Defend The Indefensible: Robert Crumb

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You are not a pimply 41 year old man entering into middle age -- how would you justify the existence of RC? (His biggest fault, beyond the gross anatomical exaggerations, is that his women are indistinguishable apart from clothes and hair.)(There are probably other/worse offenders when it comes to cartoon women with COLOSSAL ARSES, but he seems to me as the emblematic figure of the movement.)

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 21:50 (nineteen years ago) link

NB 1: I do not think Robert Crumb is indefensible.

NB 2: Hubba hubba.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 21:51 (nineteen years ago) link

NB 3: Tom i am a pimply 41 year old man entering into middle age

― mullygrubber (gaz), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 22:26 (nineteen years ago) link

Both my girlfriend and my best friend worked for Kitchen Sink Press when the Crumb movie came out ==> I got boxes and boxes of Devil Girl chocolate bars for free ==> that is my defense.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 22:27 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm on my way to becoming a pimply 41 year old man entering into middle age.

― Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 22:48 (nineteen years ago) link

Harmless underground comix merchant.

― Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 22:49 (nineteen years ago) link

i never really liked him. some individual panels are striking but the stories themselves...hmmm. does anyone remember the photo stories in weirdo? they were SO fucked.

― mullygrubber (gaz), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 23:04 (nineteen years ago) link

well, first line of defense would be that he's the greatest cartoonist of the last 50 years, no contest. in terms of the sheer ability to DRAW, hell, i can't even think of any other close contenders. i don't even care what he's drawing, it's bound to be gorgeous. so with that out of the way...

second line of defense would be that he's forthright and honest about having a fucked-up view of women, and even comes across as something of a feminist on occasion. but even as i say this, i'm kinda doubtful. that whole "he just draws whatever demented shit comes into his head and that's why he's great" justification just strikes me as a bit...dead-end-ish? after all this time, and all these "cathartic" confessional comics in which he was supposedly getting all these juvenile sexist quirks out of his system, he's never seemed to move on from his basic 14-year-old's fascinated-frightened-disgusted attitude toward girls, and i think his work has suffered from it.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 23:46 (nineteen years ago) link

The only work of Crumb's I've seen has been the stuff he had drawn for American Splendor. I was thinking just yesterday how much I like his work. I like that he mixes it up a little, occasionally changing his style.

What are some things by him you'd recommend? I'd be interested to see some of his artwork with some original writing by him...

― Vermont Girl (Vermont Girl), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 13:07 (nineteen years ago) link

I like his short stories about blues music. They rarely include his weird misogyny.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 15:26 (nineteen years ago) link

ten months pass...

is he ever reaææally funny? as in provoking-actual-laughter funny?

― tom west (thomp), Friday, 8 April 2005 18:33 (nineteen years ago) link

...i hate this keyboard.

― tom west (thomp), Friday, 8 April 2005 18:34 (nineteen years ago) link

I wish my keyboard did that! My typos are drab in comparison.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 8 April 2005 18:36 (nineteen years ago) link

Between JD and Tuomas I have nothing further to add to this subject.

The guy draws brilliantly, and as long as he's not talking about sex, is fascinating to read, too.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Friday, 8 April 2005 18:48 (nineteen years ago) link

six years pass...

Why I can't visit Sydney: In an open letter, Robert Crumb explains what forced him to cancel his trip.

― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Saturday, 13 August 2011 22:16 (twelve years ago) link

five years pass...

Many podasts produced with Crumb thanklessly sharing records from his stunning collection of 78rpm records -

http://www.eastriverstringband.com/radioshow/?p=1948

― ian, Tuesday, 3 January 2017 20:57 (seven years ago) link

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