Saturday, July 25, 2009

Cruising is Amusing cartoon book

This is a sample of one of the cartoons in the new softback titled, CRUISING IS AMUSING, By Roy Delgado and Bob Rafferty. It is 6x9, 144 pages of laughs, black and white interior with a four-color laminated cover. Great for the collector or anyone who likes a good bellylaugh once in awhile. The book will be available around October. It is collection of cartoons as seen from the passenger's point of view.

It will be available only from CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES, priced at 19.95. PHONE 1.800. CARNIVAL.




Cartoon of the day

More quackery - - I love it.


Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Cartoon of the week

As I mentioned before, one of my favorite settings for laughs is the doctor's office. You meet all kinds coming and going. I like not only the quacks but the quack patients themselves are good for a chuckle. . .



Monday, July 20, 2009

Kinky Friedman Quote

Overheard today on The Don Imus Show : A 24 Karat gold nugget was repeated given credit as to the author, being the great Almost-President-of-the-United States, Kinky Friedman:

" Once you can fake sincerity,
you've got it made. "

Wisdom

" If you are not getting as much from life as you want to, then examine the state of your enthusiasm. "

NORMAN VINCENT PEALE 1898 - 1993
AMERICAN WRITER AND MINISTER

Shannon Wheeler Cartoonist

Shannon Wheeler is one of the top editorial cartoonists in the country. I am a fan of his work. His cartoons appear everywhere. His style is contemporary, unique and as far as I'm concerned, belongs in The New Yorker. I see he is widly syndicated and I see his work at Daryl Cagle's site.

Shannon, for some reason, I couldn't reply in the comments box ( I tried four times ) to answer your question in what appeared to leave you hanging regarding my experience with The Nu Yawkuh. I had covered it in more detail in an earlier blog . But, Email me if you wish and I'll tell you ( As Paul Harvey used to say: ) " The REST of his story. "

I couldn't find a quick way to get in touch with you so I had to resort to this way. ( We are living in a brand new paradigm )

Best,
Roy Delgado

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Wisdom

" We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements in life,
when all we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about. "

CHARLES KINGSLEY 1819 - 1875
English Writer and Clergyman

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

New Yorker Cover Satire

A few days ago, at the White House News Correspondents Dinner, President Obama on the podium had a few humorous gags . . one of the funnier ones that got quite a few laughs was when he said: ( I don't remember the exact words, they are not important, but the punch line is,) " The other night while I was in bed trying to sleep, I woke up, turned around and said to Brian - - - "



Of course he was referring to Brian Williams of NBC, who many in the public had made the accusation that NBC was in " bed " with the President because of what was perceived by many that NBC was hardly broadcasting any Obama/ Democratic negative stories and only mentioned "positive" stories - - - later independent research studies bore this out to be true.



The point here, is that President Obama went along with the perceptions and stories out there and was able to laugh at himself even though most of his followers would probably deny this.



President Obama is a very smart man and the fact that he is able to poke fun at himself, in my opinion, is very healthy. MOST people find this very difficult to do, I think that if they do, they think it will make their position harder to defend because they are admitting unfair play (?), and unfair play is only done by unfair people, etc. or maybe they're better off denying it ( Ignorance is bliss ) or ( don't confuse me with the facts )



It could also be because of the ego involvement, perhaps arrogance, or, I admit I don't know why, but I think it is healthy if done in the right way and at the right time, and in the right dose. I do know that any competent psychiatrist will tell you that it is unwise to take yourself too seriously. Any therapist will also say something like, " Take your WORK seriously, but not yourself seriously. The funny thing, many Liberal groups did not like it when President Obama did this. I think all of those people were not as smart as President Obama.



I respect President Obama for this and proves that he is broad-minded enough to do a gag on himself ( by not taking himself too serious ) and was able to have . . here's the magic word ,"EMPATHY" with his detractors - - and this way, he had the last laugh - - but it could also come off by his detractors as saying " HERE, I ADMIT IT, SO WHAT ? ! " Sharp guy. I would have loved to see him on The Firing Line with William Buckley, They could have sold it on cable and divided up the money between the two parties. Almost like the virtual Ali/Marciano boxing match that never actually happened.



Now that I've made my point - - - I think that The New Yorker magazine would do itself a GREAT favor and would gain the respect of even MORE followers if they would publish a cover something like this - - The effect would be exactly like President Obama's gag at himself . . the press was on it for days and days because it was the TRUTH but denied by many . . It made a lot of people laugh . . I think this one would too . . but I don't have my hopes up . . . Even if I didn't do the drawing . . give to Sam Gross or if you're ready for this, give it to David Mamet to draw up! Man oh Man, I think it's time for a double shot of 101 Wild Turkey , chased with an ice cold bottle of Coors Banquet Beer, and maybe a short Gran Marnier . .



" Life is too short to belittle. " ( Be little ) I love it !

In case you cannot read the lettering on the man's tee shirt, it reads:
" IF YOU CAN'T BLAME BUSH, IT'S NOT WORTH TALKING ABOUT "







New Yorker Reject, Playboy Sale

So after I sent the cartoon batch to Playboy, I received a very quick reply, the letter shown here goes as follows,



May 18,2009

Roy Delgado
PO Box 1135
Petersburg WV 26847


Dear Roy,

OK for a two-column finish on:

" Now, you don't go to jail - - the government bails you out ! "

Thanks for the submissions, Roy. Hef mentioned that he'd like to get a
finish on this as quickly as possible so please send it to my attention just
as soon as you can.

Hope you're well !

All the best,

Amanda Warren
Editorial Coordinator

Enclosures



The funny thing is, I had originally executed this cartoon in color on my computer, but I mailed a grey wash-tone version to The New Yorker because most of their inside drawings are done in grey washes - - BUT, BUT, I had it all ready in a color version saved in my computer so that when Playboy, who would get second-look on THIS particular cartoon would buy it, I would be able to whip it back to them quickly - - - I just had that hunch on this one . . and my hunch was right. So, sorry, New Yorker . . . you DID get a chance and you blew it - - - again !

Sometimes, I find it very hard to be humble . . .






In early May I sent this cartoon to Mr. Mankoff AND Mr. Jacobs AND Mr. Remnick at The New Yorker Magazine all at one time, I sent it to all three at once because I didn't want them to miss out on THIS one. Although I've been wrong over 19,000 times . . most cartoonists will agree that my material does belong in the New Yorker. There is NO rational or subjective reason that can be explained to ANYONE WHY a lot of my cartoons are not in the magazine.





Anyway, after this was rejected from the New Yorker, I immediately mailed it to Playboy in Los Angeles . . . I KNEW, was POSITIVE it was a timely, great idea AND cartoon . . Absolutely POSITIVE ! I was happy, but not really surprised when I received the letter shown here from Hef's assistant.








Saturday, July 11, 2009

Wisdom/Truth

" We learn wisdom from failure much more than success. We often discover what we WILL do, by finding out what we will NOT do. "

SAMUEL SMILES, 1812-1904
Scottish Author and Social Reformer

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Roy Delgado's cartoons " TOO New Yorker" ?

How can that be, H-M-M-N ? On April 3, 1998 I received this letter from REACT, A Parade Publication.



About a month prior, I had been asked to contribute cartoons for a new teen department of the Sunday supplement, REACT. The new editor was Ms. Aris Georgiadis who was previously with Good Housekeeping magazine and had gone over to this new magazine. She had remembered my work at Good Housekeeping where I was appearing pretty regularly at the time and so I was asked to submit.



The letter in its entirety is as follows:




April 3, 1998


Roy Delgado

PO Box 2593

Washington, D.C. 20013


Dear Roy


Thanks again for your comics and the effort you put into this batch, but your style of comic is different from the type of humor and "look" we try to capture in our pages.


As much as I found your comics personally to my liking, I also have to meet editorial needs of our readership. I think your gags capture and conform to an adult's view of teens. For example, one gag reads: " Do you have any other irons in the fire besides playing the lottery every week ? " This is not what I think today's teen reader relates to - - he or she would be able to hear the adult voice behind the gag line.


Also, the feeling here is that your style is too " NEW YORKER ", so to speak, and though far from being a bad thing, it's just not the type of comic we're looking for.


I hope this is of some help. Thanks again for your comics.


Sincerely,


Aris Georgiadis

Fun Zone

REACT A Parade Publication


It's amazing to me in the variety of responses you get from the various editorial departments . . Here I see a real professional who thinks it is important enough to take time and show some courtesy to write a cartoonist a letter with some useful advice, even though after sending only a couple dozen cartoons. I didn't even ASK for why or anything.


Then, you get the other extreme, send in 19,000 cartoons to a magazine, and after 7 years of submitting batches every 10 days without interruption, you ask for a response on three different occasions by letter, and you get silence. It was only after having to draft a unique ' Pavlovian psychological-response ' query was I able to get a "rise". AND I got a PHONE CALL none the less ! Actually, it was worth it, I think. Man, it was like pulling hen's teeth ( I haven't heard that expression for a long while ).


MY stuff was TOO READER'S DIGEST, ELI STEIN'S work was TOO SATURDAY EVENING POST, and HARLEY SCHWADRON'S is TOO GREETING CARD LOOKING ! Man, GIVE ME A BREAK.







Wednesday, July 8, 2009

New Roy Delgado Harvard Business Review cartoon

This drawing appears on page 14 in the July-August issue of the magazine, in a section called STRATEGIC HUMOR.



Tuesday, July 7, 2009

New "Cruising is Amusing" Cartoon Book

Here is a sample cartoon from the upcoming book of funny stuff goings-on about cruising. The book is co-authored by Roy Delgado and Bob Rafferty, and due out in August and will be available exclusively at CARNIVAL.COM or 1-800-CARNIVAL. The softback is 6x9, 144 pages and will retail for $19.95.



Monday, July 6, 2009

Wisdom ( Write this one down )

" There are two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is
a miracle.

ALBERT EINSTEIN, 1879-1955
GERMAN-BORN AMERICAN PHYSICIST

Wisdom ( For a cartoonist )

" Don't let 'em see you sweat, Roy . . "

TOM CHENEY, American Cartoonist
( Good, excellent advice to me a few years back, when I was a little down . . )

Wisdom ( For a cartoonist )

" It don't matter how many times you get knocked down . . what matters is how many times you get back up. "

ROCKY BALBOA

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Roy Delgado New Business Card

Here's a peek at my new business card. Would highly recommend a company I found on the internet . . VISTAPRINT.COM . . They not only produce excellent work real fast . . and they'll mail you a bunch of samples to look at free so you can see exactly the kind of work they do . . before you order yours . .

No, I don't get a thing out of bragging about them and I do not know them other than this one transaction . . I just like to tell someone when I think I get a good deal . . and when someone does a nice job . . I simply downloaded my files to them and man, everything is so quick now . .
slam, bam, thank you, ma'm ! Right now, they even have a special where they'll print a few cards, I think 25 or something like that, for FREE ! It's a new day, baby.

Notice , just about all of the important magazines are listed on that business card except the G - - D - - - - New Yorker - - - There are a LOT of cartoonists better than myself that can say the same thing as myself . . No really big deal, just a fact. I just find it interesting . . interesting as hell . . . How in the living hell can a moron from Chicago say that Roy Delgado is not " smart " enough to sell the New Yorker ! H-M-M-N ? Arrogance ? Bluster ? Undiluted Bullshit ? What is it ? . . Or a little of everything ? Low I.Q ? He mis-spoke, perhaps like Sonia Sotomayor ? Maybe he meant something else . .
H-M-M-N ?

I respect what the last New Yorker Cartoon Editor, Lee Lorenz told me, remarking to the fact that I had not sold the New Yorker . . He simply told me that this fact puts you in the company of a LOT of good cartoonists ! What a class act., Lee Lorenz.

Even though he rejected a ton of material of mine, he would put little notes on some of the drawings with a real soft pencil . . little helpful notes commenting on the gag or the drawing . . it showed at least the man was LOOKING at your stuff and was trying to be helpful . . and IT WAS helpful . . encouraging . . !








Thursday, July 2, 2009

Things I need to tell you . .

I just drove by a little country church in nearby Strasburg, Virginia . .
The changeable letter board sign by the roadside today read:

" THE REASON TALK IS CHEAP IS BECAUSE THE SUPPLY EXCEEDS THE DEMAND "

I love it !

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Piers Baker Cartoonist

This machine and invention . . electricity . . numbers . . plusses and minuses . . the blog . . the internet . . networking . . geekery . . continues to fascinate me . . ( Can you just IMAGINE Socrates and Plato with a computer ? )
Something very strange just happened . . as I was posting the last blog, and I was about to press " PUBLISH BLOG " . . . when I told it to publish, I saw on my screen in full color the website for Piers Baker Syndicated Cartoonist . . then it quickly disappeared so I exitted ( one or 2 t's ? ) my blog. And then I punched in and went to a site called Piers Baker Syndicated Cartoonist from across the pond.

His Website appeared on my screen. I was delighted to visit a really great and talented cartoonist. I would urge anyone who is NOT familiar with this man's work to pay him a visit. ( How this happened I don't know, doesn't matter )
I'm sure a geek could explain this event . . but it DID freak me out for a moment.

I notice it never lands on a porn site !

Reader's Digest Cartoon Book CORRECTION

CORRECTION : In an earlier blog I mispoke when I said that in the Reader's Digest Cartoon Book " LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE ", that I had the most cartoons in the book than any other cartoonist . . . WRONG . . . . I was going by my stupid memory . . and my friend and collegue, Dan Reynolds just reminded me to check the facts . . and the facts and the truth is BOTH Dan Reynolds and Roy Delgado had the most cartoons in the book . They BOTH had 16 cartoons in the book . " To err is human, to forgive is divine."
( What else can I say ! ? )

I am only interested in facts. And this is a fact. Opinions, especially in Art, like what is GOOD art and what is BAD art or what is GOOD cartooning and what is BAD cartooning can cause a fairly "GOOD" cartoonist to begin to "linger" around the grape, if you know what I mean.