![]() ![]() The 1995 documentary "Crumb," directed by the cartoonist's friend Terry Zwigoff, unforgettably details the Crumbs' suburban gothic world - a father described as a "sadistic bully" who broke Robert's collarbone at age 5, a mother hooked on amphetamines and, down in the trenches, a fierce three-way fraternal rivalry dominated by the increasingly reclusive and unbalanced Charles.Ĭrumb's burgeoning misanthropy was stoked, as is so often the case, by adolescence. It was tedious labor, so I worked fast to get it over with."Ĭrumb and his brothers soon became experts on the comic form, treasuring late '40s work like Little Lulu and, later, Walt Kelly's Pogo. "If I didn't draw comics I was a worthless human being. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book" (Back Bay Books). "Charles forced me to draw comics," Crumb recalled in "The R. His first cartooning efforts were inspired not by love of the art form but by sibling dynamics - as the third of five children young Robert inevitably fell under the sway of his oldest brother. 30, 1943, to a Marine father and a devout Catholic mother. Robert Crumb was born in Philadelphia on Aug. ![]() "The only burning passion I'm sure I have," he once said, "is the passion for sex." And the '70s sucked even worse and he's not that enthused about drawing and he really hates Bruce Springsteen. There's only one problem with this - Crumb despised the '60s hippie ethos he came to represent for so many people. In fact, Crumb's repeated rejection of commercial opportunities (he once turned down an offer to do a Rolling Stones album cover because he hated the band) marks him as one of the last remaining exemplars of the egalitarian '60s hippie ethos he came to represent for so many people. But Crumb's career has never been about maximizing financial possibilities - that would mean signing on with mainstream pop culture, which Crumb, of course, despises. His status as the bull-goose legend of underground cartooning meant that in the early '90s he was able to trade six of his sketchbooks for a house in the South of France. Coming from the author of "Self-Loathing Comics," you can take that to the bank.Ĭrumb certainly did. "At least I hate myself as much as I hate anybody else," Crumb once said. Crumb surveyed the urban landscape of his era and pronounced his verdict: Everything sucks big time, including humanity and, most especially, Robert Crumb. Here's a likely candidate - years from now it will be widely circulated that the word "crummy" derives from the work of cartoonist Robert Crumb, a world-class malcontent of the late 20th century. Still, those popular misconceptions and countless others survive through constant repetition, and someday they will be joined by new linguistic fables even now being born. The word "gringo" was not inspired by the American troops who sang "Green grow the grasses-o," during the Mexican-American War - the word was in use 100 years previously. In his later years, Crumb lived quietly in France with his wife, fellow cartoonist Aline Kominsky-Crumb, and their daughter Sophie Crumb.Sir Thomas Crapper did not really invent the flush toilet. In the '90s, director Terry Zwigoff worked with Crumb and his family to create a documentary called "Crumb" (1994), which was released to critical acclaim and heightened a new generation's interest in his work. After Zap and his film experience, Crumb went on to create Weirdo, a quarterly comic anthology series that was filled with a mixture of weird and off-beat material. Shortly after, Crumb ditched the character, primarily because of how mainstream the cat had become. ![]() The comic also helped popularize Crumb and led to the Ralph Bakshi animated film "Fritz the Cat" (1972), which became a huge success in addition to being the first X-rated animated film. Shortly after, he helped create Zap Comix, an underground comic magazine that featured Crumb's work, notably his racist caricature Angelfood McSpade. In 1965, at the age of 22, Crumb's drug-fueled work produced Fritz the Cat, a counterculture cat who went on wild adventures that were often risqué. His use of the drug led to an insane, psychedelic creative process that produced most of his notable work. It was around this time that Crumb, married with a young child, started heavily using drugs, mostly LSD. ![]() He wasn't happy, though, and he lived in squalor. He followed that love when he graduated high school, and honed his artwork skills drawing cards for American Greetings. Crumb was drawn to the world of comics and animation, specifically the works of Walt Kelly and the Fleischer Brothers. ![]()
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