I ran into Chuck Hall, as in the blues band—Chuck Hall And The Brick Wall—at the post office yesterday and, while standing in line to get a package, Chuck told me he and local blues legend Hans Olson are thinking of doing a special show at a venue downtown (Phoenix) and they're going to call the show, "Solo, Duo, Trio, Quatro" because at Janie's (a cool little bar next door to us) they've been doing a three hour set that starts with Hans opening as a solo, then he's joined by Chuck and they do some tunes (Samantha at Janie's says they are killer together), then Hans sits down while Chuck's trio jams on, and then for the finale Hans comes back up and plays with Chuck and his band as a foursome: thus the title, "Solo, Duo, Trio, Quarto". Dang, is that hot, or what. Hope they do the show before 11 at night so I can come. They're thinking about the same venue where I saw John Hyatt (something Ballroom).
Speaking of which, I'm going to see Hayes Carll tonight at the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum). Hayes is the musical heir to Outlaw Country in the vein of Ray Wylie Hubbard, Towns Van Zandt and Guy Clark.
Just heard that John Cusack is set to play Brian Wilson in a biopic of the genius Beach Boy. I'm all in, but personally I think Jack Black would do a funnier take on the nervous breakdowns.
Noodling several 66 Kid ideas and also a Billy the Kid Trigger Finger feature layout we are doing for the next issue. I posted a cover prelim sketch yesterday.
I also received a new book of compilations comics from the classic cartoon "Bringing Up Father" yesterday (it was the package I was standing in line for at the post office, above) and used it to study the style of George McMannus and his crisp style.
I see quite a bit of influence on later cartoons, for example Marge Simpson is somewhere in the line work and facial symbols, but then when it comes to originality, I think I side with ol' C.S.:
"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of then, become original without ever having noticed it."
—C.S. Lewis
