R. Crumb rarely grants interviews, but he did get on the phone this week with Los Angeles Times writer Deborah Vankin, who will be covering the more literary-minded end of the comic sector for Hero Complex, and the conversation veered from corporate greed to senior sex to his upcoming work with his wife, Aline Kominsky-Crumb.
R. Crumb (Criterion Collection)
DV: What comics are you reading these days?
RC: All I read anymore is investigative journalism. You name it. Scandalous political stuff, the pharmaceutical industry, all that crap. I’m fascinated by that stuff. There’s many heroic underappreciated investigative journalists. Celia Farber, Jon Stauber – “Toxic Sludge Is Good For You” is a great book. Naomi Klein – Jesus, I read her latest book and found that really impressive. “The Shock Doctrine.”
DV: “Genesis,” which was a success both critically and commercially, is behind you, what are you working on these days?
RC: Aline and I are working on a collaborative book together. It’s from WW Norton. Since “Genesis” sold well, they’re up for anything I’m involved in. We did stuff for the New Yorker over the years, short pieces, and before that we did comics together. Mostly it’s gonna be a gathering up of older stuff that we did for the New Yorker. And we’re doing one new story.
DV: Is it autobiographical?
RC: Yeah, yeah, kinda. It’s about getting old and failing. Aline says it’s about senior sex.
[At this point Aline yells in background: “It’s not a pretty sight!”]
R. Crumb (Criterion Collection)
DV: But you guys have been married a long time now. You must have a good thing going. Any advice?
RC: It’s been a long time, we got married in ’78. If you’re jealous it’s doomed. Doomed. The two people have to respect each other and give each other room to breathe.
[Another yell from Aline: "Slack on the leash!"]
DV: You left the U.S. 19 years ago — how’s life in France?
RC: It’s good, life is good here. Good quality of life. All I can say is: You can keep Los Angeles. No, seriously, what’s not to like? You’re not constantly bombarded … there’s some room to breathe from that constant corporate propaganda that America is saturated with. You don’t know how saturated you are with that. Here it’s not to the degree that it is there. They resisted. The French hold onto their traditions. I was always so alienated in America. My work was this constant reaction to that. And I don’t have that here. So it’s different.
DV: That must have some influence on your work.
RC: Yeah, probably. I couldn’t characterize exactly how, but I’m sure it has. Maybe I’m less angry. I don’t know. Actually, I’m not less angry. When I go back to America, after a few days I am once again filled with this kind of angry alienation and disgust with this thing there that America has got – you have no idea how pervasive it is there. The public relations and propaganda put out by the corporate mono-culture there is so pervasive. When I’m over here, I look at America and think,‘Why are people not more angry about what’s going on? Why are the people not more up in arms?’ I mean the banks and all that stuff? Good God. How can they stand it? The thing about the corporate approach is it’s smart and it knows how to distract people really well with entertainment. It doesn’t just take, it gives back in this smarmy way… they give you this seemingly McDonald’s version of the good life which is completely phony and fake, from top to bottom. It pacifies the people.
DV: So do you come back to the U.S. for inspiration, then — if you could call it that? To get in touch with what triggers this anger – which, then, informs you work?
RC: I don’t go back for that reason, but it certainly brings it all back, the bile starts to rise. It’s keeps your edge up. [Aline yells something in the background.] Aline says to say that it’s her mother every year in Miami, just to get a dose of that. She goes to the beauty parlor there just to have that experience.
DV: Have you connected with the art or cartooning community in France?
RC: No. We have nothing to do with the cartooning world here, nothing whatsoever. Our daughter does more than we do. She knows some of the young French cartoonists.
[Aline again: “Speak for yourself!”]
HC: Do you miss it – the Zap comix days?
RC: No, I don’t. That was like 30, 40 years ago, that’s long gone. I have no interest in that anymore.
– Deborah Vankin
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UPDATE: An earlier version of this post had a headline that misstated R. Crumb’s quote from the body in the article. The old headline incorrectly cited it as “I’m a lot less angry.”
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If Mr Crumb is happy in France, he's found his serenity, why come back to the States and get angry? There's enough angry people in this country now and look what happened this past election? No good at all. He's free to follow his passions whatever they may be, he's earned the right not to be aggravated anymore.
The very title of this article misquotes Crumb and misses his whole point: He is not "a lot less angry". In fact, he insists that he is NOT less angry.
Nice article, apart from misquoting him in the title.
Way to go, LA Times – Crumb complains about McDonalds-ization of U.S., and you have a hyper-link to the McRib. Asswipes.
Picture are really old. He does not look like that anymore. The pictures are probably over 20 years old.
Also, the link to McDonalds is annoying.
Mr. Crumb has decided to take leave of the North American condition, which brings-out his more traditional distemper; and he's right! It's impossible to do anything without injustice, coercion, and bad taste staring you in the face.
The Supreme Court decided corporation are people with campaign donation rights? Unbelievable. The sad part is that now, since the 1960s (vietnam), when you trace back into history the causes of today's problems, it just gets worse!
Even back to the 16th amendment in 1913, and the civil war, the US has suffered blows to it's autonomy by powerful interests which sought to secure greater interests in a coming nation; a nation which would rival an awakened China.
France may have well maintained her roots of liberty.
I was recomended this article from a friend, i am in Australia, i found it interestisng but then the the interview trailed out, no substance. His cartoons are attacking corporate culture and he finds France welcoming but doesn't mix. sometimes perspecive is clarified by distance. For answers not here will you find try DemoKratia instead me thinks the US needs it http://demokratia.jesaurai.net/about/
Just got around to reading this. Great interview I wish it was longer. He's totally right about America though, I lived in Slovakia for two years and came back to america recently and was disgusted by exactly what Crumb was saying. You really don't notice it until you've left and then come back. But the reason americans don't do anything about it is because we/they don't know exactly what to do about it. We're confused. We have so much. Now if some of this luxury was taken away en masse then I think people would stand up and do something. But if we can still have access to McDonalds and our Xbox's & Wii's and every little thing, we feel no need to get up. We're placated. It's a terrible cycle. And why america is ridiculed so much everywhere else in the world.
As documented in The New Yorker several years ago in Graphic Novel form, Crumb brings Alene and daugher Sophie to his old family farm in Pennsylvania for the annual Crumb reunion party. Then they may all trek to Florida to reconnect with Alene's family. Then they get out as fast as they can.