#61: Beethoven and secrets

Hello trusted colleagues,

It’s that time of the week again, and what a week it’s been. To help get you through it, here’s some cartoons.

This week, we find out another side of Beethoven and look at how far you would go to keep a secret.

Speaking in hushed tones,
Chris

Like what you see? Follow me on Instagram (@chrisshorten), or talk a friend into following me on Instagram. Or, buy some prints from my website.

Caption: “Da da da dum, low low prices.”

We all know the song, but do we know the lyrics?

Beethoven was a complicated man. We know the tune. We can hear it in our heads. But, what if there were lyrics to accompany that tune? And would, in a desperate attempt to make some cash, those lyrics involve a sale at local store? Perhaps with low low prices?

Now that you know the lyrics, you’ll never be able to imagine the song without them.

A little artist’s note: The idea for this cartoon arrived in my notepad as something that looked pretty straightforward. You know, it’s Beethoven selling out with some fairly commercial lyrics.

But then, well, then the details emerge. Like, Chris, have you ever drawn a grand piano before? No. Do you have any idea what Beethoven looks like? No. What would be in the room that Beethoven composed in? Books, probably books. Because everyone read books back then.

And then you see that this one was complexity in overdrive, and then some. But I do really like it.

Caption: “Your secret is safe with me… unless I need it to make me look good.”

Do you have a friend like this?

You know the ones. They’ll hear your secrets. The things you only want a handful of people to know. And then before you know it you’re hearing your secret from someone else’s mouth. As if it wasn’t yours anymore.

And then you realise it was that friend. Do you know them?

A little artist’s note: This cartoon came from my magazine reject pile, it’s a sizable pile, but I just really like it. Nothing quite this specific has ever happened to me, but I know people it’s happened to and it really wasn’t a pleasant experience for anyone.

Visually, the most challenging part here is the park bench, because it’s the sort of thing that, unless you pay attention, can quickly look out of proportion. You know, like if you’ve built some flatpack furniture that just doesn’t look quite right. And, you know, the legs on the bench are probably a bit short now that I look at it, so perhaps ignore that part.

The shading is definitely very nice, though.

Thanks for reading MiddleSquiggle!

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