Agnes by Tony Cochran for March 10, 2014

Frank Zappa is her father!

come to think of it, Agnes DOES look somewhat like a “Moon Puppy”

Her mom and dad are probably “farming” somewhere in Colorado or Oregon. Actually Moon Puppy is kinda fitting.

I can’t remember ever having seen the back story on that. Could this be the time? -——————————————-We had a neighbor family once (mother, five children) for which the mother could have been called Moon Puppy. Sadly, she was her own worst enemy. One day, the authorities carted her off (either to prision or a psychiatric someplace). Two days later, the Division of Family Services came for her children. We never found out what happened to them.

Poor kid. At least is wasn’t Richard Rosebud Petrie. (Which, I’ll admit would have been an even weirder name for a little girl.)

This strip been around for at least a decade and I can’t recall if Agnes’ origins have ever been brought to light.

Here is an excerpt from a 2006 “Comics: Meet the Artist” interview with the Washington Post on-line, in which Tony answered questions from callers.

Dayton OH: “I love Granma, but wonder why Agnes lives with her. Where are Agnes’s parents?”

Tony Cochran: “I followed Agnes home one day and that just happened to be her living arrangement. With the history of families in this country it was no surprise to find her parents absent and even less of a surprise to find that her Grandmother had unselfishly stepped up to the plate. Unselfish love is the key to a functional family.”

eek

She must be a cousin of Soleil Moon Frye.

Finally some insight to her past.

Agnes is about 10.Merely being named Moon Puppy can’t possibly make her the daughter of a musician who died 20 years ago, and whose youngest child is 30-something.

Moon Zappa herself is at least 45… born in the late 60’s.

In the early 70’s, up in the N Cal redwoods, I was startled to meet 4 babies named Krishna, a Vishnu, several Velvets and Lunas, and I think 2 Frodos.

A good friend named her son Tree (against my advice) … even on the commune they moved to, he took so much flack they changed it to Joseph…. but I know a grown up Tree now who loves his name.

And I recently met a Zeus and a Kitty Kat, both working at electronics stores..

Trout strikes me as a very odd name, yet in 1971, I knew a Shad….named for the fish… when I asked his mother whether it was short for Shadrach, she said “that’s a name?”

The practice hasn’t stopped….

Moon Puppy…. just the Puppy part makes me feel all warm and fuzzy…… But shouting out across the Quad at an University… “Hey! Moon Puppy! Cotillion at 7 – wear your dancing shoes!” .On the other hand … Maybe a Moon Puppy would go to a Cotillion….