J. D. King

I'm (Almost) on YouTube

2008-10-03T17:48:16+00:00

Last night I was digging Nancy Kelly with The Rick Montalbano Trio at The Old Forge Arts Center.

To my surprise, I found last night on today's YouTube.

I'm just outside the lower left corner of your screen.

Rethinking Textbooks

2008-09-29T12:49:34+00:00

For Patrick JB Flynn at Rethinking Schools magazine I drew this for an article about new approaches to diversity in public school American history and social studies textbooks.

I decided to break the page up into a comic book-like panels, and put a book at the center of a diverse collection of people.

Spots

2008-09-22T12:34:55+00:00

Here's some spots done for a trade re the pitfalls of retirement finances.

And yes, the calendar's supposed to read THREE thousand and eight.

Harvard, Man!

2008-09-15T12:32:41+00:00

These were done for Harvard's Kennedy School magazine: A game board cover and three spots, all featuring a generic and overwhelmed voter trying to make sense of Election 2008.

I got to handle the game board's type as well as the actual drawing.

What's On A Man's Mind?

2008-09-12T13:35:28+00:00

Be it president or pauper, sad to say and truth to tell: Not much is on a man's mind. An assortment of the same old stuff, cliches, bromides, a horizon not reached, a rut or two, puffery, a few rabid bats, the one that got away, inchoate notions, etc. -- all with a coat of dust as thick as a slice of Wonder Bread.

Ecce homo.

MySpaced

2008-09-09T10:36:20+00:00

It was about time that J.D. King & The Coachmen set up a MySpace page, and that we did, with an able assist from webmeister, Otis Fodder, at the very end of August. The raison d'etre was to get the word out regarding some material we recorded and mixed circa 2003/2004, "Mercy (Can Make You Happy)." There're 13 tracks, and we posted four, to let The World know we're here and we're looking for a label! Other than that, it's been wonderful to get in touch with old friends via MySpace and to make some new friends, as well. I enjoy this whole "friends" thing on MySpace a great deal. I set up a "Top 40" of friends, and some of them actually are friends! You know, people I've known for ages, former bandmates' current combos, etc. Some others? Well, maybe I've never met them. And maybe they're dead. But in cyberspace we're FRIENDS!

Audubon

2008-09-08T11:33:11+00:00

I created these four illos for the September/October issue of Audubon. One of the articles wound up on the editing room floor. But for you, Dear Drawger, I include all four illos! A world exclusive! Audubon's always a joy to work with, I love wildlife and I'm in good company regarding the other illustrators they use. A win/win/win!

Agri Culture

2008-08-22T11:47:13+00:00

These were for a recent project I worked on, funded by NYS, that's designed to help promote "Agri Culture," a mixed bag of local interests that includes: family farms, organic farms, orchards, dairies, bakeries, agri-tourism, petting zoos, green markets, slow food, the farm economy, etc.

It's a rare example of me getting to put my illo skills towards something near and dear to my heart.

Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges!

2008-08-13T11:02:55+00:00

Recently I got a job for a trade pub. They already had an idea for the article, but when I started to work from their thumbnail, it soon became evident that it was a really clumsy visual, let alone way too literal.

So, I took it in another direction, and sent in the above.

I got an e-mail from the AD, a good guy, but stuck in the sorry position of being an art secretary, running art between an illustrator and a meathead editor.

They wanted me to go back to the original idea of an inspector looking over the shoulder of an elevator inspector, and, while I was at it, could I give them both "badges" so it'd be OBVIOUS that they were, respectively, an elevator inspector and an inspector of elevator inspectors?

I wrote back, in polite terms, "Either use this, or find someone else."

I've prit-tee much had it with idiot editors.

I love working with ADs. Often, when thanked for a job by the AD, I tell them, "Thank YOU! Thank you for making me look better than I am!"

But editors? Find me one who's not a total maroon and I'll adore you forever.

Like, James Dean...

2008-07-29T10:44:02+00:00

I was only four-years-old, barely out of my crib, when my parents broke the news to me, they tried to be gentle, but there was no easy way to say it:

"Son, brace your self. James Dean died today, in a car wreck..."

Bewildered, I took a deep drag on my Lucky, exhaled slowly, and mumbled, "It can't be... It simply can't be... He's my hero... Rebel Without a Cause spoke to me on a profound, existential level... If this is your idea of some sort of sick joke..." PS: Now you know where the "J.D." in J.D. King comes from...

Overpaid Illustrators

2008-07-24T11:04:19+00:00

Here's some recent illos, one for Guideposts (I call it The Case of the Algebraic Angel) and three for American Baby.

That said, I'd like to take a moment to speak to all the ADs, editors and publishers who might stumble upon this post:

Illustrators love to draw! Ask the typical illustrator and they will tell you, "I wuv to dwah! Diss is SO much FUN dat I'd do it for FWEEE!"

This is true!

And, Illustrators have no bills to pay! They live with their parents, or in public housing with an ample supply of food stamps. Of course, they're too dumb to ever learn how to drive. Thusly, their very few needs are taken care of.

Pay them anything and it's TOO MUCH! Send them a check, and they'll simply forget to cash it. Or if they do cash it, they'll just waste the money on candy and beer.

Carry on!

Site Makeover

2008-07-17T10:28:57+00:00

Over the Fourth of July weekend my site got a major makeover with a hearty and able assist by my new webmeister, Otis Fodder -- my hero! What can I say about Otis? Fast? Try ahead of schedule despite having just moved from Seattle to Montreal with his new bride. The paint wasn't dry on their new pad when he dove into my project. Good? To quote Tony the Tiger, "GRRR-RATE!" Nice price? A fee that'd thrill the thriftiest Scot! Hoot mon! To the above add cheerful. This guy is SCARY good! BTW, he's the cat responsible for the Jim Flora site.

July!

2008-07-02T09:33:22+00:00

The year's half over, Winter's a faded memory, Spring's given way to Summer, July is here! It's time for farm stands and fireflies, bike rides and dragonflies, relaxing with a good book (I'm re-reading Jean Kerr's "Please Don't Eat the Daisies." She was a funny lady!) to a soundtrack of Ives and Gershwin, Jobim and Ricky Nelson. July is here! Inhale the humidity! A Happy Fourth!

Nook-Glo the Friendly

2008-06-30T11:05:01+00:00

Meet Nook-Glo. He arrives proffering peace and good vibes to the human race. That said, beware! His temper is as dicey as nitroglycerine! Look at him cross-eyed and there'll be HELL TA PAY, YOU FOOLISH MORTALS!!! "I was tryin' ta be nice! Then ya just had to go and do THAT, didn't ya?! YOU IMBECILES!!!"

Cyber Spies

2008-06-26T10:30:04+00:00

I did this for London's The Jewish Chronicle, working for my old pal, John Belknap, whom some here may remember from his NYC days.

It was great to work with John, and also great to work on a topic -- an Israeli team that monitors the nooks and crannies of the Web for terrorist groups -- that took me into a different artistic area. No happy little guys in this one!

Doty Found Flora's Wallet!

2008-06-07T10:18:44+00:00

Last weekend I was at the Jim Flora site, reading the Florablog. Irwin Chusid had posted some Flora cartoons from 1960s Parade magazines. The lighthearted line work reminded me a little of Roy Doty's work, so, curiosity piqued, I went to Wikipedia to see if there was a Doty entry. There is! From there, I went to his site and sent him an e-mail, telling him how much I appreciated his work, and asked him if he and Flora had ever crossed paths. He wrote back, and yes they'd been friends, a friendship that began when Doty found Flora's wallet in Grand Central Station! I passed this info along to some fellow Floraphiles, one of whom, Peter Hoey, sent me this Doty cartoon of a hi-fi fanatic in paradise.

The June Buggs

2008-06-05T11:49:01+00:00

As Drawger's self-styled sage, scribe, wicked wit and all around humble fellow, I consider it an honor, of dubious sorts, to present The June Buggs, a sensation sure to sweep the nation.

Pandora's Box

2008-05-31T15:48:42+00:00

To quote Henri Langlois, "There is no Garbo, there is no Dietrich, there is only Louise Brooks!" Lulu was a lulu!

Don't Knock Knoxville!

2008-05-20T14:50:14+00:00

This is the cover I did for the first issue of the redesigned Metro Pulse, a Knoxville weekly, and some interior illos. The topic is: Places of interest that you can get to on one tank of gas or less. This is the second job I've done for them, the first being a full page and spots for last Valentine's Day. I initially heard from them when one of their writers was working on a Jim Flora article. I asked him, "By the way, do you folks hire illustrators?" The AD, Travis Gray, is a great fellow to work with, and a talented illustrator in his own right! BTW, this is another example of the tasteful use of type!

INVASION!

2008-05-13T12:00:47+00:00

Here's the cover and an interior illo for the most recent issue of Rethinking Schools. The article was about a deprived school that'd been granted what seemed a blessing, but turned out to be more of a curse: free laptops for all the kids. This year I've done covers for several magazines, which is always fun. But it's a real treat when the type is handled as tastefully as AD Patrick JB Flynn does here! Thanks, Pat!

J.D. Goes To College

2008-04-23T16:06:58+00:00

Nestled in the foothills of The Adirondack National Park, I got a call from Gail Segerstrom at Columbia College, nestled in the foothills of Yosemite National Park. She wanted me to do a cover for their catalog regarding their new e-mail system.

Here it is!

BTW, I'm very pleased with the type treatment!

California...

2008-04-17T19:17:17+00:00

Here are three drawings I recently did for a California real estate brokers mag. The basic topic was about how to regain your footing in this weak market.

Still the Champ!

2008-04-02T16:44:04+00:00

Recently, I did this illo for a trade business mag. It's about Texas Instruments, a company that for decades and decades has led the tech innovation world.

Cover Boy!

2008-03-27T12:06:41+00:00

Here's a cover I did recently for DM Review. (I know, aren't you sorry you let your subscription lapse?) The topic was high-tech security. One nice thing about doing a cover for them is this: They don't gum up your art with headlines, etc. The art is freestanding, an entity unto itself.

A Mixed Bag...

2008-03-19T11:13:56+00:00

Here's a batch of recent drawings, the first two for US News regarding job prospects in 2008, the others for trades, the last two B&Ws are unused sketches.

Rah! Rah! Princeton!

2008-03-12T11:11:51+00:00

Here's some recent spots I did for The Princeton Alumni Weekly.

I'll let you guess as to the topics. Why spoil the mystery?

PJBF = AOK, OK?!

2008-03-07T14:46:08+00:00

Since Patrick JB Flynn is Person of the Day, what better day than to post my most recent job for him and Rethinking Schools?

The article is by a teacher who's using her math class to get the kids to think about their world and The World.

Meet Beatle Bayleaf...

2008-03-05T15:33:14+00:00

Marketing is all important these days, so here's my new character, Beatle Bayleaf, soon to be marketed ever' which way. A little about Beatle: He's a beetle-browed pothead who enlisted in the military when he heard he'd get free hash. In boot camp, to his profound disappointment, he learned it's the kind of hash you eat, not the kind you smoke. And as Sgt. Snorter's dog, Odd-o, told him, "Even I wouldn't eat that !@%&*# crap!" Thusly, our hero went AWOL, "Looking for a rock and roll band that needs a helping hand..." He found one. They call themselves The VW Beatles. (To stay one step ahead of the MPs, they also perform incognito as The Wheat Germans, The Velvet Underdogs and Bob Dillon & The Beetles.) Some of their songs are: "I Want to Hold Your Elbow," "Can't Buy Me, Luv!" and "She Loves Yoo Hoo." SO! Marketing! This character design becomes an action figure. From there, a limited edition comic book series. That gets collected in hardcover as a graphic novel. From there, a video game, a Saturday morning cartoon and a kid's book. And while we're at it, a NYT bestseller. Then, of course, we talk to Hollywood, and it's a movie. From there a Broadway musical. And that's made into a movie musical. And a Disney theme park. And a Ken Burns PBS documentary. What else? A rock opera, which becomes another movie musical and another Broadway show. Don't forget the CD boxed set. Not to mention DVDs of this version and that version, etc. And T-shirts, endorsements and merchandise left and right. All of which will land moi in the Fortune 500, swinging in Monte Carlo with the hippest and coolest royalty from micro countries you've never even heard of, living on my very own private island off the French coast. Jet set au go go! At which point, if you think I'll remember you, Dear Fellow Drawger: GOOD luck!

WFMU Turns 50, Part 3...

2008-02-25T11:52:16+00:00

The final installment of this series: The selected T-shirt design. Today at 9:00 a.m. WFMU celebrates its fiftieth year! Re radio, I know that online radio is all the rage, but I prefer to listen to WUNY-FM, a local NPR classical station, via my Tivoli Model One, designed by the audio legend, Henry Kloss. I love WUNY-FM and I love the Model One! My dial never budges from this well-run station. The hosts are knowing, yet not the least bit snooty, and their playlist constantly features composers I'd never heard of. The Model One's tone is warm and articulate. Here's a product shot:

The Lonely Financial Zone...

2008-02-19T11:57:03+00:00

I moved to NYC in 1977 with some friends from Providence, RI to a raw loft space on Desolation Row, a.k.a., South Street, at the the tip of the island, a stone's throw from Wall Street and the WTC, the twin monoliths that loomed over all. How raw was the loft? We had to buy our own refrigerator, a used one from, I think, Canal Street. It needed cleaning. At five the financial zone began its exodus. By six it was a ghost town. The stock brokers and all who fed off them, vanished. Night life? The only life at night was the Fulton Fish Market, which kept an ancient, tile-floored, tin-ceilinged, 24-hour bar busy enough. I came to Manhattan with 500 bucks, some of which went to first month's rent and security, telephone deposit, etc. I took a month off and explored, just walked around my new hometown: Chinatown, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, Uptown... Then I got a job, minimum wage, of course, at an O Henry's photo booth in Midtown, near the brand new Citicorp Building. I'd been there a few weeks when one afternoon, as I was getting ready to leave, to go to The Village Voice to show my portfolio, my boss said, "Whoa! We need you here. Eva's just called in sick! You gotta work late!" I said, "B-but I've got an appointment! To show my work... At The Village Voice!" I was told if I left, I was fired. I left, I was fired. But I got some cartoons published in The VV. Howe'er that only lasted a few issues. I didn't work for them again until 1986, or so. Another job I had around that time was at an art supply store in the old Newsweek building. Some friends of mine worked there, and after work we'd head to a bar on the top floor of a modern building in Times Square on that little triangular island of blacktop. With money purloined from the art store register we'd drink like fish and eat bowls of those salty little goldfish crackers and we'd smoke cigs like fiends. Vantage was the brand, with its target logo. Very mod. Windows wrapped all around the bar, a panorama of Manhattan. We'd stay until the wee hours, watching the outdoor atmosphere dim from golden glow to violet hush to deep purple to ebony, the lights of the city coming on. We sat near the lounge's pianist, a Frenchman, about 35, very debonair. His girlfriend was the hostess, a good-looking, nickel-plated bitch of a blonde. Amongst ourselves, we referred to her as The Ice Queen. Alas, Frenchie had it bad for her, it was written all over his face. She only had it bad for herself. We requested lots of songs from the Frenchman, and tipped generously with the register's money, like politicians being magnanimous with the taxpayer's dough. One of the songs we always asked him to play -- and we saved this song for the end of the night, the treat, the cherry atop the sundae of alcoholic euphoria -- was "Send in the Clowns," Sondheim's ode the the desolate. Our conversation came to a halt with this song, all was silent but the piano. I wonder where Frenchie is today? I wonder where The Ice Queen is today?

Modrophenia...

2008-02-15T13:13:26+00:00

More stumbling about in CS3. I found the arrow device. Yay!

Happy Ballantine's!

2008-02-12T11:06:33+00:00

Valentine's Day's for Metro Pulse, an alternative weekly in Knoxville, Tenn.

WFMU Turns 50, Part 2...

2008-02-11T11:15:21+00:00

Here are the unused T-shirt designs I did for WFMU's 50th anniversary. I worked closely with Ken Friedman. Originally we were aiming for a square shape, and I gave him several designs. From there, we went in other directions. The final accepted one isn't square. It's very tall: 16" by 6". I'll post that one separately, on WFMU's official birthday, February, 25. The first one you see here was, at one point, the accepted final. Then everything changed...

WFMU Turns 50, Part 1...

2008-02-08T14:44:10+00:00

This month -- 9 a.m., February 25, to be precise -- WFMU turns 50.

Here's a drawing I did for their new brochure, out today.

I also designed a T-shirt in commemoration of this silver anniversary, but more on that in an upcoming post!

Winter...

2008-02-04T13:11:38+00:00

It's been a bitter cold, snowy and icy Adirondack winter. Between the dreadful weather and the price of gasoline, I only venture out once or twice a week for groceries and the mail. Which is fine. I'm kinda diggin' it. I'm doing what I intended to between commercial work this winter: focusing on learning Illustrator (see above for the latest example).

I've been doing some, but not all, jobs in Illustrator. I'm "getting there."

My soundtrack of late's been The Miles Davis Quintet and Helen Merrill.

When I was laid up with the flu in January I caught up with my reading: I Kid You Not by Jack Paar; Talking Jazz by Max Jones; Hustlers, Beats and Others by Ned Polsky; The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard; The Story of Jazz by Marshall Stearns and Ben Hecht's sensational 1959 novel, The Sensualists, which is like The Twilight Zone blended with Sam Fuller, Ed Wood, Jr. and Russ Meyer. If you can find it, I most highly recommend it. My jaw dropped a few times. This book has it all: a plush dysfunctional suburbia, seedy urban settings, sex fiends, junkies, a gorgeous bisexual cabaret singer, a sadist, murders... Man, this book is a dream come true. It's the novel I was waiting for but didn't know it.

When I got better I read Art Pepper's Straight Life, followed by Beneath the Underdog by Charles Mingus. Currently I reading stuff from my old high school English lit book: Samuel Pepys, Virginia Woolf, Eliot, Katherine Mansfield, et al. I'm glad I saved this book!

Habitat

2008-01-17T15:43:24+00:00

Here's two recent illos for Habitat magazine.

Sad to say, it's not a mag for those getting out of poverty and into a first time home. It's for co-op boards.

A Bunch of Stuffs

2008-01-10T14:24:56+00:00

Here's some recent work of mine for US News, Storage and Bicycling, as well as this personal piece done in Illustrator as I try to get ever more acquainted with this new software frontier.

I've been sick with a horrid flu/cough since right after Christmas, so that's why I ai't been around much.

Merry Christmas...

2007-12-15T11:43:04+00:00

Peace on earth? Good will towards men? Maybe next year...

Spots! I See Spots!

2007-12-11T16:41:15+00:00

A bunch of spots for a small Christian magazine called Guideposts.

Dreaming is Free...

2007-12-07T11:33:11+00:00

The last couple of weeks saw a flurry of work. And this week saw snow flurries. But I found time the last two days to devote to learning more about Illustrator CS3, furthering my segue from FreeHand. This is what I came up with. For me, learning technical stuff runs the gamut from annoying to aggravating. Also, the best way for me to learn is by doing. I can never make very much sense out of manuals. I need to just rummage about and experiment. Then, once I begin to figure things, out it becomes, to my surprise, fun! Almost a dream! Dreaming is one of my favorite hobbies. It's the best way to be. I assume cats dream. But of what? Their mommies? And her sweet milk? Of chasing a mouse? Does a fly dream?

Schools Rethunk...

2007-11-28T11:18:49+00:00

My latest for Patrick JB Flynn at Rethinking Schools magazine about how, now, it seems, private schools don't stack up all that well compared to public schools, thusly throwing the voucher argument into a tailspin.

Communism is Groovy!

2007-11-26T13:40:14+00:00

Getting out of the army after WWII I enrolled at Parson's on the GI Bill. I moved my few belongings into a small furnished room in Chelsea. Some others who lived there were a ballerina, a Bible salesman, an ancient widow and an unpublished science fiction writer. In order to make ends meet I took up commercial art. My only client was The Daily Worker. I'd trek a few blocks north to get my assignment and execute it right there. This is my my first job for The Worker, something, as I recall, about the exploitation of NYC cabbies. In those postwar years, very few places were hip to computers, but the comrades were! They had this huge Soviet-built diesel-powered mainframe. The mouse was a big as a prole's lunch bucket. The images were only 10 (ten) dpi, so we'd use a hammer and a sickle to bang and cut them into something pleasing to the eye. I'd hang out, smoking Russian cigs, drinking Russian coffee. Wasn't that a time! The Communists had this columnist named Woody who was a sort of hobo folksinger. He'd stumble in with his guitar and his latest article in praise of the good works of "Uncle" Joe. I was still pretty green, and Woody was a very knowing Red, so I'd ask him about this or that world leader in order to become better informed. Our conversations would go something like this: "Woody, what do you think of President Truman?" "He's a bastid!" "Okay. How about this new fella, Sen. Joe McCarthy?" "He's a BASTID!" "Okay. What about Franco? Batista?" "THOSE FASCISTS?! A COUPLE OF STINKIN', ROTTEN BASTIDS!" Woody once gave me a bit of advice that I still hold dear. He said to me, he said, "Don't let the bastids getcha down, kid." I used to attend hootenanies in Greenwich Village held in the apartments of friends of Woody's: Pete, Ronnie, Huddie, Fred, Lee, Paul, et al. I remember Woody working on a new song, "This Land Will Be Stalin's Land." I suggested that he change it to something more inclusive, to something less tied to such a specific time. That way, I told him, people might be singing it after Stalin's long gone.

Tom Turkey Says...

2007-11-14T14:20:57+00:00

"I'd be most thankful if you didn't eat me. The meat industry is very cruel. Also, it's an environmental disaster. And you'll be healthier without meat in your diet. So, please, humans: Eat your vegetables -- but don't eat me!"

Psychedelic Sunrise...

2007-11-01T13:33:47+00:00

The Chesterfield Kings' new CD, "Psychedelic Sunrise," is out, on Little Steven's new label, Wicked Cool. It's a heapin' helpin' of garage rock slop a la The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and The New York Dolls -- and for the cherry on the top, it's got liner notes by Andrew Loog Oldham!

Dial "F" For... Fear...

2007-10-31T10:42:38+00:00

'Tis the Season for... fear...

You're Already Beat...

2007-10-30T09:58:41+00:00

Nico, the enigma wrapped in a tragedy... I was fortunate to have seen her in 1979 at Trude Heller's, a posh, dark, intimate Manhattan cabaret complete with thick, white tablecloths on their tiny tables. My punk rock friend and I were a little out of place, but Nico was wonderful. She sang and played her harmonium, until a couple sitting directly in front of her did something to offend her. She gave them a tongue lashing that wouldn't quit until they exited, heads hanging. Then the concert resumed... I never did figure out what their crime was. Anyhow, last Sunday I went to a terrific exhibit of modern art at Utica's Munson Williams Museum. This was all work from the museum's collection, donated by local scion, Edward Wales Root (1884-1956). The show left me energized and inspired to create this graphic for Nico...

"R" is for Rock and ROLL!!!

2007-10-19T14:20:22+00:00

Time to tell the boss to shove it! Time to rock and roll!

The Mexico Blues...

2007-10-18T10:21:13+00:00

My latest for Bicycling, about how, supposedly, Mexican blue corn is better for your heart than yellow corn.

Peachy, Too...

2007-10-17T11:21:56+00:00

The Peachpit Adobe Illustrator CS3 manual I did some work for has been expanded, allowing me to do one more. Here 'tis!

The Dinosaur Stomp!

2007-10-15T10:27:19+00:00

When I was a kid I loved movies with dinosaurs. I cared not one bit about the acting, the plot, etc. Just the dinosaurs.

Does Anybody CARE?!

2007-10-13T15:03:58+00:00

Here's a spot I did recently for Caring Today magazine about healthcare workers who put on weight if they're caring for obese patients.

The AD, Kathrny Del Vecchio-Kempa, wanted it to look a lot like a certain promo piece of mine. So, I've included that, as well. Those with sharp memories will recall I posted it New Year's Day on Drawger.

Wall Street!

2007-10-12T10:43:12+00:00

Here's an illo I did for the Wall Street Journal the other day about online diet support groups.

Of Question Marks?

2007-09-29T11:22:14+00:00

A recent illo for Bicycling Magazine with a big question mark in it.

Peachy!

2007-09-26T17:05:41+00:00

Elaine Weinmann of Peachpit Press is including a couple of my drawings in the upcoming guidebook for Illustrator CS3.

The color one is to demonstrate the more geometric possibilities of Illustrator, while the B&W one shows transparencies.

The Military Educational Complex?

2007-09-20T12:33:33+00:00

This is a piece I did for everyone's favorite AD, Patrick JB Flynn at Rethinking Schools Magazine. It seems as if the military is putting the hard sell for recruitment on inner-city school kids. That's fair, right? After all, we wouldn't want any youngsters named Bush, Cheney or Clinton in Iraq. They've got more important things to do with their lives.

Times Two (Plus One)

2007-09-17T16:53:43+00:00

Today's NYT Business Travel section has two illos by me. Here they are, plus one of the sketches that I'm partial to. The topics were: 1) Stress while traveling by air, especially dealing with airports today, and 2) Businesses trying to save money on hotel and air travel charges. BTW, it's impossible to get through an issue of the NYT without seeing a Drawger or three. It must be a conspiracy...

Punk Rock Visionaries...

2007-08-29T15:51:29+00:00

"I sat down in this vomity-looking chair in the lobby..."

Holden Caulfield

I'm 1!

2007-08-18T10:17:44+00:00

A year ago today was my first Drawger post!

Thanks to all here, people whose work was new to me or people whose work I'd admired for years -- if not decades!

Thanks for all the good comments, e-mails and phone calls! It's been great to get back in touch with old friends and to make new friends!

And thanks to the Wizard of Zimm and his carpenter, Josh, for cobbling Drawger together!

Of Sick Worms and Eco Punks and...

2007-08-06T10:43:09+00:00

Here's four spots I did last month for Kevin Fisher at Audubon Magazine.

Bicycling...

2007-08-03T10:31:58+00:00

My latest for Bicycling, keeping Mr. Death at bay by biking even for non-exercise purposes: running errands, etc.

It works! (Unless you get plastered by a Mack truck.)

A KAYO!

2007-07-10T09:49:45+00:00

This is my latest for Bicycling Magazine, a piece about how lots of exercise doesn't lower your immunity, according to the latest expert study.

(How long before this expert study gets overruled?)

Baltimore

2007-06-27T07:25:15+00:00

Here's some spots I did for the current issue of Baltimore Magazine. I had to use assigned colors, which I always find a fun way to work because it forces me into a different area.

3D Or Not 3D...

2007-06-25T07:39:44+00:00

Here's a bit of visual nonsense, as well as a video by my fave-rave contemporary rock band, The White Stripes. "Three" looms very large in Jack White's world. He strikes me as an eccentric equal to Brian Wilson or Orson Welles. And Meg White is a cipher, a mystery with a Mona Lisa smile.

America Loves Paris!!!

2007-06-08T10:17:49+00:00

A travesty of justice -- America's Sweetheart, Paris Hilton being sent to prison -- forced Americans to man their cell phones and call in their protests!

We said, "You can't do this to her! We love her! She's so blonde! So rich! And above all, so bee-YOO-tee-full!!!"

Our voices were heard and Hiltie is free!

Celebrate today! Celebrate our Way of Life that we send our troops to foreign and hostile lands to protect!

Message From the Country...

2007-06-04T10:00:04+00:00

Here's a recent illo by me for a computer mag. It's about rounding up files or bits or bytes -- or somethin'. I dunno... All that high tech kinda talk makes my head spin. That said, it's an apt illo for my rancher/farmer life of late. Besides my six house cats, there's a bevy of 4H animals on my property: three horses, four hens, three roosters and three bunnies.

A London Flat...

2007-05-24T17:24:02+00:00

Meet Penelope Jurisprudence and Mister Olaf. They share a London flat. Mod Penelope flits about town on a Vespa, going to discotheques and the cinema. Trad Olaf, a homebody, reads Chesterton and studies the Italian Renaissance. He favours a peppermint lump with his afternoon tea, and he mutters things in his sleep like, "Preposterous! Despicable! Jabbering chimpanzees masquerading as eggheads!"

I Protest!

2007-05-16T20:01:14+00:00

I'm against it!

Soupy's Kids!

2007-05-15T09:47:09+00:00

This cat is doing the Tiger Twist! To the tune laid down by Soupy Sale's kids, Tony & The Tigers!

Jobs

2007-05-14T09:52:43+00:00

Here's some recent jobs, one for PJBF, others for a variety of pubs. Instead of destroying the filthy lucre I receive for this stuff, just this once, for novelty's sake, I'm going to invest my earnings, and invest them wisely! I'm thinking Enron stock. It can be had very cheaply these days, and it can't go anywhere but up!

His Name Was Jacques

2007-05-06T19:55:04+00:00

He was but a man, but what a man!

And God Created... Bardot

2007-04-30T14:32:55+00:00

BB!

Teenybopperus Rex!

2007-04-11T17:26:45+00:00

Meet Teenybopperus Rex! In 1966 he's 14 and the Newborn King! He hates whatever bugs him, man. And what bugs him the most are: School, cops and Frank Sinatra. What he digs are: Cherry bombs, sugar cubes, Marlboros and pranks. His hobby is sniffing glue, and his ambition is to learn all the chords to "Hang on Sloopy." (He knows one, two more t' go!) An ideal day is spent eating delicious food (potato chips, Tab, gum) while watching his favorite programs (Hazel, Yogi Bear). Before bedtime, he relaxes reading cherished volumes from his personal library: Sad Sack, The Hulk, Kustom Kar. Who says the kids don't like to read?!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

2007-04-10T19:21:48+00:00

I have a show coming up in Rome, NY at the Rome Art and Community Center. The opening is on my lucky day, Friday the 13th, 6-to-8. It's up until the 27th. I hung my work this morning, ten beautifully matted and framed pieces, all familiar to loyal viewers of Drawger. My thanks to Lauren Getek, RA&CC's executive director!

A Few...

2007-04-07T10:46:55+00:00

Here's a few recent things done in between getting my site updated and -- still! -- shoveling snow!

Diagram of a Murder...

2007-03-28T18:46:09+00:00

Karen had to get out of town, that much was certain. She'd seen too much on that bitter cold March night -- and Boss Skron knew it. "He'd crush me like a bug, and not give it a second thought!"

Simply Saucer

2007-03-21T10:30:05+00:00

This is the cover I recently did for Simply Saucer's new CD, to appear on Canada's Sonic Unyon label. The AD was Stephanie Bell, and she's a dream to work with! Simply Saucer were a Canadian band that, in the early seventies, pioneered "lo-fi" and punk. Anyhow, they've reformed and recorded! Here's a vid of them back in the day:

Bikers vs. Boomers!

2007-03-20T12:07:33+00:00

Well, not exactly "versus." And not exactly "bikers." Here's a couple of recent jobs I did for Bicycling Magazine. And one for last Sunday's Wall Street Journal about new directions for boomers retirement dough.

Pats

2007-03-17T10:38:18+00:00

Everyone knows that today is St. Patrick's Day, but Tuesday, March 13 was St. Patricia's Day, she having been martyred in 304 in Nicomedia (present day Turkey). Anyway, to saints! And to green!

Barcelona..

2007-03-15T14:56:39+00:00

I've only been there once. Or twice, depending on how one counts. And who am I to judge how one counts? Am I any more accurate than a calendar? A clock? An atlas? No, not really...

Comics

2007-03-14T10:25:01+00:00

There's been some talk of comics on Drawger of late. I hadn't done one in a million years, but began to feel the urge. This is a very, um, non-linear sort of comic, untethered, as it were, if you will, so to speak to any traditional narrative. If you don't "get it" that's because it's all very, VERY intellectual with debts owed and paid to Kafka, Cage and Smokey Stover. If that's over your head, there's always the super-heroes. Any semblance to the sleazy character in the upper left corner and Lou Brooks is, er, coincidental.

WFMU

2007-03-12T09:50:32+00:00

Here's the new bumper sticker I did for New Jersey's freeform radio station, WFMU. I worked closely with Ken Friedman and Irwin Chusid, as well as getting some feedback from Barbara Economon. I know that many Drawgers are WFMU fan-addicts. For those who aren't, you don't need to live in NJ to listen. They're available online!

Shostakovich?

2007-03-09T13:17:41+00:00

Hermano idles away his empty days at the caf�, drinking espresso, watching the world through a window, thinking very important thoughts. Across the room sits the beautiful young woman. She's so beautiful and so young, her raven hair is just so... beautiful. She's not fashion model beautiful, she's artist model beautiful. A little greasy. The FM radio plays a prelude. Hermano thinks, "Mmm... Shostakovich? Or merely the mock?" He's not certain... A thin film of perspiration covers him as he panics that someone will quiz him -- what if his answer is wrong? What if he's made to look the fool? All these years of study and profound thinking laid to waste in a moment. He could never show his face around here ever again... Then she rises, she's walking towards him. He attempts to clear his throat, but his mouth is just so dry...

PJBF

2007-03-08T18:05:12+00:00

Yesterday Randy posted a new illo he'd done for Patrick J.B. Flynn. This is my most recent for PJBF. A month or two ago Randy'd posted a list of the memorable AD's he's worked for over the decades. One of them was PJBF. I began working for him when he was at The Progressive, during the Erwin Kroll era. I can pinpoint when I started working for Pat because my first assignment was about the death of Abbie Hoffman. It's always a pleasure to work for Pat! No muss, no fuss, and the work's handled with respect! There are many on Drawger who can attest to that.

Primitive...

2007-03-07T14:04:00+00:00

For those who went before -- WAY before. For those who felt compelled to cover their cave walls with pictures.

1965...

2007-03-01T13:25:46+00:00

A new drawing... Also, I've thoroughly enjoyed Hanoch's "The Perfect Purple Feather"! Witty, charming and lovely! Like all of Mr. Piven's art! Not much else to report on this March 1st except that I'm REAL tired of snow, ice and zero degrees! Spring, soon? Please?

Mod, Mod Monday...

2007-02-26T12:50:30+00:00

My third graphic novella/tone poem, "Mod, Mod Monday."

Requiem...

2007-02-21T12:39:38+00:00

A stiletto glinting in the starlight was the last thing he saw...

The Buick didn't have to stop. No, not really. It just keep on a-rolling, taillights disappearing into the ink...

I Found My Job In The NYT...

2007-02-20T12:23:15+00:00

This illo about file saving should be in today's paper (I haven't ventured forth to purchase said paper yet, so ya never really know...) Say this for the NYT: It's published many a Drawger!

The Trial...

2007-02-19T17:10:56+00:00

In 1962 Orson Welles took Franz Kafka's "The Trial" and made a movie version, set in the present. It stars my favorite actor, Tony Perkins. Here's my one-page "graphic novella" version of "The Trial." Or maybe it's a "graphic tone poem"? The film is in B&W, but since it's my graphic tone poem, I decided to colorize it, using 1962 colors. Regardless, but it's prit-tee darned intellectual! If you don't simply LOVE this drawing, you may need to take some college courses to appreciate it.

Filthy Lucre, Begone!

2007-02-17T11:23:38+00:00

Here's a bunch of recent work done whilst toiling in those commercial vineyards. Of course, since I'm morally opposed to money, when the checks roll in, I run 'em through a shredder. Then I take the shreds and burn them, gather the ashes and place them in a small, lead-lined box, weld said box shut and bring it out to the woods. I then proceed to dig a hole 20 feet deep and bury the box. Then I cover the spot with forest debris.

New Flora Book!

2007-02-15T11:30:00+00:00

"The Curiously Sinister Art of Jim Flora," a second collection of Jim Flora art, is officially out today! Like the previous volume, it's put together by Irwin Chusid -- this time with a most able assist from Barbara Economon -- and is published by Fantagraphics, and available at Amazon and all the usual places. If anything, this new volume is even better than the earlier one! And I'm happy to report, it has a foreword written by ME! I met Jim a few times, traveling from NYC to his place in Rowayton, CT with Mike Bartalos, Pam Hobbs and Laurie Rosenwald. He was a warm, wonderful fellow -- as well as a most savvy jazz buff! Also, the Flora site -- Flora Site

My Graphic Novella!

2007-02-07T12:39:17+00:00

Graphic novels are all the rage, so I thought I'd try my hand at it. But, gee whiz, it really seems to be an awful lot of work... So, how about a graphic novella?! A single page?! And wordless, in the grand tradition of Lynd Ward?! Here it is, "The Lost Mystery"! It's got much of what the public demands in a graphic novella: A hero! Mystery! Outer space! A car chase! A femme fatale! An odd animal! Noir!

Contrary to Popular Opinion...

2007-02-06T19:45:26+00:00

The Devil does not own all the good songs. Far from it! That's a lie spread by Old Scratch, a.k.a. The Music Industry. Can I get a witness? Try: Sister Rosetta Tharp, The Swan Silvertones, Marion Williams and The Dixie Hummingbirds. And so many others...

The Ramones!

2007-02-02T21:38:40+00:00

Week's over! Time to kick back and slap on The Ramones!

Diggin' The VU...

2007-02-01T10:03:10+00:00

Enjoy The VU! A new drawing...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...

2007-01-27T15:48:53+00:00

'Twas on this day in 1756 that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria. My local classical station is honoring him by playing his music all day. I'll be listening!

Ta-DAH!

2007-01-26T14:41:46+00:00

Here are a few drawings I did recently while toiling in the commercial vineyards...

Nocturne...

2007-01-24T12:14:29+00:00

If You Can Read This...

2007-01-23T14:24:21+00:00

If you can read this, I'm afraid I have some terribly terrible news for you. You see, I've done considerable research, and it seems as if leading experts everywhere have come to the same conclusion, and that is this: Some day, in some way, you are going to die. You can throw yourself like a loon into moderate exercise, a sensible diet, prayer, rock and roll, meditation, work, sloth, whatever. It's all to no avail. You will die. I don't wish to be morbid. I'm just sayin'...

The Missing Link...

2007-01-22T12:02:33+00:00

Meet Link. He's a reactionary Tradster, a fan of The Temperance Seven, The New Vaudeville Band and Aker Bilk. He thinks bop is bunk!

I Wuv The 'Mits!!!

2007-01-17T13:27:25+00:00

I remain an unregenerate Herman's Hermits fan. Period!

MOD! POP!

2007-01-16T10:15:14+00:00

Here's a brand new drawing by me titled, "Mod! Pop!"