Gahan

Photo by David Hume Kennerly

One of my fave cartoonists and an inspiration, on more than a few levels,  died last week at the good old age of 89.

Art should lead to change in the way we see things. If some artist comes up with a vision which gives a new opening, it usually creates a lot of stress, because it’s frightening.
~~~snip~~~
The creative artist is automatically an outsider, because he sees through the world that everybody else takes as the final reality, and he’s a very scary kind of guy.
~ Gahan Wilson 

“It’s as I suspected –
Mr. Harding, here, is possessed by demons."
”

I think I first came across Wilson in a Playboy, discovered and purloined from my father’s dresser drawer. Ya know, forbidden bits are always the most beguiling and enticing bits.

Gahan Wilson totally blew my bean clean off – much more than the pics of soft focus, air brushed, bazoom heavy babes. His wit and art were why I continued to sneak into my folk's bedroom, borrowing Daddy’s nekkid lady mags. I don’t recall ever being nailed for lifting the skin rags but I think they figured it out. The pulps disappeared from Pop’s sock drawer.

It occurs to me only now, with 60’s hindsight, that this might have been my parent’s first big tip-off that I would NOT grow up to marry that nice Catholic boy from across the street. They thought I was gay. And that woulda been cool by them – they just wanted me to have a more readily understandable, less worrisome life. Grandkids too. If my main squeeze had been a nice, civilizing chiquita they woulda been relieved and thrilled to bits.

Instead they got an impulsive, potty mouthed, hazard of a daughter who paints nekkid people. What can I say? They raised me, dare I say, right? YES, I dare say!

Dance madly as if all of life is meant for dancing and celebrating.
~ Osho 

The song is ended, but the melody lingers on…
~ Irving Berlin

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
~ Helen Keller