"My characters have a life of their own." | Cartoonist Robert Crumb | Louisiana Channel

"I was a bad boy when I was young, but I probably would have been much worse if I haven't been able to draw those comics and foist them upon the public." In this stage talk, legendary cartoonist Robert Crumb reflects on his artistic life "as a creepy weirdo."
"There is an anti-pornography argument saying that men who look at pornography want to rape women. My defense is - when I am criticized for drawing that stuff - that I am an artist, and artists can't be held accountable for what they put out on paper, but if someone wants to publish it and if someone wants to buy it, it is another matter. As an artist, you can't be censored, and you have to get it out there, you are not hurting anybody, if you get offended by looking at it, don't look at it, "Robert Crumb says about his work, which was often criticized for its explicit sexual content.
In recent years, Robert Crumb has experienced resistance against his work. "There are college students who see a couple of my drawings and put nasty things on the Internet about me. I am too old, and I don't even understand where these kids are coming from. They grew up with the Internet. I don't understand the mentality. It is a little bit scary. We don't know where it is going. You have extreme political correctness on the one hand and on the other side, you have these assholes that want to promote racism and right-wing agenda."
As a result, Crumb says, "I don't draw women anymore, I try not to look at women, I try not to think about women, it is too much trouble". He finds it a relief because when "I was young, the desire was so powerful, I was speechless. I am 76 years old, and it is a relief to be free of that."
The character Mr. Natural was a response to Crumb's religious upbringing. "I was brought up as a Catholic. I went to a catholic school, and experienced deep programming of the Christian religion and God and Jesus. I had to deal with all that stuff. Catholic shame is deeply embedded in my mind, and it started six years old".
"I just lived my youth on paper, always drawing. In social situations, I was afraid of people, so I would just sit drawing all the time and carry a sketchbook everywhere I went. Crumb got letters "from creepy guys thanking me for liberating me from feeling they were the only creepy weirdo in the world. Well, there are lots of us, creepy weirdos".
Robert Crumb met Aline, the love of his life, in November 1971. They drew themselves in the series called Dirty Laundry. "All I would do was to give a line, and then it poured out of her, with standard Jewish humor and great storytelling genes. Aline saved my great sorry ass and still is today. I don't cope very well with the world - people who want things from me. Aline is tougher than I am. She can deal with the world better than I can. If I weren't with her, I would be dead by now," Crumb concludes.
Robert Crumb (b. 1943) is an American cartoonist. Crumb, a counterculture comic book artist and social satirist, has enjoyed cult status for his underground comic strips, full of anti-heroes. Among these is a wide range of popular characters including Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural. Much of his work has also appeared in Weirdo magazine (1981-1993), which he founded himself, and which was one of the most prominent publications of the alternative comics era. Crumb has received several accolades for his work, including his induction into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Angoulême Grand Prix in 1999. Crumb was also among the artists honored in the exhibition 'Masters of American Comics' at the Jewish Museum in New York (2006-2007). In 2012 a retrospective of Crumb's work was exhibited at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. He has frequently collaborated with cartoonist Aline Kominsky-Crumb, with whom he is married, and the couple has made a joint comic strip based on their life together through four decades. A collection of comics, 'Drawn Together', was published in 2012.
Robert Crumb was interviewed by film critic Christian Monggaard on stage at the Louisiana Literature festival at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark in August 2019.
Camera: Jakob Solbakken & Rasmus Quistgaard
Edit: Signe Boe Pedersen
Produced by Christian Lund
Cover photo by Klaus Holsting
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2023
Louisiana Channel is supported by Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Ny Carlsbergfondet, C.L. Davids Fond og Samling and Fritz Hansen
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[@thelouisianachannel]

*Watch our other video with Robert Crumb here:* kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWO9iKWNot6jd5I

[@TheSubwaysurfer]

Remarkable that he still at his advanced age has a youthful vibe that’s incredible and his way that he expresses himself gets remarkable. He’s got all of his marbles. That’s a blessing.

[@elizabethbakewell6046]

Dear Mr. R. Crumb, My sincere condolences Dear Aline, and Your Dear Son Jesse, Is difficult to believe. I believe the People we Love Are always with us. Thankyou for your Art. I think of you and your Family, And my condolences to Sophie You are all in my heart❤🙏

[@psychologydropout2354]

It's so interesting to watch someone who has integrated their shadow so completely.

[@marshalmcdonald7476]

Good comment. I believe the world would be a much better place if people would own, integrate and embrace, rather than only project, their shadow.

[@spb7883]

Kurt Vonnegut once said “R Crumb makes me feel proud to be an American.” Still true. A long(er) life to him.

[@TheLunarnotes]

I thoroughly enjoyed that; interviewer was brilliant. I once saw the Guardian Cartoonist, Steve Bell interview Crumb about 15 years ago in London and when it finished, Crumb, in a state of euphoria from all the cheering and clapping, decided to try and jump over the rope barrier when he left the stage, completely misjudged it, tripped and fell on his arse. It was a glorious ending to another great interview!

[@joeakajoe1]

i was there too, at the nft. for £15 could see 'american splendor' the movie then see that live in person interview u mentioned. (i also saw Frank Skinner there). i think youre misremembering him messing up that jump. He cleared it very spritely is how i remember it. He cerainly didnt fall on his arse

[@TheLunarnotes]

I'm sure he fucked up the jump and the chain caught his leg but I think you're right he just about landed but it was a close call!@@joeakajoe1

[@johnmorgan5495]

Fantastic and sad as he no longer has Aline for support X

[@CBbehereNOW]

Wha? I didn't know she passed...googled Nov, 2022...really must be hard for him. She was only 74....she was amazing...

[@helenamaria710]

@@CBbehereNOW I also had no idea. I wonder how he is doing alone in sth of France. They were soulmates, for sure.💖😢

[@fastenbulbous]

Fantastic?

[@MisakaMisaka5]

​@@helenamaria710 He still has his daughter for support, so he's not completely alone.

[@GullerudGallery]

I think he meant fantastic interview .. and ... ​@@fastenbulbous

[@amateurstopmotion7189]

Ahh, I just love Crumb. Also: His old geezer style of clothes and behavior finally fitting his age in the last 15 years or so makes me very happy.

[@SUBRASHANKAR]

Amazing. He is so talented and real. How different is he than any of the great philosophers. I mean I feel his works are underrated and it’s ridiculous that it’s part of Underground Comics. It should be considered literature in a manner of speaking. This interview articulates what any literary piece would do.

[@robertafierro5592]

He captured the moment so well. He also captured the mindset and our mentality as to what was funny. I mean l, we didn't just laugh, we HOWLED!! This stuff is stillmfunny to me and im now almost 64! I discovered R. Crumb when I hit HS. I was lucky enough to.get into the H.S. of Art and Design. in 1974. I graduated with my diploma four years later! I was exposed to some of the best teachers there!

[@TheSubwaysurfer]

I agree it should be considered literature and this is not just some fanboy hero worshiping. When you look at his work today, you realize that you’re in a time capsule .

[@montegter04]

Every once a while I listen to these interviews just to keep myself sane.

[@helenamaria710]

What a delight and thanks for posting. He is 76 and WONDERFUL! 😁💖🙏

[@joedoomsdaypio4374]

God Bless R. Crumb, for letting other Weirdos know that we aren't alone!

[@TheSubwaysurfer]

When I was a kid, I discovered his work in the comic section that the store owner forbid children to enter. I snuck in when he wasn’t paying attention inside his zap comic. and we became hooked I thought I was reading something illegal lol I had a strict religious upbringing, and I remember a vicious cycle of buying the comic hiding the comic reading, the comic becoming guilty tearing up the comic. To go out the next week and buy the comic again lol of course I repeated the cycle. Unlike other superhero comics what was His work was the characters were so real. They were like people I had seen walking the streets of New York City especially women had a solidness to them that other comics seem to lack. And the backgrounds were just as detailed and gorgeous. As I grew as an artist, I realize what an artistic genius he was and some of my word imitated his. I was so proud when an art Director pointed out my similarity to his work, I knew I had internalize the master and was now ready to break out on my own which I did. Thank you, Mister. Crumb

[@paulmcdonald9592]

He's the greatest living artist.

[@pillarheights1130]

Not jodorowsky's?

[@ibberman]

People are always looking for a deeper meaning to someone's art, but usually it just a reflection of life, their life.

[@GruppeSechs]

That and LSD eroding any and all moral barriers. Some people become psychopaths on drugs. Some draw the family dog humping a baby.

[@scottruhl4710]

Wonderful interview, thank you!

[@TheSubwaysurfer]

As an older artist trying to copy, crumbs work was when I realize what a master draftsman was in terms of pacing, character, design, anatomy background, drawing or what commonly called now world building. We had an entire universe of characters, each having their own distinct personalities the cameos he did of himself unbelievably transparent and believable, he was actually doing therapy right there on the page in front of everybody. It almost seemed obscene or too much information, but there was internalized a lot of his work not so much trying to ape his style but to try to internalize the feeling and spirit, especially in his autobiographicalstuff. To this day, the autobiographical work is my favorite to do and I incorporated into all of my artistic storytelling.

[@bobblehead67]

Thanks for this. His Short History of America belongs in every US public school History textbook.

[@danylshtangeev]

Thanks for this awesome interview!

[@lorenzofortunato388]

Great interview. The interviewer was asking great questions and Crumb has a lot of interesting things to say

[@robertafierro5592]

I could listen to him all.day! He's Brilliant and sharp.as a tack! He looks Fantastic!!

[@Robert-yc9ql]

AT 24;00 you get to see Mr. Crumb's true character... and it's not about money. He was one of the first artists I ever admired. Thank you for this.

[@TheSubwaysurfer]

Me too, I remember walking past Superman Batman, and even Spider-Man in the comic bookshop as I walked straight to the back to look at the underground comics. I did this so often in the comic shops that the owners gave me a pass after a while I don’t ever remember seeing any other kids, my age in that section they were allowed, maybe something in me I’d like to think that they thought I was a true believer, a kindred spirit

[@tnaoro]

24:00

[@brucelawson642]

Robert was great. I love his honesty about himself and his inner psyche. 😊❤

[@pinip_f_werty1382]

What a hero. A bent, twisted and warped hero but a hero none the less.

[@GaryTongue-zn5di]

"There Ain't no Heros Here" -James Hetfield (Metallica)

[@daxaraya3826]

Get this man an interview on Cartoonist Kayfabe!

[@prehistoricturtlesaurus5309]

Lol. Good luck hoping!

[@JaceDanielFilms]

He looks like an old man from the 1950s, sounds like a 27 year old hipster

[@peter455sd]

First contact i had with Crumb's work was "My troubles with women" in the 80s,man my opinion was that this guy was not just extremely brave but also utterly brilliant. He thinks hes weird but hes not.

[@mulatokudzava7797]

Robert, a living legend!

[@julianlawrence1648]

The art at 21:57 is not Crumb; it’s S. Clay Wilson.

[@shoddyworkmanship4934]

"I think I was depressed once." I literally laughed so hard I cried.

[@BeerStein33]

Crumb's cartoons are cringeworthy, sacrilegious and wildly hilarious. His storytelling is unique and revealing. All that aside the man can draw from nature as well as from imagination. 👊😎👍

[@donaldsmith7824]

In view of the blessed priests raping children, or preaching women get pregnant by gods intervention, whereas the reality of the sex drive being the driver of life and tell children sex is to be enjoyed while being responsable not bringing more children than can be fed. Or blame a god and remove r esponsability and give children guilt trips.

[@donaldsmith7824]

I’m 81 from Hollywood now living in Denmark crumb was an inspiring entity drawing reality, fx incest, double standards, hidden perversions in Homes across the usa, his book of GENESIS illustrated ought be read with bible studies. I have a copy on my book shelf.

[@TheSonicfrog]

From Robert's ID right onto the page! Pure genius.

[@LifeStrada-zc7gi]

When was this filmed? Looks like 3 to 5 years ago.

[@DexterHaven]

What a living legend -- his skills and work ethic in one person. I loved his daughter's book too, on her evolution as an artist.

[@outtathyme5679]

Iconic genius

[@バーンズエリック]

The interviewer does an.... OK job... He's quite prepared, but that does mean he very much had an idea of where he wanted the interview to go and resists where Crumb wants to go at times. Also, he doesn't really cover any new ground that you couldn't find in any Crumb interview over the past thirty years. Despite that it is interesting to hear Crumb talk.

[@prehistoricturtlesaurus5309]

Very true. Nothing new here unfortunately. Good interviewers are far fewer than good subjects.

[@pillarheights1130]

You'd need an American. Maybe Joe Rogan ... really

[@loudermusic]

You are being nice..

[@pault7336]

Agreed. Interviewer talks too much.

[@HunterMann]

I think Herzog did a good interview…

[@LittleCozyNostril]

Always wonderful to see the grand old man. Incidentally fans of R. Crumb interested might enjoy my series CANONICALLY CRUMB where I explore the comix and characters of the Crummy-verse

[@HunterMann]

This interview is a splendid compliment to Zwigoff’s film “Crumb”.

[@AMIT_KASSYAP]

I've got Crumb's Genesis. It's spectacular!

[@MikeHunt-c5p]

I can't believe my icon is 7 years my senior

[@donaldgehre5964]

A true genius.

[@enkibumbu]

Crumb wears Mephistos! Good taste.

[@dbdwoods]

Thankful

[@eatmanyzoos]

closing statements are important. the northern renaissance and the dutch masters are still amazing. look at any modern cinematography.

[@jiquepfister1640]

his mannerisms and demeanor kinda remind me of a muppet, it's enjoyable in and of itself haha

[@MrEdWeirdoShow]

I've always believed the painterly spirits of past centuries guide today's artists. Many if not most never had an art lesson yet are natural talents from the get go. Meanwhile, Lousiana? Oh, right - there's tons of French type people there. And in recent years, Robert has been living in France.

[@charlespeterson3798]

I had a n I c e collection of Zap Comics in the late 60's, early 70,s.. My friends stole them all.

[@pillarheights1130]

Ex friend or friend. Get them or even

[@agropoliusa]

My collection became Litter-ary history - along the side of the road.

[@LambentOrt]

Wow!!!

[@MF_Plissken]

isnt it an oddity that writers hardly ever get attacked, or not even remotely attacked as hard as cartoonists or visual artists when they bring characters or persons into being, no matter how vile their actions. there seems to be a difference in reception and synthesis between visual art and writing

[@Kraterlandschaft]

He truly grew into these glasses didn't he.

[@Ease54]

It's only lines on paper, folks...

[@danjameson1572]

R. Crumb is an extremely well adjusted individual

[@leonardmulrooney3806]

Fundamentally, I disagree with the notion that an artist has no responsibility for ones art. He has spent a lifetime justifying his work. He makes some good points and I don’t necessarily agree with censorship either.

[@if6was929]

Many moons ago, my younger brother was selling tabs of acid at a concert. The police came into the bathroom and rather than flush the acid, my brother swallowed what he had. He made it home to his place, in a very freaked out state of mind. I told him to read a Zap comix, he started laughing and he calmed down. I knew that it was more than just a suggestion from left field, R. Crumb's comix have a grounding effect.

[@CoDo_912]

Hope he's well today

[@themysticalwanderer36]

if Freud was a comic artist

[@craigharrison1274]

Lol this is before Covid. Wild world.

[@davidmaraman855]

Crumbs mental reasoning patterns and flighty vocal utterances remind me of Woody Allen.

[@anitchlikadze3451]

👏

[@CatRiley]

Crumb must hate what this sewer of a world is now.

[@SADFORIAN]

"When you're a young man, your sex drive is like being chained to a madman." Boy, if that doesn't capture it.

[@pacecory1]

well, wasn't expecting lolicon in the first minute, but here we are. LOL

[@darlenemfish1878]

were they talking? I could only hear a weezing sweetish meatball the whole time

[@caragraham6285]

I'm glad Aline isn't there

[@Forheavenssake1ify]

In the '60's the youth movement liberated arts. Today, the "youth movement" enchains everything. Weirdo indeed.

[@mrmossvideoart]

love crumb

[@emmanuelwolf6568]

i can see osmongold being like this when hes older.

[@ibberman]

Woody Allen, in Play it again Sam.

[@vonrock6862]

I miss Angel Food McSpade

[@DexterHaven]

1:42 the host needs to shut up and quit talking about his darn self. It's of no interest to us viewers. Let Crumb talk. Looks like the host is the best Boy Scout ever -- prepared for a famine.

[@PAULLONDEN]

Unbelievable , this interviewer looks like some of Crumb's characters..... Robert seriously must've thought he did something wrong.

[@adamkane]

Something beautifully emblematic about the proliferating fart noises between Crumb's comments.

[@mcultras]

There’s this lower case ‘c’ conservatism about him that’s so endearing.

[@atdotcom64]

Euro Comic Book Guy…!?

[@김지현-q3x8p]

42:33

[@mickrozycki451]

He sounds heven more like woddy

[@buaa77]

hi , greats to you out there, in opinion worser then local komik URBANUS. in belgium thought flemish must slang out absurd in a way. don't know much how usa does many draws 😝😝

[@jaksilb]

What do you mean to say?

[@consciouscoma85]

anything an artist does is fare game

[@justinkrann7406]

I wonder if his insane brothers are still alive and yanking

[@razmatazz9310]

The one who still used to live with the mom died already, suicide if I remember correctly. Not sure about the yogi one.

[@DutchChristianBoy7]

Robert Crumb is depressing

[@limbosfinest]

Sickness

[@narudraw312]

Sickness

[@SLAYERSWINE1]

Next year will be the 30th Anniversary of "Crumb" documentary.

[@ronpaul1268]

he should do a new film called crumb part 2 a follow to the 1992 documentary but actually this kinda of a unofficial follow short film to it.

[@PartyMartyAnty]

My shadow screams to be let out

[@RemoVegas]

Pieter Bruegel "IS" - Robert Crumb, For SURE..!