There is a story about Hunter S. Thompson typing out the Great Gatsby word for word. He said he wanted to feel greatness coming from his finger tips. He claimed helped him learn Fitzgerald’s writing style and provided him a better understanding of how he constructed his prose. I don’t know if this is true or if it is just some random story he threw out there that became a part of his legend but even Johnny Depp retold it while doing press for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I have a hard time believing the stories told about people like Thompson. Charles Bukowski would complain about people bugging him after his spoken word events to go out drinking. When asked how he could live the way he did and be as productive as he was, he basically said, “It’s fiction.” There is no way all the stories could be true. No one could survive that, but it does sell books. Even the infamous Keith Richards said in his autobiography that while there were excesses, they had records to record and venues to play. You can only get so far being a total mess. I kind of went off the rails with this thought but I’ve decided to look back at some of the old things that influenced me even when I might might not have realized it. Draw some old stuff and maybe connect to that greatness.
When I was little I loved Popeye. I have no idea why. I can’t really look back and recall any specific moments. I do remember feeling tricked every time I ate spinach though. Not once did I grow muscles. All I ended up with was a mouthful of yuck. Regardless, I decided to draw Popeye last night…
Popeye might not be great but it did run for over 55 years and it inspired a live action film staring Robin Williams. That movie I remember. It scared the crap out of me. There were cartoons, comic books and later web strips. Even Charles M. Schulz said, “I think Popeye was a perfect comic strip, consistent in drawing and humor”