John Callahan, Cartoonist of the Rude, Crude and True, Passes Away

I often saw John Callahan on his perambulations around Northwest Portland. Though, considering his quadriplegia, perhaps they weren't perambulations at all. Still, his tell-tale shock of orange hair and heavy-set jaw were a near-daily sight on the streets of 23rd Ave or on the 15 bus. Quiet spoken and focused, he guided his wheelchair carefully between crowds of people--who often as not recognized and greeted him, or quietly muttered "look, there's Callahan" as he made his whirring, mechanized passage. Indeed, it was difficult to reconcile the vision of this polite fellow with his cartoons, which have appeared in certain newspapers for the past twenty years.

Those cartoons--often acidic, harshly critical, and outrageously un-PC--landed Callahan in trouble over the years, but nevertheless evinced a wit and point of view that was as honest as it was dark. Callahan passed away this past Saturday, at the age of 59, from complications with bedsores and painkillers. Always true to his own sense of humor and unwilling to tone down or compromise, Callahan has left a narrative of cartoons that not only produce evil snickers in its audience, but the sort of death's head grins only the grimmest humor can produce.

For a wonderfully personal obituary--with excellent descriptions of Callahan's wickedest cartoons--head to the Washington Post, here.

Dabbling in Discourse -- 'The Onion' goes Booksmart

It's sometimes daunting to join a new book club without knowing exactly into what sort of controlled chaos you're wading. Discovering whether the vibe of the group and its choices will mesh with yours is sometimes a long, occasionally embarrassing process. This, in part, is why book clubs flourish so beautifully online. Yet, web-based book discussion groups have their pitfalls, too: as open as they are to wanderers-in is as vulnerable they are to flamers, trolls and spam. What might begin as a tasteful discussion of Michael Chabon might devolve into a flame war in the blink of the refresh button.

That's why I'm glad to see the vivacious, creative discourse going on at the most unlikely of sites: The Onion. Surprised? Over the last decade the Onion's sister site--the Onion AV Club, made up of media nerds dedicated to parsing every last happening on page and screen--has upped its game and transformed itself into a formidable place for news and discussion. Their author interviews are often more illuminating (and refreshingly casual) than anything you'd read in the NY Times, and their new monthly book discussions--"Wrapped Up in Books"--have a high rate of participation and perspectives.

August's book is the incomparable Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. An apt choice, since Mitchell's newest book--The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet--dropped only a month ago and Atlas is referenced in nearly every review. Grab a copy, speed through and join the diverse conversation over at the AV Club!

Seven DIrty Words.

At the old Couth Buzzard Books shoppers were offered $.50 off of their purchase if they could list one to the Seven Dirty Words from the famous George Carlin comedy routine. Many customers where shocked that they were encouraged to say the words that everyone say privately, publicly. Happily shocked. Anyway, below is a review of a new biography of Carlin: Seven Dirty Words: The Life and Crimes of George Carlin, by James Sullivan. The review is mixed, but any insight into the life of this brilliant comedian and wordsmith is probably worth the read. As the reviewer stated: "Well, here’s a cockeyed salute, then, a moment of dazzled mental genuflection for a comic who, every once in a while, felt like the most alive human being on the planet." The most alive human being, indeed! Here's the NY Times Review: Click Here: