wither in the light

What a bizarre world we live in... Robert Crumb just published his memoirs. His only US appearance in support of the book was at the New York public library, where he was interviewed by art critic Robert Hughes.

"I want everyone to love me," he said, half-mockingly, after explaining that he was once shocked to learn that the racial stereotypes and violence toward women he portrayed in his work were hurtful to many people. "Please love me," Mr. Crumb added.

A woman in the audience then shouted, "We love you!," and Mr. Crumb held up his hands, cringing, to stop the applause.

"O.K., you love me," he responded, laughing. "You're killing me, you love me so much. You're choking me. Now back off."

The guy is 61 years old, and his life just gets more bizarre as time goes on - he now finds himself revered as an art icon, compared to Breugel and Goya. He's just as bewildered and cynical in this role as he was when he was the king of acid-flashback comics.