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Interview:
Keith Knight
Interview with Keith Knight
By Frank Reynoso
Published: 2007-10-17
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With two fierce, weekly comic strips, (th)ink and K
Chronicles, Keith Knight easily surpasses many cartoonists’
creative output. Add to this his numerous books, his band Marginal
Prophets, greeting cards, and his ubiquitous presence at annual
comic events like MoCCA and SPX, and you’ll get a better understanding
of the word profusive. Behind Knight’s gentle demeanor and pleasant
voice is a sharp mind that roars in his works, delving into a range of
subjects: from everyday racism to post 9/11 America to urinary
mishaps. Mr. Knight took some time to answer these email questions
that reveal what makes for a good political cartoonist and how he’d
physiologically describe his visual style.
FR: Where are you originally
from and how did you end up in LA?
KK: I grew up in Malden,
Massachusetts. Just north of Boston. Birthplace of Converse All-Stars
and Jack Albertson, the old man from Chico and the Man.
I just moved to Los Angeles four months ago after 16 years in San
Francisco. I moved cuz I was getting complacent.
FR: What is one childhood
experience that’s defined you?
KK: When I asked my 11th
grade English teacher if I could do a comic book report instead a
regular book report. He allowed me to do a comic book parody of George
Orwell’s Animal Farm. He gave me an A-plus, and said I should be
doing a syndicated comic strip.
FR: What’s a typical day for
you? Talk us through your day from waking up with a coffee in your
hand to passing out with a pen in your mouth.
KK: No coffee. I’m a green
tea guy.
I get up. Make some cereal. Write down a list of what I’d like to
accomplish for the day. Check email. Take care of any impending comic
deadlines by 5pm eastern time (2pm my time). Shower. Grab my drawing
stuff and head to a local cafe. Draw for a few hours. Head home.
Check email. Make calls. Fill online orders. Prepare dinner. Fool
around with the wifey. Mebbe go to another cafe to draw some more.
Mebbe we watch a movie and go to bed.
“My 11th grade English teacher allowed
me to do a comic book parody of George Orwell’s Animal
Farm. He gave me an A-plus, and said I should be doing a
syndicated comic strip.”
—Keith Knight
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FR: Who is the biggest
non-comics/cartoon influence on your work? How did you end up being a
cartoonist?
KK: George Lucas. Richard
Pryor. Spike Lee. My great uncle Owen. Does it have to be just one?
I’ve always wanted to be a cartoonist. I didn’t know how it was
gonna happen. I just knew I was gonna be one.
FR: What is your biggest
cartooning regret?
KK: No regrets. I ain’t got
time for regrets.
FR: What makes for a good
political cartoonist?
KK: Taking a complex issue
and distilling it down to a simple, humorous and effective image.
FR: Which of your works do
you like least? Which one do you like most?
KK: There are a ton of
strips that I’d like to write and draw over again. But you just move
on and attempt to do better with the next one. There are a few K
Chronicles that I really enjoy. The K Chronicles is my
favorite strip to do.
FR: What’s missing in comics
and/or cartoons?
KK: Nothing and everything.
You can do so much stuff with a comic. It’s like your own little film
where you control the dialogue, the actors, the scenery. It’s a great
medium.
And there are so many different people doing some many different
things. Something for everyone. You just gotta search for it.
FR: What body part would you
use to describe your visual style?
KK: Ass. Pure ass.
FR: Where can folks find
your cartoons?
KK: Lots of places.
Salon.com. Mad magazine. The Funny Times. A lot of alternative
weeklies and college newspapers. Go to my website:
www.kchronicles.com. It’ll tell you where you can
find my stuff.
—CCdC— Images are often used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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