The blog of Richard Thompson, caricaturist, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Barney Google and the Aesthetics of the Bigfoot Style

This is the foreword I did to Craig Yoe's big Barney Google book. I made it all up off the top of my head but I stand by every word.


5 comments:

gilda92 said...

My father's name was Barney and I remember some folks calling him "Barney Google". I always wondered where the Google came from! If I buy the book will I finally understand?

gilda92 said...

Oh dear. I also forgot to say that he would get angry him when someone called him "Barney Google".

richardcthompson said...

He'd probably been called Barney Google since childhood and had gotten sick of it. On the other hand, Charles Schulz was called Sparky after Sparkplug, Barney Google's horse and he loved it

Brian Fies said...

Oh, that's terrific, and Craig Yoe is the best! It seems like more and more long-derided gems are getting deserved recognition these days, and Barney Google is about as good as bigfoot got. Even if it's not your taste in cartooning, you've got to respect the influence and pedigree.

I wanted to add that your blog as a whole has been a daily stop for me. Appreciate the insights.

richardcthompson said...

Thanks, Brian! I keep expecting someone with a greater grasp of the Bigfoot Aesthetic to pop up and challenge my feeble insights so I can start one of those academic art-historical slapfests, but so far no cigar.