SB: What are the purposes of satire?
R. Crumb: To give us all relief from these taboos and these nervous tensions where things can't be talked about. So humour and satire are a safety valve for releasing these nervous tensions. But there's such a thing as cruel humour. A lot of old time humour is based on making fun of some ethnic group - it's not so funny for us any more.
After watching the documentary on R. Crumb, I was interested in how much his art was a reflection of his life. The satirical humor in his cartooning is very much how Crumb presents himself on film. He's quite funny and in many ways over the top. At one point, we learn that Crumb likes to spend his days sitting outside, on a street bench or in a cafe, drawing passerbies. While drawing on the street the camera sits and watch Crumb, allowing us to observe the artist at his work. Crumb draws contently. At one point the camera cuts and allows us to see what he is drawing, or would draw on a typical day. One such item is called "Jackets" and features a variety of different people wearing different jackets. Another pokes fun at the fact that everyone now has earrings. Most of the drawings are of men and the eye is immediately drawn to the earring. In these mundane images of every day people, we can almost hear the oddball Crumb snicker. Moreover, this relief from a taboo is evident in the fact that men are now donning earrings. When Crumb has finished his drawing, he gets up and tells the camera that there is music coming from everywhere, negatively commenting on rap music.
Short scenes such as the one described above made Terry Zwigoff's 1994 documentary so fantastic. Zwigoff provides us with glimpses into Crumb's very personal life: his traumatic family life, his marriages, and his deeply personal drawings. While Crumb always provides us with a sense of humor (during his talks with his brother Max who is a severely depressed recluse) both Robert and Max make jokes about Max's situation. Interspersed with these snippets of conversation are comics created by both Max and Robert. We learn that Max was the original cartoonist in the family. While the comics are altogether amusing, there is a certain sense of despondency underneath. The reality of Crumb's family life is very sad. One has to wonder whether Max would have also been a successful cartoonist had he not suffered from depression.
As a whole, I really enjoyed the documentary. Everything from the cinematography to Crumb's family to the many acquaintances Crumb had throughout his life is presented in a very real way. There is no glitzing and glossing; it’s just real. The lighting and the setting are very natural. This was a very effective technique. The documentary is hoping to show the real Crumb and I think it succeeds in many ways.
The above quotation was taken from an interview with R. Crumb: http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,1442859,00.html
1 comment:
I thought one of the most interesting scenes was the intimate look at Crumb working with his son (both of them offering their interpretive drawings of a 19th century photograph). While the son drew an excellent representation (almost a carbon copy with ink), Crumb flew off into his own theories of what she was feeling when the photo was taken, and then transmitted that with his drawing, emphasizing her clenched teeth to great effect. I think he brings that constant level of intense observation and "outsider" mentality to his work, which you touched on with the "jacket" scene.
Another scene I think that said a lot was the one where he described someone as referring to his drawings as "funny," and he kept repeating something along the lines of "these drawings are grotesque to me." A real difference of perception there that tells a lot about where the artist is coming from.
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