"A Cartoonist's View of Underground Characters" with Gilbert Shelton

"Chet Helms and Jack Jackson and some others, and then I bought a printing press. It was our idea to print rock posters. That was a big thing at the time. Nobody knew how to run our new printing press and our posters were really crappy, but then we discovered that printing on the comic books didn't have to be good printings. We shifted over to comic books at Ripoff Press. (Dave Morty) was running the small printing press and he had long hair. This is not a good idea for a printer. And the printing press caught him by the hair and pulled him in, but it wasn't powerful enough to crush him. And after 30 minutes, the postman came in with the mail. After a few minutes, Morty was able to instruct him how to find the off switch, and he was able to pull his hair, where that name comes from." Gilbert Shelton

This episode of Austin Roots features an in-depth conversation with legendary underground cartoonist Gilbert Shelton, creator of Wonder Warthog, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, and Not Quite Dead. Eddie Wilson and Dr. Jason Mellard speak with Shelton from his home in France, where he's lived since the 1980s, about his formative years in Austin during the 1960s counterculture movement. The conversation spans Shelton's time as editor of the Texas Ranger humor magazine at UT, his role as creative director of the Vulcan Gas Company, and his eventual move to San Francisco where he co-founded Rip Off Press. Shelton shares vivid memories of Austin's underground press scene, including colorful stories about fellow artists Jack Jackson, Joe Brown, and Jim Franklin, as well as musicians like Janis Joplin and encounters with Bob Dylan. The discussion also touches on the Austin Police Department's surprisingly lenient attitude toward marijuana, the origins of the armadillo as Austin's unofficial mascot, and how the Freak Brothers became an enduring symbol of 1960s counterculture.

Content Warning: adult themes, stories of drug use
Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom.

Chapters:
02:00 - UT's humor magazine culture in the early 1960s
04:00 - Jack Jackson's artistic development and later historical work
08:00 - Early Comics as political and social satire elements
13:00 - Role as art director and poster designer for the Vulcan Gas Company
15:00 - Jim Franklin's arrival and armadillo artwork
20:00 - The armadillo as UT mascot movement
21:00 - Wonder Warthog and the evolution of the character through the decades
23:00 - First publication in Bacchanal magazine
27:00 - Billy Lee Brammer
29:00 - Drugs and artistic influence
31:00 - Early Influences: Dick Tracy and other comics
36:00 - The Bob Dylan encounter
40:00 - Musicians: PJ Proby and Tommy Hall
42:00 - Founding Rip Off Press with Dave Morty, Fred Todd, Jack Jackson
44:00 - Origins of 'The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers' in the Austin Rag newspaper
48:00 - Freak Brothers' cultural impact and resonance
50:00 - Rip Off Press, the warehouse space and legendary parties
54:00 - The Caswell House commune parties
59:00 - Living with Janis Joplin on East Ninth Street in Austin
1:03 - Final thoughts on the counterculture legacy

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Guest: Gilbert Shelton - Underground cartoonist and creator of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers

Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard
Editor, Renee O'Connor
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar
Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor
Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic
Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik