Wisdom

" Hope for the best.  Expect the worst.  Life is a play.  We're unrehearsed.

MEL BROOKS

Coming New Yorker Cartoon

Almost ready for prime time . . .

Wisdom ( Write this one down )

" The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none. "

THOMAS CARLYLE

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Wisdom

" You can never have a greater or a lesser dominion than that over yourself. "

LEONARDO DA VINCI

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cartoon of the day

Drawing on back of lunch menu - the 1789 Restaurant - Nov. 20, 1967

On October 28, just last month, actually it was Wednesday, October 28 and it was exactly at 1:47 PM that I received this strange Email with the drawing you see here, in an attachment.  I was going to post it yesterday, but I forgot.  It would have been exactly 42 years to the day that I drew this in a pub called The 1789 ( 1789, for The beginning of The French Revolution ).  The 1789 is a classy restaurant establishment located just outside the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. . . The restaurant was upstairs and in the cellar with a separate entrance was a neat place called " The Tombs " . . It was actually a rathskeller tavern with old sand blasted brick walls and boasted an old, old mahogany carved wood bar and happened to serve the greatest hamburgers, pizza and sandwiches in D.C. . . I remember they used to sell some great imported White Horse Ale in green bottles, which I don't see any more. Anyway,  this is how this drawing happened . . I had an assignment to try to draw up some sketches of old bar scenes with the actual detail of the wood carving bar tap appointments showing and capturing the ambience of an old speakeasy . . I went to the library and did some research and then I heard about this tavern, " The Tombs " which I heard was as old as back from the speakeasy days and that is exactly what I wanted . . the sketches I was working on were typical scenes showing the festive atmosphere  of the crowd and capturing the gayety of the party in a spontaneous moment, . . it was a great assignment.  If I was successful, I would have the chance to be the chief scenic set designer for the murals and backdrops for this new Broadway play. And some investors who were in the planning stages for this musical " THE BOOTLEGGER", based on the life of Al Capone, were setting up a meeting in three weeks. A friend of mine was one of the investors and was pulling for me.  I was to show at this meeting, a half-dozen loose sketches in color about 20x30 with a few in detail, along with a couple blueprints schematics with cross-section diagrams for the carpenters and cabinetmen to build from . . this just down my alley, since I had extensive experience from my float building days . . if they were impressed, I would have gone to New York, period. ( ONE OF THOSE " COULDA-SHOULDA-WOULDA DEALS )

I started going to The Tombs at about 1 PM on Saturdays as I figured it would be kind of quiet, maybe a few tourists here and there.  

The plan was to draw up a bunch of sketches on site then take them back to my studio and make finish renderings for the presentation till I had my half-dozen or so to show.

I remember the first drawing was a nice perspective shot of the bar with people partying . .  with the old-fashioned carved wood tap handles here and there. I noticed as usual, people like to watch . .  like it's a circus or a vaudville act  . . I really don't like to do this but this was too big of an opportunity to forget or to ignore.  As I completed the first sketch, a tourist sitting next to me sad 'Wow', I like it, are you selling them ?' . . I thought for a moment and said to myself what the hell, I can always do another one . . so I think she gave me ten bucks and I drew another one . . the same identical thing happened . .and happened again with another bar patron, and again and again . .  soon people were buying me drinks, AND buying my sketches ! THAT is when I switched to the imported white Horse Ale ( I'd been drinking some cheap domestic brew up till that point ).  That first Saturday was a flop as far as having any productivity to show for it . . I returned the following Saturday at the same time, by then I was becoming a celebrity in the place and was doing mostly caricatures and portarits and meeting a lot of people.  I DO remember drawing this guy, I thought he had interesting pork chops, and it made the job kind of easy.

On the Email it states:  " Was sorting through the clutter in my deceased mother-in-law's home and came across this sketch.  It is on the back of the lunch menu from the 1789 restaurant ( Cheeseburger $1.05, lobster roll $ 1.35 )  Based on the date I'm guessing you were acquainted with my brother-in-law Dan Devine who was attending Georgetown University around that time.  Thought I'd send it along for your enjoyment. Regards, Scott Alan Stewart. 

 I had to post this . .being a sentimental soul, I remember precisely that day at the Tombs . . .

To finish the story, I was having such a good time at The Tombs, I threw the Set-Designer rough drawings in the trash . . and I kept going back and back and back . . you know how that goes . . I kept saying tomorrow and tomorrow never came.  I NEVER GOT OUT OF THERE ONCE BEFORE CLOSING TIME.

Harvard Business Review cartoon - Roy Delgado

This drawing appears on page 67  ( Dec. )

Harvard Business Review cartoon - Roy Delgado

This drawing appears on page 20 in the December issue along with a couple of neat cartoons by fellow cartoonists; Peter Vey and
Matt Percival. 

Easyriders cartoon - Roy delgado

This drawing appears on page 48 in the December issue as a half page . . simple and to the point.  You can't help but laugh when you think back that almost EVERY biker that you have ever known . . has either broken his leg, is GOING to break his leg or KNOWS a biker buddy that broke his leg.  The broken leg GOES with the ownership of the bike, period, you just don't talk about it much in the showroom . . . when you're getting ready to purchase the bike. . 

Wall Street Journal cartoon - Roy Delgado

This drawing appears on page D9, November 17, 2009 in the Personal section of this great newspaper . . one of the few still standing . . a newspaper Hank

 Reardon would like and read.

Cartoon of the day

The Wizard of Oz remake - 2012 . . Now in HD Blue tooth, & Hounds Tooth

Wisdom ( For a cartoonist )

" The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. "

WILLIAM JAMES

( Like 20,000 rejections from The New Yorker
magazine, H-m-m-m-n ? )

Wisdom

" The test of a man's or woman's breeding is how they behave in a quarrel. "

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

cartoon of the month

Cartoon of the day

Wisdom ( For a cartoonist )

" No one knows what he is able to do until he tries. "

PUBLILIUS SYRUS  ( circa 50 B.C. )

( Gee, it's THAT old ! ? . .  My hunch was right ! .  I kinda always believed this, since as long as I can remember . . you better be careful what you think about and BELIEVE , because this will probably become your reality and what will shape you, and ultimately it will be what you WILL become. )

Cartoon of the day

Perfect for the season coming up . . .a cartoon for anyone out there who has been in love . . . who wants to fall in love . .  or maybe knew or heard of someone who was in love . . . or even someone who has heard of the concept ? Ring a bell ?

 

Cartoon of the day

Having been in business for 26 years with my own sign/graphics organization ( Roy Delgado & Associates, Delgado Signs, Inc., 1975-2002 ) in the nation's capital, I have to say it layed out a great foundation for the genre of cartooning I now specialize in: The Business world of humor.  Over the years, in my sign manufacturing business I was involved with hiring and firing issues, board meetings with city planners in securing city and county permits and famous architectural environmental design firms for the planning of national sign programs for Fortune 500 companies, salesmen, both trying to be sold something and me trying to sell something . . employee relations, union issues . . etc. . . this experience in my life has given me a real insight to the real world of business that most people do not ever get that entrenched in . . and do not really understand.  I'm glad for evey minute of it . . a book could be written on it . . it would have made for a GREAT Reality Show . . . I can see it now . . " ANATOMY OF A SIGN SHOP - The Delgado Sign Story " . . . I Plan to talk about it a little in future blogs . . even if I just took one emplooyee at a time, introduced them to you and tell you about them is entertaining in itself . . of course, the names will have be changed to protect the innocent, and to protect MY butt from getting sued !

  

Wisdom

" Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind. "

RUDYARD KIPLING

NOV. 10th - - 1775

Happy Marine Corps Birthday

We're looking for a few good men.

Wisdom

" Anyone can be polite to a king, but it takes a civilized person to be polite to a begger. "

- ANNONYMOUS

wisdom

" You can't stop a man ( or woman ) who wants to go somewhere. "

Roy Delgado

Roy Delgado Blog

Someone recently told me that after looking at my blog for a few months and taking note of my constant tedius never-ending monotnous "rants" of being rejected by the New Yorker over 20,000 times . . . he sent me this cartoon he saw somewhere of mine and he mailed it to me and said this is how it's getting to be reading my blog . . so, being a good listener as I am and digesting what he said AND noting that I have worried about beating a dead horse in the ground, I announce today that I will never utter a word about these rejections . . . no more rants . . wouldn't it be nice if everyone quit " ranting" ?( Except the people I agree with )

  Actually, if editorial cartoonists were not allowed to rant in their drawings most of them would be out of business. And most of the cable talk show people on BOTH sides . . whether it's Rush Limbaugh OR Keith Olbermann would BOTH have to jump off a 10 story building . . . The obvious thing is of course, if you AGREE with that particular guy, it's not ranting, he's telling the truth . . . it's the OTHER guy who is ranting, because he is lying, right ?

Now, if only people would quit " RANTING " about MY rantings . . it would be a breath of fresh air . .   

wisdom

" Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but not than looking. "

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

-----------------------------

" Imagination is more important than knowledge. "

ALBERT EINSTEIN

Wisdom

" One should, every day at least, hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if possible, speak a few reasonable words. "

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

( As for me, I heard Imagine, by John Lennon, finished reading Virgil's classic: The Aneide , finished watching the film, East of Eden and spoke a few reasonable words to my two cats, Midnight and Rocky . . .   In about two hours, I top everything off with a little Three Stooges, a shot of Gran Marnier and a  shot of Morgan's spiced rum on ice . . . I'm sorry, it doesn't get any better than this . .

Jest in Sports

Wisdom ( Write this one down )

" No one is wise enough by himself. "

TITUS MACCIUS PLAUTUS
( circa 200 B.C. )

Wisdom ( Write this one down )

" A man's real worth is determined by what he does when he has nothing to do. "

MEGIDDO MESSAGE

( Did you get that ? . . I told you to write it down. ) 

Vice-President Joe Biden with an observation on the street . .

Here is a good one for the " What it's Worth Dept. " . . As most of you know, I've been sending cartoons to the New Yorker since most of you were born . . AND I've been rejected over 20,000 times . . that's Okay, Hey, we can't ALL sell to The New Yorker  ( In fact, it's not really "no big deal", but, I'm not used to failing, and maybe, that is where the problem is, it ain't over till it's over )  . . That doesn't really bother me at all . . it's just NOW, believe it or not, is getting to be fun . . . what I started doing about six months ago ( after a suggestion from a New Yorker office insider ) is I've been shot-gunning batches USPS simultaneously to all three editors at The New Yorker that do the final selections for the cartoons to be purchased that week . . this tipster person figured that possibly, just POSSIBLY, ONE of the three MIGHT, JUST MIGHT see a cartoon and would say, EUREKA! . . . looka dis !  The poor bastard FINALLY sent us one that I think is as good or better than the stuff we've been buying . . After all this guy sells to every magazine OUR New Yorker cartoonists sell to . .  Man ! I GOTTA show this to my collegues . . Wait a minute . .  this bastard has been sending to all three of us at the same time !  Why didn't somebody SAY something ?  I didn't want to say anything, one said, another said, I was AFRAID to say anything and what difference does it make we AIN'T A GONNA buy this poor bastard's work . . ANYWAY . . And the other one said, Yeh, but one of us shoulda said sumphin' . . HEY ! We've been HAD !  Don't you SEE, he's been trying to fool us ! . . Just for that . . . Now we are NOT NOW OFFICIALLY, POSITIVELY, ABSOLUTELY NOT EVER GONNA BUY ! Let the poor bastard twist in the wind ! was the final agreement by all three . . who the hell does this bastard think he is . . ANYWAY ?  He can't MAKE us buy ( unless maybe the ACLU picked up the case ) . . this guy HAS to be a brick shy of a load, maybe Pat Byrnes was right, this guy is "almost embarrassing to the profession . . " ( Is this a profession ? , I always thought it was just an easy way to make a fast buck. ) 

The irony of all this is that in every batch I would include a courteous letter, typed and addressed to each of the guys stating and underlining the sentence that there was no need to return these drawings because they were just copies ( Obviously it was a gesture, thinking of Al Gore, that I was trying to save their time and paper and postage,energy, etc.

 I.e. I didn't WANT to know if they were rejecting them . . I only wanted to hear from them IF, IF they wanted to buy . . I actually wanted to have the last word, in each transaction . . You see,I've been running the show all my life and having my way and I forget that I'm no longer CEO of a company with 32 minions, I forget . but NO, NO . . They thought, HE ain't running THIS show . . WE ARE RUNNING THE SHOW . . SO-O-O, here is what happens next, in the mail yesterday, I get a batch back in a 9x12 grey printed New Yorker logo envelope with THEIR postage, and inside was the my letter AND my returned rejects, which I TOLD them NOT to return, it was the letter I addressed to the real editor and they were returning my cartoons with a rejection slip, AND, AND the cartoon editor with a blue pen crossed off the editor's name in the letter AND printed HIS name . . . in other words, HEY ! send ME, Da DRAWINS, NOT HIM, You Moron.  Not even a note . . Don't make waves ! . . HEY ! 

Now I know what Kahlil Gibran meant in The Prophet . . when he said: " Do not be a solver of riddles. " . . by doing it without a word he won THIS particular chess move . .

Was watching East of Eden last night again with James Dean and the scene when he's up in his mother's room trying to borrow $5000.00 to make an investment and give his religiously devout Dad ( Raymond Massey )for a loss of money in a bad unfortunate business accident he suffered from . .  He just found out that his estranged mother, Agnes Morehead was a very successful brothel owner and that all of the city officials went to her place of business when it got dark and his hypocritically devout Dad and the city big wheels were all a bunch of phonies who looked down on her during the day and here, Massey needs to be bailed out by of all people, his ex-wife using tainted money ! . . And his mother starts to laugh almost hysterically and says to her son, who isn't laughing . . " SON, IF YOU DON'T THINK THIS IS FUNNY, YOU BETTER NOT GO TO COLLEGE ! "

That's how I felt . .  

Off the wall cartoon

I like doing cartoons for the masses, the elites, the sophisticated, the children, the doctors, the lawyers, the CEOs, the bums, the low-lifes, the housewifes, low I.Q.s . .  the sportsman, I do not discriminate . .  high-schoolers, The Three Stooge fans, the average joe, I like as big a tent as I can get, The bigger the audience the better . .  as long as there is no hate, crazy stuff is O.K. What I call " Off the wall stuff " is becoming more and more popular . .

United States Marine Corps birthday coming up - Nov. 10, 1775

Most people are unaware that the United States Marine Corps is older than the United States. 

 A long time ago, on November 10, 1775 in Philadelphia, in a barroom called Tun Tavern a handful of men decided  what was needed, and those few men formed what is now the United States Marine Corps.

I thought it would be good to take a few moments to honor and salute the brave men and women in Iraq and Afganistan right now.   I wanted to do this on this blog while it was on my mind and before the week comes and goes.  Happy 234th Anniversary ! 

   

wisdom

" The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism. "

NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

Cartoon of the month

wisdom

" To educate a man in mind and not in morale is to educate a menace to society. "

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

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