Rick Friday: The Comics Decoder Interview / R. W. Watkins

Rick Friday: The Comics Decoder Interview

R. W. Watkins converses with the farmer-cartoonist

who castrated a sacred cow and got put out to pasture

Appropriately enough, let me start with a ‘chicken or the egg’ type of question. Which came first: Rick Friday the farmer or Rick Friday the cartoonist? Do both roles find their origins in your youth? And how do you balance the two roles today?

I was drawing on the toybox before my first day of school; however, I was born on the farm. I was not officially published until 1993. Although both roles found origins in youth, farming by trade was first. I try to hang the farm hat up in the evening and focus on cartooning and writing at night. I have not yet found the balance.

There’s that traditional image of the American cartoonist (or comic-book artist) as urban – hailing from NYC, Chicago or San Francisco. The idea of ‘farmer-as-artist’ seems more aligned with poet Robert Frost a hundred years ago. Are people sometimes taken aback by the idea of the farmer-cartoonist?

I believe most folks are taken aback with the farmer/artist idea; the concept does not fit within the normal paradigm, which makes it a bit poetic. To see the pitchfork in one hand and a pen in the other is as alluring as a soldier holding an infant.

Love the comparison!

Thank you. It was either that comparison, or playing classic rock at a funeral.

Personally, I think there should be a permanent moratorium on the use of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album during wedding receptions.

Agree.

I grew up in a family of mostly loggers and fishermen, and any so-called subsistence farming was done simply for the love of it. Anyway, when I was a young lad in the ’70s, I would sit at the breakfast table in the morning (people still did in those days!), and there would be the Kellogg’s cereal—I think either Bran Flakes or All Bran—with a farmer sitting aboard his tractor or combine on the box, eating a bowlful and looking quite content. So I had this really romantic view of farming as this laid-back way of life or something. Remember, this was also the era of Hee-Haw! and what-have-you. I seem to recall even the farming-focussed news and info show Country Canada presenting a rather upbeat view of the lifestyle in those days. Of course, by the time I was in my late teens in the mid to late ’80s, I was hearing these news reports about bankrupt farmers, foreclosures, and how the prairies had become the ‘suicide capital of Canada’. I’ve been wondering, given all the other affronts and challenges that have arisen in the farming world over the past three decades, is there any rustic romanticism left to be found in the profession today? Or have the rose-coloured glasses definitely been broken in both lenses?

Interesting and valid question. The answer first, if I may, and then an explanation. In my opinion, the rose-coloured glasses may not be completely broken. Although the view of the farming profession may seem obscured, and with each generation more of the rustic culture being lost, the freedom of being self sufficient is still what makes the profession so seemingly romantic.

I can’t help but refer to something a veterinarian said to me a decade ago, “You do not boycott convenience; you buy it.” Labor is diametrically different than convenience and much easier to boycott. As with nearly every culture before us, it too has fallen to innovation, the mother of convenience, an easy and effortless way of life.

I do, however, see a new spark in the life of small farming, referred to as “homesteading”, which I see as sustaining our human instinct to survive and be self sufficient, and that to me is regenerative romanticism of the culture.

So there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I guess. Now, can we say the same about cartoonists in 2017, particularly those of the daily or weekly strip variety? It goes without saying that things aren’t as bright and rewarding today as they were in the days of Caniff, Kelly and Schulz.

When it comes to farming, I would say the light seen at the end of the tunnel is more like a “spark.” The Homestead philosophy is to be self-sufficient, and is not adapted to feed the world. I am the last of my family to farm and I join many who will hang up their hat on a barn nail in the next decade, or so. Nearly 130 years of family culture ends with me. I have spoken with two professional cartoonists, one when I first started in 1993 and another recently. Both shared the dark side of the profession with me, which I understand clearly. Publishers and Syndicates want to own you; an “artist on demand”, so to speak, with constant deadlines, no free time and numerous rejections or your work. Cartoons/cartoonists have become an accessory or “Non value added” expense to an industry that is funded by advertisers. I speak from experience.

I have remained a freelance artist and writer—it’s the freedom I desire. Most cartoons nowadays are digitally colored and I have remained archaic. I color my work by hand with the same colored pencils my grandchildren use at my kitchen table. I like the personal touch, I prefer to be authentic.

Oh, don’t get me going on digital colouring, high-gloss comic-book paper, etc!

When I have an idea for a cartoon/comic, I will shut off the tractor and put it on paper before it’s lost. Material comes to me so frequently, I have to leger it or lose it. I would lose focus on shiny paper.

Going back to your youth for a moment, what cartoonists did you admire growing up? Are there any particular strips that have influenced your work on It’s Friday?

Schulz and Gary Larson. The Far Side humor is motivational and a pretty high standard in this business.

I agree. I think The Far Side is some of the best one- or two-panel stuff from the past four or five decades. Schulz’s Peanuts on the other hand seems universal in its appeal. Can you talk a bit about how it appealed to you personally?

Peanuts is more of a childhood desire, whereas Far Side picks up after adolescence.

Schulz certainly ‘wrote up’ to his multi-faceted audience. Did the higher philosophical and theological levels register on you when you were growing up? Personally, I think some of those strips served as my introduction to psychology and the like.

Looking back, I do not think it did register, and I do not believe the strip would be successful today due to social evolution. Lucy is a bully, Linus has security issues, Charlie Brown is a victim of harassment and Snoopy is schizophrenic, and no cartoonist would survive with a character by the name of Pig Pen.

A young Rick on horseback, 1960s

I’d say you’re (sadly) dead-on, Rick! Remember what Andy Capp was like up until recent decades? I guess people can no longer handle reality, no matter how funny it might be. I mean, there were children’s television shows—especially the British and European ones—that I watched in the ’70s and early ’80s which would probably be impossible to air in an adult time slot today.

I find myself holding back a sizable archive of questionable work, some of which would have been published a decade ago. For instance, I drew a cartoon of Mother Mary holding the knob of an open door to a house. She was in the process of shutting the door and Jesus was walking away and down the sidewalk. The caption reads: “Jesus Christ, shut the door! Were you born in a barn?” This cartoon was immediately rejected by editors, even though they all made a point to let me know they each loved the cartoon.

There you go! Typical story! Have you considered publishing such pieces as a book someday, though? That’s one way of circumventing the stifling powers that be. And it’s easier than ever before nowadays, with all the semi-self-publishing platforms that are available.

Simon & Schuster requested a collection one year ago for consideration in publishing a book of It’s Friday cartoons. I submitted over 300 illustrations, but no word or returned calls. Editor’s name is Jofie Ferrari[-Adler]. He immediately explained his name in the introduction and said his parents were hippies from the 70’s.

Ha-ha! Love it! Sounds like hippy parents were his badge of authenticity! But I’m actually a little shocked that S & S showed any interest at all. I’ve been under the impression for some time that comic-strip collections are as good as dead with mainstream publishers. I mean, it’s been a long time since we saw the pharmacy racks full of Peanuts, Wizard of Id and Andy Capp paperbacks.

They contacted me shortly after the piece about my termination came out in The New York Times and Columbia Journalism Review. The iron was hot.

Ah!

This seems like a good point to focus on your said dismissal from Farm News last year. Apparently, a seed company took offence at one of your It’s Friday cartoons and threatened to pull its advertisements. Can you tell me what your initial reaction was upon receiving the ‘Dear John’ email from that particular editor?

My first initial reaction, and I will be honest, was, I don’t have to draw a cartoon this week. Then I sent a text message to my wife informing her of my termination. Read the email again and became angry. I went about my normal farming activities, and when I returned to the house I read the email once more and that is when I posted my comment and cartoon on Facebook. It went viral and the story quickly traveled around the world. The story was broadcast just a few days later on TV, and things “got real”. I would not say I was angry; I was hurt and upset. I will not give them the Angry emotion; I am saving it.

The cartoon that got Rick Friday fired

And there was no warning, no chance to redeem yourself with an apology or the like, just—Bam!—“you’re out of here”? Did the editor in question go into any detail at this point in regards to the company and their threats?

He expressed his opinion with me on several occasions following the notice. He always stood behind his decision to publish the cartoon and supported me and my work. Yes, he shared details in regards to the company and their threats. As soon as my story went international, Farm News was in contact with me, negotiating my return. For the benefit of the employees at this company, I chose not to share this. I am a better human than they.

Obviously. Now, the seed company in question, I take it they were affiliated with Monsanto? Or can you even talk about such specifics due to ‘binding legalities’ or what-have-you?

Nearly all seed companies are tied to Monsanto. I have no binding legalities, but I would rather keep this sharp object in a sheath at this time. My sources tell me Farm News lost the advertiser when I returned. I might add that two promising ag [i.e., agricultural] publications backed out of a contract with me with no reason given. They were excited to bring me on board then suddenly all communications ceased. I have my suspicions that pressure from advertisers had a hand in the sudden change of heart.

It’s amazing how at every corner and level the news and arts and entertainment can be subdued, manipulated or outright eliminated by the big corporations and multi-conglomerates-that-be. I’m glad to hear that your mouth hasn’t been sewn completely shut in the process. A few years ago, I attempted to interview underground cartoonist Doug ‘Evil’ Custer, but he could hardly talk about anything, the manager of punk band The Misfits having successfully sued him, and the band’s name being attached to many of the zines and mags that his strips had been published in. So what stipulations were involved in Farm News bringing you back? Did you have to agree to “keep a civil tongue in your head”, as my late grandmother would have put it?

There were no stipulations in my return to Farm News, by Farm News. All stipulations were by my request, but, an editor does make the final decision on whether a cartoon is published. I am a freelance artist and with this comes some liberty. I will only enter into a non-exclusive agreement with publishers and that reduces opportunity considerably.

So are you looking over your shoulders these days, so to speak? Is the whole experience affecting your approach to what some might perceive as ‘touchy subjects’?

Unfortunately the answer is yes. I have censored myself to a certain extent, but a whisper is better than no voice at all. A political cartoon may work well in one region and be a total disaster in another. Again, it is all at the discretion of the editor.

Social media is where “The Hate is on!” I have been threatened, condemned and ridiculed for my work that appears online. People seem to believe only what they read, and a cartoon may be too vague for some to perceive, allowing the viewer to think for themselves. I do not mean that with disrespect; it’s that I can draw a straight line on a piece of paper, and depending on how the viewer holds the paper determines whether it is a vertical or horizontal line. People will often choose an explanation before using their imagination.

Ironically, that is why my combination of an illustration and commentary took off so well. One publication I work for is using this method to reach more readers. The concept is that the cartoon catches the attention of the readers and they are more likely to read the article. The problem is they do not want to spend the money necessary to hire on an illustrator.

Countryside: One of the good magazines that has allowed Friday the opportunity to ply his talents

I’m reminded of something I heard renowned Montreal cartoonist Aislin (born Terry Mosher) talking about in a documentary several years ago. Aislin maintains that cartoonists and poets are largely a burden to editors in modern times, and that computer layouts of newspapers and magazines have allowed them to manage space ‘better’, eliminating the nooks and crannies that would have once been filled by short poems and comic strips and single-panel cartoons.

That is so accurate. I am currently working with a sports magazine right now and I offered two options in price, colored or black & white cartoons. The editor’s reply was that he didn’t care if the cartoons were colored or not, they were only going to fill in the bottom of a column anyway. I agreed to offer the color cartoons at the same price I was asking for black & white cartoons; only because color compliments my work. After five submissions I finally got one past the goalie, and my work will be published in this well-known magazine. This is how I got started in 1993: I traded a cartoon each week for a subscription to the paper. I drew for three papers and one magazine until I was hired in 1995 by Farm News. To succeed at this you must be willing to bend a little. I just created an illustration for the cover of a book due out in 2018 and I changed the caricature at least twelve times. Each time after, I thought it was completed. I nearly pulled out the last three hairs I have on my head when the author sent me those three beautiful words all artists like to hear: “I love it!”

Let me take you back to your formative years again. Were there still mainstream comic strips that had a rural setting or sensitivity when you were growing up? Were there any particular ones that you could relate to, coming of age on a farm? I seem to recall newspaper strips in the ’70s not yet exclusively given over to the urban way of life. There’s not much of a rural nature to be found in the mainstream strips today, certainly.

That is true.

I remember Out Our Way in its final years; that definitely had a rural setting and sensitivity. Major Hoople’s Boarding House to some degree as well. Even an urban strip like Peanuts had the children getting out into the wild on occasions, on hikes, summer-camp sabbaticals, etc. Remember Out Our Way? It ended in ’77, I think.

I do not remember that strip. However, in 1977 I spent most of my time standing in a circle with friends.

“Standing in a circle with friends” – that sounds intriguing, actually. Do tell.

Age 17, sworn to fun and loyal to none. Listening to the greatest cultural music known to mankind. Easy living.

And what would the “greatest cultural music” have been? When I think about 1977, everything seems blurred by Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack!

Wasn’t much on Saturday Night Fever; more Boston, Nugent, Aerosmith, Simon and Garfunkel—the list goes on. Classic and hard rock.

Oh, same here! I just meant how those two albums seem to dominate the year historically. Disco in particular drove me batty!

Yes... no disco here.

Alice Cooper’s appearance on The Muppet Show that year seems to have been a major moment for us Gen-X’ers born between ’65 and ’72.

Life was good. The VietNam War changed the culture completely.

Rick with his wife, known affectionately as ‘The Great Juan’