Callahan
continued from page 1
gave him his sense of humor, but
he began drawing as he grew up
in The Dalles under the educa
tion of the Sisters of the Holy
Names. Callahan said that as a
fourth grader in Catholic school,
he started drawing cartoons of
nuns in compromising positions
for his friends.
At the age of 12, he discovered
gin at his grandmother’s wake,
( ( Culture is becoming
more cartoon-like all the
time. The world is just
plain funny: Hillary Clin
ton running for senator,
for exam pie.
John Callahan
cartoonist
and from that point forward, his
life as a cartoonist became cloud
ed by alcoholism.
On July 22, 1972, shortly after
his 21st birthday, he and a friend
left a party in Callahan’s Volk
swagen, reaching speeds of near
ly 90 miles an hour. That night
was the last time Callahan ever
walked. His friend, in a drunken
stupor, drove the car into a utili
ty pole, destroying the vehicle
and leaving Callahan with a sev
ered spine.
As a result, Callahan’s artistic
career was put on hold until after
college. He majored in English at
Portland State University and
started “doodling” again after
graduation. With the help of re
habilitation, he could draw hold
ing a pen in his right hand guid
ed by his left hand.
But his first big break wasn’t a
strip next to “Peanuts” or
“Doonesbury”; it was for Pent
house, a return to those first
drawings he made in fourth
grade. The men’s magazine pub
lished the first of his cartoons in
1985 after rejecting 10 drawings a
week for an entire year.
Now a recovering alcoholic
and firm believer in Alcoholics
Anonymous, Callahan’s career
has taken off. He produces three
to 10 syndicated weekly car
toons, which appear regularly in
more than 50 publications, in
cluding The New York Daily
News, the London Observer and
the Los Angeles Times, and his
work has shown up in magazines
such as Sports Illustrated.
“He is one of the more original
cartoonists I have ever read,” said
Owen Norvell, a University
sophomore and Callahan fan.
“The artwork really lends to the
controversy of his words. I'd like
to see him published locally.”
For inspiration, Callahan, who
lives and works out of his Port
land apartment, said he draws
what is around him and what
people around him say.
“Culture is becoming more car
toon-like all the time,” he said.
“The world is just plain funny:
Hillary Clinton running for sena
tor, for example.”
Callahan, now in his late 40s,
is known for poking fun at every
thing and everyone. He said po
litical groups, animal rights
groups, political figures and ac
tivists are his favorite people to
lampoon.
He has published numerous
books, including his popular
Disability awareness
Who: Quadriplegic, cartoonist and
author John Callahan
What: A free Disability Awareness
Event speech
When: Tuesday, May 9, at 4 p.m.
Where: EMU Ballroom
1989 autobiography, “Don’t Wor
ry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot!,” a
New York Times bestseller.
In 1998, the book’s movie
rights were purchased by TriStar
pictures. Robin Williams is slated
to play Callahan in the upcoming
film “He Won’t Get Far.”
Williams will be teamed with
Portland director Gus Van Sant,
who also directed “Good Will
Hunting.”
Callahan has appeared on na
tional television as well, includ
ing The Today Show, Entertain
ment Tonight and 60 Minutes.
“Matt Groening, from the
Simpsons, also introduced me to
a crowd of 1,000 people last year
at a Portland Creative Confer
ence,” Callahan said.
Callahan enjoys the perks of
the job, including the interesting
people he has met, such as Bob
Dylan and Richard Pryor. But he
said his fame has one drawback.
“My girlfriend doesn’t like to
go around with me on the street
because people know who I am,”
he said. “So I take her to dinner
in the country.”
Callahan said he just plans to
do some “stand-up” comedy at
Tuesday’s performance. This was
a fortunate opportunity for the
University because as Callahan
said, “I don’t travel much.”
Molly Sirois, from Disability
Services, said Callahan will show
some of his cartoons, talk about
his life and end with a question
and answer session and a book
signing. She added that Disabili
ty Services chose him to speak at
the Disability Awareness Event
because of his use of humor as a
means of educating people about
disabilities and the difficulty of
having the disability.
“I expect an engaging, enter
taining and provocative time,”
Sirois said. “I hope it generates a
lot of discussion around disabili
ties and around appreciating dif
ferent perceptions on different is
sues.”
Callahan added that he will
address some hot campus issues,
including the Worker Rights Con
sortium.
“It was insulting to a man who
gives that kind of money,” Calla
han said of Nike CEO Phil
Knight. “He goes out of his way
to be a fair employer.” Callahan
said the actions behind getting
the University to sign on with the
labor-monitoring organization
were “naive of the students.”
Nilda Brooklyn, an ASUO in
tern and sophomore women’s
studies and art major said she is
excited to see Callahan because
she knows his work but not him
as a person.
“People with disabilities are
invisible on campus and society
in general,” she said. “Hopefully,
people will see people in wheel
chairs but also what they can do
and create.”
It appears Callahan agrees. Be
ing a quadriplegic cartoonist
“helps me because I am always
sitting down,” he said. “It gives
you a unique perspective. It gives
you insight into people.”
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