A short history of America - Robert Crumb

[PtAltmVansanTarr]

@NetzKaiser whatever your opinion on industry is, the place clearly went from one where you would want to live to one in which the only place for a person is a car or a narrow sidewalk and where of there are apartments, they are places for drug addicts or people getting a govt check

[Rickyrab]

pretty succinct .

[BigAndTall666]

Shut up and watch the video!

[blabblab1212]

Not a tree in sight................

[ConstantineHuman]

So tragic that we got rid of our street cars. Thanks, GM!

[WhiteyMcWhiteJr]

America is even uglier now, completely paved over and swarming with black and brown parasites, yech.

[premo0]

@WhiteyMcWhiteJr Do you mean white parasites? Your race is ultimately what caused this absolute destruction of biological diversity. However, it is not whites that should be viewed as bad either. We are all here together as one species, that is the homo sapien sapiens. Together, we must work to bring back the essential beauty that our natural environment brings us.

[premo0]

@premo0 The very first scene of this video...

[hogo1]

@premo0

there are many species of extinct animals that the ancestors of indians wiped out. Like the glyptodon, ground sloth, short faced bear, american cheetah. The list goes on.

[premo0]

@hogo1 I don't know what you are trying to argue here.

[hogo1]

@premo0

quoting you: "Your race is ultimately what caused this absolute destruction of biological diversity"

[premo0]

@hogo1 Oh, ok. Yes, that's exactly what I'm conveying here hogo1. Any civilization can reach the maximum sustainable yield of resources. Native Americans (Not Indians from India correct?) indeed have had their environmental impacts on their land and had suffered from them greatly. There are several other civilizations that have gone through societal collapse, like the Anasazi or Easter Islanders.

[premo0]

@hogo1 However, you are not following the larger premise. European society and culture has sparked globalization and in turn has affected the entire planet negatively. It just so happens to be that Europeans, a race of the human species Homo Sapien Sapiens, has caused such calamities to happen. Europeans migrated out of Europe into the "New World" because they had exhausted most of their resources. Well, hope that clears most things up

[premo0]

@hogo1 because Native American land was lush in its natural resources. Their impacts were nowhere near Europe's.

[vniwvOD3]

The film is directed by Terry Zwigoff. I recommend it very much.

[BigAndTall666]

David Lynch´s movie "Crumb", go find it if you can!

[09071957]

That, my friends, is called progress. It's not necessarily a criticism of America. We can see the same pattern all over the planet.

[donramirito]

Awesome!!! end Crumb is plays the piano!!!!!

[OriginalGagBonkerss]

R.Crumb may be a hardball to get along with, but he's the best cartoonist for changing the comics.

[VoidKeeper]

I love this ragtime ^^ wish I knew the name =/

[oldrubbish1]

@VoidKeeper The song is called 'A real slow drag' by Scott Joplin

[lanser87]

This is great and sad. The natural beauty of our country is being eaten way by urban sprawl and the suburbs. Oh well...maybe the aliens will save us. ha

[claymars]

sloaches

[rasherfari]

he misses out the genocide off america's native people

[joseesblanco]

Y el piano de fondo lo toca él mismo. Qué tío!. Hoy ne he comprado cuatro álbumes suyos...están en Ed. La Cúpula -tienen su obra completa, de la más friki a la más filosófica, Biblia incluida- y merecen mucho, pero mucho, los eurillos que hay que soltar por cada volumen.

[Qadesh86]

Beautiful!!!! ;-)

[belittle12]

How is that house still standing?

[JimBozeman1956]

I believe this is him playing piano on this video.

[Steelman985]

That doesn't prove any political point whatsoever. All this is what year each state joined the union. There is no message. Stop trying to read into what isn't real. This is why America's children are stupider and stupider each year.

[quasiphatpaul]

@Steelman985 "stupider"?  Really? Wow...

[NetzKaiser]

What the fuck. A fucking green clip. It only shows that progress detroyed the nature and the enviroment but it does not show, that progess maked our life easier and confortable. And it also is mute about the progress which saves our enviroment.

The world today is not ugly. Forget your nice pre industrial idyll. We have warm homes, beautifull cars and nobody is killed by the Black Death. That is not ugly. That is nice.

[d3p3ch3mod3]

@NetzKaiser i kinda took it to mean that on the one hand the green field became all concrete but on the other hand this guy starts out with his small shack by the railroad then over 200 years his kids wind up building a huge oil empire and get rich and his shack becomes an entire town that improves quality of life for everyone.

He's saying that we lost something but we also gained something, we have less natural beauty but we have air conditioning and live longer

[JackRussellTerrier2]

@d3p3ch3mod3 But at what cost?

We can't live without a stable biosphere.

This series always had a profound effect on me and I'd love to see the two panels which have come since then, or for that matter the aproximate setting for the above panels.

I see more "urban renewal" in this than "urban sprawl." Of course with the later, the the clearance of buildings does, like sprawl, create much lower densities.

[d3p3ch3mod3]

@NetzKaiser Besides how did you watch that and not see the cars and the houses that you said it doesn't show??

[NetzKaiser]

@d3p3ch3mod3 Okay, it was my first impression. Maybe I failed. But I am still thinking that they cartoon tends to carp at progress.

But maybe it is more revealing my own opinion, that progress, industry and so on is bad. I have to think about this, because I am really honestly think that my opinion is that progress, industry and so on is great. It is hard to discribe what I feel and think now.

[ilaludba]

Anyone know what this track is called and who wrote it?

[AdamLore]

"A REAL SLOW DRAG"

Composed by SCOTT JOPLIN

Performed by DAVID BOEDDINGHAUS

[ilaludba]

I Thought it would be, Thanks a lot, appreciate it.

[AdamLore]

no problem :-)

[jossr2010]

Progress need not be ugly but often is. I think the answer is to make progress more beautiful, not to abandon progress. But then what do I know?

[hoopdnadiggler]

In 1988, after the popular, but depressing 12-panel A Short History of America series went out of print, Robert Crumb added three panels to answer the What next? question posed in his original final 12th panel.

In these 3 panels Crumb depicts three possible futures:

1.Worst Case Scenario: Ecological Disaster

2.The FUN Future: Techno fix on the march!

3.The Ecotopian Solution.

Google: The Future According To R Crumb

[cha5]

Way to miss the point Crumb was making altogether,

Fuck all political messiahs whatever their party.

[irishpenguin007]

r u a kkk or somthing

[ariastoteles]

Five stars!

[hurryupandw8t]

The audio is timeshifted ahead of the video by about 3 or 4 seconds ... kinda cheapens it.

[ChoasTheory2000]

Gotta love how it starts with an empty land seemingly uninhabited. Nice tranquil music too... I wonder how tranquil it was for the people who built the railroad in that first slide.

[cocochanelleke]

Thanks for posting - what with drawing "outside" life in a nutshell.

Great drawer he was.

Drawer?!

[xxqueenofthedamnedxx]

that is what we do at school right now

omg

[SERSHANT]

true USA story

/watch?v=-TOG28fDs5I

[hymiehymie]

Oh my God - I've always remembered this strip so vividly (40 years ago!?) and now it's a video.

[breeeegs]

It started off as peaceful virgin soil and ended up as an overcrowded industrial wasteland. Yep. That's America all right

[wbeaty]

And... this is musical accompaniment by Crumb himself, on his tiny upright piano!

[mams66]

Brilliant!

Now If Only He Could Show The Future.... lOl

(Free Stuff, Check The video On my Channel For Details)

[pakukorison]

It is not interesting at all.

You must make the South Korea history.

[MrCrumb2000]

Great

[jonno52]

Pure genius. I can watch this over & over again.

[markmdavis]

So sad...so true!!

[skoob6969]

I would really like to talk with crumb he is an amazing artist and a good person.

[dearmalika]

Great vid!It's very interesting!

[savagepug]

Hey maybe this Crumb fellow was on to something...hmm.

[JunebugBpt08]

i don't believe he hates or loves united states. USA is what it is. what he had reverence for is long gone now in his eyes.

[unsolvedrobyn]

@JunebugBpt08 Pretty sure he hates it.

[oddieintex]

Where is Angelfood McSpade?

[fodsaks]

Stop around frame 4 and that'll be just fine thanks.

We'll have still just about retained a balance.

[MorganAnsons]

thanks for the send jon.

[zizizzi]

Great... Love R. Crumb. I grew up reading Zap Comics...

[SlaveStorm]

A nice beginning but the ending doesn't look so good.

[uncledave10]

Love Zap comics . R.Crumb rocks . :o)tm thanks for send John *****

[MorganAnsons]

hi uncle dave!

[uncledave10]

Hi Morgan Im back at work now , I got kicked out Of the Dr Feel Good group , I guess I couldnt live up to his standards of goodness . :o)tm

[MorganAnsons]

WHAT!!!

???

kicked out? what's going on? from Ed's? I don't believe it.

[uncledave10]

We will talk on Friday when I get home , He thinks some partner turned on him so he ainmt trusting any . Od Night :o)tm

[jakluk4]

What a fantastic video!

[johnhart30]

Notice how over time, mother nature dissipates? We are the world's largest consumers, yet we replace and care for nothing mother nature provides.

[cherrialbum]

Thanks for the share! some do some don't. :(

[yaknbo]

There isn't a socialist thing about Crumb, youngblood. Groove on your own generation, dipstick.

[yaknbo]

Long Live Capitalism. Glad Che is DEAD. Muerte. DEAD. Glad Fidel will be dead. Glad China has chosen the path of the market.

[boomkablamo]

i like the first picture.

the last one makes me sick in comparison.

[niiles1]

On the DVD this song startes like 20 secs earlier with Crumb playing minor song, is is the same "A short history of America" by Scott Joplin?

[bloodybill007]

i just love this. and yes i have the same type of likes as he has when it comes to women, strong thick healthy chubby women

[yaknbo]

Long Live Robert Crumb.

Long Live the United States.

Long Live Capitalism.

[Google0002]

right. well.

this is hardly in favour of capitalism and its sometimes partner industrialisation. it seems to be arguing that, as someone put earlier, 'humans are a virus'.

notice how the trees all disappear?

yeah, you sort of missed the point there eh?

[boomkablamo]

i agree,

if you flew over a major city, never having been on the earth before

and you saw all the polluted air, plants spewing smoke

you'd say that's a fucking tumor, that is cancer on the earth

[thegreatestbak]

crumb wasnt a capitalist....in fact he despised ayn rand. Just because someone looks like they embody apple pie ad good ol american racism doesnt mean they do at all. Crumb was above all a socialist.

[JunebugBpt08]

Crumb 1994 scene 32:29, Comic book store clerk: when are you actually moving?..Crumb: couple of months, France isn't you know perfect or anything,but its slightly less evil than United States, but thats not why i'm moving ofcourse..talk to my wife if you wanna know why i'm moving. obviously you know nothing about R Crumb yahnko

[54spiritedwill54]

Fantastic and complete artist

[suprovalco]

check out my page for new videos of robert crumb playing mandolin with my band.

[novice8814]

Humans Are A Virus.

[gewlah]

THIS is true commentary on the manifestation of agriculture

industrializations rise and smothering of this land

which is the reason trump and simmons? make money

shamm shamm im sure you just compared crumb to egotistical maniacs

he is not a phillistine asshole

like you he just shared his opinion

[ShammShamm]

Crazy like a fox,how else would Crumb,Gene Simmons,and Trump ever get laid?You gotta have SKILLS,boy!..Well,Kiss? I don't know..Crumb doesn't even like the Stones,can't imagine what he thinks of Kiss:)

[1JustBreathe]

should've started the "short history off" with the genocide of the Aboriginals

[goldenagenut]

Why is art important? This is why, it's a reflection of the human soul.

[bluesborn]

sigh....the light of other days.

[RalphWiggum08]

God this whole montage is brilliant - I love this segment of the documentary...

[BatzMonkey]

Robert Crumb is one of the most amazing artists of the 20th century.

[RickyShoreSings]

YEE-HAW!

[Reijerkolle]

I just saw these originals at a museum. This guy was fucking insane, but i love it.

[budmotor]

i saw it in edition paper ...mony maker

[GolumTR]

Reminds me of Will Eisner's Dropsie Avenue.

[drmarconi]

I love this one...

[Jabberwocky72]

What can I say, tragic, brilliant and so true. Love Crumb's artwork, great stuff, one of a kind. Gonna watch my "Crumb" DVD again tonight after seeing this. Thanks for posting ;)

[uberover]

Definately, thx 4 posting!

[jonno52]

This is available elsewhere - even have it, lovingly recontructed on my pda. But it's brilliant. So sad, so true, with the surest of touches by a master of his craft. Each frame furthers the story. Thanks for posting.

[missingxtension]

its okay

[Giacobbe87]

Robert Crumb the best

[DATSUNSTANZA]

this is beautiful.Robert crumb, one of the worlds most excellent enigmas.

[Goodrunningwoman]

History of America 101

[xjustsomedudeX]

Crumb...what a perverted hack. If you watch this film in reverse, you see Crumb getting tarred and feathered right around 1877.

[Counterrestrial]

Fuck you, you myopic philistine.

[mistabook]

He's not a hack!

:-D

[goldenagenut]

Thanks very much for posting this,this segment was one of my favorite parts of the Crumb movie if not my favorite. The song and music go together so well,such a cool little piece.

[goldenagenut]

...er,song and artwork that is.

[norbu56]

Great, great Robert!

Fantastic and complete artist

[novice8814]

Human over development, urban blight.

[JackRussellTerrier2]

What better way to honor a forgotten past and what was lost through the gradual transformation of space.

[JackRussellTerrier2]

I first saw this when I was in 5th grade. It had a profound affect on me. I wanted to do this with photographs (same viewpoint every decade or so), took some in the early to mid 90s with that intention, but they were lost. It needs to be done whenever possible with photos etc

[pharoh73]

Photographing gradual change is difficult due to the obvious delays involved, but I like to go to places where old buildings are being taken down and replaced with new structures. The whole process usually takes 2 or 3 years, with visits for photography spaced at about 3 or 4 month intervals. I've posted a few like this on BetterPhoto under the name J. C. Raley. It aint much but if you like this kind of thing check it out!

[JackRussellTerrier2]

Thank you! It was actuallty the early 90s come to think of it. I had this project in college where i got views of a street corner about every 2 decades from the university photo archives. It didn't show tree growth or anything, but it did show some other changes.

[mILKBONEBRET]

wtf is the music in the background... I could never find it!!!

[Tadeusz598]

sounds like Scott Joplin to me

[postingoldtapes]

That's Crumb himself playing the piano. The piece is credited at the end of the film. Crumb has an astonishing collection of old 78 RPM records.

[vitesenzafine]

Like so many things by R.Crumb, it brought tears in my eyes, who knows why -- I am not even American.

Thank you

[lookbackinbanter]

Same here

[Addams13]

congratullations to the guy who made this mixture of music -very ad hoc-, and images of the great Crumb. thank you.

[davevanfunk]

There's nothing quite like progress, is there? I remember this wry piece from the Zwigoff film. Thanks

[Quag7]

This is fantastic.

[yaknbo]

55. Grew up on the stuff. What none of you realize is, and this is most distressing, is that R, Crumb does not hate the United States.

[mcfender]

I grew up on it too. I'm not sure whether he hates the States, but I know he hasn;t lived there since 1989! He now lives in the South of France.

[cocochanelleke]

... where everything happens the same way - only in a different language

;)