Meeting Erica Jong

Eariler this month, author Erica Jong was in New York City to read from her new book of poems "Love Comes First" at my favorite independent bookstore, McNally Jackson Books. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend time with and speak one on one with this talented author.

I read Erica's first novel "Fear of Flying" published in 1973 two years ago. It was certainly interesting to read her unabashed thoughts and insights about sex from a young woman's point of view living in NYC in the 70s and how this influenced many women to act on their desires. (One might argue that Erica was the first to break down the barriers that helped "Sex and the City" become so popular). Her words continue to influence people to this day as evidenced by a girl at the book signing who was almost in tears when she spoke to Erica about how much it meant for her to identify with the unfulfilled character in Erica's book who was in an unhappy marriage.

I asked her the following question: "How do you think feminism has affected relationships between men and women in the 21st century? Some say it has had a negative effect with men citing confusion at how they should act in relationships and chivalry seems to have gone out the window." She responded by saying that women should never stop fighting for rights and that many women are still taken advantage of and mistreated because of their gender. Women's voices should always be heard.

In her new book of poems, Erica is clearly comfortable with herself and focuses not on sex, but on the simple pleasures of life.

Books!

My career with Playboy has involved not only working for the magazine and website, but also on some really great books. I made this cover collage of all the books I've helped produce, so if you are a fan of cartoon art, check out these wonderful titles: 

Playboy's Little Annie Fanny by the extraordinary artists Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder. All of the multi-panel stories ever published in the magazine from 1962-1988 appear in these two volumes. One of my favorite fantasy artists Frank Frazetta, whose pivotal and influential work has inspired the look and feel of many sci-fi and fantasy movies, was friends with the now deceased artists and his work was parodied in a classic story from 1985.

Playboy: 50 Years The Cartoons. This is a collection of Hugh Hefner's favorite cartoons from 1953-2003. The cartoons are Hef's second favorite part of the magazine. No need to say what the first is.

Playboy's Eldon Dedini. A beautiful hardcover collection of Eldon's best cartoons that appeared in Playboy magazine from the past six decades. Eldon was a wonderful watercolor artist from Monterey, California. This was a very emotional book to work on; the artist was ill during the production stages but worked diligently on the project. When his work was finished and he knew the material was being shipped to printer, he passed away shortly after. 

Author Bruce Jay Friedman's musings were illustrated by the French artist Andre Barbe in Sexual Pensees. Bruce is perhaps most well-known for being one of the writers of the movie Splash.

Gahan Wilson: The Complete Playboy Collection. If you are a fan of Charles Addams' cartoons (which inspired The Addams Family show and movies), you will love the macabre art of Gahan Wilson. He's one of my favorite cartoon artists and I've written about him and his work many times. His environmental and political cartoons from the 70s are just as poignant and relevant today. This deluxe collection comprises every single cartoon ever published of Gahan's in the magazine! It will be released at the end of 2009.

Hauntingly Hysterical

"You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with the Grim Reaper."

Those were the final words spoken by convicted murderer Robert Alton Harris the day he was executed in California's gas chamber more than 15 years ago. Death by Laughter, the latest book by cartoonist Harry Bliss, captures that sentiment with more than 100 of his best and most irreverent single-panel cartoons collected from his daily strip "Bliss."

You'll undoubtedly find yourself identifying with many of the other disturbing problems that Harry parodies in this hilarious little gem: Infidelity, pollution, breaking-up, therapist visits and computer breakdowns are all turned upside-down and inside-out exposing truths no one wants to talk about. 

Harry emailed us from his home in Vermont in response to a few questions we had for him, including how he got to know actor Christopher Guest, who wrote the introduction to Death by Laughter, and his favorite cartoon that he's drawn for Playboy to date.

PLAYBOY: Not only did Christopher Guest write the introduction to Death by Laughter, he owns some of your original artwork. What was your first encounter like with him?

BLISS: It was great meeting Chris and his wife, Jamie Lee Curtis -- two wonderful people; smart, funny, and very, very kind. My girlfriend and I met them for lunch in LA and we talked about all sorts of topics: cartoons, films, yoga, kids, and hybrid cars! Jamie has bought Chris a few of my cartoons and Chris and I have traded cartoons (he draws too).

PLAYBOY: Is there a different artistic process involved when you create illustrations for the various mediums (books, magazines, websites) your work appears?

BLISS: These days, all I seem to be doing is black and white cartoons, like the cartoons in syndication, on my Web site and in The New Yorker, so the process is the same. My work for kid's books is always in color and each book takes six to ten months, whereas I kick out the single-panel cartoons daily. With books, I'm the artist illustrating an author's words, so I guess there's a certain limitation in that, but it's a limitation I'm quite comfortable with, in fact, and I've grown to enjoy the collaboration. As far as the panels go, I generally begin by drawing a scene, say, a couple in bed talking, and once the drawing is finished I begin to imagine a narrative or back story for the people in the drawing -- what are they all about? Imagining the characters' motivations will often inspire a caption. Working this way, I feel, injects a certain sense of humanity in the work, and this is an important aspect I try to achieve in the panels. And sometimes the panels are immature, like me, and that's okay too.

PLAYBOY: Many of the dogs in your cartoons are personified exhibiting just as much angst and strife as the humans in your cartoons. Do you own a dog?

BLISS: I do have a dog. Well, it's my girlfriend's puppy, named Penny, and she's a terrific animal. I have a deep affection for animals and anthropomorphizing them is my way of bringing empathy to their existence.

PLAYBOY: In 2000 you illustrated the cover of the book Madam President in which the authors predicted there would be a female president of the United States within the next decade. When Hillary almost won the democratic nomination this year, you must have felt that your illustration was prophetic. What did you think eight years ago when you drew it?

BLISS: I've always felt that a woman could be president -- even when I'd done that book jacket. Other countries have elected women as leaders, so it has always seemed odd that the United States might be wary of this prospect. I suppose that being a cartoonist and a solipsist I kind of live in a bit of a bubble in that I tend to reject racism and sexism. I know they exist, but I just can't get my mind to admit it. Hillary would have made a great leader. Sarah Palin is another story. I respect her accomplishments, but she's not ready to be president, and McCain really underestimated women in this country by thinking Palin could ease their Hillary pain.

PLAYBOY: Nearly 30 cartoons of yours have appeared in the pages of Playboy in the last decade. Do you have a favorite?

BLISS:My favorite Playboy cartoon is Dude Descending a Staircase, No. 1, which is a spin on Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase. It's not a typical Playboy cartoon and I give Hef a lot of credit in giving me the OK for that one. Duchamp has always been one of my artistic heroes, even as a kid, so that cartoon stands out. It was difficult to do and when I do speaking gigs and that image shows up, it always gets a big laugh, which makes me happy. Penny is biting my toes, so I have to go now.

The Pin-Up Poet at Comic Con 2008

We were introduced to Andrea Grant at last year’s Comic Con and this year we met up with the Canadian beauty again to find out about her two new projects: The third installment of her comic book series MINX and her new book titled THE PIN-UP POET. 

Standing over six feet tall, Andrea is a prolific artist and model who is devoted to expressing herself through many different mediums. Much of what she creates reflects her views about the stereotypes and traditional roles of women in society. She says of her work, "People want to play it safe. I don’t want to create safe work. I want it to be provocative, to smash all the ridiculous ideas to pieces. Boring ideals no longer serve us culturally.”
 
Andrea’s poems in The Pin-Up Poet haunt, inspire and provoke. Each poem is accompanied by a photograph of Andrea shot by various photographers, including Viva Van Story and Chas Ray Krider.

What's So Funny About Global Warming?

It's 63 degrees outside on a January afternoon in New York City as I write this, so it seems the perfect time to review cartoonist Sidney Harris’ new book “101 Funny Things About Global Warming.”

 
Even though the effects and serious consequences of global warming have been known for a long time, it has once again become a national priority with many articles and documentaries flooding the media with dire predictions. The cartoons in this book, however, tackle this subject with humor. It’s an approach that manages to effectively combine laughter with sense of urgency, a welcome respite from the preachiness.  
 
A cartoon by Sidney Harris shows two urbanites walking down a sidewalk with the caption, “They say it’s a bad sign when the pigeons are coughing.”
 
Another by Warren Miller depicts two Eskimos looking out over a body of water with the caption, “We’ll have to start looking at senior citizens homes. There’s not enough ice these days to float Grandma.”
 
There’s also an excellent series of sketches by Sidney that parody public figures, mostly politicians, and their often dismissive attitudes about the environment and conservation. A sketch of Gale Norton, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, who was criticized for making misleading reports regarding the environment and other issues, is captioned, “Forests and rangelands have grown like a cancer.”
 
This little hardcover gem contains a hundred and one cartoons on the subject by many of today’s top cartoonists including Playboy magazine contributors Gahan Wilson, Mort Gerberg, Nick Downes, Jack Ziegler, Mike Williams, Ed Frascino, Glen Le Lievre, Lee Lorenz, Joseph Farris, Warren Miller and, as noted, Sidney Harris, whose first Playboy cartoon appeared in 1961. Keep your eyes peeled for the March 2008 issue where his latest cartoon will appear.

A Devilish Collection

Frank Thorne recently sent me a copy of his new book The Complete Iron Devil and my eyes are still whirling after reading it.
 
Frank has had a long and illustrious career in illustration, comics, cartooning and a wonderful history with Playboy that started in 1980 when his full-page comic Moonshine McJugs first appeared. The hillbilly comedy focused on the blonde and beautiful Moonshine, and the outrageous sexual antics she got herself into. In 2003, Frank’s talent was once again showcased in the magazine when he started doing full-page color cartoons for us (his latest can be found in the January 2008 issue, on stands now).

The Complete Iron Devil is a deluxe hardcover collection of previously published stories, which originally appeared in single-issue comics during the 90s. It’s the third version of the collection, which has also been published in Spanish and French.

Though I knew to expect the over-the-top sexual scenarios that were common in Moonshine McJugs, this erotic juggernaut is perhaps the most X-rated storyline Frank's ever created.

With more than 150 pages of illustrations, newly colorized in a sepia tone, the fantastical stories transport you into the diabolical worlds of a well-endowed goddess and a modern-day brothel worker. There are some very graphic scenes, so the book is definitely not for everyone.

In a mammoth interview published in the highly recommended issue no. 280 of The Comics Journal, Frank discusses his work for DC Comics, Marvel, Heavy Metal, National Lampoon, High Times and, of course, Playboy. He states that although he feels The Complete Iron Devil is his magnum opus in its genre, Moonshine remains his favorite creation.
 
Aww, shucks, Frank!

Death is a Laughing Matter?

Living the Playboy lifestyle usually doesn’t include thinking about aging, retirement or the great beyond, but viewing the cartoons in Last Laughs, just released by Scribner, will certainly make you laugh about these subjects and perhaps cause you to think about them in an entirely new way; as a cartoon by Frank Modell points out, “I don’t think of it as prison. I think of it as long-term care.”  
 
Mort Gerberg gathered the funniest cartoons from 26 of the brightest and talented cartoonists working today, including Playboy regulars Gahan Wilson, Sidney Harris, Leo Cullum, P.C. Vey, Jack Ziegler, Frank Modell, Glen Le Lievre, Lee Lorenz and the late great J.B. Handelsman, and compiled them in this book. An accomplished cartoonist himself, Mort has contributed to the pages of Playboy for more than 40 years. He’s also illustrated numerous books and wrote an essential guide that’s helped many aspiring cartoonists since its publication called Cartooning: The Art and Business.
 
Last week The New York Historical Society and Scribner celebrated the release of Last Laughs with a party that included a presentation by Mort, who was joined by cartoonists Marisa Acocella Marchetto and Jack Ziegler. Mort was a fantastic showman, rhinestone tie and all, as he highlighted some of the cartoons from the book to the delight of the audience as indicated by their howling laughter. A drawing session followed where the three cartoonists created a cartoon on the spot from subject matter elicited from the audience (think Mad Libs, cartoon-style).
 
I caught up with Mort after the presentation and asked him a couple of questions:
 
PLAYBOY: What were you thinking when you came up with the idea for this book?  
GERBERG: The inspiration came after a ski trip in Salt Lake City. I saw an older man who announced that he had just skied for free because it was his eightieth birthday. I’m cheap and I want to ski for free, so I thought that was a great goal. People are continuing to be very active well into their older years. I play tennis with people in their 70s. People are living longer, but instead of being in denial about aging and death we should embrace and laugh about it.
 
PLAYBOY: You were born in Brooklyn and live in Manhattan. Has being a born-and-bred New Yorker affected your humor?
GERBERG: My humor usually arises from being annoyed at something. You don’t do cartoons about something easy, fun or pleasant and there are many more things to be annoyed at living in New York City like noise, dirt, slow people and traffic. There’s always something to get pissed off at here. How can you make fun of things while lying on the beach in the sun, staring at an azure sky?
 
PLAYBOY: Sometimes is difficult to find people that live life with humor. Why do you think that is?
GERBERG: I don’t meet people like that. Maybe it’s the people I choose to associate with. Everything is funny to me and I don’t take too many things seriously -  except cartoon rejections.
 
PLAYBOY: During your presentation you said that cartoonists are like oysters: Introduce a little irritant and out comes a pearl. How do you feel about the current state of things in America and has it affected your cartooning?
GERBERG: That saying stems from living in New York and being exposed to more irritants. There are two ways to deal with irritation: get angry or make fun of it. Making fun of it is much healthier. This is the worst president America has ever had and he’s really damaged things in the world. My opinion of him often pops up in my cartoons. Jeff MacNelly, the political cartoonist best known for his comic strip Shoe, put it best when he once said, “If I didn’t have the job as an editorial cartoonist I think I’d be a political assassin.”


Mort Gerberg, flanked by cartoonists Marisa Acocella Marchetto and Jack Ziegler.

Behind the Scenes With Cartoonist Doug Sneyd

You’ve seen his beautifully rendered watercolor cartoons grace the pages of Playboy for more than 40 years, but have you ever wondered how they got there? What about the cartoons that don’t make it into the magazine?

Doug Sneyd’s new book Unpublished Sneyd offers a glimpse into this process along with more than 90 sketches of unpublished cartoons. The first book of its kind to be published by a Playboy cartoonist, it’s your chance to discover everything you’ve ever wondered about the man responsible for creating those pulchritudinous cartoon females. Read about Doug’s influences, his cartooning process, and his answer to the enduring question, “Have you ever met Hugh Hefner or been to the Mansion?”
 
Unpublished Sneyd can be ordered directly from the artist for $25.00 (plus shipping and handling) on his website or by emailing the artist directly at info@dougsneyd.com. Each book will arrive signed next to an original black and white sketch of a lovely “girl next door. Here is Doug's rendering of yours truly:

Here's to You, Shel!

Last night we celebrated the release of Playboy's Silverstein Around the World, a collection of travel essays by beloved cartoonist and writer, Shel Silverstein. The book comprises all 23 of his illustrated travelogues that were published in the magazine from 1957 to 1968 and includes a touching foreword from Hef, an insightful introduction written by Mitch Myers and many photographs, some never published before.
 
The intimate gathering was held at the beautiful Rizzoli bookstore on 57th street in New York City and included an exhibition of 11 original pieces of Shel’s artwork.

Pictured below: Mitch Myers, Shel's nephew (with Playboy editors Jamie Malanowski and Amy Grace Loyd looking on); Cartoonist Gahan Wilson with Playboy editor Lee Froehlich; Christie Hefner; From L to R, Cartoonists Arnold Roth, Mort Gerberg, Don Orehek, Ward Sutton; back row: Mike Ewers and Gene Myers.