Drew Friedman’ latest book, Shtick Figures: The Cool, the Comical, the Crazy, contains over 160 portraits of quirky, forgotten, and famous icons of American pop culture. I’m a longtime admirer of Drew’s meticulous, expressive work, which captures the essence of the subject more than most photos could.
The people featured include Bud Abbott, Charles Addams, Kurt Andersen, David Baddiel, Eli Basse, Gene Baylos, Milton Berle, Lenny Bruce, Ernesto Cabral, Jimmy Caesar, Sid Caesar, George Carlin, Lon Chaney Jr., Charlie Chaplin Fakes (Billy West, Ray Hughes, Billy Ritchie, Charles Amador), Bobby Clark, Imogene Coca, Cliff “Snuffy” Cochran, Robert Crumb, Phyllis Diller, Totie Fields, Sammy Davis Jr., Joan Davis, Al DeClercq, Mickey Deems, Calvert DeForest, Joe DeRita, Selma Diamond, Bob Dylan, Nick Edenetti, Harry Einstein, Peter Falk, Joey Faye, Al Feldstein, Frank Ferrante, Fyvush Finkel, Frank “Kelly” Freas, William “Bill” M. Gaines, Max Gaines, Billy Gilbert, Jack Gilford, Gilbert Gottfried, Marty Allen, Charlie Callas, Dick Shawn, Shelley Berman, Jackie Mason, Henny Youngman, Myron Cohen, Alan King, Jan Murray, Red Buttons, Buddy Hackett, Mort Sahl, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield, Shecky Greene, Nipsey Russell, Moms Mabley, Andy Kaufman, Richard Pryor, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Fred Allen, Ed Wynn, Ernie Kovacs, Steve Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Danny Kaye, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Abbott and Costello, The Marx Brothers (Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo), Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard, Joe Besser, “Curly-Joe” DeRita), Jonathan Winters, Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Bill Hicks, George Carlin, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Louis C.K., John Mulaney, Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle.
It includes a foreword by comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff, and a brief bio on each subject.
Here are a few spreads:
Previously:
• Illustrator Drew Friedman writes about working for Jared Kushner
• Drew Friedman, comic artist: Get Illuminated! podcast
• ‘Drew Friedman: Vermeer of the Borscht Belt’ — documentary tracing the artist’s evolution from underground comics to the cover of The New Yorker
• Drew Friedman’s Sideshow Freaks
• Interview with artist Drew Friedman about his Old Jewish Comedian books
• Drew Friedman: George W. Bush as The Joker
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