Working on a new series of True West Moments with our designer Rebecca Edwards. She is so good at translating what I want. Here is a sneak peek at this Saturday's episode which she hand colored from one of my black and whites.
Believe it or not, this led me to review an earlier Daily Whip Out:
Daily Whip Out: "She Stood In The Clearing"
And, that in turn, reminded me of a certain cartoon I did in the eighties
Daily Whip Out: "The Yatahey President"
What Me Worry?
One of the criticisms I get from time to time is this one, "I'm afraid Bob is going to turn True West into Mad Magazine." It actually has some merit because back in the 70s Dan Harshberger and I cut our teeth on the Razz Revue, a "Magazomic" as Dan The Man styled it. And, of course, we were emulating the short-lived and longed remembered National Lampoon and even today, that early influence shows up in True West. For example, Wonderful Russ used to brag that he was past president of The Wickenburg Clown Club, which wasn't true at all, but he loved saying it and claiming it because it was lunatic and funny. So sometimes when Dan is mocking up a True West cover and he doesn't have real headlines from us he will turn in covers with headlines that say "Wickenburg Clown Club Best In West." Dan also thinks this is hilarious. And speaking of the Wickenburg Clown Club and the Razz:
The Carkid Turns Into A Lizard, from "The Doperoper" in The Razz Revue, circa 1975
In the end, True West will never be in danger of becoming the Razz, but then, the Razz is a part of who I have always been.
"A magazine always reflects the editor's ego, and the various personas of that editor follow along behind like parade floats. The more ambitious the editor, the more obvious what the parade is celebrating and where it is going."
—Terry McDonell, former editor of Esquire, Rolling Stone & Sports Illustrated, in his memoir, "The Accidental Life"
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