A Gonzo Father's Day Gift

For the first nine years of my life, it was just my dad and I. As a child, he was a superhero to me. As a teenager, we certainly had our ups and downs and I can’t say I was his biggest fan. As an adult (and especially now as a father myself), he is again a superhero to me. The ultimate superhero. 

I very vividly remember going to something of a book fair when I was in kindergarten and getting him the first gift I ever bought; a coffee mug with “Dad“ repeated over and over which he still has today.

I mentioned before that my dad is largely responsible for my love of the Muppets. Being the two swinging bachelors that we were back in the early 80s, we would have dinner together in our tiny guestroom where our television set was and watch The Muppet Show or Fraggle Rock. We would laugh and look back and forth at each other—him on the couch and me nestled in our green and blue shag carpet—musing over a gag or song (Quick parenting pro tip: actually watch TV with your kids. Don’t go on your phone or whatever. Bond over your child’s interests in that program. I know it’s hard, I struggle too sometimes. A lot of kids shows today are actually pretty good though!).

My dad and I in the ball pit at Sesame Place in Pennsylvania, circa the early 1980s

I would often draw pictures of the Muppets for my dad including the above, nifty picture of Gonzo which is the focal point of the story I am sharing today. I had found this crude drawing a while back and thought it was so funny how I’ve essentially been drawing these characters my whole life. I knew I wanted to do something else—something new—with this fading illustration on dot matrix printer paper, but I wasn’t exactly sure what. 

A few illustrations of the famous weirdo a few years after the original drawing I had done for my dad

Not too long after, I was lucky enough to be invited to the set of the 2015 sitcom, The Muppets. What an absolutely amazing day in my life, but the real opportunity was to use this old illustration to my advantage. Like most dads with their kids, my father is very proud of me, and the opportunities I’ve had to work for the Muppets have been a super fun subject for us to focus on. I decided I was going to give this drawing I did of Gonzo for my dad back to him, only this time with an upgrade. So on the day I went to the set in Burbank, I tucked my old art away until I could show it to the muse who inspired it.

On set talking to Dave Goelz (and Peter Linz hidden behind me). John Kennedy looks on from the side. February 4, 2016

I had briefly met Dave Goelz before, and I was very grateful he remembered me. Goelz has been The Great Gonzo’s performer since 1976 and he is incredibly kind and gracious. Getting to hang out with him and the rest of the crew is easily one of the greatest moments of my life and I wanted to make sure I used my time well. After lunch, people were just hanging out, so I took my chance and approached Dave with my very old, very crude fan art with one request, “Please sign it.” Dave was floored that I would ask him to “ruin” something so special I had made for my dad so long ago. “These things are so precious to me!” he protested. “I can’t!” Here’s where I was able to tell this man who inspired me creatively so much as a child—and well into adulthood—about my father. How we watched everything together when I was a kid, how much we both love the Muppets, how proud he was of me that I was there and having the opportunity to be commissioned by them, and how special it would be now if Gonzo could circle back and justify not just the trajectory of my career, but our entire fandom.

Dave Goelz acquiesced and then asked, “Who should I sign it to?” I explained my father and I both had the same name and are both artists, so it could effectively be for both of us. Dave then added, “Hope this art thing works out for you!” Signed by both Dave himself and everyone’s favorite Whatever. Perfection!

Four months later, I not only gave this newly autographed art back to my father, but included a picture of me around the age I would have been when I first drew it holding a Fisher Price plush Gonzo dress up doll, the Gonzo illustration that was included in one of the commissioned pieces I did for the performers that hung in Dave’s dressing room, and a shot of me holding the old art alongside its subject matter—Gonzo himself.

Little me with my plush Gonzo on top of the Howard Johnson’s in Asbury Park, NJ circa 1983 on the far left

One could make the argument this is a slightly cooler Father’s Day gift than that mug I first got him, but for me it’s confirmation that my dad is really the one who gave me such an incredible gift: a loving superhero of a dad who inspired me just as much if not a whole lot more than the Muppets themselves ever could.

Dad and I with a certain Frog (Christmas 1980), my whole family going to see The Muppets (November 24, 2011), and my dad and Abby Cadabby on the set of Sesame Street (November 1, 2018)

Happy Father’s Day to all you amazing dads who make your kids feel like they can do anything, especially my own father and Dave Goelz too! Follow me on Instagram and Twitter and tune into this blog every Friday for more fun and creative thinking.

Inspiration: Vintage Graphic Design

I’ve never watched Mad Men, I don’t consider myself an old soul, I love being mindful of the present, and I’m allergic to mold. None of that has stopped me from enjoying one of my true delights and a great source of inspiration, vintage graphic design.

Some of the cool items from my collection.

I’ve written about my collection of Muppet memorabilia, and when I was actively coming to the conclusion I wasn’t as interested in collecting that stuff anymore, I moved towards other interests, and my obsessions in vintage advertisements took root. It all started with a book; Ad Boy by Warren Dotz. Others followed from there, but I really got sucked in when I started collecting old magazines and clip art.

Warren Dotz loves vintage graphic design too!

I honed in on things from the 1930s–1960s (and maybe a few from the early 70s) and fell in love with Collier’s, Life, Look, Movie Story, American Artist, The Saturday Evening Post, Classics Illustrated, and Volk Artfile clip art. Whether the illustrations were simple mascots or full spread paintings, I was hooked.

Several fantastic illustrations from throughout the 1950s.

I love masking images (a reversible way to isolate an image or hide part of a picture), and even restoring some of these old ads. Collecting these dusty old publications then is quite literally a layered process (that was a Photoshop pun if you missed it), giving my hobby more validation than just taking up shelf space.

Ads I restored for the Santa Fe Traffic Office (June 23, 1959), Big Yank from Reliance Manufacturing Co. (April 30, 1957), and Barbasol (May 14, 1957) all from various issues of Look Magazine.

I’m not saying these were simpler times. I know my American history. Vintage advertisements do boil down everything to create an aesthetic that presents an idealized life and country. Life was not simpler, but it’s presentation sure was.

All from Collier’s Magazine, April 1944.

More from Collier’s, March & April 1944

It’s not just advertisements but art accompanying headlines and stories too. As you can see, some are fantastical and care free. The style of art captures the atmosphere of the decade and times. I didn’t live in the 40s or 50s (or 60s or even most of the 70s), but looking at all these great pieces transport me there as if I had.

General Dual 90 tires featured in Look Magazine (June 23, 1959), the cover of The Saturday Evening Post (1952), art from the short story Three Day Leave in Colliers (March 1944), Karo Syrup in Look Magazine (June 23, 1959), and a whimsical ad for Admiral Radio in Collier’s (March 1944).

It’s not all cheerful and poppy though. The art and photographs also capture the darkness and troubles of the era as well. Granted it may not always reflect so clear. Many ads and stories are shockingly racist and sexist. I’ve decided not to share those, but to everyone who thinks these were simpler and lighter times, even the public narrative at the time didn’t (always) reflect that. Dramatic paintings project a much stronger emotional reaction.

From the news article Twilight in Germany, Champion Spark Plugs, and Scotch Tape (all from Collier’s March 1944)

Now it wouldn’t be much of an illustrator’s blog about inspiration without a few samples of my own. Anything can be made to look vintage with some paper textures and layer blending, but authenticity feels more parallel to the times when the artwork is pushed to a fun and exaggerated level.

Various illustrations from the last 5 years.

Please follow me on Instagram and Twitter and tune into this blog every Friday for more creative thinking and inspiration!