Who knew that doodling during staff meetings would one day lend itself to a career as a syndicated columnist? Although he was gainfully employed as an insurance attorney, it was hardly a dream career. No, the draw to a more artistic pursuit proved too hard to resist for cartoonist Stephan Pastis. Surviving a string of rejections from major syndicates over a three-year period, his big break finally came in 2001, thanks to an unyielding persistence. His daily strip, "Pearls Before Swine," is carried by more than 650 newspapers around the world - including the Tribune-Review - and read by millions.
A pro at being able to dish it out and take it, his characters Rat, Goat, Pig and Croc have, more than once, invited their creator to draw himself into their surroundings. On Friday, Pastis will be in Pittsburgh as the guest of honor for a special meet 'n' greet and book-signing hosted by the ToonSeum and held at the Bricolage theater, where he'll "tell embarrassing stories about myself and others." The event is sold out.
Details: stephanpastis.wordpress.com
Question: So, how does an insurance lawyer end up being a syndicated cartoonist?
Answer: I hated being a lawyer. I had drawn since I was a little kid, so, when I was a lawyer, I used to draw after work and before — and, sometimes, during ... doodling during meetings looks a lot like you're taking notes — and then, I would submit the strips to the syndicates. And, they just about rejected about everything, and thenn
Q: Was the road to syndication a long and rocky one?
A: It's about three years of rejections. Probably at the time, there were 12 syndicates, and they would all send form letters.
Q: How did you come up with the title “Pearls Before Swine”?
A: Rat is always casting his pearls of wisdom before pig. He's casting his pearls before the swine. It's a whole bunch of things. There's a book by Kurt Vonnegut, “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater,” and Pearls Before Swine” is the subtitle. And, there was a band in the '60s.
Q: They say there's a bit of truth in every piece of fiction. Who has been the inspiration for the characters of Pig, Rat, Goat and Croc?
A: I think I'm all of them. Rat certainly comes from me. Pig, yeah. Goat, quite a bit. Croc, not so much. Rat, Pig and Goat, for sure. If I could write for one character it would be Rat. I often want to talk to people that sort of way, and, sometimes, I do.
Q: When you come up with the idea for a strip, do you draw-write in three-block increments, or is the entire storyline created all at once?
A: I definitely go strip by strip, and if it seems like there's more to it, I'll do another strip and another strip. Each block has to be self-contained. Each has to have its own joke and be funny. The first strip and last strip are almost always weak. Stories are always tricky. I do them, but they're tricky.
Q: Do the characters dictate how the story will go?
A: If they're well-defined enough, they'll tell you what to do. Sometimes, they don't speak to you, but someone like Rat is so easy. If you just plug him into any situation, I know how he'll respond. That makes strip-writing easier.
Q: You don't often see a cartoonist immerse himself into the storyline; yet, from time to time, the illustrated version of you will make a cameo. What made you want to draw yourself in?
A: It takes a certain kind of arrogant (jerk) to do that. I don't know; it broadens it. It's sort of like it expands it, in the sense that it's multidimensional. Characters let me in their world, and when I talk, it's me. And then, all these other things open up. It always is very funny.
Q: I read that you ran into “Peanuts” creator Charles Schultz while in Santa Rosa, and were able to sit down and chat with him awhile. Did he give you any words of wisdom?
A: He did. He had me change pens. I had a narrator in a strip that he saw and he said, “You can't do that; you need to use speech bubbles.” He was very helpful, and I was a nobody. I was a lawyer and wasn't even syndicated.
Q: If someone gets on your bad side, what are the chances they'll wake up one morning to find themselves being lambasted via an illustrated cameo in one of your strips?
A: It has happened. It's usually people that I don't know, like a person sitting next to me on the train or when you call the cable company and get “that guy.” I have definitely run them right into the strip. But yeah, I do it. It's irresistible. There are people that have thought strips are about them, but usually, they're wrong. I have used my friends, and they know it because I use their names. Nothing like being able to make fun of your friend in front of 30 million people. <
