10 Hilarious Far Side Comics About Musicians (From the 1980s)

The Far Side creator Gary Larson made a successful career as a cartoonist, but he always harbored the desire to be a professional jazz guitarist – explaining the tenor and the tone of the comics he drew over years featuring musicians. From anthropomorphic animal performers, to the worst fears of orchestral conductors, Larson channeled the anxiety and exultation of making music in a way seldom few manage to.

The Far Side was the product of a deeply intuitive, and deeply creative process, one that is valuable to study for artists working across all mediums. When it came to depicting musicians, Gary Larson tapped into his own experiences perhaps as much as any other type of Far Side comic.

In other words, these cartoons represent both a unique insight into the mind of a musician in general, and a peak into Gary Larson’s psyche in particular, making them among the most fascinating Far Sides to revisit.

The Far Side’s Musician Comics Were Anything But A Swing & A Miss

First Published: January 16, 1980

The Far Side’s first comic about a musician set an important precedent, establishing that Gary Larson was interested in finding the humor that came along with creative failure, especially when it came to music. He did this by depicting a man wildly failing to connect as he brings a pair of cymbals together with everything he can muster, as the talent scout holding the auditions unsympathetically calls out “next!“

A fair share of Far Side punchlines were manifestations of the author’s deep-seated anxieties; in this case, the fear of catastrophic failure in a high-pressure artistic situation. While the idea of missing so hard at a “Cymbal Audition” is a hilarious extrapolation on the idea, at its core, this comic will resonate with any creative artist who has bombed an audition, received a rejection letter, or in any sense failed to achieve some recognition.

Gary Larson Tapped Into The Worst Fears Of Artists & Musicians Everywhere

First Published: November 21, 1980

In this Far Side panel, an orchestra conductor has a horrible dream the night before a big performance, in which his musicians have no idea what to do with their instruments – variously putting them on their heads, and trying to shove them in their mouths, rather than playing them. Again, Gary Larson finds the humor in the very real anxieties that beleaguer artists at every level of their careers, from the amateur to the world-class.

Performers across mediums will know the plight of a restless sleep before a big gig, the spirit of which Gary Larson captures here, with the pained look on the poor conductor’s face feeling very relatable, even as the imagery of the musicians’ incompetence in his nightmare makes this a particularly amusing Far Side cartoon.

Gary Larson Knew Great Artists Were Seldom Appreciated By The Masses

First Published: May 22, 1981

Considering how idiosyncratic Gary Larson’s humor is, it is remarkable that TheFar Side achieved the level of commercial success that it did during its run. That said, the comic received its fair share of criticism, and complaints from offended readers – not because it was ever actually offensive, but rather because its sensibility was well ahead of its time. As well-received as Larson’s work was, it was perhaps not fully appreciated in its time.

In any case, this Far Side comic features a pair of musicians who are much less well-received by the masses than Gary Larson – as a torch and pitchfork-wielding mob of citizens bust down a door to stop two musicians from practicing the banjo and tuba, respectively. What makes this illustration particularly hilarious is its POV, as the reader is positioned as one of the mob, with the surprised, unlucky instrumentalists in the background of the frame.

The Banjo Strikes Back In This Far Side Orchestra Cartoon

First Published: November 13, 1981

Evidently, Gary Larson considered the banjo to be among the most abrasive instruments – or at least, the funniest. In this Far Side, an orchestra conductor clutches his ears, demanding to know “what’s that sound?” Off to the side of the orchestra, though plainly foregrounded for the reader’s sake, is a smiling banjo player, plucking at his instrument in sharp contrast to the soaring classical sounds the conductor is expecting.

In this case, it is the face of the banjo player that drives home the humor of this Far Side comic, elevating it from amusing to outright laugh-out-loud funny. Here, Gary Larson delivers another joke about a performance gone awry – but in this case, readers might almost find themselves on the banjo player’s side.

The Far Side Complete Collection

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Fans of the far side can’t pass up this master collection of Gary Larson’s finest work. Originally published in hardcover in 2003, this paperback set comes complete with a newly designed slipcase that will look great on any shelf. The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon ever published, which amounts to over 4,000, plus more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book and even some made after Larson retired. 

This Far Side Takes Readers Back To The Origin Of The Orchestra

First Published: October 28, 1983

Prehistoric characters were ubiquitous in The Far Side, as Gary Larson regularly sought to offer goofy interpretations of the invention of everything from fire to the birth of dance. This cartoon features an ancient orchestra, as the artist delightfully delivers another anachronism.

The joke here is admittedly subtle; the punchline strikes a chord when it becomes evident that the conductor’s music sheet contains only one large note, perhaps the only one these primitive players have identified so far. The humor here relies on the reader to make this connection for themselves; further, Larson gambles here, banking on the reader finding the discrepancy between the cave musicians playing a single note, but doing so with modern instruments, as amusing as he did.

Gary Larson Shows That Fear Is The Elephant In The Room For Most Artists

First Published: December 8, 1983

In its own right, this is one of Gary Larson’s most effective punchlines. Captioned, “the elephant’s nightmare,” an elephant sits at a piano, staring dumbfounded at the keys, while thinking: “I can’t play this, I’m a flutist for crying out loud!”

This comic becomes even more notable, though, when considered as another example of The Far Side’s cartoons depicting common fears and anxieties that plague artists. Once again, this manifests as a nightmare about being unprepared for a performance – despite using an anthropomorphic animal as his character here, Gary Larson legitimately captures the terror of a dream about being forced to play an unfamiliar instrument in front of an expectant crowd. For so many artists, fear is among their biggest inhibitors to success, something Larson skillfully, and playfully, represents with this panel.

These Far Side Monsters Just Want To Rock & Roll

First Published: January 10, 1984

Unlike many Far Side panels about musicians, there is no deeper meaning that can be extracted from this cartoon, in which a band of monsters assembled in the living room of a couple’s house jams, as upstairs, a husband tries to convince his wife that she’s not hearing anything. The implied sound of music in the comic is set-up for the punchline, which involves the woman begrudging admitting that “maybe it is just the wind.”

Of course, hilariously, it isn’t just the wind – and aside from the implication that they’re trespassing, part of the joke is also that the couple’s home has, in fact, been invaded by otherwordly creatures, but seemingly all the want is a place to rock out.

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THE FAR SIDE: 12 Comics From 1983 Designed To Make Readers Go “WHAT-THE?”

As funny as The Far Side was, Gary Larson just as frequently aimed to elicit another reaction, as he looked to test his readers’ “What-the?” reflex.

This Marine Biologist Was Not Expected To Encounter A Crooner

First Published: May 7, 1984

In this Far Side panel, a blue whale becomes the most unexpected performer to ever put a version of “Louie Loue” on tape, approaching a microphone dropped into the ocean by a researcher hoping to record whale songs, and proceeding to belt out a banger.

The premise of this cartoon is funny, but Gary Larson’s selection of song is absolutely what takes it to the next level. Published in 1984, as “Louie Louie” approached its 30th anniversary, Larson would have been familiar with the wide variation of versions of the song, and so making it so ubiquitous that even a whale would deliver their rendition is a great creative choice that makes this Far Side cartoon especially memorable.

Gary Larson Returns To The Conductor’s Worst Case Scenario

First Published: October 29, 1984

In a reprise of one of his earliest musician cartoons, Gary Larson once more offers a take on the orchestra conductor’s greatest nightmare: untrained musicians. Except this time, it is no nightmare, and rather than coming from the conductor’s perspective, this comic readers are treated to the worried whispers of one of the musicians, who the caption captures saying, “gee…look at all those black dots.“

Hilariously, the conductor – arms raised above his head as if about to commence the first notes of the symphony – seems to know something is amiss, though at this moment he can do nothing about it, as his eyes dart towards the musicians in powerless concern for the fate of his performance.

Wasting A Heavenly Choir On The Wrong Moment Is The Worst

First Published: July 23, 1985

Rather than mortal musicians, this Far Side comic depicts an orchestra of cherubs descending from the heavens with horns blaring. They triumphantly surround a woman who has just pulled a seemingly mythical sword from a stone – except a satyr-like creator pops into the frame, shouting “stop the music!…something’s wrong here.” Anyone who has messed up a surprise party by walking in at the wrong time will certainly feel for the Far Side’s ​​​​​​​resident woman in the flower dress here.

Evidently, the woman here is not the person prophesied to liberate the sword from the rock, though beyond this particularly funny Far Side fourth wall break, readers will likely never know the rest of the potentially epic story that begins with this fantastical Far Side panel.

The Far Side

The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.