JOHN CALLAHAN : "THE SOUL OF A POET AND THE INTELLECT OF AN ASSASSIN"
By adamgreenwell
- 5889 reads
JOHN CALLAHAN PASSED AWAY IN 2010. MAY HE REST IN PEACE. HIS INSPIRATION LIVES ON.
STOP PRESS: It is tremendous to see a movie made about the life of John Callahan, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKcYirDge1g
VARIETY MAGAZINE ARTICLE: https://variety.com/2016/film/news/joaquin-phoenix-gus-van-sant-john-cal...
"Tonight I miss my Portland Girl, her sea green eyes, her ten cent pearls/ Her lipstick smeared beyond her mouth, in swirls of red, like Minnie Mouse" - John Callahan, "Portland Girl". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MthHVHekdtw
Pride of place on Adam's Arc MySpace web page is the video for "Portland Girl".
Taken from John Callahan's CD, " Purple Winos in the Rain", it is just one of seventeen " sweet but hopeful, dark but beautiful" songs. His song writing has been compared to Tom Waits, and Waits himself appears on one track.
"Portland Girl" is John's ode to a deceased loved one. I'm glad that he liked my perception of it as " pure Irish intensity in truth telling and unconditional love".
"I try to be useful in the best way that I can be", said John during our pleasant phone conversation, from his home in Portland, Oregon. " As I give as much as I can to the Universe, power flows back to me...". I reflect, as he concludes the sentence with " My work has legs, but I don't ."
This allusion to his own disability- and his darkly comic take on disability issues in general- enhance John's global reputation for black humour as a syndicated cartoonist.
John's fans include Matt Groening ("The Simpsons"); Gary Larson ("The Far Side"), who says Callahan's work "makes my own work look normal" ; and Robin Williams, who calls John Callahan "the funniest man on four wheels".
There has been talk of putting John's autobiography, "Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot", on the silver screen. In a review of this book, P.J. O'Rourke wrote, "When you laugh out loud, then say 'that's not funny', you know that you've read John Callahan".
When I asked him who he wanted to direct this potentially ground breaking film on art and disability, John responded with "David Lynch. He's my favourite director and he'd make the story even weirder than I ever could. And I'd like Dennis Hopper to play my part. " This is a story chronicling John's life; his adoption into a Catholic family; becoming a 14 year old alcoholic; his becoming a quadriplegic at 21, due to being a passenger in a car that crashed after being driven by a drunk driver; his recovery from alcoholism; his return to college; his discovery of his roots and his career as a cartoonist". John's autobiography mentions the Catch 22 of a person with a disability wishing to advance financially.
"Although some of it has been improved over the years, if you try to work to get established, you can lose your social security benefits. In Canada, money is available , inspiring people to work. But in America, it's either rags or riches.", he summed up by phone.
John's other projects have included: A one-minute cartoon about a dog who swallows a piece of glass, called "How Much is that Window in the Doggy?" ; his writing of the Sundance Festival cartoon "Quads" ; and a coffee table book of his cartoons, "Will the Real John Callahan Please Stand Up?"
"It's funny to have that effect on people, to make them laugh, cringe and think", mused John. A good example is a scene from "Quads". A Guinness-drinker with a strong Irish brogue comforts his friend, Riley, who has just become paralysed, with these words : " Now we can call you 'numb nuts' with some degree of authority".
Renowned Dutch film maker , Simone de Devries has just completed a documentary about John,and the title comes from his song "Touch Me Some Place I Can Feel". John's favourite quote used about himself by a magazine editor, is mentioned in this programme, which screened in the Netherlands recently: " Callahan has the soul of a poet, and the intellect of an assassin".
"Your work reminds me of the saying about losing innocence and finding a bigger innocence", I ventured.
"I like that. Who said it?"
"Billy Connolly."
We ended with a few pleasantries. He'd love to visit New Zealand, where his girlfriend lived and particularly loved Maori culture. He enjoys a unique kind of sweet crispy biscuit from here. "Sounds like Anzac biscuits", I guess.
"What? Anthrax biscuits?"
Did he have any closing comments? " Don't ride a horse when you're trying to make a bed. Sound advice."
Point taken.
"Purple Winos in the Rain" can be purchased from www.cdbaby.com ADAM GREENWELL- May, 2007
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