Read the (new) Darrin Bell Interview

Spread the love

Michael Ventrella, the novelist who wrote the afterword for the third Candorville collection, Katrina’s Ghost, interviewed me last week. You can read the full interview on his site, and it contains several startling revelations, such as: Pat Buchanan inspired my interest in politics; I have President Obama all figured out; and I am, apparently, a potty mouth.

Here’s an excerpt:

VENTRELLA: How did that get you into doing comics as a career?

BELL: In a roundabout way…

I was in gifted and talented programs in Jr. High and High School, and I realized my interest in history and civics was outpacing my interest in art (I’d been drawing since the age of three). That’s when the man who sparked my interest in politics (Pat Buchanan) became the same man who sparked my interest in journalism. In 1988, a Pat Buchanan ad where he portrayed a Gay Pride parade as proof we were going to CENSORED, pissed me off. I had barely noticed politics before this, but I sure as CENSORED paid attention to it afterward. It just seemed so monstrously unfair, and the prospect of someone like him leading the country scared the CENSORED out of me.

Anyhow, four years later, I was flipping through channels looking for coverage of the Clinton-Bush campaign, when I saw that same guy on TV. Pat Buchanan. He was so smug and full of his own opinion, but I noticed he looked really, really happy. And it occurred to me, I’d be happy too if millions of people were listening to my CENSORED ideas and taking me seriously.

Read the full, (and yes, uncensored) interview here.


Discussion (26)¬

  1. laser plumb bob says:

    "… just praying a Tonton will amble by so I can gut it and climb inside for warmth…" great! But sorry Darrin, we need you out there w/ your light sabre … no Tonton guts for you, mister!!

  2. Jim says:

    If you really had Obama figured out, you'd admit that he's very similar to his predecessor.

    • laser plumb bob says:

      I totally agree, sort of like Spock is very similar to Bozo ….

      • Jim says:

        Both started unnecessary military ventures, both are responsible for wasteful spending, and both are supporting policies that restrict our civil liberties.

        • laser plumb bob says:

          lessee … are you suggesting that Obama's roles in Libya and Egypt this year are very similar to Bush's roles in Iraq & Afghanistan? Or that Obama's Health Care reform takes away more rights than Bush's Patriot act? If so, how about 'blue' is the same as 'red', just slightly 'bluer'?

          • Jim says:

            Obama RENEWED the Patriot Act and is continuing invasive TSA screenings, you know.

          • MisTeryWriter says:

            Usually I would say the screenings are for our safety. Recently, a BC patient had her breasts felt up because she had metal implants to stretch the skin in order to get breast reconstruction. That was humiliating. They didn't even let her get her surgeon's card from her pocket or take her into a private room. The airline did apologize, though.

        • ChayaFradle says:

          Getting Osama Bin Laden was unnecessary? Yikes. Didn't know that. Wow.

    • Darrin Bell says:

      Jim, fundamentally they're similar because we live in a nation that's essentially become an oligarchy (as all governments throughout history tend to do over time), where our leaders are all beholden to the multinational corporations and the military-industrial complex Eisenhower warned us about. We were teetering on the edge of that cliff until the '80s, when Reagan knocked us off of it by beginning the destruction of the labor unions, which were the only counterbalance to corporatism. Three decades later, out of a pure pragmatism, the Democratic nomination and the presidency went to a man whose largest contributor was not a labor union, but Goldman Sachs.

      Unless you can get money out of politics (by way of a Dylan Ratigan-style Constitutional amendment), this will not change. We will not elect a truly populist or progressive president, we sure as hell won't elect a third party president, and we will not free ourselves from being slaves to the desires of the multinationals and the military.

      I have created cartoons touching on all this over the last three years, by the way.

      Within that environment, we're left to choose between our leaders based on narrower and narrower differences. Much of what President Obama is trying to do was originally proposed by Republicans years ago, for instance. But what are we supposed to do, ignore the relatively minor differences because there are no huge ones anymore?

      The relatively minor differences are still important, and still affect the happiness, the prosperity, and the lives of millions of people.

      • ChayaFradle says:

        I think we are now a Corporate Oligarchy (Corporatocracy), no matter which party is in power.

      • laser plumb bob says:

        "The relatively minor differences are still important" .. Darrin, that is so true! The scale of events is so large that whole civilizations can disappear in the smallest cracks … a sliver of error will lead to missing the target by miles (the ill fated Mars orbiter comes to mind … it reported errors that were so small they were dismissed … until the craft smashed into the planet)

  3. Robert says:

    A comparison that comes to mind (regarding Obama's loss of popularity) is Terence Trent D'Arby. "Hardline" was a multi-platinum debut album, and "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" is widely regarded as a flop. In fact, it went double gold.

    I am probably the only person to whom this comparison would occur.

  4. Mellaril says:

    Great interview! I have two comics cut out and framed, one series from "Bloom County" and a "Calvin and Hobbes," I'd have some Candorvilles up but I don't have enough wall space for the entire "About Kelly" series.

    Keep up the great work!

  5. ChayaFradle says:

    I recommend everyone read the total interview. It is tremendous! What is the link to the Stephen King strip, Darrin?

  6. S.m says:

    You rock.

  7. rockpopple says:

    Very cool interview, Darren. Well until the end, anyway. When I read this

    "His low ranking in the polls isn’t from conservatives; they already didn’t like him. It’s from liberals and moderates who are abandoning him," from Ventrella, I just had to roll my eyes, since there is empirical evidence showing the President's numbers amongst self-described Democrats and Liberals is stronger even now than the last Democratic President at this time.

    But whatever. I didn't get into this comic because of its authors political views. The interview was very insightful and I still consider you to be an inspiration to me. I suppose it's okay that I don't agree with you politically 100%. =P

    • Darrin Bell says:

      Thanks.

      That's sort of an apples to oranges argument, though. His point wasn't that Obama had lost liberal favorability ratings relative to Clinton, it was that Obama 2011 had lost liberal favorability ratings relative to Obama 2008. Which is true; much of the increase in his disapproval ratings over this time a year or two ago, is coming from his own base. But that's a good thing for him, because it's something he can turn around.

      • rockpopple says:

        Good point. I guess from the outside looking in I never saw his 2008 numbers as something anyone could ever sustain. It was so stratospherically high back then for all sorts of reasons. I look at his ratings now and look back at other Presidents and think he's around the ball-park, but you're right, he could still turn it around.

        I'm not joking about you being an inspiration, by the way. Amateur artist here. I had a report to do in college last year and I considered doing it on you, but decided to go with Dwayne McDuffie (RIP) instead. So keep up the good work and all that.

      • Michael Ventrella says:

        Yes, that is what I meant! He never had the conservatives on his side, so obviously his drop in the polls is coming from the center and the left.

        • rockpopple says:

          I hear you, Mike. It's just like what I said to Darrin… plus I think "abandoning" is way too strong a word considering his numbers with self-described libs and dems is still quite high, even for a Dem President. Compared to his amazing numbers in 2008? Definitely a dip, no question.