176

Asshole
Posted on November 25, 2019 by David M Willis

176 thoughts on “Asshole”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    at this point “doing Mike things” constitutes his mere existence

    1. BenRG

      I know. I’m kind of worried about him too. Nothing good comes from losing the will to engage in your regular habits.

      1. Delicious Taffy

        Unless those regular habits are inherently destructive to the mental well-being of those around you, sure.

        1. BenRG

          But not replacing those habits with something new and better? Just apathetically repeating the old behaviours because he doesn’t seem able to think of anything else to do? No, just worrying.

        2. HeySo

          Er. While I’m not necessarily opposing your sentiment, your presented logic isn’t really panning out. Much like with drug abuse, simply avoiding a strictly negative behavior is in itself already inherently a positive [ie, “something new and better”]. Or, per your phrasing, “Something good coming from losing the will to continue engaging in regular habits”. Given that fact, I’m a bit confused as to your intended sentiment.

          I mean, so far I’m getting the impression that your sentiment is along the lines of “Sure, he stopped murdering people, but really, isn’t his life so unproductive now?”

        3. ProfBluestocking

          Let’s phrase it a different way.

          One of the signs of serious depression is the loss of interest in engaging in your previous behaviors. Even if your previous behaviors were being a huge dick, the loss of will is a sign of a dangerous level of depression that often ends in suicide.

        4. HeySo

          Thanks, that makes the sentiment a lot more clear. 🙂

  2. auroki

    And it only cost a nickel

    1. mrnoidea

      Beat me to it.

    2. Felix

      You’re gosh darn right.

  3. Suet

    Nickels. All the nickels.

    Sorry, Dan, Dan-nuendos ain’t worth it

  4. Emperor Norton II

    Dan gets knocked down
    But he gets up again
    Mike will never ever keep him down.

    1. DarkoNeko

      Dannying the night awayyy

  5. Danielle

    lmao

  6. Stephen Bierce

    *doesn’t play anything because Danny already is playing something*
    Today’s strip is sponsored by Delta Faucets.

    1. ValdVin

      What’s he playing? It’s too late to pick up my guitar and try to suss it out.

      1. Marsh Maryrose

        It’s not a guitar, it’s an ukulele. I have no idea either. The chord progression is F# major – E major – Eflat minor – C# major. Too generic to get you a specific song unless you know Willis’s ukelele repertoire, which I don’t.

        1. merbrat

          Ukeleles tune to: My Dog Has Fleas

        2. ValdVin

          I know it’s a uke, but all I have is a guitar.

          At any rate, it’s 1am and either would wake my wife up. I’ll have to try it in the morning.

        3. Needfuldoer

          So he’s playing just about anything, then?

          (I don’t know chords…)

        4. znk

          @Needfuldoer Danny’s is not actually as generic as the famous I-V-vi-IV progression you linked. 😉
          I don’t recognize it, but it has a bit of a quirky/bluesy vibe to it? (The chords C# major and E major don’t fit in the same major scale, whereas most pop chord progressions stay in one key.) My tentative genre guess would be indie or classic rock.

        5. John

          I’d guess “indie” just from the fact that he’s Danny and he’s playing a ukulele.

        6. znk

          ValdVin is probably just going to use the chord letter names, not the fretboard diagrams below. But interestingly, ukulele chord frettings also work on guitar. Ukes are tuned like the 4 treble strings of a guitar, with a capo on 5th fret.* (Which is why a uke G chord & guitar D chord are fretted the same: 0232)
          Although for recognizing a chord progression, the absolute pitch doesn’t matter anyway. (It’s still the same song if you play it in the key of C#, instead of F#.)

          * Or 7th fret, if it’s a soprano uke tuned to A-D-B-F#, or no capo if it’s a baritone. Also, usually the 4th string is tuned one octave higher, but that doesn’t really change the chord, only its voicing.

        7. ValdVin

          I will use the chord letter names.

          I recognize the similarity between E and F#, also E and Ebm. But it doesn’t ring any bells.

          (I must admit when folks talk about alternative tuning on a guitar, or how different ukeleles are tuned different.)

        8. Fred

          https://www.hooktheory.com/trends#node=1.b7.6.5&key=F# gives me three options: Stop by the Spice Girls, Weep by by TMBG, and… knowing Danny as we do… the Dragon Roost Island theme from Zelda (Windwalker)

    2. Deanatay

      puts on Hey Jealousy by the Gin Blossoms

  7. vitalProximity

    MIKE IS BACK

    AND WE’RE ACKNOWLEDGING THE THING WITH ETHAN

    YESSSSSSSSS

    1. vitalProximity

      …is there anyone else who’s actually excited about this storyline, or is it just me? o.O

      1. Kyrik Michalowski

        You aren’t alone, though I replace excited with cautious interest because it involves Mike.

        1. Charles Phipps

          I’m pretty sure Mike will sleep with Danny at the party.

          Thus causing Danny existential angst for abetting cheating.

        2. Agemegos

          At? Please let it be “after”. Those college parties are very uncomfortable, and these kids aren’t even high.

        3. Clif

          But it’s a joint party.

        4. Miri

          That is not correct use of the Quiet Room! Sarah might have to go get her bat.

        5. Delicious Taffy

          Kinky.

        6. vitalProximity

          I guess I also have cautious interest. I just feel cautious interest as excitement!!!

          …lol jk, but seriously, I love when a well-established asshole character has the possibility of even a glimpse of the long, long, long road to redemption, because… like, what’s the worst that can happen – they screw it up and are still an asshole?? They become MORE of an asshole, which no one would be surprised by at this point? There is all potential gains here, and practically nothing to lose in terms of the realistically expected outcome. Also, in a karmic sense, I think it would be hilarious if Mike slept with Ethan to make Danny jealous, which he was able to accomplish by taking advantage of Ethan’s old attraction to Mike, and accidentally gave HIMSELF feelings that he now doesn’t know what to do with.

          From a more nurturing perspective, I would also be looking forward to watching him figure out what the hell to do with that. But also I would really enjoy the irony of the situation, especially because Mike probably has the greatest sense of irony of all the characters here, probably by lightyears, so you just know he’s gotta be beating himself up, all “How the f did you let this happen, Mike?”

        7. Meagan

          I like your headcanon of Mike being super self-aware of his ironic and self-inflicted feels.

      2. Gallio

        Ah, my two favourite characters interacting! I’m hoping for a relationship to develop.

        1. Gallio

          I see this dialogue as flirtation.

        2. Delicious Taffy

          All dialogue is flirtation. Hell, the two words are just anagrams of each other, anyway.

        3. Bathymetheus

          I am not familiar with whatever arcane alphabet you are using.

        4. vitalProximity

          It is the ancient and revered alphabet called SLASH GOGGLES. *spooky fingers*

  8. Kyrik Michalowski

    This is a surprisingly tame Mike interaction, makes me wonder why Mike is still holding to that agreement. Does Mike actually have feelings for Ethan?

    1. vitalProximity

      YES. YES HE DOES.

      …I HAVE SO MUCH [circumstantial, but still] EVIDENCE. IF ANYONE CARES I WILL LIST IT ALL OUT, BUT IT IS TOO MUCH WORK IF NO ONE ACTUALLY WANTS TO SEE IT.

      …I feel like this is a weird ship to be pulling for but I don’t actually care that much.

      1. vitalProximity

        Actually I don’t necessarily ship Ethan liking Mike back necessarily, although I don’t NOT ship it.

        Can you ship something one-sided?? I definitely ship Mike liking Ethan. o.O

        1. Kyrik Michalowski

          I think you can ship an unrequited love scenario, it is unusual but it can be done.

        2. Needfuldoer

          What would that ship look like, anyway? I’m picturing a catamaran missing one of its hulls.

        3. Lone Duck

          A Mike ship strikes me as one of those little children rides outside of big stores. In Mike’s case, put in a nickel, climb on board, enjoy some sounds and motion, then it ends.

        4. geno

          I mean he marries Amber in the Dumbiverse does that mean she just kept putting nickels in?

        5. Seregiel

          Coin operated boy – Dresden dolls and amber

        6. thejeff

          Outrigger canoe?

        7. Khno

          It would look like the Titanic: an unrequited crush with an iceberg.

          Wait, people are telling me in my earphone that it is crash and not crush.

          Well, does it changes so much things with Mike involved?

      2. jufreire

        I am late but yes I am interested. Mike in an unrequited love scenario, liking someone who… has morals and is overall a decent and good hearted person and pushes him to be better? And doesn’t like him back, therefore his perspective doesn’t become skewed by rose colored glasses? I like that

      3. Zee

        *please* give me your evidence I am very much interested

  9. Hazel

    Mike is trying not to Mike.

    1. Keulen

      Judging by the last panel, he’s not succeeding at it.

    2. thejeff

      Mike is Miking by not-Miking.

      1. Liquid Len

        But is Danny Danning-up the not-Miking?

  10. HeatherJean

    There’s probably something funny about the Mike-and-Ethan thing and “innuendo” but I’m too sleepy to think of it.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      “Love goes out the door when money comes innuendo.” – Marx

      1. anonymsly

        “If that’s annoying you can leave in a huff. If that’s too soon you can leave in a minute and a huff. Do you realize you haven’t stopped talking since I got here? You must have been vaccinated with a phonograph needle!” -Marx

  11. Dafydd

    Well, in-Ethan’s-endo, anyway…

    1. vitalProximity

      Actually, it was Mike’s.

      1. Meagan

        At first i was like “how do you know???” And then realized someone has a slipshine subscription. Jealous. I haven’t been able to justify that expense to myself.

        1. vitalProximity

          Very late reply so you’ll probably never see this, but oh well: Honestly, I couldn’t really justify it either. But… I did it anyway, because I’m bad at adulting. So like… props to you for your self control.

  12. Doctroid

    So I saw this on Patreon yesterday and thought “Hm, I want to put the link to this strip in this ukulele-related document I’m working on” so I waited until this morning to find out what the link was going to be and no I’m not putting it in that document after all…

  13. tim gueguen

    NOW KISS!!

    Other people of course. Because the last person Danny should kiss is Mike.

  14. Regalli

    … Why was Mike invited?

    No, serious question, who involved in the planning of this party actually wants to spend time with Mike? You didn’t have to let him in, Becky!

    1. abysswatcher1993

      Becky doesn’t know many of the people at the party in a personal level, so she probably invited him because he hangs out with Joyce’s group.

    2. ValdVin

      He didn’t even pass the test to the last party.

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/nice-2/

      1. thejeff

        That party was much more exclusive than this one.
        Still, I assume Mike is crashing this party. Becky doesn’t seem to exercising much control over who comes in.

        1. Khno

          I was once the sole 20 y.o. at a 17/18y.o party. I ended doing much more door control than partying, let it be said.
          I also ended being one of the only useful witnesses when the cops investigated weeks after (about theft only, thankfully)

    3. Charles Phipps

      Mike probably trolled some homophobes or joined the Desanto campaign to troll some homophobes.

      1. Emperor Norton II

        Knowing Mike, he probably trolled some homophones.

        1. He Who Abides

          Or some gramaphones.

    4. DailyBrad

      Maybe since Amber’s there for Dina’s birthday, and Dina would know Mike as Amber’s friend. I can’t really recall Dina being around for most of Mike’s assholery.

    5. Deathjavu

      Yeah, this is a good point. Is word just out about the party now?

    6. geno

      Amber is friends with MIke.

  15. abysswatcher1993

    Mike may be a big asshole, but he doesn’t have to try when saying insults. He is a champion at subtles offenses.

    Also, Danny, don’t be jealous of Mike banging Ethan. Ethan is becoming a bigger village bicycle than Roz, so there’s little hope of a functional romance between you two.

    To clarifying, I am not slut shamming. I am just pointing some stuff is hard to do, even if you have a nickel.

    1. Charles Phipps

      Danny isn’t dating Ethan so he has no right to judge him.

      Ethan also is right that now is probably not the time for a serious relationship (at least for him).

      It’s Danny’s issue he wants to be with a one true loveTM now.

      1. Meagan

        I kinda figured that Ethan/Danny is endgame once Ethan sows his wild oats.

        1. Charles Phipps

          Mike/Ethan!

    2. JBento

      To object to your clarifying, you most certainly are. First, please forever abstain from using the term “village bicycle”. Second, just because someone enjoys casual sex it MOST CERTAINLY does not mean that they are not also interested in a romantic relationship with the right person (or subset of people).

      1. He Who Abides

        How do you feel about the term “doorknob”?

        1. JBento

          I don’t, because I… never heard of it? I mean, I ASSUME you don’t mean a literal doorknob? That you use to open doors?

        2. thejeff

          “Everyone gets a turn.”
          As usual, used almost exclusively for women.

        3. JBento

          Ew.

          Also, ew.

        4. He Who Abides

          That reaction’s why I asked. I’d feel worse about knowing the term, but the context in which I heard it (a Static comic in which he uses the term to make his enemy too angry to notice what’s going on behind him) makes it more funny to me than gross.

    3. Delicious Taffy

      Do we even know of anyone Roz has had sex with, other than Joe? She hit on Jacob that one time, but that doesn’t count. I don’t know that you can really call her a “village bicycle” with just one confirmed partner. Not that you should call someone that to begin with, seeing as it’s really dehumanising, but the point remains.

      1. thejeff

        There was Beef at the party, but we didn’t actually see the sex. Her comments suggest there’s been more, but she could have been exaggerating. In one of the Slipshines, for example, she says something about hooking up with Joe when she can’t find anyone better.

        Mostly we haven’t seen it, because she’s a minor character and only important when she’s interacting with main characters.

  16. Cephalo the Pod

    Huh, I don’t think those chords fit into either a regular major or minor kyy, I wonder how they sound.
    *…*
    …is that “Bye Bye Miss American Pie?

    1. Marsh Maryrose

      They actually aren’t as weird as they look in tab form. First chord is tonic, last chord is dominant; the intermediate chords descend modally instead of tonally, but they don’t sound that odd if you actually play them.

  17. Charles Phipps

    Danny, don’t be jealous. You aren’t dating Ethan and have no reason to object to the fact that he isn’t interested in a serious relationship, let alone one with you.

    1. abysswatcher1993

      Danny is just possessive of everyone he is romantically attracted to. Maybe dating Sal would have been good for him to stop being a stick in the mud.

      1. Regalli

        It’s a longstanding character flaw, and not one that’s gotten huge amounts of airtime in the Danny Relationship Troubles til recently.

        And given how his parents appear to have told Danny for quite some time that he would amount to nothing and he should attach himself to a woman who’s going places, I can see how that flaw developed. (I hate the Elder Wilcoxen. It’s a quiet, simmering hate compared to the hatefernoes reserved for the bad parents who’ve appeared outside Family Weekenf, but it is hate nonetheless.)

        1. Nono

          It’s also been mostly balanced by the fact that the Dorothy/Danny relationship ended mercifully briefly and Danny was mostly seen as a good stabilizing influence on Amber.

          Now we get to see Danny wanting to be selfish, and that is a very slow lesson to balance out.

      2. Charlotte

        Hm, I’m not saying you’re wrong, I just don’t see anything he said just now as possessive. He can disapprove of Mike being an asshole and trying to hurt his friend without being possessive.

    2. Yotomoe

      He’s allowed to be upset about it. Humans aren’t just some creature that function on pure logic. That’s literally the definition of envy. Wanting something you don’t have or can’t obtain.

      1. Meagan

        Co-sign.

      2. thejeff

        Plus, he’s not doing it in a way that would interfere with any actual relationship (or even casual hookup) of Ethan’s. But to Mike, whose “Mike things” aren’t just sexual, but manipulative.

        And look, Mike’s plan is working.

  18. Bagge

    Yup, they both have a correct assesment of the situation in the second panel.

    1. vitalProximity

      In everything except the question mark.

      1. Bagge

        True. Danny’s mistake was engaging in conversation. Just make a plain, factual statement and keep playing the Uke, Danny.

  19. Pan

    for a nickel

  20. FriskyJacket

    To be fair to Mike (oh goes I feel dirty, I mean I knew I would feel dirty but I didn’t think I would feel THIS dirty), I didn’t read Danny’s line as an innuendo at all till it was clarified.

    1. Miri

      Well that’s because most people don’t mean sexy things by Mike things. (Those are Mike things that he does for a nickel, often with somebody’s mother but not exclusively. Unless he’s bored, messing with people or horny, in which case his price may be waived.)

  21. Derek

    What does Danny know about Mike being an asshole? I looked through the Mike+Danny tag and their last interactions weren’t aggressive

    1. DailyBrad

      I mean, he’s been around Amber and Ethan enough to probably pick up on that through osmosis, if nothing else.

    2. vitalProximity

      He seems to know that Ethan and Mike slept together, based on his assertion that Mike did “Mike things” to Ethan, and confirming he intended it as an innuendo, so I would suspect he heard about it from Amber or Ethan. Possibly Amber, since he also seems to understand this is probably not a good thing and there was probably an ulterior motive.

    3. Charlotte

      Danny isn’t stupid. I don’t think it’s inconceivable that he figured out that Mike merely hooked up with Ethan with the explicit purpose of making either Ethan heartbroken afterwards or Danny heartbroken while it was going on.

  22. Schpoonman

    Probably word of mouth from Amber and Ethan.

  23. Yotomoe

    Damn, Mrs. Wilcox is a lucky woman. I’ve heard Mike’s dick game is pretty good.

    1. Opus the Poet

      This is another example of why this site needs comment upvotes.

    2. JBento

      If it were that good, he wouldn’t have to pay to play it.

      1. dralou

        It just occured to me that I always understood that “for an nickel” line as him asking for a nickel in exchange of his services, and it actually didn’t really add up to the insult, while the opposite (him, offering a nickel to the moms) did… Mmmh :s

        1. thejeff

          It’s never been clear. Maybe it varies from occasion to occasion. All we really know is that a nickel is involved.

        2. He Who Abides

          The real question is, does his Walky!verse daughter get a nickel in her college fund every time her parents get it on?

        3. Khno

          Both add to the insult, by undervaluing the sexual service, or by making it a valued service rather than a consenting free affect relation. In both ways I’d even say. It only works the way you say if you find not prostitution, but prostitutes, offensive.

  24. CMasta

    Ugh why the hell is Mike here.

    1. Marsh Maryrose

      I’m guessing it’s because he plays an important part in some upcoming narrative arc?

      Because otherwise, I got nothin’.

    2. vitalProximity

      Also he gave Amber and Dina a ride to the party.

      1. Miri

        … For a nickel? Each, or did they get a 2 for 1 deal?

      2. Delicious Taffy

        But they’re both in relationships.

        1. Zee

          Technically Amber and Walky broke up

    3. Dean

      Every slice of free pizza Mike eats is a slice someone else won’t get.

  25. DailyBrad

    Knowing Danny’s mom, she’d probably just denigrate Mike the whole time and nitpick his skill. You want any part of that, Mike, be my guest.

    1. Regalli

      She had a good opinion of Dorothy and seems to like her older son, so there’s a chance she’d like him. And then probably tell Danny how MIKE is going places, too, and he should be more like Mike.

    2. Yotomoe

      “I just think you could work on your cunnilingus, dear.” “I think your strokes are…spirited though a bit lacking.” “I mean…I GUESS I came. Do I give you a nickel now or?”

      1. Clif

        No fair. I’m trying not to wake someone up by laughing too hard, and you’re making it difficult.

    3. Delicious Taffy

      If I know anything about people (we’re already off to a rocky start), I know that there are massive amounts of people who have exactly this kink. Or at least, they draw it a lot on certain websites.

  26. Zatar

    Okay fine: There’s a Mike Comic I like.

  27. Nono

    Wow, in an interaction between Danny and Mike, Danny comes off as the worse one.

    1. Danielle

      is he?

      1. Nono

        He is, yeah. Mike approached the conversation with, at best, casual indifference. Danny reacted with hostility. The most Mike did was just ‘agree’ with Danny til the last panel.

        1. Kyrik Michalowski

          I think Mike has earned out and out hostility, and he does not deserve the benefit of the doubt.

        2. Nono

          And Danny is clearly just angsty about Ethan sleeping around and taking it out on an available target.

          It’s not like he was flowers and sunshine to Drew, either.

        3. facedepu

          Exactly. Came to the comments to say that.

        4. Emperor Norton II

          Mike was basically honouring the “not doing Mike things to you” the same way a kid being told not to touch their sibling will wave their hand back and forth one inch from the sibling’s face. He chose his words specifically on how well they’d provide him plausible deniability.

        5. Delicious Taffy

          Mike’s not tossing slurs or whatever, so Danny owes Mike entry into his personal space, as well as a pleasant response to whatever Mike says. That’s how it works with antagonistic pieces of shit, you know this by now.

        6. JBento

          Oh, come on. We both (and Mike) know that that’s only true if the antagonistic piece of shit is a white male: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/04-of-mike-and-men/recording/

        7. Delicious Taffy

          You’re correct, of course. I’d forgotten about that important caveat.

        8. SuperZero

          It’s almost like Danny’s memory goes back farther than the start of the conversation.

  28. BBCC

    Damn, Danny, I didn’t think you had it in you.

    Mike, fuck off.

    1. Kyrik Michalowski

      Our little Danny boy is growing in so many ways these days.

  29. nlips

    I’m just amazed that Danny is there playing his little heart out and Sierra and Grace just have their back to him, ignoring him completely.

    1. Khno

      I had a friend like him. Skilled guitar player and correct singer, always bringing his guitar to parties, as he was in every moment of life (classes, bars, trolley, and so on). I think we all know this type of youth. They have to get a bit less self centered to discover than we you go somewhere with an instrument and it’s not right on a gig, you should at least try to care of the public’s tastes or envies to play. You can play to yourself in your own room, because nobody wants to see you playing with your thing in public again and again.

      1. ValdVin

        Okay, I have exactly one question: Did he sing The Trolley Song on the trolley?

  30. BenRG

    That’s the first time that I’ve seen a Mike-ism delivered as a weak come-back rather than a dry put-down. Maybe Mike has changed!

  31. Arianod

    Play us a song, ukulele man.

  32. Clif

    And I say unto you, give unto Danny the innuendos that are Danny’s and give unto Mike the nickels that are Mike’s.

  33. ZerglingOne

    Is…Is Danny playing the Song of the Fayth from FF10?

    1. ZerglingOne

      Hymn*

      1. Kyrik Michalowski

        If he is, that would be amazing.

  34. ZerglingOne

    I’m not positive on it, but it also kinda sounds like the opening to Bath Water by No Doubt.

  35. Kaz

    This has to be the only time I can remember Mike just using a dumb, petty comeback like that.

    1. Delicious Taffy

      There was at least one other instance of “Your Mom” from him, as I recall. Somebody said something wasn’t so hard, or similar, and Mike replied “Your mom was so hard.”

      Or maybe that was Billie.

    2. Vulcanodon

      Mike in church; “Why did you come?” “Gave your mom a nickel”

  36. znk

    That’s a D#m, not an Ebm, Danny. Even if nobody can hear the difference b/c they’re enharmonic equivalents, I’m still disappointed in you for thinking of it that way.
    How are you ever going to master functional harmony if you throw together sharps & flats with reckless abandon? For crying out loud, you’re in the most sharp key you can be. Where’s that flat for the minor tonic supposed to come from, Danny?
    Jeez…

    1. Liquid Len

      +1 for music theory nerding!

      1. Khno

        Soon, in DOA: dodecaphonic and serialists ukelele songs.
        Can’t wait for Danny to go full on powernoise after that.

        1. ValdVin

          Where is Howard Goodall when we really need him?

  37. Rabisch

    Go Danny!

  38. Kater

    This interaction is glorious.

    1. BenRG

      On both sides. I wonder if Mike and Danny realise that they have a future in stand-up comedy?

      1. PHNX

        Which is kinda ironic considering their juxtaposition to Ethan!

  39. someone

    Hey the RSS feed has been stuck on the “Nemesis” strip for a while now, Willis’ web person (who may or may not be Willis himself) needs to go there with a plunger and unclog it.

  40. Zee

    My boy is back!

  41. PHNX

    Mike Mike is MIKE.

  42. Roborat

    I am waiting to see if someone is going to Animal House that ukulele.

  43. Jay

    I love mike

  44. PB

    Mike’s eyes are different …

  45. Beef

    I’d take the benefit of dick from Mike

  46. Beef

    I should probably change my picture

  47. Sarpiedon

    Is it possible that DOA Danny is actually douchier than Walkyverse Danny?

  48. Michael

    Mike’s hair confuses me. Does it look like that for historical reasons? Everyone else’s hair seems to have evolved into something reasonable since the Shortpacked! years.

  49. miluyali

    shit no one did guess the song then??? i just trusted this community to be like, collectively, an adorably encyclopedic show-off, I thought the DoA community would always be there to answer or at least speculate wildly and wittily about every last aspect of every strip, never mind a specific yet obscure cultural reference on the first panel referred to in the alt-text. I was so young and immature. Now I have learnt the hard way that if you want a thing done you have to do it yourself. Well, at least, make a desperate and doomed attempt at it yourself

    So, assuming—hoping—praying—Danny Willis didn’t transpose this, I googled the chord sequence (with both D#m and Ebm) and, found.. not that many pages. Like, a few hundreds. In many songs the 4 chords are maybe part of the progression but just kind of in the middle of it, they don’t make up a significant unit within the song. In lots of others they just appear once during some bridge or something. So anyway, I’m left with only like 2 or 3 possible contenders?

    * Iggy Pop – China Girl <- probably the closest match i got, but even that's not great unless Willis meant to confuse us, because the specific chord progression shows up kinda late in the song. Also isn't this song kinda racist maybe?
    * The Gipsy Kings – Soy <- it's some kind of descending outro thing? Plus playing flamenco-rock on a ukulele is certainly, a mood
    * The Smashing Pumpkins – Meladori Magpie <- again, not a perfect match; it's missing the final B chord to close the progression. but hey! maybe Danny got interrupted before he could strum it..??

    I mean, it's probably none of the above. But if it had to be I'd go with the Pumpkins one; it's an obscure b-side, but from like, the ur-emo-indie-rock band. Which feels pretty Danny to me..?? Also while it was just vaguely old and unhip when I got into it (and boi was I into it) it’s now firmly a last-century band you might’ve discovered going through your parents’ dusty frickin CDs, which might add a vintagey veneer to Danny’s personnal brand of goofy yet deadpan freshman-posturing??

  50. miluyali

    Oh wait, Willis gave it away on Patreon
    It’s the DuckTales NES moon theme

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