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Long Drawn Out Trip: A Memoir
In Long Drawn Out My Life, Gerald Scarfe tells his life story for the first time. With captivating, often thrilling stories, he takes us from his childhood and early days at Punch and Private Eye, through his long and occasionally tumultuous career as the Sunday Times cartoonist, to his film-making at the BBC and much-loved designs for Pink Floyd's The Wall and Disney's Hercules. Along the way he has drawn Churchill from life, gone on tour with The Beatles and thoroughly upset Mrs Mary Whitehouse. It is a very personal, wickedly funny and caustically insightful account of an artist's life at the forefront of contemporary culture and society.
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 26, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 29, 2020
Interesting, sometimes funny but very male centred a 70's look back in time. If you are a Monty Python fan this book and the life of Scarfe will interest you.
April 30, 2020
I enjoyed Gerald Scarfe's memoir. He immediately sets out his stall of what he won't be discussing, so that this is a memoir of his working life, not a full autobiography. His account moves back and forth and shows some signs of having been written in a spasmodic fashion and pulled together (and no wonder given the circumstances in which he is having to move home and studio) The first part of the book is strongest and very funny in places, for all that his early life was considerably marred by severe asthma.
The accounts of his working life, the business of getting projects firstly off the ground and then to fruition, and even tidying up after were interesting but did perhaps lack the leaven of family life. As he admits (he can't not), his work is rude and he's clearly not quite sure why he is so compelled to caricature. It's not quite so obvious whether he is so relentlessly a rude person in himself. Autobiographies often take one of two courses - the relentlessly gushing or the tale-telling and he goes for the latter option, but he includes the views of others. He doesn't attempt to rationalise away his hurt when he has been treated badly (the Netanyahu 'anti-semitic' cartoon debacle and his sacking from a job he had held for decades being a particular example) He has his own briefly told Boris Johnson story, not because the offence was other than minor in the general scheme of Boris Johnson behaviours, but because of its consistency with countless others.
The book is likely to be most appealing to those who know and like at least some of his work, more so perhaps than other motivations for reading memoir and autobiography. I don't think you have to be a fan of scatological political cartoons and caricatures to appreciate his impact on Pink Floyd's The Wall or delight in his Disney Hercules and I am intrigued by his accounts of some of his other work in opera and theatre.
The accounts of his working life, the business of getting projects firstly off the ground and then to fruition, and even tidying up after were interesting but did perhaps lack the leaven of family life. As he admits (he can't not), his work is rude and he's clearly not quite sure why he is so compelled to caricature. It's not quite so obvious whether he is so relentlessly a rude person in himself. Autobiographies often take one of two courses - the relentlessly gushing or the tale-telling and he goes for the latter option, but he includes the views of others. He doesn't attempt to rationalise away his hurt when he has been treated badly (the Netanyahu 'anti-semitic' cartoon debacle and his sacking from a job he had held for decades being a particular example) He has his own briefly told Boris Johnson story, not because the offence was other than minor in the general scheme of Boris Johnson behaviours, but because of its consistency with countless others.
The book is likely to be most appealing to those who know and like at least some of his work, more so perhaps than other motivations for reading memoir and autobiography. I don't think you have to be a fan of scatological political cartoons and caricatures to appreciate his impact on Pink Floyd's The Wall or delight in his Disney Hercules and I am intrigued by his accounts of some of his other work in opera and theatre.
April 5, 2022
What a read, no holes barred so to speak, wild Imagination, up for almost anything, awarded a CBE in 2008 with a memorable comment from Her Majesty The Queen 'Are you still at it?' and then quickly dismissed with a wry smile.
No subject was out of bounds, no one was safe from an outrageous caricature. Found a new lease of life with the Pink Floyd association (C'mon Roger drop Gerry a few quid) and found himself comfortable in leather pants and leather jacket (surprised he didn't mention leather undies).
Married the lovely Jane Asher early on in his career and went to art school with Ralph Steadman (they were born a month apart but I'm sure there's some primordial connection there.. twins maybe?).
On a sad note, leaving his beloved studio in Cheyne Walk would have been heartbreaking, not deserved at all, chin up and carry on eh! Thanks for a great read and cheers to a life of consistent madness and mayhem - you can't possibly die wondering.
No subject was out of bounds, no one was safe from an outrageous caricature. Found a new lease of life with the Pink Floyd association (C'mon Roger drop Gerry a few quid) and found himself comfortable in leather pants and leather jacket (surprised he didn't mention leather undies).
Married the lovely Jane Asher early on in his career and went to art school with Ralph Steadman (they were born a month apart but I'm sure there's some primordial connection there.. twins maybe?).
On a sad note, leaving his beloved studio in Cheyne Walk would have been heartbreaking, not deserved at all, chin up and carry on eh! Thanks for a great read and cheers to a life of consistent madness and mayhem - you can't possibly die wondering.
August 5, 2022
Hmmm. Interesting live of the author. I would very admire how he took every single opportunities in his youth. When he got famous. He didn’t have to work hard to be known. The book was good at the beginning but later it feels like a simply a cv for the author. I would like to know why he drew people in that way. Why he wanted to make the film. Where was his ideas coming from. But none. Feels like he hated all the politicians. But why? Maybe his drawings are like mirrors to himself.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews