Props to fellow UNC alum Eugene Scott for passing on this link and the story.
Aaron McGruder Announces a Six-Month Sabbatical From His 'Boondocks' Comic
Excerpt:
In a letter to his clients, McGruder wrote: "Every well needs occasional refreshing and I hope that this fall you will agree that the time away from the demands of deadlines has served the strip, your readers, and me. To be on your comic pages for the past seven years has been a privilege. I thank you for that and for your patience as I explored our world through the eyes of Huey, Riley, and their grandfather."
Could this be to focus more on the cartoon? Movies?
Or is it all of the attention too much for him and he is going Chappelle?
If he is indeed "going Chappelle" (which really isn't a negative thing) why is it that some of generations heroes (Lauryn Hill, D'Angelo, Dave Chappelle, Aaron McGruder?) kind of just go AWOL? Is it the pressures of society or the pressure we put on them for more and better material?
11 comments:
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I was wondering what was going on with that. I think the stress of dealing with the entertainment business is too much for a lot of people. I think everyone deserves a break, so if he steps away for a sec, then it should do him some good.
hey everyone needs a vacation, let that man live
this may sound selfish, but like with the absence of chapelle show and lauryn hill, i'm mainly going to miss his gifts that add to my quality of life.
but truthfully, as a commentator, i'm not sure i understand why he feels his well has run dry. as long as there's a new day, there's news. i'm sure cheney'll shoot somebody else or something and thus give Aaron ample material.
Nigga just need a lill time...It happens in entertainment...I'll keep you posted
*WAVIN*
just wanted to say hi
i think it's doubly difficult for black entertainers to maintain a sense of integrity when it comes to the entertainment business, which is why many of them just give up on it and end up doing stuff they wouldn't do otherwise.
all you gotta do is look at the folk like chapelle and hill and macgruder to see how the entertainment industry's goals and belief in what is entertaining is in direct conflict with maintaining dignity and respect as a black person and demanding respect and appreciation for those things that make black folk unique.
i don't think it's pressure making folk take a step back. i think it's that fighter who gotta go back to the corner and regroup before rejoining the fray. it's a constant fight and they're only human.
McGruder gets to me big time. I mean, I'd put up with some of his outrageous comments but once he made that horrible joke about the Katrina victims in the comic strip, I'd had it with him. I may read it every once in a while but to me he was just someone trying to get attention. I hear all the black groups are after his A==. I mean you can't be creative and funny without telling tasteless jokes. That Superdome crack was ridiculous. These folks have lost their homes and all he can do is make fun of them? How much has he done to help them? I'd like to know that...please. He can't handle the pressure. He should have stayed in bounds. You can write a funny comic strip without talking about everyone everyday. Like I said, the organizations are after him because he's said so many things. He can't take the heat so he's getting out of the kitchen, LOL.
If you set out on an ambitious, provocative goal then you better be prepared to deal with 1) the challenges you will confront in meeting your goal and 2) the repercussions of achieving your goal.
I have no sympathy for people who start out with this all-in "balls to the wall" attitude (excuse the slang), then when the fire gets hot they wilt under the heat and pressure.
I don't wanna hear no sob story - the media this, society that, black man can't do this --- that is all garbage.
He made his bed. Let him enjoy the discomfort.
Probaly a combination of factors, all of the factors you named are possibly the reason why they go awol.
Especially demands for new material.
I'm sure he's just burned out.
It's tough juggling so many hats: book author, cartoonist, executive producer, etc, etc.
The entertainment machine is notorious for eating its young alive; that's why it demands so many. Kudos to him for knowing when it's time to take a break.
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