Mort Drucker Interview

Fantastic.

One of the most innovative, inspirational and imitated artists in the history of cartooning, Mort Drucker has illuminated the pages of MAD Magazine since 1956 with his brilliant movie and TV caricatures. His Time covers hang in the National Portrait Gallery and he holds an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Boston. In 1987, the National Cartoonists Society awarded him the profession’s highest honor, the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

In 2015, he became the inaugural recipient of the NCS Medal of Honor. To mark the occasion, the NCS created a commemorative video. Filmed at Mort’s home studio in Long Island, New York, the legendary artist talked to his friend and fellow cartoonist John Reiner, the artist on the hugely popular features The Lockhorns, Howard Huge and Laugh Parade.

In a warm and enthralling conversation, the pair reflected on Mort’s path from his teenage days as a comic book assistant artist to his rapid ascent to the pinnacle of the profession, and discussed the attention to detail and quest for cartooning excel;;once that haas been the hallmark of Drucker’s illustrious career.

More Nerd Shit

Check this out, an even bigger nerd than I is painting an entire series of Moebius Models based on characters from the Batman TV show. He’s done Catwoman, Penguin, The Riddler, and this one. When he’s finished the complete set, all the bases will fit together to form Batman’s symbol. Nerdgasm!

As always, enjoy or don’t.

YouTube shortcut keys are as follows: J rewinds 10 seconds, K pauses, and L fast-forwards 10 seconds. This guy’s a talker, so you’ll use that last one a lot.

Watchoo Bastards A-Readin’?

I’m in the process of finishing up Vonnegut’s Slapstick, a book I picked up for $1.99 (Cheap!) on Amazon. I bought it five years ago but only recently got around to reading the damn thing. I like it, but I don’t love it. It’s the novel that gave us a quote you’ve probably seen here and there online: “Why don’t you take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut? Why don’t you take a flying fuck at the mooooooooooooon?” (I really should start working that line into conversation.)

Next up, I may circle back to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or that Bowie bio I started a year ago.

Norm Macdonald Has A Show

Not sure where you bastards stand on Norm Macdonald, I think he’s hilarious. Also a fantastic writer; his 2016 book, Based on a True Story: Not a Memoir, is excellent. And now he’s got a new show coming to Netflix on September 14th called Norm Macdonald Has a Show.

In anticipation, here’s a recent New York Times profile that’s worth a look. See what you think …

Midway through his third orange Fanta, in the course of explaining why he doesn’t talk to strangers anymore, Norm Macdonald told the story of one of his stalkers. We were at the Panini Kabob Grill, an aggressively normal eatery in a planned community of shops and condos not far from his home on the Westside of Los Angeles. It was April, sunny but mild. The night before, Macdonald taped an episode of his new Netflix talk show, and he still had makeup in the crevices around his nostrils when he arrived for brunch. We were sitting with Lori Jo Hoekstra — Macdonald’s producing partner for the last 20 years — and a representative from Netflix. The tables were heavily lacquered, the menus were laminated and there were a few discreetly placed TVs. It was the kind of place where Macdonald was both …

You can read the rest here.