Bananas Up the Tailpipe: A Public Service Announcement
A watercolor still life of a stick blue rag, both sourced from around the house. Both painted poorly because I made the rag too difficult with folds, and failed at color control throughout the whole piece.

Id and Ego Babble

What. Did. I. Do? Sometimes I should put things down, take two steps back, and walk away. I don't know what happened. I was too baked and had a bad plan with an overly complicated setup. Why did I go with so many folds? Also, that jazz album... bit much. Though I kind of want to hear it again to see if it has the same effect. Too baked. Too baked for cake. Damn is ugly. I should have known when I tried to pencil the value sketch. My eyes couldn't keep up with the folds. When it came to paint time... 500 paint error: I have no muscle memory and the muscles-brain network was clogged.

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Meta Data

Title

About Bananas: A Public Service Announcement From a Buddy Cop Movie

Description

The 1980's buddy cop comedy Beverly Hills Cop has a scene that could be used for civil disobedience. Or teenagers who want to cause low-risk trouble. I used the memory of that scene to paint a still life of a rag and stick. I could have used a potato instead of a rag in remembrance of the potato I spied shoved up my truck's tail pipe as I walked to it one morning on my way to work (lucky eye spy). I didn't have a spud on hand, so an over-folded rag it is. Maybe after a lot more practice, next year's version will look like a rag and a stick.

Image

600x size: A watercolor still life of a stick blue rag, both sourced from around the house. Both painted poorly because I made the rag too difficult with folds, and failed at color control throughout the whole piece.

Date

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Modified

n/a

Inspiration

PSA: Bananas Are Safe. Encourage Your Children to Practice Healthy Behaviors

ABF Newswire: February 12, 2026

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT, February 12, 2026 (ABF Newswire) If you hear your teens talking about bananas more than usual, they may be referring to a new delinquent trend. Don't worry, it's a wholesome activity and should be encouraged. It's safe. It's not chips, dips, chains, whips, or candle wax on the nipples. Nor is it Satan worship, certainly not Dungeons and Dragons.

What does "banana car" or "spud mobile" mean when you overhear your teen say it? If you've ever seen the 1980's buddy cop comedy Beverly Hills Cop, you should have an idea. Thanks to social media, it's now popular with the youth to shove objects up the tailpipes of expensive cars. Bonus points if they implement a stick to shove the rag or other object deep in the exhaust to better hide it. This act causes the engine to stall and sputter out when the car is started.

Next time your teen and his friends want to go to the upper side golf course or walk around the valet lot of a 5-star restaurant to admire expensive cars, acquiesce to their requests. Because bananas and spuds and rags can be safe and fun for the whole family.

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