Anyone here remember the Freak Brothers? They were a trio of comic book characters dating from the 1970’s and maybe late 1960’s, living in San Francisco during the heady hippy days and drawn by Gilbert Shelton. We were reorganizing our bookshelves over the weekend and I was slowed down in my work by coming across my pile of Freak Brothers comics. Had to sit down and at least read “The Freak Brothers Go To Mexico”!
This was very funny stuff. I was born and raised in California and came of age in the 70’s, and reading it again made me feel quite young again. Of course my days of consumption of certain pharmaceuticals are way in the past, but I could still enjoy the contact high.
How about it? Any former Franklins, Freddies, or Phineases here?
Ah yes, Fat Freddy’s Cat and his total war with the cockroaches. The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers taught me that “Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope!”
I think those cartoons and the art of Robert Crumb, particularly the cover of Big Brother and the Holding Company (with Janis Joplin) really crystallise some of the most endearing aspects of that period.
“Take it!
Take another little piece of ma heart now baby…”
Let’s not forget the contributions of Paul Mavrides, the writer. Very funny stuff, very smart. A shame that reprints are so hard to find, I’d love to own them all.
Fat Freddy (waking up with a vicious hangover on the wrong plane - this one being full of Scottish soccer hooligans): “Ugh! Where can I get a glass of water?” Scottish soccer hooligan: “WATER?! THIS canna’ be a Scotsman!!”
Oh YES! These guys are my heros!
My favorite must be when Phenias went out to the woods to commune with nature, and whilst trying to light a hooter rolled out of TP inadvertantly sets the woods aflame. When he hightails it out of the burning forrest wearing nothing but leaves, he starts a new trend which leads to him having a potential political carreer. of course it is all blown away when Fat Freddie busts him out as the starter of the fire. For some reson this one reminded me of a few real life politicians, in power in the 90’s
To this day in our household we call large vehicles “Pitney-Creech” Don’t drive faster than the Mexican bus!
I really enjoyed the Freak Bros. I remember giggling over them in class. I still have several of the comics somewhere in my basement. Loved Fat Freddy’s Cat pooping here there and everywhere. Trying to remember if it was Phineas who was the one who would solemnly intone “Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope.”
longjohn, I went over to the Ripoff Press websited and discovered that there have been more comics written since I last bought a FB comic book. I ordered up the “Idiots Abroad” series, drawn in the 80’s, and am looking forward to seeing how the trio are doing.
I read somewhere that Gilbert Shelton is happily living in Paris these days. Comic book revenue must be good!
I, too, loved the hirstute ones back in the days when I used to reac comic books. I think my favortie scene is when Norbert the Narc has planted a smell detector, disguised as a vase of flowers, in the Brothers’ apartment. He gets back in his van and turns up the unit to full power, chortling as he hopes to soon detect the smell of marijuana. The Brothers come home from a Mexican dinner and Fat Freddy rips off a tremendous fart that knocks the detector off the table. The last panel in the strip shows Norbert the Narc running down the street holding his nose.
Classic, classic stuff, especially if you were partying in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
I only encountered the Freak Bros in the 90s, when I happened across a TPB of their stuff - I think it was Ripoff Press’ work. God, that shit’s hilarious! I found reprints in the local headshop a couple years later and pissed off the staff by reading them all and not buying one. But I had to throw in here. I love the Freaks!
My favorite episodes were Phineas’ dreams, especially the one where Freddy tries to help him write a message of peace in Russian for Brezhnev’s visit and they end up painting “Fuck you and the pig you rode in on” on a building wall.
Wonder Warthog! My favorite was the one where he got trapped in the bathroom-it’s been years and I still remember that as being the funniest cartoon I ever read-
We put up the Brothers as a sterling example of what type of behaviour to avoid. If grass is a gateway drug, then we know who fell through that gateway don’t we? We can laugh at thier mishaps and take them with a strong dose of reality. We who stand in the gateway reflect upon the Brothers experience and know there are some trips we won’t go on. We’'ll enjoy thier trip.
Since we’re bringing up Wonder WartHog, my favourite moment with WW was when he was going to have sex with a woman. She saw his little dick and laughed. He then said something like “I CAN STILL USE MY SNOUT!” Then there were sound effects like ROOT! ROOT! He then sneezed, and shot the woman across the city.
