Manchester! Carry out the usual 15-yard clipping penalty!
THE response to our cartoon caption contest has been overwhelming. In our issue of January 1985 we published a drawing by our regular cartoonist Charles Rodrigues and invited readers to suggest captions for it. The prize offered for the caption that was funniest (in the opinion of the judges) is $100 and Rodrigues's signed original drawing of Mr. Tweaking ham and his faithful retainer Manchester.
The winner is Thomas Briggle, of Akron, Ohio, who submitted the caption under the drawing above.
The editors deeply appreciate the great outpouring of warmth toward the magazine and the affection for Rodrigues and his work that were expressed in the many notes and letters accompanying the entries. Sub missions came from all over North America and as far away as Guam, Israel, Poland, and Australia.
The entries fell into a number of categories. For example, many people interpreted the drawing to mean that Tweakingham was giving up his components in a divorce settlement. The largest category dealt with abandoning complex components for the simplicity of earlier equipment. There were hundreds of entries along the lines of "And bring back my Victrola ..." or Philco, Atwater Kent, and so forth.
The caption most frequently duplicated verbatim was "I want my MTV." In second place was "Next!" Many readers suggested that the equipment was being discarded because it had been tainted by music not to Tweakingham's liking. The artists most frequently mentioned in those entries were Twisted Sister, Boy George, Van Halen, and Slim Whitman.
A large number of readers thought Tweakingham was having the equipment hidden to protect it from grandchildren coming for a visit.
There were a lot of digs at the speed with which equipment becomes obsolete and many jokes about car stereo, including frequent references to the Edsel.
The classical composer referred to most often was Beethoven. The most frequently mentioned composition (predictably) was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, with Ravel's Bolero next. Artists mentioned of ten included Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, Michael Jackson, Prince, and Cyndi Lauper.
For the many who asked, we feel obliged to report that Rodrigues himself did not have a caption in mind. He was extremely curious to know what words you would put into Tweakingham's mouth.
If your entry does not appear among the runners up at right, you now know how Johnny Carson must feel on nights when his monologue falls flat. But stick around.
We've had so much fun with this contest that we'll probably have an other one next January.
-William Livingstone Runners Up
. . . And set up the Victrola in the parlor! By Hogwood, if they can use original instruments, so can I! TOM BURKHARD Bethpage, NY
... And while you're there, you can weed the zinnias in the Elcaset plot.
ROBERT BASS Galveston, TX If I'd wanted to hear the rustling of the programs, I'd've gone to the goddam concert.
JACK LAIRD Hollywood, CA No arguments, Manchester! Hook them up once more, put the wagon back in the shed, come straight back to the den, and when you hear me yell "Fire"...
STAN BERNSTEIN Bossier City, LA Remember, outside the city limits. I don't want it crawling back here tomorrow.
NORM KRAACK Austin, TX
Tell them it was good on the 1812 and Wellington's Victory, but I couldn't hear a single shot on that Pachelbel thing.
PAUL A. ALTER Hyattsville, MD Special Honorable Mention Manchester, that's not my idea of Mobile Fidelity.
DOUG SAX
The Mastering Lab Los Angeles, CA
I don't care what they said about it in Stereo Review! The editors of High Fidelity say it's junk, so out it goes! THEODORE W. LIBBEY JR.
Music Editor, High Fidelity New York, NY
The Dolby’s are coming to dinner bring out the good stuff.
KAREN BOWMAN BOB LANSDON Dolby Labs San Francisco, CA
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"You say there are five in your family? Well, this receiver is 45 watts per channel, or 9 watts per person, and that comes to only 4.5 watts per ear. For really good sound, sir, you should have at least 10 watts an ear."
Source: Stereo Review (USA magazine)