Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for January 31, 2015

Nobody is into Tony Orlano.

I looked in my rearview mirror and Tony Orlando was behind me in traffic yesterday.

Mr. Stupidhead strikes again.

There was a short film with that storyline where the main character was a (tough-looking) guy just released from prison, made some time before that insipid song came out and ruined it for me.

When I was 18 through about 22, our church minister used to give the same Christmas Eve sermon every year, except it was with a white sheet out the window. Nobody had the heart to tell him that everyone knew the ending already and were heartily sick of the same old story. This was also pre -Orlando.

I’ve always found it odd that “Tie A Yellow Ribbon” was co-opted as a theme/meme/symbol for hostages/prisoners-of-war/returning troops. The Brown-Levene song was about a prisoner, yes, but one doing time for his crimes, and the over-arching theme of the song was not that the ribbon was a welcome home but that it was a symbol that he was still wanted there after doing his time in the hole – presumably, despite his despicable actions.

Interestingly, the first time that the whole thing was a media splash WAS for the return of a famous prisoner from the can – Jeb Magruder (one of the Watergate sleazeballs) was released from prison shortly after the song was a monster hit and his wife put yellow ribbons on the porch and trees of their home to welcome him. The event was on all of the network nightly newscasts and that image – sans crimes and prison time – somehow jumped back into the public consciousness in 1981 for the Iran hostage crisis.

I’m not sure if I was a hostage or a returning vet from overseas action that I would want a symbol that was so obviously tied to a returning prodigal, but whatever.

And yes, by referring to Watergate and the concept of nightly network news, I have dated my self. Badly.

We school kids used to sing a parody of “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” – might have been in college, I don’t know. Can’t find it via Google. All I can remember is, “Around the house, her father’s face was purple./It was purple in December and in the month of May./And when we asked him why his face was purple,/ He said his face was purple ’cause he liked it thataway. . . .” Inspiring, no?

the symbol of the ribbon is still used. ( very annoying)

This WAS a long time ago. Duke even has some hair on the top of his head.

A group called The Asylum Street Spankers recorded a parody song called “Stick Magnetic Ribbons on your SUV,” to the Orlando tune. The video might still be on YouTube. I’ve seen far too many attempts to be funny, but this one actually amused me more than once.

Just watched it and it is, indeed, very funny and still topical.

Watergate conspirator Jeb Magruder’s wife decorated her front porch and front yard with yellow ribbons to welcome him home from prison.The wife of one of the Iranian hostage’s remembered that and tied a yellow ribbon around a tree in her front yard in Maryland.Jeb Magruder’s wife may have gotten the idea from a TV movie in 1972. In the movie, James Earl Jones plays a con who has just done 3 years in prison. He tells his wife to tie a yellow ribbon around an oak tree outside their house if she wants him back in his life. If he doesn’t see the yellow ribbon, he’ll stay on the bus and keep going. She responds by tying dozens of ribbons around the tree. The movie was based on a story written by New York Post columnist Pete Hamill. The song came out after the Hamill column and movie. Hamill sued the songwriters but dropped the law suit after it was proven they had gotten their idea for the song from a familiar story written years earlier.

Look on the bright side, Duke…You won’t want the press documenting you murdering Stupidhead when you see what’s left of your house.

Hey Duke, you think not having a band and the press is bad, wait to you go home LOL.