12 Comments

  1. Unknown's avatar

    I don’t get it, but I assumed that the reference to eye contact had to do with the naked man on the right who is looking more or less directly at me. So maybe a 4th wall thing? I don’t think the naked woman is meant to be the recipient of the advice.

  4. Unknown's avatar

    “We’re just common, ordinary, salt-of-the-earth naked-in-public people, but HE’s a looney!”

  5. Unknown's avatar

    I’m not sure who is delivering the advice to whom (“honey” could refer to either one), but it refers to the fact that some wild animals (such as wolves, but also gorillas) interpret “direct eye contact” as a challenge, and a reason to attack.

  6. Unknown's avatar

    If you make direct eye contact with the loonies you see on the street every day in a city, they’ll talk to you and assume you have a rapport and we needle you and you won’t be able to get away.

    But… why that naked guy is the loonie and you naked people *aren’t* is… unclear.

  7. Unknown's avatar

    woozy, when faced with a strange naked guy in the woods (as opposed to your average “street loony”). making direct eye contact is the lesser of two evils.

  8. Unknown's avatar

    “But… why that naked guy is the loonie and you naked people *aren’t* is… unclear.”

    The two people on the left are naked in the woods probably for perfectly Arlo reasons. The naed musician is more suspect.

    (This all, of course, based solely on the Melcher comic above: what Burne-Jones intended is another matter)

  9. Unknown's avatar

    Never make eye contact with a one eyed skinflute or it might spit into your eye which will proceed to burn most distinctly.

  10. Unknown's avatar

    I thought the woman was whispering into the man’s ear, but I didn’t know why. I guess the challenge explanation is as good as any.

  11. Unknown's avatar

    You know, it can be really awkward if you and a friend go to a concert and you two are the only people there. It’s awkward enough if the music is good, but if the music is bad you can’t walk out without being noticed. And then you have to wonder if the musician is just going to keep playing the music with nobody there.
    That’s what I saw in this. The flute player set up an outdoor concert. Maybe he didn’t put up enough posters, or maybe in the posters he said that it was going to be a clothing-optional concert. Most likely the latter, and that’s what kept people away because they didn’t know if they were expected to wear clothes or not. But this couple was intrigued and thought a concert with nude performers and a nude audience would be fun. So they showed up and they were the only ones. And now it turns out there’s only the flute player, and he’s not very good, and he’s not even dancing and you couldn’t dance to his flute music anyway. So there they are, trying to stay awake, too embarrassed to leave.

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