Cartoonist Richard Thompson Dies of Parkinson's Disease

One of Thompson's best-known drawings

Proof came today that rare talent, personal graciousness, hard work, high standards, and an extraordinary sense of humor are no shield against Parkinson's Disease. Cartoonist Richard Thompson died this morning. Richard struck me as a genuinely humble man, both aware of his great gifts and unimpressed by them. He cut his own brilliant path. It was marked with restless artistry that was held together by his enormous talent, great charm and intelligence, and driven by his uncompromising high standards. 

I used to keep one of his drawings, a caricature of the late North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, up above my drawing board at work. Not as an incentive to equal or surpass it. That was clearly out of the question. I put it there to inspire me to do the best work I could do, to remind myself that creativity matters, and mainly because it was a beautiful and devastating drawing that was a joy to look at. 

Richard varied the look of his work with a love of experimentation few could match.

 When Richard was diagnosed with PD, his friend Chris Sparks formed Team Cul de Sac, the cartoonist's project against Parkinson's Disease. Chris had the idea of publishing a book of tribute drawings by other cartoonists in honor of Richard's daily comic strip, Cul de Sac. Richard, with typical generosity, invited the other artists to play with his characters, transforming them with their different styles, and imagining their own interpretations. The project made news when the reclusive Bill Watterson, one of Thompson's many cartoonist admirers, contributed a small oil of Petey, one of the main characters in the comic. It was the first artwork the public had seen from the Calvin and Hobbes creator since his retirement of his beloved strip many years before.

Watterson was not alone, he was joined by the likes of Pat Oliphant, Lynn Johnston, Jim Davis, and others, both well-known and obscure. Including the drawing below, I'm proud to say. The book, and an auction of the artwork brought in thousands of dollars for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Since its founding, Team Cul de Sac has raised over $200,000 dollars toward ending Parkinson's Disease.

Richard and I met once, and spent an afternoon talking about the things we had in common, a shared love of British master cartoonist Ronald Searle, a shared burden of Parkinson's Disease. I left his house thinking our paths would cross again, that he would be helped by brain surgery and have years of drawing ahead of him yet. Parkinson's had other plans. Richard, once a most prolific artist, seemed cut off from his muse by Parkinson's disease. The hoped-for benefits of the surgery didn't take. Despite admirable support from family and friends, his decline became steep and irreversible. He died at 58 years old. 

Parkinson's Disease was cruel to him, and cruel to those that loved him or admired his work. I was wrong about his chances with PD, but I am sure of this: His reckless line will remain a thing of beauty with few peers.

The Semi-Collected Adventures of that Semi-Collected Superhero, Flash Molasses

Here they are folks! The almost full collection of the adventures in Parkinson's Disease of that plucky PWP, Flash Molasses! Apologies for vagaries in formatting. For instance,  I see there are two episodes labeled #8. The first should be labled  #7. Why it isn't, I haven't a clue. I'm pretty sure there is no episode 13, in a rare incidence of triskadecaphobia, I seem to have omitted it. But maybe there is. All the drawings can be enlarged individually by clicking on them.

You can see Molasses evolve and devolve as I shaped him over time and as PD began to sabotage my drawing. Then he snaps into focus following my DBS operation in 2008.

The final horizontal-format drawing was my contribution to Team Cul de Sac, the cartoonist's project to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The brainchild of Chris Sparks, in honor of cartoonist Richard Thompson, Team Cul de Sac has raised over $100,000 for the eradication of Parkinson's Disease.

Scalpel... sponge... white out...

Here is the kind of thing I am delighted to have lived long enough to say, the sort of thing that would have read as nonsense a few short years ago. Frankly, it still looks a little weird when I type it. But here it is: Last Friday, during brain surgery to provide relief from Parkinson's Disease, cartoonist Richard Thompson drew a picture of his brain. (You may see his drawing by going here, and scrolling down.) Naturally, you have many questions about this. As a cartoonist who has undergone this same procedure, I'm here to help. First question?

Q: My God! He drew this WHILE the team had his skull open and his brain exposed????
A: Correct. When the doctors are trying to find the ideal placement of the electrodes in the brain, it is necessary to see how the patient responds to the electric stimulation from the wire, and where the wire is in the brain. Different electrode locations, varying by millimeters, can produce markedly different outcomes. Based in part on the real-time reactions of the patient, they will tweak it to the optimum possible.  So, for this phase of the operation they wake the patient up to assess how they are doing. Richard and his doctors were probably trying out a placement or setting to see how well it worked for drawing. What better way to do this than by actually drawing?
Q: Wait, doctors were putting electrodes in his brain?
A: Yes. The operation is called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). For reasons that are poorly understood, many symptoms of Parkinson's Disease can be fairly well controlled in some patients by "stimulation"- zapping certain regions of the brain constantly with mild electric shocks.
Q: Ouch! Doesn't that hurt?
A: No. While the scalp area is plenty sensitive, the brain has no nerves within it that detect pain. Pain is your body's way of telling you that you have a problem that needs addressing. It's like the robot in the old TV show exclaiming "Danger, Will Robinson!" Unfortunately, if something dangerous has made it through your skin, your skull, and past the Blood-brain barrier, you are most likely FUBAR, and pain is useless. So the brain does without it.
Q: Cartoonists have brains?
A: Security, eject that man.
Q: So why did Richard draw a brain?
A: Likely because brains, in all their squiggly moistness, are fun to draw.
Q: This is amazing, and sort of cool.
A: No kidding!
Q: Does this mean that Richard will be able to produce his wonderful loose and confidently masterful drawings and paintings again?
A: I believe so, but it depends to some degree on his tolerance for frustration. The apparatus installed by the doctors must be adjusted to Richard's particular case. His anatomy, the progression of the disease and the way it manifests itself must all be taken into account as the device is tweaked.  This can take months of trial and error, during which symptom control will likely be less dependable than it will eventually become. Fortunately for Richard, he lives near Washington DC, and there are many highly-trained  medical professionals around. But with countless possible settings. finding the perfect mix will take time.

And DBS is not a cure. Parkinson's will always lurk in the background, subdued, but not banished. From time to time it will leap out from the weeds and send his stroke askew. This can be dreadfully demoralizing, especially for a perfectionist like Richard. It can mean doing things again and again to capture the look you want. 

Creativity is all about overcoming limits. Parkinson's is all about imposing limits. My money is on Richard's creativity. I can't wait to see what comes next.

A "Heart-on-His-Sleeve-Southerner" Does Serious Damage to my Cynical Side

 

Chris Sparks,  (Center), Cartoonist Richard Thompson (R) and me, at a Team Cul de Sac signing at Politics and Prose, a Bethesda bookstore in early July, 2012 

  

I've written before how my job as a political cartoonist pushed me dangerously close to misanthropy. Concentrating, as a cartoonist does for hours each day on incompetents, opportunists, meatheads, and malefactors left me with an opinion of my fellow man that was shading into the red zone of contempt.

Then I got sick and scared. Suddenly a new class of people came into focus. Among this previously invisible group were highly trained and skilled medical professionals, selfless caregivers, and fellow PD sufferers who cope with grace and courage.  And then there are those who, without preparation, suddenly burst into passionate flame as they are confronted with the consequences of Parkinson's disease for someone they care about.

Chris Sparks is a great example. The former comic book store owner from North Carolina is a lover of cartoons. At a comics convention, he met and befriended the singularly gifted cartoonist Richard Thompson. Not long after they struck up their friendship, Chris was devastated to learn that his pal was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

Like many people who learn that a friend is suffering, Chris could not sit quietly and watch someone he cares about be stolen away by sickness. Inspired by Michael J. Fox, he decided to raise money for Parkinson's research. Chris came up with an idea that bordered on madcap poetry. While the rest of the world works to overcome Parkinson's Disease with a commendable grim commitment, staging walks, running marathons, attending meetings and seminars, Chris chose art and humor as his tools.

He decided to create a book in honor of Thompson. The content would be drawings donated by cartoonists featuing their interpretations of Thompson's characters from his celebrated strip, "Cul de Sac". Proceeds from the book and the sale of the artwork at auction would go to the Michael J Fox Foundation to fund PD research.

$45,000 dollars for research and two years later, the whole project looks like a seamless, almost inevitable success. But look inside and you'll see that the entire enterprise depended on the passion and indeed the chutzpah of one man. Cartoonists as a class are deeply centered on their work. To survive in the field, they must be. They do not welcome distraction from the pursuit of the craft they love, they tend to be loners, they don't follow instructions well, and they hate deadlines. This was the group that Chris Sparks boldly chose to bring together.

In fact, when he proposed the book idea to Universal Features, the syndicate that distributes Cul de Sac, Chris had only one cartoonist, Stephen Pastis, committed to the project. Sparks assured the powers that be that other big names from the biz would be on board, and because he is a convincing guy, not only the did powers that be buy in, but a great number of star cartoonists did in fact create work for the project.

Fortunately for Chris, he is not alone in his admiration for the work of Richard Thompson. Spill ink at a gathering of cartoonists and you are bound to stain quite a few Thompson fans. His elegant and carefree line is the sort of thing other cartoonists have no choice but to love. Smart, unassuming, and wry, Thompson the man is beloved as his artwork. Among those that came aboard the project were Pat Oliphant, Lynn Johnston,  Garry Trudeau, and "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson. Watterson gave the project a huge profile boost with his contribution, the first work that most have seen by him since he gave up his acclaimed strip over a decade ago.

Chris was riding the tiger by the time the Watterson painting showed up. Putting a book together is difficult enough with just one author. Multiply the contributors, and you multiply the paperwork, complicate the decisions you must make about how the work will be presented, and, most painful, decide who is in and who is out.

Then there was the auction to organize. I got several emails from Chris that left me with the impression that he was barely clinging to sanity. I was worried enough to check with Thompson about how Chris was taking the pressure. Richard wrote back that "I think he's a heart-on-his-sleeve Southerner who reacts with some emotion to every shift in the weather but is basically ebullient. My Mom was one, and I like that kind."

Reassured, I went back to anticipating the appearance of the book. When it finally came out, it was met with well-deserved praise. The handsome design by Chris and Jamie King, his partner at Sparking Design,  combined with excellent introductory pieces from Thompson, Sparks, and Michael Cavna of the Washington Post set up the collected artwork well. The pages burst with joyous drawing, high spirits, and palpable affection and respect for Thompson.

The success of the project is the result of the work of many hands, as Chris would be the first to insist. But the scope and ambition of effort is the mark of one person who rolled up his sleeves instead of shrugging his shoulders when a friend got sick. It's enough to make a would-be cynic re-think his lousy attitude, and that is a healing that is nearly as momentous as the cure for Parkinson's Disease we so fervently desire.

Team Cul de Sac: Laughing at Parkinson's Disease, Raising Money for the MJ Fox Foundation

It's finally time to turn hype into hope. I've been nattering on for a year now about the terrific Team Cul de Sac cartoonist's project to raise money to fight Parkinson's Disease. June is shaping up to be a Team Cul de Sac-apalooza. The effort, organized by Chris Sparks, has two fronts, a book, and an auction. The book, filled with tribute drawings to the cartoonist's cartoonist, Richard Thompson, is is due for release June 5th, and the on-line auction of the cartoons is now open!

Participating cartoonists include Bill Watterson, Pat Oliphant, G.B. Trudeau, Jim Davis and a bunch of other  top-flight talents. (immodesty compels me to admit that my contribution appears above, and you can bid on it right here) If you ever wanted to own work by your favorite cartoonist, if you ever thought it was time to give money to aid Parkinson's research, if you are delighted with the idea of taking on such a bitter, nasty foe and bringing it down with art and humor, now is your chance. What are you waiting for? (Cue "Chariots of Fire theme"...)

Team cul de Sac Update: Cartoonists Versus Parkinson's Disease

Chris Sparks, our lovely guide and mastermind of the Team Cul de Sac project, gives us a quick tour of some of the wonderful art work contributed by a talented crop of cartoonists to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Chris started this project to honor his friend, cartoonist Richard Thompson, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease. Thompson is one of the most admired pens in the business, but only because he is wildly talented, creative, and a gentleman to boot.

The cartoonists were invited to create work featuring the characters invented by Thompson for his Cul de Sac strip. The artwork will be combined into a book, sales of which will help support the Fox Foundation. Individual pieces will be auctioned and money will be raised for Fox that way as well. If you've ever dreamed of owning an original by Bill Watterson, Lynn Johnston or any other fine cartoonist, watch the Team Cul de Sac blog for details.

In the meantime a big fat thanks to the people at Andrews and McMeel, who are publishing the book, and especially to Chris, who has a tiger by the tail. Wait a minute.... Is that Hobbes?

Team Cul de Sac update: Cartoonists Begin Sending Artwork

Drawings from cartoonists are starting to come in to the cartoonist's campaign against Parkinson's Disease. The plan is to combine the drawings into a book to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The effort is led by the indefatigable Chris Sparks, who was motivated by the PD diagnosis of his friend, Richard Thompson. Thompson is the creator of Cul de Sac, one of the brightest lights in the recent history of newspaper comics. Contributing artists are invited to use the characters from the strip in their contributions for the book. At left is a picture of one of the leading characters, Alice, as drawn by Thompson. (You can see my donation here) Preview the recently contributed art at the Team Cul de Sac blog.

A Cartoonist's Cause (Cross post from "Frozen Grin")

(Click image to enlarge.)

I've come across another place where Parkinson's Disease overlaps cartooning. Richard Thompson, a talented cartoonist and the author of the "Cul de Sac" comic strip has announced that he is also in the early stages of the post-diagnosis phase of the disease.

Unfortunately this insidious disease inflicts much damage before it is detectable. Parkinson's Disease is like a slow-moving brain injury that eventually robs its victims of the ability to initiate voluntary movement- to walk, to speak, to draw. There is no cure. However with careful management of the medications, diet, and exercise there is every hope that Richard will be able to produce his beautiful drawings for many years.

In the meantime, Richard's friends have organized a fund-raising effort on behalf of research into Parkinson's Disease through The Michael J. Fox Foundation Cartoonists are asked to contribute artwork for a book and auction to fund the cause. If you're not a cartoonist, but want to help, there is a button there which you can press to donate money.

For the theme of the book, cartoonists are invited to use the Cul de Sac characters as they will in their own artwork, interpreting them freely. My contribution appears above.

Music to accompany Parkinson's Disease

(Dedicated to my brother Dave.)

Music can move us in many ways, emotional, physical and spiritual. Even though I am a hardcore skeptic, music moves me closer to God than any metaphysical "proof." The ineffable power of music is parallel to our conception of an all-powerful invisible God. Both are mysteries and both move us to joy, fear, awe and love.

When I hear praise sung by the Blind Boys of Alabama, or hear the anguish of separation from the divine lamented by William Byrd in "Bow Thine Ear Oh Lord" I'm closer to belief than the words of any preacher can bring me. Perhaps that's why some sects ban music. We can't have the choir director showing up the pastor.

Music also makes us shake our booties. Which is the more common reason that religions ban it. But the human urge to boogie to the beat is deep as a funkadelic bass part. And according to "Musicophilia" by neurologist Oliver Sacks, humans are the only creatures known to respond to rhythm by joining in with their own (often unconscious) toe-tapping time keeping. For us, it's as natural as breathing.

Symphonies are even written in "movements." And since movement is the heart of our concern as people with Parkinson's Disease, music is our ally. So here is an assortment of music that makes me move, one way or another. It's dopamine for the soul.

To warm up with something that will make a dead man stomp his feet, Cue up the "Yankee's Revenge" medley by David Bromberg, an ebullient breakneck journey through some well-known fiddle tunes. If Bromberg isn't your cup of tea, try Bothy Band's "Green Groves of Erin/Flowers of Red Hill medly. Then swing into "South Australia" by the Pogues. And as long as our Irish is up, detour over to "Gloria" by Van Morrison If that isn't reet pateet, I just don't know what is.

How do you follow Van Morrison? If you're Barrence Whitfield, you don't ask that question, you just cut loose with "Bip Bop Bip". After which, it's obvious you step aside for Professor Longhair and his spectacular piano playing on "Hey Little Girl". Then change direction, take a journey into a man's soul while Albert King performs "As the Years Go Passing by" It moved Eric Clapton so much he used the melody for the hook riff on "Layla."

Ready for a little fear and trembling? Get a load of Etta James singing "God's Song," written by that unassuming subversive Randy Newman. Hey, trembling is motion!

It might be wise to beat a hasty retreat to Blind boys of Alabama. You can't go wrong with anything on their "Spirit of the Century" album, but for the sheer unexpected brilliance of it, let's go with "Down in the Hole" written by Tom Waits. Then, if you're not afraid to have your heart broken, listen to Linda Thompson's elegant version of Waits' majestic anti-war plaint "Day After Tomorrow." Of course the Waits version is devastating, too. Your call.

Next we reach the still point in the center of a turning wheel where Martin Carthy sings a spell-binding acapella song of the cycle of the seasons called "The January Man."

Then cut loose with Richard Thompson Singing "Hard On Me." The words to this song could easily be about Parkinson's, but it's the unworldly, eloquent guitar solos that really express the rage and frustration of living in a body that refuses to move. His reckless playing lays waste to everything in a way that is frightening as it is cathartic.

Left amidst the chaos that music can describe, we find that it also offers grace. Where? Look to the work of J. S. Bach. In Bach, stateliness combines with surprise, joy with beauty, brilliant craft with exuberant inspiration. My brother credits Bach's music with saving his life as he battled depression. My Dad explained Bach's music this way "He was talking to God." And who can doubt that God listened?