Gordo Cartoonist Gus Arriola in Carmel, CA in 2000

This interview with Gus Arriola, the famed Cartoonist who created Gordo, occured in march of 2000 at his home in Carmel By The Sea, on the Monterey peninsula in California, at spry age of 83.

Gus died this week on February 4th of 2008 at age 90, and I wanted to pay homage to one of my cartooning heroes by sharing this interview he graciously granted me.

As a cartoonist and illustrator myself, I've idolized him since childhood. His strip, Gordo ran 44 years and was decades ahead of it's time. Smart, funny, worldly and loaded with heart, Gordo was one of the gems of the funny pages from 1941-1985 when he finally retired. It's humanitarian values helped shape a generation of young progressives with a sense of wit, timelessness and wonder.

Gordo was a genuine Accidental Ambassador who helped pave the way for better understanding between The USA and Mexico.

Here on his balcony, I was astonished at his youthful curiosity as he allowed me to introduce him to a plethora of my favorite "newer" alternative cartoonists, including R. Crumb, Los bros. Hernandez (Gilbert and Jaime) Bill Griffith's Zippy the Pinhead and the new upstart (at that time) Chris Ware, who Gus was mesmerized by.

Again, I was so fortunate to know Gus Arriola in the last 10 years of his life and to be able to call him a friend.


Saludos, mi Amigo!

Enjoy this footage of one of America's underappreciated 20th Century greats.

Sam Klemke,
Catoonist, Caricaturist, filmmaker and Bon Vivant

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Tags:

• Gustavo
• Arriola
• hank
• ketcham
• Charles
• Schulz
• bing
• Crosby
• pebble
• beach
• Carmel
• monterey
• R.
• Crumb
• Chris
• Ware
• Zippy
• Hernandez

[trevorA091]

he was my great uncle i never got to meet him.... trevor arriola

[loveupskirts]

i loved his art, what a dapper gentlemen he was

[MhicWombat]

Every year the two eagles would swim to wish each other their own happy independence day. Every year the spirits of the ancestors returned. El Cometo Halley was always a danger and Bug Rogers knew from a web. Gus, you made the world a bit bigger for us all.

[toonyfatninjas]

i,m a cartoonist you have my blessing rest in peace gus arriola i think i remember looking at one of these books as a kid once but never

got to deep in it i,m more of an action super hero type cartoonist.

[bencubed]

Who can forget that remarkable, folksy, jovial, rotund character who travelled around the country in his van spreading goodwill everywhere he went?

It's great to see him interviewing Gus Arriola.

[DrawForYouWebSite]

Yes I have read some of his work, now that you have share it here. You make me appreciate him more, very well done.

Cheers

Newsome

[kmoonfire]

What a caring, lovely tribute to Gus Arriola, my favorite comic artist during my teen years and beyond! His artwork was so elegant and his characters and stories full of humanity and love! The intelligence of his work drew me in...even at an early age I Gordo was, for me, far beyond the usual Sunday cartoons of the day. Remember the Poet and his Spider? Brings tears to my eyes. Thanks Sam, for putting this footage together for us all!