VERMONT VOICES: HARRY BLISS
They’ ll last me the rest of my life. I love them, because as writing implements, they’ re incredible— like playing a Stradivarius as a musician. When you have a good tool, that’ s nice. For paper, I’ ve gotten far less choosy. I write in a Moleskine, but someone recently gifted me some Japanese MD paper, and I love it.
Sherman: In your book, you talk about visiting Maurice Sendak’ s home, especially his vast collection of Mickey Mouse memorabilia. What do you collect?
This page and opposite: VERMONT Magazine is thrilled to share these 2 never before seen cartoons from Harry Bliss’ journal pages.
shaking hands with a squirrel, saying,“ Thanks for meeting. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot.”
The other thing about it is, when I’ m writing and drawing in my journal, it’ s pure— it’ s me. I’ m not thinking about leaving that space and going somewhere else to think differently. I’ m taking that feeling with me right from my recliner. But it wasn’ t always like that, by the way. A lot of this stuff I’ m telling you is from the past decade, this phase. This chapter in my life.
Sherman: You mentioned loving the sensual joy of putting pen and ink to paper. What paper, what ink, what pen?
Bliss: I use a few pens, actually. But my go-to is this Montblanc Meisterstück, an old gift from a girlfriend who hates my guts since I broke up with her. It’ s amazing. Once, when it cracked, I sent it to Montblanc, and they completely fixed it, possibly gave me a new one. There’ s another pen I picked up in Moscow around 2009 or 2010 at a massive outdoor flea market. I just used it this morning. It’ s a fountain pen. I also have an OMAS and a Visconti. They’ re high-end pens.
Bliss: I don’ t have any of my own art in my house. It’ s all other people’ s art, mostly by dead artists, with very few living artists represented. There’ s a photograph of me and Steve Martin, which I like. But I collect mostly what I think is truly good— really good oil paintings, comic strip art, comic book art. I’ ve slowed down a little, but I still follow auctions regularly. Recently, I bought an Everett Shinn. I adore 19th-century landscapes; my house is filled with them. I have a Robert Crumb, a Sendak, an Arthur Rackham, and a Garth Williams illustration from Charlotte’ s Web. I have too much art— flat files filled with original Krazy Kats, four Peanuts strips— I have a problem. There’ s no more room in the house to hang anything— it’ s really difficult. I think I’ m a little addicted to collecting art. I have a full-blown N. C. Wyeth, acquired for a ridiculously low amount. It’ s the centerpiece of my collection.
Sherman: Stand-up comedians often discuss changes in audience and culture and how tricky it can be to navigate. Do you feel you’ ve adjusted your humor to today’ s society, or if you think something’ s funny, do you still put it out there?
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