Or, as Crumb says when he finally shuffles in, clad in funereal black and wearing his trademark wire glasses: “The dirt’s on the wall.” At 72, he is a paler, frailer version of the priapic nerd of more than half a century of self-portraits.Īrt & Beauty showcases a less well-known side of him: the lifelong junk shop rummager and connoisseur of vintage media, which he values for the craftsmanship of “the golden age of graphic art”. You are drawn into the work and you are judging yourself as you look at it.” “There’s something irreconcilable at the heart of the work that doesn’t resolve towards a single vision of beauty, and which is at odds with much contemporary art. “What’s exciting about the work is his openness to his own desire and erotics,” he enthuses. At 72, he is a paler, frailer version of the priapric nerd of the self-portraitsĪs we wait for the great man to arrive, Lucas Zwirner, the 25-year-old editor of the gallery’s publishing outlet, gives a learned explanation of the appeal of Crumb’s work to a new generation. One collaboration, unprecedented in the history of comics or indeed any art, had husband and wife each drawing themselves in the throes of sex with each other. And Meredith has great ears and hears all kinds of harmonies, too.It is Robert, not Aline, who I have come to interview, and whose pictures are on sale at a starting price of $30,000 (£20,800), but their art is so intertwined that it’s hard to understand either in isolation. He hears such ragtime harmony, all these little internal voices moving. It’s unbelievable the way he uses his fingers and the pick. “If some performer has two or three tunes in his book that are killers like that, wow, that’s a lot of work. “I love it when Craig sings,” said New York guitarist Matt Munisteri, who has performed often in the Bay Area with vocalist Catherine Russell. Now, there are hundreds of hours of Ventresco readily available, a revelation for even longtime friends and admirers. And if you didn’t live in the Bay Area, he was more of a mythical character, as there was precious little video or audio of him circulating on YouTube. Before the pandemic it was often difficult to track him down on any given night, though he was playing regularly with guitarist Dave Ricketts’ Gypsy swing-inspired band Gaucho, a band he’s rejoined. He’d be far better known if he weren’t allergic to self-promotion. Crumb (a fellow enthusiast of country blues, early jazz, and hokum, which Crumb performed on banjo with the Bay Area-based Cheap Suit Serenaders). His reputation spread exponentially when Terry Zwigoff featured his guitar work on the soundtrack for “Crumb,” the 1995 documentary about the underground comics legend R. Ventresco started gaining notice in the early ‘90s as a member of the ragtime combo Bo Grumpus, which performed and recorded mostly as trio with bassist Marty Eggers and percussionist and washboard player Pete Devine (now a member of the popular Bay Area roots blues combo HowellDevine). The conversations in the chats are almost as engaging as the music.” “They have created a community of folks who have grown to like not only the music, but each other. “Each night, many of us tune in and revel in their music, their virtuosity, their humor, and their love of both the tunes and the people who have been loyal to them these three plus years,” Chuck Goldstone, a Boston-area writer, said in an email. For people whose lives haven’t returned to pre-pandemic patterns (or who already tended to stay home), their shows are a godsend. We are astonished by their generosity.”Īs someone who tuned in often with my family during the months when we were stuck at home, I understand the intense bond Axelrod and Ventresco formed with their fans. Leonard Pitt gave us a mandolin and a ukulele, and John Adams gave us the vibraphone, a gong and some laundry detergent. Jim Moran sent us a banjo ukulele and multi-guitar stand. Todd Cambio built and sent Craig two guitars. “Wyatt Wilke built and sent me a great guitar,” Axelrod said. “John DeLapp built and gave us a tenor guitar and two guitars. Playing for intensely discerning listeners eager to offer a contribution via Paypal instead of providing background music at a café for $25 each and tips? Priceless.įans and supporters have shown their appreciation by sending food, flowers and particularly instruments. Axelrod’s patter tends toward free association, with the occasional non sequitur followed by a Cheshire cat grin, while Ventresco responds with punning wordplay and poker-faced absurdisms framed by an utterly sincere appreciation for the community that has sustained them. Their nonpareil musicianship is one attraction for their regulars, but equally entertaining is their Gracie Allen/George Burns dynamic.
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