Country Comfort got some FM radio play when the record was new. I’d never heard of Elton John, but I thought he wrote a decent country song. Cut Across, Shorty was a novelty song that I liked: I was short, and I hoped that the woman I loved would make sure I won her hand. I’ll say all I have about Stewart when I get to Every Picture Tells a Story. Today I’d rather talk about the comic strip Gasoline Alley.
When I was a kid, I read every word of every strip in the Akron Beacon Journal, even Mark Trail and Judge Parker. I liked Gasoline Alley although I didn’t understand much. It’s hard to figure what a gasoline alley is. The origin story I like is that when cars were new, the stores that sold gasoline in cans tended to be in the same area. Someone called it Gasoline Alley. I’d never thought about what life was like before gas stations. Gasoline Alley is the longest-running comic strip. Walt Wallet is the major character, I guess; he is about 124 years old. That’s easier to believe than what goes on in the strip—for example, there was a long story about a bear that could talk getting custody of human children. The story going on now at least was introduced as a dream—a young Wallet is using a giant fountain pen to fight Goliath.
You can choose from many funnies online for free; I recommend trying them if you haven’t. You don’t need to read them all. My life is richer with them.
converselyspeaking 