King (above, whose music Crumb said he “didn’t care for, but I don’t find it that objectionable either”), to much more obscure artists, like Bo Carter, known for his “Please Warm My Wiener,” on the 1974 compilation album below.Ĭrumb’s use of racially questionable and sexist imagery-however satirical-has perhaps rendered him untouchable in some circles, and it’s hard to imagine many of his album covers passing corporate muster these days. From famous names like Joplin, Dylan, and B.B. (And he was paid, as per usual, in vintage 78s.) Next to those posteriors, Crumb’s true love has always been American roots music-ragtime, swing, old country and bluegrass, Delta country blues-and he has spent a good part of his career illustrating artists he loves, and those he doesn’t. Though he objected to the 1995 assignment-saying to Shanachie Records, “You want all these people on a CD cover? What are they, like, five inches across?”-Crumb must have relished the subject. Above, see another of Crumb’s covers, for a compilation called The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead, which collects such roots and old-school rock and roll artists as Merle Haggard, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Reverend Gary Davis, Howlin’ Wolf, and more. With its focus on musicians, and its appropriation of hippie weirdness, racist American imagery, and an obsession with female posteriors that rivals Sir-Mix-a-Lot’s, the cover pretty much spans the spectrum of perennial Crumb styles and themes. For that one may only need to mention Big Brother & the Holding Company’s 1968 classic Cheap Thrills (top), the first album cover Crumb designed-and which Janis Joplin insisted upon over the record company’s objections. ![]() Whether or not Ghost World (or Zwigoff’s Crumb) rings a bell, there’s still the matter of how to communicate the lovable lewdness and aggressive anachronism that is Crumb’s art. ![]() Crumb documentary), though it’s certainly not a one-to-one relation (the film adapts Daniel Clowe’s comic of the same name.) There’s an obvious tribute to Crumb in the character (Zwigoff previously made an R. The easiest reference for those who’ve never heard of him is Steve Buscemi’s Seymour in Terry Zwigoff’s Ghost World. For all his social awkwardness and hyper-obsessiveness, he seems strangely accessible to me. ![]() These are some pretty small worlds, after all, populated by obsessive fans and archivists and not always particularly welcoming to outsiders. On second thought, maybe this shouldn’t come as such a surprise. It is surprising to me, but a few people I’ve come across don’t know the name of cartoonist Robert Crumb, cult hero of underground comics and obscure Americana record collecting.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |