Ten Years After
In which we post a new podcast w/Sammy Harkham, contemplate the 10th anniversary of a career-jump, and draw Berthe Morisot.
The Virtual Memories Show News
A 2x/week email about a podcast about books & life
Podcastery
This week, I posted Episode 572 of The Virtual Memories Show, feat. cartoonist Sammy Harkham. With his graphic novel, BLOOD OF THE VIRGIN (Pantheon), Sammy tells a story of personal and professional disintegration, against the backdrop of exploitation movies and the Iraqi Jewish diaspora in ’70s L.A. We get into the obsessions and family lore that drove him to make the book, why it took him 14 years to complete it, what it means to focus on the ‘novel’ part of ‘graphic novel’, and how craft is always trying to catch up to ambition. We talk about the need to get past the cliches of the ‘inside Hollywood’ story, what he learned about his process over the course of making this book, why he didn’t read his earlier chapters until he finished the story, and the John Steinbeck advice that got him over the finish line. We also discuss his comics upbringing, his religious upbringing, his thoughts on the late Joe Matt, the Jim Woodring panels that have haunted him for decades, the joyful anxiety of not knowing what his next project will be, and plenty more. Give it a listen! And go read Blood of the Virgin!
Last week, I posted Episode 571 of The Virtual Memories Show, feat. the great cartoonist and humorist Ed Subitzky! Ed has received his long-delayed due with the new collection, POOR HELPLESS COMICS! (New York Review Comics), so we sat down to talk about his amazing career at National Lampoon, how he developed his 'can’t draw' style after taking a cartooning class with RO Blechman & Charles Slackman A DOZEN TIMES, how the Rapidograph became his Excalibur, and why this collection includes some of his favorite prose pieces alongside all the comics. We get into how he began experimenting with the form & structure of comics, his lifelong fascination with science and philosophy and how that led to him getting published in the Journal of Consciousness Studies, how he juggled comics and humor pieces with his longtime career writing direct marketing pieces, and how looking back showed him that his comics were really funny. Give it a listen! And go read Poor Helpless Comics!
Recent episodes: Chris Silverman • Silence, a monlogue • The Guest List • Jarrett Earnest • Christian Wiman • Danny Fingeroth • Matt Bors
Time Stand Still
Ten years ago yesterday, I was afraid my boss was either going to punch me or have a heart attack, or potentially both. I was about to give him notice that I was leaving my job editing our business-to-business magazine about the pharmaceutical contract manufacturing sector so I could launch a trade association. Earlier in the afternoon I informed the owner of the company, the #2 guy, and the editorial director, and they were all waiting to see what happened when I finally told my boss.
He took it better than I feared, although he later told me he thought I was only giving him a week’s notice. In fact, I gave him SIX weeks’ notice, which was the dumbest thing I did in this whole process.
Yesterday I celebrated 10 years by texting with some of the people who were there when I made that jump, who said yes when I asked, “Do you REALLY believe we need a trade association? Do you REALLY believe I can run it? And would your company REALLY put up [$XXX] as a Founding Member?”, as well as a coworker who was my confidant, and my associate editor. We all marveled at the years gone by (even if ~4 of ’em were spent in Pandemia).
In many respects I didn’t know what I was in for when I made this move, but with the support of my member companies and the friends I made in the industry since I started covering it in 1999, we built something pretty impressive over the past decade. I had to learn an awful lot about the legislative process — Schoolhouse Rock only took me so far — and how to work with regulators, Congressional staff, and other associations, while trying to develop a strategic vision alongside the day-to-day functions of a nonprofit. I also had to learn how to work without having a boss. (I have a board of trustees, but that’s different.) (In fact, we’re having a quarterly board meeting on Friday, so I’d better go prep for that.)
And I made a difference for our industry, and our industry helped save the world a few years ago, so it was worth the worry in 2014, and all the fret & anxiety since, right?
I know that this audience, the podcast-arts-cultural sphere, doesn’t really get what I do for a living, what supports all that podcast-arts-cultural stuff I do, and why I do it, but without it I’d be lost, and not just financially.
I didn’t text my old boss yesterday; still worried he’ll punch me.
Art
During a LONG stint at LAX Friday night, I made a couple brush sketches of the double-headed sculpture from the Getty Center, but no point in sharing those here. I'm working on a bigger drawing from the photo I took of it, but not sure what I'll wind up doing with it. On Sunday evening, to celebrate Berthe Morisot's birthday, I tried to draw her with a fine-ish brush pen. Eyes came out terrible, as did some of the cross-hatching for shadows, but I don't hate this. You should go to the Flickr album of most of the art I’ve made & find something you like.
Until Next Time
Thanks for reading this far! I’ll be back on Sunday with links, books, & workout craziness, and Wednesday with a new episode, maybe some art, & who knows maybe a little profundity or something.
I'm not looking back, but I want to look around me now,