Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The Grindstone

Bizarro is brought to you today by Super Curvy Chicks.

Being a syndicated cartoonist means having to write and draw a joke each day, 365 days a year, without fail, for as many years as you have the job. I've been doing it since 1985, 24 1/2 years straight without a break. To get an idea of how difficult it is, try to think of an original idea that you think most people might find amusing, and repeat that process every day forever. Like tying balloons to a folding chair and floating over the Berlin Wall, it's harder than it looks.

Because of the difficulty of creating on such an unrelenting schedule, I sometimes get behind and have to rush to meet my deadline. In doing so, I occasionally make glaring mistakes, like my omission of the piano in this drawing.

My editor is supposed to catch things like that, but I guess she's under a lot of pressure, too.

8 comments:

beforewisdom said...

+ 1 for posting an early picture of the band Rush!

Karl said...

Funny cartoon, but I've seen you do better:-)

After reading your blog post (which made me sob openly) maybe the cartoon guy should have been playing a violin.

waldo said...

But it is a lot better than digging ditches or repairing boilers. While in Montana, reviewing a construction site for my client (winter: 3 inches of snow, gusts of 20 MPH, and colder that a witches (.)(.) ), some guy who was finishing his last smoke at 7am before doing his job (clearing and backfilling trenches) confronted me with the bitter and resentful comment “… how much collage you need for that job…” I knew then that I damn lucky to be doing less work and earning many times more than the average joe. (But I still feel a bit low every now and then because I was not born a Rockefeller)

Chriss Pagani said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

a Funny cartoon, Mr. Piraro and a funnier Post.

I have always wondered about the stress and all involved for cartoonists, Mr. Piraro as opposed to for others involved in humor or art; what with stuff like Writer's block n all existing. And I must salute you.

Almost a quarter-century and you still manage to be funny. If I had any, I'd say Hats off to you.

Stay cool. TC.

ur Fan,
Dee Sh

derekamalo said...

dan,

i think its amusing as a learn more and more about the cartoon business...like i said i hear from you every ten days usually two lines or less ....but i explore and learn more how this business is run..

what i find amusing is most people forget youve been at it 24 years and many comic strips go ten years or less or when writing gos really stale...

more i go out and explore the more i realize that the strips that have been around for 20 plus years for the most part are not written b the creators i mean none of the jokes zero ..

hahaha so with that being said it makes it even more amusing as the only difference i believe now is the ten percent you use you give people credit for and get abused hahah

its not funny but its your non ego that gets slapped as opposed to all those who have egos ..

with that being said i sent a folder out of 800 comics to a very known cartoonist ..

he told me my work was fabulous and is taking a crap load of jokes off my hands..

the amazing thing is all the years this man has been around he goes with his name and his name only and its possible he hasnt written a joke in over 20 years hahaha..

im not letting to much go o here but let me tell you

it does take more of a man to go off and blog about the work he hasnt done then the people whos work they have done but didnt

well anyways i now consider myself amongst the professional ranks
although glorified pieces of paper wall hangings is all i have to show for it

im slowly believing now its 90 percent jokes taken and 10 percent created by founder of everyone but your panel ..


so to have taken abuse for like a year from people who dont understand the nature of the business has gotten me laughing

you technically should of maxed out at jokes of your own say around 1991-1992 and hand the writing over to all schmucks but to be 90 percent in and attempted to still says something

just a thought

you ever need a week off ill be proud to donate jokes you liked but didnt get to your drawing board

and next up nice to see you answer your fans as opposed to others you read blogs i jumped to but dont answer..

hahah maybe that dude did base his comic on mob hahaha

well i gotta go watch seinfeld later

Yoon Kit said...

Im amazed that you can come up with such brilliant cartoons daily. Looks like you have to work for your weekends and holidays.

Well done and hope to see another 24.5 more years of Bizarro!

yk

julie said...

Love the cartoon, Dan...

In the "great minds think alike" category, you gotta see this comedy film about an air-drummer from director friend Ari Gold, a fellow NYCer and super cool dude: "Adventures of Power"

http://www.adventuresofpower.com

It's been doing the film festival circuit, but hopefully it will have a theatrical release soon...