The Studio vs. The Rehearsal

This Issue Really Has Nothing To Do With Either Show

Awhile back, my friend Robert Leighton, recommended to me The Studio (starring Seth Rogen and written by New Yorker cartoonist Alex Gregory.).¹ Unfortunately, I got only has far as the trailer because I don’t subscribe to Apple TV.

Not to give up, I looked for an equally acclaimed TV series that could possibly be very similar and gave The Rehearsal a try. I initially hated it but after accidentally watching it a second time because I wasn’t sure how to turn off the streaming, learned that I love it. Starring comedian Nathan Fielder and it’s an unclear mix of fiction and reality. It’s on Max. If you try it, let me know what you think and I will reserve my comments until then, except to say it’s about facing difficult truths and assessing oneself. There has been a lot of that here on different fronts.

Jumping Around

There is nothing like plein air painting (painting outside). Nothing. And nothing is what I had to show from my event at Grey Towers of Milford, Pennsylvania. The main reason for my excitement doing this was to finally paint with my sister, but she was unable to attend due to illness. After setting up at the beautiful site through the drizzle and cold, the gusts of up to 20 mph sucked away any enthusiasm left, and tried as I might, I didn’t rise to the challenge.² Instead I lost my patience at the most important stage—mixing the correct hue of paint.³ As long as I took a shortcut here, rushing in the wind and rain, I was doomed to failure. I quit and left early. I will add quitting gets a bad rap. I should quit more frequently. I know a lot of people who should quit what they’re doing.

My nephew Nick had no problem though sitting down and taking over, immediately coming up with something far better than I was able to after three hours. He had never painted outside before. Or ever try oil painting.

Jumping Around Again

I had all intentions over the past year to find solutions in the challenging field of single-panel gag cartoons and humor writing and share those in this newsletter, part of that almost forgotten multi-part series, exploring what options we had. I spoke to colleagues at different levels for facts and suggestions. In that time, the situation has not improved, except for those for who the situation has improved, newcomers appearing in places making an effort to showcase new work, new voices, especially if they are from other disciplines, like if they are a fine artist or model.

That said, I don’t have much positive to report for those who have been asking me for suggestions. Even though I do about a cartoon a day (published somewhere), this is not enough to live on nor realistically a livelihood as rates are so low now. It’s no fault of the venues I work for—they are doing the best they can to survive. I am sincerely grateful to each of them and for all those who occasionally purchase originals. It’s just that there is only one major market left.⁴ And there’s too many people slicing that pie. It was doable when the cartoon pool was 50 in rotation, instead of in the hundreds.

Instead, I am excited about working on some projects totally unrelated to cartooning. I will overshare that development, on the chance it’s of some interest to some out there;

I was offered an online teaching job that would have paid better than any teaching gig I had before. However, I felt that if I had taken the job, I would have been a hypocrite, encouraging students that there existed a viable path in this field. I was also opposed to the proposed format of a lecture hall set-up. In art, teaching to a hundred students at a time, is not really possible. How do you critique individual work fairly?

I will be doing a live talk on the subject of humor writing for the Annual Humor Conference in June.⁵ I have arranged to critique the work of the first twenty writers who sign up (for the reason I just gave that individualized advice is so helpful).

So I’m cutting back on teaching but trying something I mentioned before—games! I am in the test stage of developing, the first of hopefully many games. I really love it. I have to thank my mom and dad for playing games with us. I really see now I’m sort of an expert, having played hundreds of different games.

And I will try my hand at flea marketing. I will be working the Benefits Shop booth at the Stormville Flea Market in upstate New York during Memorial Day weekend. That’s Saturday and Sunday, May 24th & 25th at 428 NY-216, Stormville. Come by and say hello if you are there. (This week Tammy and I will be at Brimfield, the world’s largest flea market, because it’s where we stopped on our way to getting engaged⁶ and this week is our anniversary. We will also be dropping by one of our favorite museums, MASS MoCA to see the work of my second favorite artist of all-time, Anselm Kiefer.⁷ I will send pictures!)

From the book Footnotes From the Most Fascinating Museums.

From the book Footnotes From the Most Fascinating Museums.

The winner of The Bottom Line cartoon caption contest is Ben Sobieck of Elk River, Minnesota—this is Ben’s winning caption below. I learned Ben is used to winning, having also won the 2019 Science Fiction category of The Wattys, a large online writing competition.

From the West Side Rag

Thanks to one of my sponsors, The Benefit Shop. Click on the images below to get to the auction or bid of the specific items.

Here is my Pick of the Week at that auction.

I have been sending out bookmarks and signed bookplates to anyone who has purchased a copy of my new book, Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums. I can also personalize it, if you plan to give it as a gift. Thank you sincerely for your support.

Photo from Michael Rhode from the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C.

NOTE: This edition will be followed by a paid-subscription only issue that contains adult content—a published political Op-Ed I wrote, that received a lot of feedback. As always, I will give a free paid subscription to those struggling financially, students and seniors.

1. Alex helped me come to terms with the changes in the cartoon universe. I have also taken up bonsai tree growing to address my angst. More about this in a future issue.

2. And apologies to everyone at Grey Towers who were great and did a wonderful job with the event, except for the weather.

3. Really if you get the hues—the light and dark of a color—right then any level of rendering can work.

4. Playboy owed me a boatload of cash I never got when Hefner passed away and the magazine folded. I have no idea about to reincarnation of the publication, but it doesn’t include me.

5. I will provide details in an upcoming issue of The Bob.

6. On top of a hill so that the altitude would affect her judgment.

7. My favorite artist of all-time is Tamar Stone.