Posted February 10, 1999

Garry Trudeau

Garry Trudeau, creator of the comic strip "Doonesbury," entertained more than 2,000 people in Zellerbach Hall Feb. 2.

Trudeau's dry wit, deadpan delivery and biting criticism of public figures kept audience members laughing for almost two hours.

Trudeau said his "investigative cartooning" has earned him many enemies, including George Bush, who once told a reporter that he'd like to "kick the hell out of Trudeau." Bush's son Jeb, during his bid for Florida governor, warned Trudeau to "walk softly."

"Asking a political cartoonist to walk softly is like asking a professional wrestler to show some class," said Trudeau.

Friends worried that Trudeau's portrayal of Bill Clinton as a waffle in the strip would jeopardize his chances of getting invitations to the White House.

"I never got invited in the first place, that's why I made him a waffle," said Trudeau.

Regarding Clinton's current troubles, Trudeau said he would "like to see the House managers under oath on a call-in radio show and let the public ask them questions" about their personal lives.

Trudeau reflected on life as a baby boomer -- mentioning the Beatles, marijuana and mid-life crisis, which he said he doesn't have time for because "it presents a scheduling problem."

When asked about his deadlines for the strip, Trudeau said his cartoons are published just 10 days after he draws them.

"It used to take longer but during Watergate, I did two weeks on John Erlichman and then he suddenly quit," said Trudeau. "He wrote me an apology on White House stationery," he added, "so he must have taken some before he left."

February 10 - 16, 1999 (Volume 27, Number 22)
Copyright 1999, The Regents of the University of California.
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