Mr. Fish: The Definition of Subversion (Audio)

In this week’s episode of “Scheer Intelligence,” host and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer speaks with Dwayne Booth, the political cartoonist known as Mr. Fish, whose work has been featured in many publications, including Truthdig, Harpers and the LA Weekly.

Scheer and Mr. Fish discuss the history of his art form and the struggle to keep the editorial cartooning industry alive.

During their conversation, Fish tells Scheer that his political cartooning profession is in decline because fewer people understand and appreciate history now. When asked what it’s like to be the best in a field that is disappearing, Fish responded, “Lonely, very lonely.”

“I keep doing it because … I’m good at it and I understand that language,” Mr. Fish explained. “It’s a way to communicate as honestly as one can. Because when you have images, it’s very difficult to create abstract notions that are actually false. You are using real images and you are using depictions of real things, which are statements of fact by virtue of the fact that they look like real things. So that’s the language I have chosen to use.”

Mr. Fish currently teaches at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He also is featured in the documentary “Mr. Fish: Cartooning From the Deep End,” and his recent book “And Then the World Blew Up” includes essays and hundreds of cartoons with his take on the direction of United States politics.

Listen to the interview in the player above and see the full transcript Saturday. Find past episodes of “Scheer Intelligence” here.

—Posted by Eric Ortiz