Wednesday, June 27, 2007

A Pictoral Essay of Ottawa's Citizens

Because I'm lazy I didn't bother to read Rob Filbrandt's bio on his site Chowderhead Bazoo so I don't know where he's from, but his artwork seems to invoke Ottawa to me. Heck I don't even remember where I came across the link (if I do remember I'll post it). Anyway, he has a series of drawings called "Bane of my Existence" and it feels like you're walking down Bank Street as you go through them.

I do have to say that the "I'm against everything" type of humour sort of wears on me but I see these people everyday so the humour isn't lost on me. Plus, I can (sometimes) laugh at myself and see myself in a few of these illustrations. The curmudgeonly descriptions sort of get less funny if you try to read too many at once because you start to judge the author instead of seeing the truth in what it written.


1 comment:

Jan Triska said...

This is f#$%ing brilliant.
Not only are the comics well done, but they are totally reminiscent of the caricature-like beings I remember meeting at Parliament hill offices and other Ottawa haunts.
My impressions from the first couple of years in the Ottawa bubble are densely populated with such characters...pudgy, unhealthy pale, or strangely effeminate or simply out of shape younger men, with the clothes, the fancy cellphone or the blackberry, yapping about some minor political thing, no idea of how the other half lives, no real interests besides their fledgling careers or appearing somehow cooler than their peers (while remaining horribly geeky and uninstersting all along).
I am not saying that every guy should be a mountain biker/runner/hockey player or some macho, truck-drivin' type...but these pathetic Ottawa males are nothing but an embarrasment and only a step away from becoming that caricature of themselves.
Makes for good satire, though.