Redartz: Music and stories (particularly comics), two of my favorite things. And most, if not all, of you would say the same, no doubt. Which brings us to this week's twin questions:
1. What are your favorite ' story songs'?
I love story songs, As in songs that tell a tale, or carry a narrative, to some extent anyway. I'd have been quite comfortable back in the days of wandering minstrels, singing ballads touting the exploits of various heroes and heroines. Of course, there have been plenty of story songs within our lifetimes, even if no lute-bearing minstrel performed them. Two of those high on my list:
Men at Work, "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive"
Vicki Lawrence, "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia"
2. What musically-themed comics (or novels) have you enjoyed?
Other than reading several musical biographies, I can't off hand think of any novels, but there have been numerous comics inspired by or adapting musical themes that caught my fancy. A couple:
Doctor Strange 32, in which Roger Stern culls a character from Gary Wright's 1976 classic tune.
Then there's "Bop"; an anthology published by Kitchen Sink in 1982. Filled with a variety of musical stories, from such creators as Marc Hempel, Trina Robbins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Harvey Pekar and Alex Toth. Unfortunately it only appeared once, and promptly vanished from the comics horizon...
Now, as usual, the baton passes to you. What story songs kept your ear cocked to the radio; and what musical literature added melody to your reading?
