Yabba dabba doo

Joe Barbera, half of the famous animation duo Hanna-Barbera, died yesterday at the age of 95 from natural causes at his home in California. Just the name Hanna-Barbera makes me smile, and remember how it would always flash across the screen at the beginning of the best cartoons from the Saturday mornings of my youth.

Alongside recollections of watching questionable shows like The Gummy Bears or Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers (I can still sing the songs for both, wanna hear it? Didn't think so), as well as better ones like He-Man and The Smurfs, I spent lots of weekend mornings with The Jetsons and The Flintstones. The duo also created Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo.

Their strengths melded perfectly, critic Leonard Maltin wrote in his book Of Mice And Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons. Barbera brought the comic gags and skilled drawing, while Hanna brought warmth and a keen sense of timing.

Hanna, who died in 2001, once said he was never a good artist, but that Barbera could "capture mood and expression in a quick sketch better than anyone I've ever known."

Yay for the both of them, for all the joy the've added into countless kids' artificially-sweetened-cereal fueled Saturday mornings.

Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You)
[from The Jetsons] - Violent Femmes

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? - Matthew Sweet

Open Up Your Heart And Let The Sunshine In
[from The Flintstones] - Frente!
(I just remembered that I totally had the original version of this song on vinyl record)


BONUS TRACKS:

Sugar, Sugar [from The Archie Show]
Mary Lou Lord & Semisonic

The Tra-La-La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)
[from The Banana Splits] - Liz Phair & Material Issue


[Parts of this post are lifted from the AP article, and the songs are from the excellent mid-'90s snapshot of nostalgia Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits, which has more great tracks from the likes of The Ramones, Sublime, Reverend Horton Heat, and Juliana Hatfield/Tanya Donelly]

Just last night I was reminded of just how bad it had gotten

Violent Femmes are on tour! I saw them once in Santa Cruz (CA) and it was a mixed experience but definitely glad that I went. I remember that singer Gordon Gano was belligerent that night and kept bullying the crowd. So, uh, stay away from the front I guess.

But the boys that helped us all blister in the sun and learn how to count our pills whilst we are overdosing are icons of . . . slacker rock? Off-key folk-punk? Whatever you call it, icons for sure and I think you need to go see them.

Jan 28 Tucson, Rialto Theatre
Jan 29 Tempe, Marquee Theatre
Jan 31 San Diego, House of Blues
Feb 1 Los Angeles, House of Blues
Feb 2 Santa Cruz, Catalyst Club
Feb 3 San Francisco, The Fillmore
Feb 4 Stockton, CA, Bob Hope Theater
Feb 5 Arcata, CA, Humboldt University
Feb 17 Thessaloniki, Greece, Principal Club
Feb 18 Athens, Greece, Club 22
Feb 19 Athens, Greece, Club 22
Feb 21 Cork, IRL, Savoy
Feb 23 Limerick, IRL, Trinity Rooms
Feb 24 Galway, IRL, Roisin Dubh
Feb 25 Dublin, IRL, Vicar St.
Feb 26 London, Shepherds Bush Empire
Feb 28 Oslo, Norway, Rockefeller
March 9 Cleveland, House of Blues
March 10 Columbus, LC Pavilion (formerly the Promo West Pavilion)
July 28 Del Mar, CA Del Mar Race Track

And if you don't already have it: "Prove My Love" - Violent Femmes


I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record.