Cartoons, cartoons, cartoons.... John Crowther's Cartoon Odyssey

I think of it as The Fool's Journey. I've been asked who the "fool" is. It's me, but in the classical sense of the court jester. Only the fool was allowed to tell the king of his follies. All cartoons are available as prints or originals, framed or unframed, through my website or e-mail. For mugs, t-shirts, and other products visit my gift shop at www.zazzle.com/jcrowtherart* (be sure to include the *).

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Strike While the Irony's Hot

The failure of the Writers Guild to whip up much passion about Jay Leno's return to late night shows, I think, how little juice the current strike has. Leno is a guild member, and in a stunning bit of illogic claims that it's okay for him to deliver his nightly monologue because he writes it himself. He also says he's doing his show out of concern for his 100 employees who aren't writers but are affected by the strike. In other words, Leno can esentially weaken the Guild's position by undermining the strike, while remaining blithely unconcerned about the thousands of other non-writers whose incomes are affected. It's pretty agressively anti-union, but nobody's taking much notice. Meanwhile, the networks have trotted out two new mindless "unwritten" offerings, American Gladiator redux and The War of the Dancers, both of which are attracting huge numbers of viewers, reminiscent of a cat who will sit staring at glittery tinsel for hours on end. I'm betting that most people won't really give a rat's hoo hah about missing the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, as long as they've got something with bright lights and loud noise to keep them entertained.

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Am I wrong is noting that our Jeremy who showed such a talent for abstract expressionism in an earlier 12/ 27 cartoon has grown taller, even older, since he decided to abandon the precarious life of a painter in order to support striking writers by stretching out on the family carpet. I also see that his mother seems to have inherited George’s plasma television set (12/21/07). Was it a Christmas gift, or are they all forced to live together now because of the falling economy? Please advise.

9:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great comment, il professore. Jeremy is, of course, my favorite character of all the cartoons, plus my sneaking sympathy for his long suffering mother. Have sympathy for the striking writers but maybe like the grocery workers threaten strike this year, it has lost the public support.

2:32 PM  
Blogger John M Crowther said...

Jeremy obeys the laws of cartoon time, prof, which allows for astonishing unexplained and unexplainable spurts of growth, loss or gain of weight, and even which side the hair is parted on. Jeremy has indeed undergone many transformations since that long ago day when he made his first appearance (if I'm not mistaken)being told by his mother he needn't worry about erectile dysfuntion, despite commercials on the Super Bowl. As for the plasma TV, it's a budgetary problem. I must recyle sets, props, and furnishings. As it is the people in my scene shop are constantly threatening to strike. Besides, a late great cartoonist once told me that if you draw something often enough one will magically appear on your doorstep.

5:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have my fingers crossed for you John! LOL

(ps rather than grow taller or older I think Jeremy has "come of age" since those heady early days! As for the plasma... one must be seen to be moving with the times I guess... even if (as Il Prof suggests) that simply means families moving in together! LOL)

10:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

>>a late great cartoonist once told me that if you draw something often enough one will magically appear on your doorstep.<<

John,
Excellent advice. Although it’s been many decades since I left art school I just started drawing a six foot Swedish blonde widow with enormous blue eyes, her own home with air-conditioning, central heating, cable tv in every room, and the children out of the house.

8:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

(((chuckles))) well... I guess I've got my fingers crossed for you too Prof! LOL

2:40 PM  

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