The Phish fan and the jukebox
[an intergenerational Asher Perlman cartoon gag]
Today’s comic is a frameless, one-panel gag from Asher Perlman, a comedian, writer, and actor as well as a cartoonist. It’s undated, but appears to be from about 2021.1 It’s a good gag, drawn in an appealing ink-and-wash style.2 Could it be better? Let’s see!
First, take an appreciative look at the whole thing:
I suspect that the more you know about the rock band Phish, the more you may agree with me that the Phish T-shirt makes the gag! Fortunately, the gag still works even if you know very little or nothing about Phish—with caveats, as I’ll explain.3 (Comics are the most popular of art forms, normally aimed at the widest possible audience. You wouldn’t want a gag to be completely dependent on knowing a band that doesn’t have universal name recognition.)
With or without the Phish logo, this is a joke about a bar full of relatively younger people who are suddenly alarmed at the prospect of being subjected to the musical tastes of an older dude. There’s humor potential there—depending on the age of the dude, and here I think the execution could be a little stronger.
How old is our Phish fan? I take the view that he’s around my age—Generation X, a child of the 1980s. Five years ago, when the cartoon appears to have debuted, I was around the half century mark, and I think that’s about how old Jukebox Guy is here. Granted, I’d like to think I’ve aged better than Jukebox Guy, but I do have peers who look like this.
It’s true that, going by looks alone, he could be significantly older: perhaps a Boomer in his mid-60s, or older still. I think not, though—and I think it’s important. Why important? Because if he’s a senior citizen, the gag is punching down. Not that Boomers don’t deserve their lumps! Still, intergenerational humor is one thing; “Okay Boomer” ageism is another. A senior citizen is entitled to some respect, even a little humoring. He’s probably spent the evening listening to the picks of younger patrons from Billie Eilish to Tame Impala. If an old man wants to put on some Beach Boys or Fleetwood Mac or whatever, give him some space!
Except, of course, the shirt says Phish, not Fleetwood Mac.
Even if you don’t know that Phish is a 1980s band,4 you might know enough about 1960s and 1970s music to be pretty sure they aren’t from that era. And if you don’t know even that, in my book the cargo pants and rock-band T-shirt look still says Gen X.5
The bottom line is that, when I look at Jukebox Guy, I see someone I probably went to high school with—and that’s a good thing for the gag. My generation can take it, and we probably deserve it! A band formed in 1983 is exactly right for the cartoon to have maximum punch.6 Or so says this Gen Xer.
Beyond evoking an era, the T-shirt works for the gag because Phish is known for exceptionally, even gratuitously lengthy jams. Whatever pick Jukebox Guy makes could dominate the vibe for the next 15, 20, 30 minutes or more. This may not make Phish uniquely suited for the gag: other bands have long jams, including older bands like the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd. Among 80s bands, though, Phish is a solid pick, maybe the best pick.
So, a good gag. Yet the execution isn’t as strong as it could be. Why not?
The first problem is posture. Our Phish fan doesn’t look like he’s “going for the jukebox,” for two reasons. For one thing, he isn’t looking at the jukebox; more seriously, his left leg is barely in front of his right leg, which makes him appear to be shuffling at a zombie-like pace. Put together, these posture issues suggesting a doddering figure up to a quarter century older than I’d like him to be, which (again) feels like punching down.
There’s another issue with his posture, which is connected with the second problem: namely, the athletic young guy vaulting the bar. Don’t get me wrong: This is a great gag and I’m all for it! Indeed, a bold element like this potentially makes the joke, dramatizing the gravity of the crisis and the urgency of preventing worst coming to worst.
I think Perlman miscalculated, though, in positioning our agile young barman where he is. He should be on the left side of the panel, behind our Phish fan.
You see why, don’t you? Actually, there are two reasons.
The most important reason is the dramatic one: Positioned where he is, the vaulting barman clearly has the drop on Jukebox Guy. The intervention is already successful; our poor, balding ’80s child has zero chance of reaching the jukebox. This means there’s no cause for alarm: no drama, and therefore, if not no humor, at least reduced humor.7 The impact of the joke depends on the threat that our Phish fan may succeed in his quest—and in this execution there’s no threat. (This is the other reason why Jukebox Guy’s zombie-like shuffling posture is a problem. If he were walking normally, it would improve his chances, which would be funnier.)
A second reason for moving the bar vaulter is that he’s the most dynamic element in the cartoon. Putting him on the left could create a strong left-to-right flow and better storytelling energy. In the ideal execution, our eye would be drawn first to the bar vaulter, then to the Phish fan, and finally to the jukebox—and then we would understand the reason for the vault. First give us the reaction shot, then show us the cause—that’s comedy! As it is, it’s too immediately obvious that the barman is moving to intercept Jukebox Guy.8 To achieve the best effect with a gag like this, one must really think through all the moving parts.9
Still a good gag and a good cartoon! This isn’t a “devil’s in the details” scenario, where small mistakes ruin the whole.10 But the details matter, and make the difference between a comic that is the best version of itself and one that’s something less than that.
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This strip first came to my attention in 2021, and a dive into Google Images finds no copies online more than five years old. Doing due diligence, I emailed Perlman, who confirmed that he too believes it dates to 2021.
Framed and unframed prints are available from Perlman’s online store. If the $85 price tag is a bit steep for your budget, for just $15 you can get a “Jukebox Guy” pin!
As important as I think Phish is to the joke, for the right price Perlman is willing to create custom prints with any band logo you want!
Phish was formed in 1983.
The mustache is admittedly a generational question mark, and makes Jukebox Guy seem potentially older. A friend suggested that Berks or even flipflops might be better footwear. I wear Berks, but they’re also a Boomer cultural marker, so I dunno. As long as he isn’t wearing orthopedics!
Obviously there are younger Phish fans; I’m not saying the Phish T-shirt establishes a minimum age! But I take it that Jukebox Guy isn’t meant to look like a young man. It’s the maximum age I’m concerned about.
For a closer examination of how humor can depend on drama, see my piece on two versions of “To mock a killing bird.”
Maybe Tackle Guy, currently in the lower left corner, could be moved to the right. Maybe. If Jukebox Guy were moving faster, and maybe positioned a little closer to the jukebox. However the blocking is handled, the outcome of Jukebox Guy’s mission should not be a foregone conclusion.
For a great example of layered storytelling and marshalling of moving parts in a one-panel comic, see my analysis of the classic Far Side with Edgar and the werewolf.
For a case where a gag really is ruined by small mistakes, see my take on a cartoon about an angel ordering buffalo wings.
I think your analysis here is compelling, but there's another angle where I think this one works a bit better: If we assume the humor is 100% about the comical overreaction of the younger patrons, rather than about the guy in the Phish shirt, then I think most of the flaws you point out actually work out better. Then he can be a senior citizen, moving at a snails pace, already easily blocked by the guy jumping the bar, etc. Because that more or less switches the tone from making fun of him, to making fun of the 20-somethings that are so terrified of Phish.
Of course, even in that case, the whole thing could still be improved. If we're teasing the young guys, go big or go home. Have a guy busting through the wall behind the jukebox. Have one weeping on the floor in fetal position. Have a dude parachuting in to stop it!
I’ve long dreamed of authoring a one panel in the New Yorker (or Highlights) where a man dressed in a vaudeville style approaches a clerks window. Over the window it says “US Patent Office.” The vaudeville man says “now stop me if you’ve heard this …”. Maybe it would fit more in Popular Mechanics.