-up in the calendar. I didn’t want to explain that the bull would die of depletion if the farmer didn’t take steps to avoid that. Wink, wink! During the drive I explained that men had it rough, as there were so many things that clipped his manhood, like the traffic signs seen on the drive and in this cartoon. I suggested to Denise that she picture society holding a pair of clipping shears and when a man encounters another barrier, there might just as well be an audible clipping sound. Clip, clip, clip! Of course, I demonstrated this for Denise, the sound, not the act itself. 😊

2.

Dueling Banjos – Created by Don Cheke

Did you ever watch Deliverance with Burt Reynolds? It came out in 1972, and I remember watching it and being quite freaked out by some scenes. To me, it seemed almost like a horror flick, but I suppose at 12 years old, I wasn’t as tempered as I am now. From what I remember, this is one of the very first films to deal with male rape. It was quite disturbing, as one can imagine. Thinking back to it now, it sure wasn’t an enticing travel advert to visit the southeastern states. No siree Bob! Unlike the series called My Life is Murder, with Lucy Lawless, which is very much a travel ad, of sorts, for New Zealand. Yep, beautiful place by the looks of it!

At any rate, Dueling Banjos was the theme song, and a major scene, in Deliverance. A great song to be sure! I thought about giving Little Loaf a single buck tooth in this cartoon but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I decided to show Big Loaf and Little Loaf bonding, with Big Loaf offering a nice “atta-boy” and Little Loaf just feeling the love for his dad. Ah, sweet! 😊

3.

Feed-Us Alcohol Syndrome – Created by Don Cheke

Because I am familiar with the disease of alcoholism and have been active in the programs that treat it, I get to make fun of it a bit. This cartoon is a play on words, of course, on fetal alcohol syndrome. I don’t mean any offence to those who have it, or families that deal with it, but I can find some humor when pondering silly things around it. As you can imagine, alcoholics want alcohol, usually barrels of it, hence the tag line – feed-us alcohol. My dad was often called a happy drunk, meaning he wasn’t one of those abusive drunks. I don’t really recall ever seeing him plastered, but I do remember how immature he was. As they say in publications about the cycle of alcoholism, a sufferer’s maturity level is stunted, usually around the time they become alcoholics. As I have said in other written works, my dad was likely an alcoholic before his teens, and if not then, shortly thereafter. In some ways, I saw dad as a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old kid. He was capable of functioning in the world, but quite often making many bad choices, and not necessarily learning from them. I remember dad losing his license at one point. Since dad was a traveling salesman and earned his living by traveling for work, he was allowed to drive his car for working hours only. During the off time, when dad fancied popping in to see mom, he would strap a six pack to the back of his bike and ride over to see her. Quite the sight! Note that I might have this story a bit muddled, but the point I wanted to make was the one about the bike and the six pack. This could have been a whole separate incident to the loss of license and the right to drive during work hours. It is from long ago and you know how hazy the memory can be. A good story though! 👍

BTW, Did you notice Uncle Loafin’s red nose and cheeks in the picture on the mantle? Unfortunately, this isn’t just Rosea, which is often thought to be an indicator of a heavy drinker. Alcoholic or not, Loaf always maintained a love for his brother Loafin, and he honors his memory with a photo on the mantle.

4.

Beer Pressure – Created by Don Cheke

More humor with a twist of alcohol. Again, a play on words. Here we see Loaf’s friends trying to pressure him into drinking beer. If you look closely at Loaf’s right hand, you can see he is holding a 40-year sobriety chip from A.A. That is a very long stretch and definitely something to be proud of. He is well aware that he can no longer consume alcohol and, for him, it is as easy as just saying no. I remember when I quit drinking at the age of 22. I had not completely moved on from friends from the past and the odd one would try and get me to drink. I always suspected that their own drinking bothered them, and if they could get others to drink that would somehow assuage their own guilt or other demons. I had no intention of ever going back down that rabbit hole, so I eventually changed my friend-pool too, since these ones were not a good influence. Eventually I would meet my DeeDee and once married we made new friends together, quite often the ones we met in Al-Anon and other such healthier places. I did maintain one friendship from earlier years who I have written about as a notable friend in my memoirs. Mikey, or Michael, was always the truest of friends and supported me through thick and thin from the time we met, just after high school, all the way to today. He’s a keeper, as friends go.

Both of my brothers still drink, but they have never had a problem with it. Dave may have the occasional beer, but even then, he is more apt to leave it unfinished, as opposed to having more than one. I think my younger brother drinks a bit of wine on occasion, but I can’t remember the last time I saw him consume. They both respect my home where I have an unspoken alcohol-free zone. I should note that my wife Denise does not drink either. Although drinking has never interested her, I know in earlier days she wasn’t opposed to having a Brown Cow (Kahlua & Milk or cream??) on the rare occasions. She seemed to quit drinking shortly after we met in support of me, and now, with all the meds she takes for various conditions, I don’t think she could consume alcohol even if she wanted to. Good thing that was never a concern.

To wrap up this little ditty, just four more quick things.

Based on the cartoon, you can tell that I know, or at least knew, all about the shenanigans of drinking, I remember the hats and empties. 😊

My brother Dave has a bit of the comic in him as well, although he has confessed frequently that all his material comes from someone else. One funny thing I remember him saying is that he is allergic to aluminum because drinking beer from aluminum cans caused him to act weird. Uh-huh! 😊 So funny!

Although I mentioned Loaf’s 40-year sobriety chip above, it is also indicative of this being my 40th comic, and my own 42 years of sobriety.

I knew a guy named Henry in A.A. that sponsored lots of newbies to the program. He used to tell them that once they were sober for 10 years, that it was time to quit smoking too. Funnily enough, not because of him saying that, but I quit smoking pretty much 10 years to the day after I quit drinking. Interesting! I guess by then, one is up to battling a different demon, and have an inkling that it is possible to do so and win.

5.

Newsstand – Comic Interlude 3 – Created by Don Cheke

This comic was created for the express purpose of introducing this comic interlude. Again, I wanted to show something about reading my comics and the old-fashioned news stand seemed like a perfect way. Not much humor in it though! Are you old enough to remember the change dispenser that Loaf has on his belt?

Can you think of a funny line that could be used with this comic? Let me know in the comments if you do. 👍😊

We now return to regularly scheduled programming….

Donald B. Cheke – June 24, 2024

3 thoughts on “Comic Interlude 3

  1. Thanks for the shout out! Here’s to another 40 years of friendship, or maybe a few less. Can’t see making it to 106.

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