Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for June 15, 2012

Frank is channeling TJ with that grin!

Yeah – Nancy and Frank are just doing what millions of middle class parents say to their children – myself included. Luann dreamed BIG and parents have the duty to give a dose of reality. Luann wanted GLAMOUR – every teenager wants that. “Hey look at me. I’m at Juilliard and live in a Brownstone at Times Square – what about you?” Possible for some rich kids but not kids like Luann or my boys. The reality for Luann would be living at home with parents and going to the local junior college and probably part time job if Nancy and Frank are responsible parents and expect Luann to start buying her own clothes, entertainment, etc. That’s middle class America, peeps.

“Its just so UnGlam….,” Good Grief".

LU?

Your Dad will be paying for it. So, Unless You’ve a Heck of a LOT of “Baby Sitting” Money laying around, its OFF to Junior College You Go.

Besides, I heard Mr. Oz will be there…,

“..so unglamourous”..Yeah, the “glamour” doesn’t usually show up until after you’ve done the work and have had some success. Hmmm…I thought having unrealistic expectations about entitlement was Tiffany’s schtick.

He was talking about “sight reading”, playing a piece of written music for the first time without having seen it before.

How could an actor be given sides and be able to speak dialogue they’ve never seen before? It’s due to this amazing ability called “reading”..Same thing for music – if you can’t “sight read” or “cold read” music, you have no business auditioning at Juilliard.

LOL! On the other hand, what’s with Frank and Nancy not even having started a college fund for Brad at least one of their kids? And if they haven’t saved anything, why haven’t they been more upfront with Luann about her actual prospects before now? Yeahyeahyeah, because it’s a comic strip, I get it….

Glamour must be projected from within. Anybody who doesn’t appreeciate that has no business in the theatre.

heck look at George Clooney….he started off at an unglam school at the time.

I don’t think Nabuquduriuzhur meant the musician hadn’t seen ANY music before — I think he’s talking about not having seen a specific piece of music before. Putting some unfamiliar sheet music on the music stand for the auditioner to play or sing. It’s called sightreading, and is a skill every musician should have.

and jc is whole lot cheaper doing english 101 and calc 101 than at a bigger school.

Luann is acting like a pouting bitch. No way Julliard would consider her for enrollment.

Besides all that, haven’t they been stuck here for almost a decade now? I mean, if Luann has that much trouble with school, she shouldn’t even be THINKING about Julliard, much less wishing! (Now Knute still being here, I understand…)

Glamor? You want “glamor,” Luann? Is glamor going to pay the rent? Is glamor going to buy you clothes and keep you fed? Get real. Get thee to a community college (where I’m at, they have been PCed from “junior…” to “community colleges”)!

Dad’s wearing a TJ smile.

And then you have actors like Michael J Fox who dropped out of High School too. I heard he went for his GED. Anyone know if he really wenrt back. Enjoy.

Luann has never shown the level of effort necessary to get into a school like Julliard. She barely passes Mr. Fogarty’s class among others, and while she did rock West Side Story, that was one show, one semester.

She can probably get in to State U or Pittsville Community College, but if Greg lets her in to a top flight school, he’ll be sending an utterly false message.

This needs to end with Luann realizing that she better get off her duff and hit the books, and the rest of her life with about 110% more effort.

I’d say: “Bring the Gang! Today, I’M Buyin’!!!”

But SERIOUSLY…..,

The old man’s got something cuz look at the babe he’s married to. And I notice Brad looking more and more like his father, and he managed to snag a girl like Toni.

Listen to your husband, Nancy, and back him up. Like it or not, he’s right.

“Apartments in Central Manhattan start at $2500 / month.”.

I wouldn’t pay that much for a rent even if it were in the White House or Buckingham Palace.

Nab, Lev, MBaby, et al.,Do you think the Blind Boys of Alabama are good? They can’t sight read or cold read. Neither can or could many incredible musicians— learn the bios of Blues, Old Time, Country, and some Rock musicians— They taught themselves to play and many never learned to read music. They played by ear.Luann, if you really are going to be a senior this year (wasn’t only a decade ago you were a frosh!), apply both to Juilliard and to the local community college. I just checked Juilliard’s website. They give financial aid both based on need and talent. Here’s the link: http://www.juilliard.edu/apply/financial-aid/faq.php. If any commentators are reading— dream big, and also make a Plan B.

Well, it will be nice if Luann and her friends even are allowed to get out of high school, as Brad did.

" If they never saw a bit of music, they could not do that.".Sure they could. I’m not especially talented (other than in Frank-like good looks and imagination) but I’ve looked at new music and sung it. Others were surprised I dould do it, but that was based more on low expectations than difficulty. (I didn’t say I sang it well, just that I did sing it as written.)

Go for it! Wherever you end up, go for the thing in your life that makes your heart beat faster. It is your life after all. In the pursuit of happiness, you may not end up where you thought you would, but it will make you happy to try. Giving up at 17, is just too sad to think about.

“Do you think the Blind Boys of Alabama are good? They can’t sight read or cold read”.Did they go to Julliard?If not, what’s the point? that people can survive and even thrive without going to Julliard?,Oh well, I guess there’s always Harvard if all else fails..Which reminds me of the fact that Pensacola Junior College, PJC, recently renamed it self Pensacola State College...Folks have joked about saying, “Yaaas, Ah’m goin’ to Pen State.”Not funny? Well, maybe you just had to be there.

“Many saw him as Hendrix’s natural successor, and Vaughn wanted to expand on his guitar work. But because he couldn’t read music, he was unable to benefit from any of the research that’d been written about Hendrix’s technique.”.Since it’s never too late to learn, I wonder why he didn’t. (I’m assuming he didn’t since I don’t keep up with most musical artists.).There was an interesting episode on Gunsmoke in which a farmer wanted his son to quit school and go back to helping on the farm. Doc saw his natural talent and wanted to foster it and even teach him medicine. Matt Dillon, usually the good guy, sided with the father since that was the law..The townspeople got into a heated discussion regarding the usefulness of a formal education. One decided to turn to Festus as the natural arbiter of such matters. “Festus, you can’t read or write, but you get along all right, don’t you?”.Festus (my hero) cogitated on the question for a moment and responded, “Yeah, but I think being able to read would have made a lot of thangs a whole lot more simpler.” .After getting over the shock of having Festus as an unlikely ally, Doc invited him to Del Monico’s — the ultimate reward. .(In other episodes Festus COULD read, so there was a lack of continuity, but for the purpose of the tale, it was well done.)

How about Luann thinking of the college Madonna went to? Univ of Michigan!…lol. M GO BLUE!!

She’d be better off going to driver school and getting her CDL – at least there job openings in that field (thousands actually)

I don’t comment often, but one thing is glaringly obvious that no one is commenting on….FINALLY, after spending 27+ years as an adolescent, Luann is talking as if she is going to graduate soon and is planning on what to do next! You go girl (finally)!

Do they still even have junior colleges? My dad went to one before he transfered to Virginia Tech, but I’m pretty sure it’s went four year a long time ago.

“Beats going to the State Pen.”.One of my neighbors did THAT for a string of armed robberies and other minor misunderstandings. While there, he received a masters degree in psychology and was practicing in Virginia somewhere. Not bad after somehow quickly serving two life sentences.

Yeah, Levi, but I think they may be ready to graduate. She went to prom last year—only jrs. and srs. do that in mos’ hah skoos. It’s time for this strip to move on in several situations—Toni and Brad marry, Luann to college, etc.

“unfortunately, he lost some time to medical complications from drug and alcohol abuse, and died in a ’copter crash in 1990.”.Of course, alcohol isn’t that expensive but suppliers love to sell their goods to folks newly making moolah. You hear about drug abuse so much in the entertainment industry that you get to thinking all are into it. Then you read where some actor who was popular back in the forties just had another birthday and know he or she wouldn’t have been alive that long if still trying out the latest dope. Some do, some don’t..Hank Williams Junior lived off his father’s reputation and in his shadow for many unhappy years, thinking he had to follow in his footsteps until someone mentioned he had already outlived papa..Not a fan? Well, I’m not either but the man is extremely talented. Never cared for his father’s voice but was impressed with his songs, just preferred someone else be singing them..Thinking about the helicopter crash, reminded me of the Capital One Baldwin — in the plane, reaching for the controls, responding to the pilot with, “It’s okay. I’ve played a pilot before.”..Also jumping to sadness at loss of Jim Croce and John Denver due to the vagaries of heavier than air travel.

“Ironically, Festus would have been unable to read the menu for his “reward” dinner at Delmonico’s.”.Perhaps not irony but rather a perfect example of his point that it would have simplified life..Of course, he could take the Crocodile Dundee in a French Restaurant route and say, “That looks good; I’ll have it. Oh and some of what that feller’s having.” That even comes in handy when shopping. Notice what other shoppers are buying to remind yourself of what you forgot to put on the list.

“I would have to take that offensively. Why? We…are…PENN STATE!”.And the rest of us are beside ourselves with jealousy..WAR EAGLE

So Luann got her artistic talents from Frank? I ask because we’ve never seen Nancy display any such talents. And speaking of Nancy, has she warmed up to Toni yet?

love Frank’s confidence in the last panel..

If having a family he loves and loves him in return and working a job to provide adequately for them (needs like food and shelter, not “wants” met) is aiming low, then we all need to aim low.

Stupid is this idea only our own ambitions matter and nothing else get in our way. A lot of quiet people lead a simple life who focus not on their ambitions, but on their loved ones and they are probably more happy that way.

@brdshtt – I thought the same thing. Dad was coming off like Knute.

“ “alcohol suppliers” loving to sell their goods to “folks newly making moolah” isn’t the problem.”.Nope, not usually unless they are teens, but I had acknowledged alcohol was relatively cheap. .I was writing about suppliers of other chemicals, not all of which have been around forever, and of those which have — have not existed in pure current state. For instance opium was popular with a few but intravenous injection of opium derivatives had more kick to them and resulted in more addicts and deaths. .People chewed coca leaves for centuries but didn’t concentrate it into injectable, snortable, smokeable forms until relatively recently. .Aficionados assure me even marijuana didn’t have the oomph it has nowadays ere government made it profitable to sell by outlawing it..Naw, the real problem is that people so often think they can try something once and then put it down if they don’t like it. Sometimes they can’t..“As long as there’s boredom and personal demons, people will anesthetize themselves.”.I’m not sure anesthetize is quite the reason most start out using but could be why some continue..“And if someone who was popular in the 40’s is have a b’day now, they’d be in their 90’s, which means they probably didn’t do booze or drugs that much in the first place.”.My point exactly, “everybody’s doing it” isn’t entirely accurate or they wouldn‘t be alive this long..“Please don’t put Denver in the same group as Holly, Cline, Croce, Vaughan or anyone else who wasn’t in the left seat and responsible.’.I sat in the right seat of a Bell 212, I think it was. The pilot said, “Oh, do you fly?” “No.” “Then why are you in the driver’s seat?” “Controls on the right side? Oops. I‘ll swap with ya.”.But I will include those who died as losses to music and thereby to humanity. Don’t remember the specifics of the others but listened regarding Croce insisting on keeping his word and flying into a small place which had booked him ere folks came to appreciate him. He tried to keep his word and that was a good thing. It killed him and that was a bad thing..“Denver died because he was stupid and careless. – – -“.Thanks for the specifics but the loss is still the same. Most people who die while flying or driving did something wrong. .One time the announcement went out that the pilot had canceled the flight due to inclement weather. Others began to gripe and push for him to take off anyway. I quieted them with, “If the pilot don’t wanna fly, David don’t wanna fly.”

Nancy is to Frank what Toni is to Brad. Both guys are potato heads who have beautiful women willing to settle for guys that aren’t as attractive as they are. Maybe Nancy & Toni are not the brightest bulbs in the stable.

“Stupid is this idea only our own ambitions matter and nothing else get in our way. A lot of quiet people lead a simple life who focus not on their ambitions, but on their loved ones ".See? YOU understand there is more to life than self service, caring for yourself no matter who is hurt by it..

“Joe Pass, Les Paul and Andre Segovia practice eight hours a day and six hours while touring. You can’t fool around if you want a career.”.You reminded me of a related tale:.After a piano performance, one lady walked up to the pianist and gushed, “I’d do ANYTHING to be able to play like you do.”.“Would you practice 8 hours a day 7 days a year for 20 years?”.The gusher shook her head no, thinking the question absolutely silly..With determination, the pianist responded, “I did.”

Nabuquduriuzhur said, “Musicians… had to be able to play music properly… having never seen a bit of music before.”

That’s an awkward sentence. Musicians don’t usually refer to a “bit” of music. It would have been less ambiguous to say, “Musicians had to be able to play a piece of music that they’d never seen before.”

I’m pretty sure that Leviticus understood this, and was just trying to be funny.

“gotta get there-itis”. .I like that term..“You left out plugging, but you’re still wrong in underestimating its popularity or availability.”.My knowledge of psychoactive chemicals is sorely deficient. I’ve been told I can’t have a legitimate opinion unless I partake, so my opinion will always be less than legitimate..“Injectable coke was used since the 1870’s as an anesthetic and a cure for morphine addiction, and the content was unbelievably pure then because it wasn’t illegal.”.I’m not sure if this disproves my statement or proves it. By the way, did it work?.“It’s only when you need to step on it to make it go further on the street that you get away from a pure form. “.As found in nature, it is part of the plant. My grandmother used to buy paregoric at the grocery store “for the children”. I think this was alcohol and opium. She kept using it up even though there were no children at home. She also had a big jar of “happy pills” at the foot of her bed which she offered freely to any who came to visit her. Yet somehow she wasn’t all that happy.

“Would you practice 8 hours a day 7 days a year for 20 years?”. 7 days a week

Frank is in denial

Frank is trying to look glamorous, the TJ look. Knute always looks like that. Friendly, easy going.

She could try for a scholarship, but I doubt she has enough academic or artistic achievement so far to qualify for one.

Uh, guess again. Ads for tonics at the turn of the century actually showed beaming rosy-cheeked healthy children who craved the medicine, not grimacing ones. No mother is going to be prompted to buy a tonic when faced with the reminder that it’s gonna be a struggle to get it down her child’s throat. So even if it tasted awful, you wouldn’t know it from the ad..Lyndia Pinkham’s elixir for “female complaints” had about 18% alcohol, but also enough herbal components that it would have worked without the booze – altho that was pretty effective as a muscle relaxant. .

FYI, that’s cod liver oil that he’s ^ reaching for.

If they were paregoric-flavored jelly beans I might buy that…

I often wonder how many of today’s celebrities went to and “unglamourous” theatre college and did quite well in their careers.

“The THC level has increased dramatically in the last 25 years. In the same way universities study farm products to make them better, the growers of marijuana have worked to increase the potency of their product.”.And they SAY there’s no hope for the next generation! Somebody will always show initiative if there‘s money in it.

If this story arc had involved Tiffany instead of Luann, you all know it would be about one thing and one thing only: Tiffany’s overweening ambition compared to her actual talent. She would be roundly mocked.But since it is about Luann, the last time we heard her talent called into question was on 6/8, by Frank, of course. Since then it has been about the expense of top-tier schools, Nancy and Luann fantasizing about things that don’t even exist; it has been about boys playing in bands, trying to emulate Hendrix (who is supposedly unknown by teenagers) just to meet girls, and today it is about what a doofus Frank is, (really, exactly like Gunther, a clueless male who imagines that in some universe what he is would be considered “glamorous.”)My only consolation lies in my belief that after Saturday, Julliard will never be mentioned again. If Evans takes this in an unexpected direction, e.g. actually having Luann seriously pursue her interest in the performing arts – I vow to print out this comment and eat it.

BTW I love the peripheral discussion about the drugs abuse of yesteryear. It is so true, people were addicted to patent medicines and had no idea that they were “drug addicts.” My grandmother was one.

Dad in that last panel JUST CRACKS ME UP! I can go to bed with a SMILE on my face!

“Personally, I wouldn’t put events prior to WWI in the “recent” history category – “modern” history, yes, buut since we’re talking over 150 years ago it ain’t that “recent”.”.Another good line in the Destroyer series involved some insult to Remo Williams (who could kill with a feather if he so chose) and him brushing it off with, “What difference will it make a hundred years from now?”.You gotta take the long view, my dear lady, bestie of Leviticus.

I think Greg is in denial.