Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead - Rick Meyerowitz

 Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead by Rick Meyerowitz

• 'Humanity has unquestionably one really effective weapon- laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution- these can lift at a colossal humbug- push it a little- weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand' - Mark Twain PG9
• 'Making people laugh is the lowest form of humour' - Michael O'Donoghue PG9
• In April 1970, the first issue of The National Lampoon was published
• 'It was smarter than anything else out there, and it boldly proclaimed that this magazine would be totally, gleefully, perversely, socially, politically, infamously, every way possibly, incorrect' PG12
• Animal House, which appeared in 1978, was the Lampoons last contribution to our culture PG13
• Founded by Henry Beard, Doug Kenney and Rob Hoffman at Harvard
• The 'Mona Gorilla' created by Meyerowitz in 1971; 'The Mona Gorilla became the magazine's mascot. She has been widely reproduced and ripped off. One critic said it was "the best Mona Lisa parody ever". Another called it "one of the enduring icons of American humour" - Rick Meyerowitz PG86
• Rick Meyerowitz on caricature: 'what resources do we really have to affect the flow of events?' Rick elaborates on how 'our leaders are frequently awful and there's not a thing we as individuals can do about it beyond casting our quadrennial vote' PG90
• Ricks' goal within the caricatures he drew was to 'get the attention of my subject by publishing an image that they would see, and to make them wince with recognition. If I couldn't change the course of events, I could at least give them a virtual smack in the nose' PG90
• Animal House (1978), the first National Lampoon movie; posters created by Rick Meyerowitz. PG97
• Anne Beats' Volkswagen advert parody, featured in the Encyclopedia of Humour, 'If Ted Kennedy drove a Volkswagen, he'd be President today'. VK sued the National Lampoon 11 million dollars; ironically, they were more upset about the use of their logo than the parody ad's actual message PG149
• Gahan Wilson worked as a cartoonist for the Lampoon during the 70's; 'he created fiery social satire, an antireligious, antimilitary, antiauthoritarian, oversize dose of distrust of all authority'. Meyerowitz notes how 'every day we see proof that we live in Gahan Wilsons' world. He has, most probably, imagined our real future. Now, isn't that scary?' - Rick Meyerowitz PG186
• 'How to Spell Conspiracy' by Gahan Wilson (January 1990)
• Ron Barrett's 'Meat is Funny' (1973). Photo collages of meat; 'meat is the paradigm of mindless consumerism' PG269
• Fred Graver 'Tntin in Lebanon' (1984). Following a suicide bombing in Beirut in 1983, Graver created an anti war cartoon depicting familiar character Tintin; 'I thought to myself: Boys adventure gone very, very wrong' PG 284

Meyerowitz, R., 2019. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang.

(Meyerowitz, 2019)