As a trombonist, I can say that we do sound drunk. I've never played that sound that signifies failure on a game show, though. Maybe I should try that sometime...

Panel 3 I was thinking, I bet it's Riker I bet it's Riker I bet it's Riker

Panel 4 I was all YESSSSSS

A Basic Instructions with a happy ending?!

Same reason that when my friend in highschool recruited me into the marching band I picked trombone.

You've just never heard a trombone in the hands of a true master.

There's always an exception for Riker.

I respect good trombone playing and I like to hear good trombone playing. But four years playing flute in high school band taught me a very important lesson -- spit valves totally gross me out, so I don't wanna actually WATCH trombone playing.

I'm glad to see that you took your wife's words to heart... not once was "trombone" capitalized.

So, I pulled my trombone from high-school out and looked it up. 1941 Olds Standard. Now I need to find out what Riker played.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEDeIvU1si8

Is his moustache for movember or hitler rememberence month?

I love this. First thing I thought of when he said trombone was Riker. The last frame is genuis though. Surely he can't start respecting any aspect of Mullet Boss' lifestyle.

Now i cant help but wonder if Riker played that "losing sound" whenever something went wrong on the Enterprise.

http://youtu.be/w39-ChUl1G4

Brace yourselves.

What's the preferred usage, "the boss is a trombonist," or
"the boss is a tromboner"?

Ah, Will Riker. Easily the most loathesome of any character in a Trek series.

Wow. I totally thought of Riker and then there he was in the comic. It's like you read my mind.

Or are a stunningly huge geek like myself. Either way.

I think that a trombone is probably the sexiest instrument for a girl to play :D I need to start playing my cornet/trumpet again, myself.

Anybody who's ever heard Glen Miller and his orchestra knows what great music can be made with a trombone. And anybody who's ever heard Resphegi's "Pines along the Appian Way" in the "Pines of Rome" knows how powerful trombones can be in an orchestra.

That awkward moment when you realize you have something in common with mullet-boss.

Jonathan Fakes first played Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You" in the Star Trek:TNG episode "11001001" while serenading the relentlessly beautiful Carolyn McCormick playing "Minuet" on he holodeck. I wanted to play the trombone as well but took up the saxaphone instead.

Anne, you were in a better position than I was; when you play saxophone, you're sitting where the trombone players can reach their slides out and empty their spit valves on your shoulder.
STILL grossed out - decades later!

@Mark: Don't you mean "Drunken Master"?

awesome! first panel made me laugh out loud, like i haven't done in several weeks. Best strip in months.

While only loosely related to the talk about Mullet Boss's facial hair, I do have to think it would be amusing to see the Scott character sans any facial hair at all.

Actual, pro, working trombonists who know what they're doing - on Letterman a few years back:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUPou0mrDK4 Even so, I still wanna hear Rick's solo album. Classic title.

Dee, words cannot express the sympathy I feel. Ewwwwwwwwww. If you ever decide to kill any of the trombone players who did that, put me on the jury.

I'm surprised the final panel doesn't feature Scott's jaw dropping out through the bottom of the frame and hitting the bottom of the page.

Okay, for all of you who want to get boned... shell out a few bucks and join the tomfoolery.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/brass-instruments/jiggs-pbone-plastic-trombone#review

And Dee... as a euphonist, I used to dump my spit valves on the trombonist's shoes. Hope that makes you feel better.

I think we've all forgotten about all the adults in Charlie Brown cartoons.
- What's that Miss?
- Bwa bwa bwa bwap bwa.

A few decades ago we chaps all knew that, after the lead-guitarist, the sax players were the most attractive to women on account of the affect that the embouchure had on kissing action. Trombonists were reckoned third.
Spookily, the women who 'missed out' on the guitarists were always nicer!
I'm still married to one.

(Sorry if this post produces unwelcome mental images of Mullet Boss...)

I thought women liked French Horn players most? Something about the way, they hold them...

Wow. Is that a win for mullet boss?? We must have slipped into some sort of spacetime paradox! Next thing you know, Rick will be a lady's man. Agh!!!!!!

A good comic from start to finish.

Spit valves are gross, no doubt. Was a trumpet player from the time I was in 4th grade until I graduated. Also played the French horn. It was fun grossing everyone out getting the spit out of the horn. No spit valves=taking the mouthpiece off and dumping the spit straight out.

Nothing beats the sputter and crackle of
just leaving the spit in the French Horn!

I do believe the sound in question is:

Wah Wah WAAAAAAH

After getting out of hospital a few hours ago, that was best laugh I've had in a week! Why aren't you on HBO?

Hmm, as a childhood fan of TNG I wish I could say I picked Riker as my reason to play trombone. My real reason was The Music Man, and more specifically, the song 76 Trombones.

@TheMortallyWounded: Riker played on a King of some sort. I really don't know which model it was, but it was probably a 2B or something.

Waaaait a minute. Scott, didn't you establish earlier that the MB doesn't like sci-fi?

Oh no! How will I handle an inconsistency that serves the storyline of a funny gag in a hilarious webcomic provided free to me by a genius-type guy? Huh. Guess I'm alright with your retcon, after all.

Thanks for all of laughs you've given me, Mr. Meyer.