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A Cartoonist's Mother's Love Affair With a Cartoonist

Connecticut Public Radio | By Colin McEnroe
Published December 3, 2015 at 6:03 AM EST
Chion Wolf
/
WNPR
Bill Griffith.

I first met cartoonist Bill Griffith back in the 1980s. I arranged for us to tour a Boston-area Hostess Twinkie plant, which sounds like a weird first date but makes perfect sense if you're familiar with his creation "Zippy the Pinhead," an unwitting surrealist who swims happily through a sea of taco sauce, processed cheese and, well, Twinkies.

Lately, when I've run into Bill he has mentioned a very different kind of project: a memoir about his late mother and specifically about her love affair with, of all things a, cartoonist. Now I've read the memoir which is basically Zippy Meets Freud. It's a great trip and we're going to take you on it now. Bring your own Twinkies.

Reserve your seat to see Bill live at the Mark Twain House and Museum on December 3 at 7:00 pm.

GUEST:

  • Bill Griffith - Cartoonist, creator of "Zippy the Pinhead" and author of Invisible Ink: My Mother's Secret Love Affair with a Famous Cartoonist

MUSIC:

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Tucker Ives and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired on September 24, 2015.
Colin McEnroe
Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.
See stories by Colin McEnroe

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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Donate