British illustrator Gerald Scarfe will join us on “Floydian Slip” the weekend of Nov. 6.
Celebrated for his scathing political cartoons, Scarfe might be best-known for his art and animation that appeared in 1979 on Pink Floyd‘s “The Wall” album, and subsequent live stage show and feature film.
Scarfe, 74, has been political cartoonist for the London Sunday Times for 44 years, and has worked for The New Yorker magazine for 20 years. His work has been exhibited across the globe — New York, Osaka, Montreal, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Chicago and London — and he’s been the subject of 50 one-man shows.
In addition to illustrating, Scarfe is a set and costume designer, filmmaker and author of several books. His latest, “The Making of Pink Floyd The Wall” (ISBN-13: 978-0306819971), was published last month by Da Capo Press.
In 2008, Scarfe was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), one class below knighthood.
His association with the band started shortly after his 1972 animated film “Long Drawn-Out Trip.” “The guys saw this on TV here in Britain and Roger (Waters) said to Nick (Mason), ‘We’ve got to have this guy on-board. He’s fucking mad!’ So that’s how I got introduced to the group,” he told “Floydian Slip.”
Production of the 1982 film, directed by Sir Alan Parker, was famously mired in creative differences among Parker, Waters and Scarfe. “I would find myself at 9 o’clock in the morning driving in to Pinewood Studios with a bottle of Jack Daniels on the passenger seat,” he said. “I’m not a heavy drinker, but I had to have a slug before I went in in the mornings, because I knew what was coming up.”
Scarfe is only the third guest to appear on “Floydian Slip” in the show’s 20-year history. Sleeve designer Storm Thorgerson was on the show in 1997; sound engineer Andy Jackson appeared in 2001.
We’ll post a transcript of the interview at the “Floydian Slip” Web site on Nov. 8.
Buy “The Making of Pink Floyd The Wall” online now. Your purchase supports “Floydian Slip.”
