Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Are There Actual Photos of BBB at His Own Hanging?

August 6, 2014
   More treasures and trash from the Triple B Garage: I've done some crazy things in my career, but this has to be one of the craziest.

V magazine, 1988

   Oh, well. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Yes, that is an original Ev Mecham—with his foot in his mouth—bola tie. I think I have it somewhere—in the garage! Of course!

   Found this early example of crude Photoshop in the garage:

The Doper Roper in front of The Heatwave Cafe

   The model is Earl Bieu (sic), a printer at Al Rau Advertising, 1973. Earl was an old time printer (i.e. he drank a lot). Yes, Earl was a wild one and enjoyed what we were printing. Al Rau allowed Dan Harshberger and I to use all his cameras, layout materials and presses at night. Earl especially liked my cartoon character, The Doper Roper, and often told me D-R would make a great TV show. He even predicted that it would be on television in the near future.

   Dan Harshberger and I agreed that Earl sort of resembled the Doper Roper and perhaps we should do a photo shoot with him posing as Granthum P. Hooker. So on a Saturday we drove him out to Buckeye, where there was a small, back roads cafe called Froggy Bottom, which was a black bar in the the middle of nowhere. We were actually kind of nervous shooting this. Of course, it has some very crude retouching because this was about 25 years before Photoshop. Earle died tragically by being hit by a car on 16th Street. Here's the main Man Earl loved:

The Doper Roper Cliff Diving, Episode Whatever, The Razz Revue, 1975

  Meanwhile, back to the V magazine coverage. I wish I could say the cover concept was NOT my idea, but, alas it was. Photographed by Ralph Rippe. Inside there are drawings I don't even remember doing.

Exclusive interview with BBB in V magazine, 1988

   Who is Fred Craft, and why am I referencing him calling his wife a "whore"? Probably some politico from those days who ended up in the Republic, but I can't remember.

Most Embarrassing Q and A, I wish I Had Back?
Q: there's a rumor you are going to work for the Arizona Republic. Any truth to that?

A: No, I don't think anything will come of it. . .because Pat Murphy [the publisher] is in the process of 'graying' the Republic and I think I'm too loud."

   Maybe I was too loud in those days, but I have been doing True West Moments for The Republic for the past four years.

I Can't Believe I Actually Said It
"It doesn't pay to meet your adversaries. They'll disappoint you every time."
—BBB,  talking about meeting Tom Collins, someone who was vilified in the press but turned out to be a nice guy when I actually met him.