K Chronicle.com Blog

I read Keef's stuff for free..How does he make any money?"

K Chronicle.com Blog

Sunday, August 27, 2006

*EMAILS OF THE WEEK (re: the GAY GENE strip):

>Hi Keith,

I've been reading your strip for about a year or so on a more-or-less daily basis. Usually I'll scan over it and chuckle and move on, but just a minute ago I read the strip "The Gay Gene" and I've honestly got to say it struck home for me.

When I was growing up I had twin cousins... T., and D. (who was named after my father). T. was always into sports and partying and always had a girl on his shoulder, while D. was more into things like musical theater and fashion. T.'s room looked like a tornado passed through, while D.'s was impeccable.

D. was my favorite of all my cousins. He always had time to get down on my level (he was about five years older than me) and he spoke to me like I was a genuine human being rather than some bratty kid. Time passed and my dad and his brother and sisters all moved to different parts of the US, so I hardly saw my cousins after that.

When I was in my mid 20's my family had a reunion during Thanksgiving. D. was there, but he was gaunt and hardly touched his food. His mom confided to my mom that D. was fighting anorexia, and I could believe it. As we were leaving I wrapped my arms around D. to give him a hug, and I swear the guy weighed like 75 pounds.

At Christmas, one month later, my dad called my aunt to wish her a happy holidays. He asked how everybody was, and my aunt said "Oh, everybody's fine... except for D., that is... he died a couple of weeks ago." She said this as nonchalantly as ever. According to her, he caught a cold right after we left which advanced to pneumonia, which killed him within two weeks. They had him cremated and buried his ashes without telling any of the family that he had died.

Of course now I know that D. was gay, and that he had AIDS, and that his mom was shallow and insensitive enough to try to hide that fact from the rest of the family.

D., you'll be missed.

Anyway, your strip really touched my heart today and I really want to thank you for sharing it. There are thousands upon thousands of people who have lost family members to a "mystery disease", particularly in the 80's and early 90's when it was less known and more taboo. Thanks for making sure that people don't forget.

Regards,

S.

>Hi Keith and Well Met!

I usually don't 'contact' people I don't know because too many frightening
peeps probably overwhelm boxes like yours with odd emails. However, your
comic today touched me.

My uncle is gay - has been for as long as I have lived. Most
unfortunately, he has been battling with HIV+ difficulties - not AIDs
necessarily, but not the prime of health. Your toon today reminded me of
how much I adored him when I was younger - he is my fav family member to
joke around with at gatherings; I wanted to be JUST like him - good taste in
decor and dress; good shopping habits and tastes.. just a cool kind of
guy. He took me to my first military ball - one of my favorite memorable
nights! Your post today reminded me to write him and send long awaited
pictures of his nephew and check in on him. It never ceases to amaze me
that no matter how hard one tries to do otherwise, I get all shades of
caught up in my little life and fail to keep in touch with others.
I wrote him the second I finished your toon.

Anyway.. Point being.. thank you for telling it as it IS all these times -
between cancer, society, I especially like the small things in life you
remind us of.

You rocketh MOST mightily!!

Cheers and good health!
B.
(OH! Happy belated birthday - I hope we get another 30 years of great
posts out of you, at LEAST!!)

>Hi, Keith,
How was your trip to my fair city? I had planned on going, but unfortunately was sidelined by a trip to the hospital... I really appreciate your 'toon today, about your cousin Gene; it's never been said, but I'm fairly sure that one of my uncles (the one who encouraged me to pursue theatre, music, and writing) is gay. He's alive, but has been in your neck of the woods so long that when I see him, it's like I'm seeing a stranger, but I remember being five and being taken into the costume/prop room of the theatre he was working in... Like magic.
You never cease to amaze with your wit, humour, and humanity. Keep it up!

J. in New Orleans

>Dear Keith,

Thanks for your Gay Gene strip. Made me remember our family's gay Gene, who's been gone for 11 years now. I read in your blog that you haven't been well. Hope you're better soon.

Pax et bonum,

Mary

>Old Man,

Pneumonia, thats not fair, I think you are entitled to
a repeat for your birthday, especially being the 40th!

I wanted to say thank you, I really enjoyed reading
your tribute to your cousin. I could tell how much he
meant to you and vice versa, he seems like the kind of
person who would make you a better person for knowing
him. I showed it to a guy I work with, who is gay,
he was really touched.

You know...when you get it right, you really get
right.

G
posted by keith at 11:56 PM

*BLEEEEEEAAAHHHHHHH!!
The fever and headaches are gone. Now it's just hacking up gunk and trying to regain my strength.

Keep an eye out over the next coupla weeks for GUEST ARTISTS(!) doing the K Chronicles and (th)ink. It's gonna be good stuff!!

In the meantime, I've been catching up on my comics reading and I gotta tell ya, Stephen Notley's new "Bob the Angry Flower" book "Dog Killer" is sensational. If you're into sci-fi geeky stuff, chaos and destruction with a political conscience, this book is fer you!!

*Cough*
posted by keith at 11:05 PM

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!
Well, officially it's tomorrow. And when people ask me what does one get for their fortieth birthday, I'll know just what to say..

PNEUMONIA!!

That's right, folks. Your friendly neighborhood cartoonist got himself a heap o' Pneumonia for his birthday..and he ain't sharing it with nobody..NOBODY!!('cept mebbe his wife)..

So while the rest of you are out drinking, BBQing, shooting up and sleeping around, think of yours truly hucking up another thick, gooey, yellowish concoction, discreetly wrapping it in toilet paper, and dropping off for the night nurse to take away.

Enjoy!!
posted by keith at 1:23 PM

Saturday, August 19, 2006

*EXTRA! EXTRA!!
Sadly, I won't be performing at Afrosolo Friday thru Sunday. I did Thursday's performance (and smoked it!! I should've brought more books!) but I was taking a chance..I had come down with a nasty virus that has basically kicked my ass so much, I've had to cancel my remaining performances.

But that shouldn't stop you from going. All the other performers are great..And I certainly don't want to give them what I got..
posted by keith at 7:49 PM

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

*HEY..SORRY I'VE BEEN OUT OF TOUCH..
..but I've been hard at work putting the finishing touches on my slideshow performance at this year's AfroSolo Festival starting tomorrow night!!

The thing is, I've been putting the new (th)ink book together, and took a coupla days off for my (4th!) wedding anniversary, AND I had family visiting me. So it's been quite crazy.

And the worst part of it is: Once my little sis and her family left, I got deathly ill. I don't know what it is, but it's a killer. Hot flashes and the shivers. I'm a mess. I had to cancel a presentation at 826 Valencia today (Sorry, kids!!).

So we'll see how this all turns out tomorrow night when I have my stage debut. Go to the calendar section of this site for ticket info...

Cheers!

Keef
posted by keith at 10:41 PM

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

*THIS IS FROM THE GLYPH AWARD WINNERS ARTICLE WRITTEN BY FINE COMICS JOURNALIST RICH WATSON:

The first time I encountered Keith Knight’s work was in the graphic novel section of a Virgin Megastore several years ago. I couldn’t say what exactly it was about Fear of a Black Marker that attracted my attention -- maybe it was the title, maybe it was the cover art -- but I flipped through this K Chronicles compilation and bought it on impulse, not having a clue who the creator was but somehow getting a good feeling from it.

I’m almost certain the first time I met Keith was at the Small Press Expo. I had brought my copy of Marker with me for him to sign and I also purchased Dances With Sheep and he signed that too. He immediately struck me as the kind of guy I would have more than a few things in common with. I remember how impressed I was to see the CDs for his band the Marginal Prophets on sale as well, and I remember vowing to buy one the next time I saw him -- and I did. (I have all of his CDs now; get one, they’re awesome!) I also remember reading Sheep in my hotel room, lying on my stomach on my bed, and laughing hysterically while my friend Reid was wondering if I was about to have a seizure.

Over the subsequent years I like to think I’ve become a friend of Keith’s; an acquaintance at the very least. I’ve attended his world-famous slideshow lecture; I’ve been to a Marginal Prophets concert (and that is surely one of my all-time best comics-related memories from the past decade or so); and I own almost everything Keith-related. Sometimes I think I should just give him a check for $100 to put towards anything and everything he comes out with. (Gratuitous plug: check out this book he co-wrote with Mat Schwarzman called The Beginner’s Guide to Community-Based Arts, a handbook for starting up arts programs in your neighborhood, citing examples from all across America. Includes cartoons by Keith and others. Fascinating book.)

Keith’s not only an exceptional cartoonist but a fine person as well, and I’m privileged to know him and more than willing to support whatever he does because he’s just that good.
posted by keith at 1:24 AM

Friday, August 04, 2006

*RADIO INTERVIEW..
I'll be interviewed about my AfroSolo performance (coming up later this month) on San Francisco's KPOO 89.5fm at 1pm pac. time this afternoon. You can also listen in online at http://www.kpoo.com
posted by keith at 12:17 PM

Thursday, August 03, 2006

*CONCERNING THE S.U.V.S FOR THE HOMELESS STRIP..

Keef, dude, you rock, and reading the K Chronicles on Salon is one of the highlights of each Wednesday.

But dude, don't equate CostCo with Walmart and Home Depot. Yeah, it's a big box store, but I know a few folks that work there and they treat their employees *well*. They're also really minority- and queer-friendly, and their CEO is a great guy.

D

(For the record, I know Costco is a great company {I may do a strip about them in the future], not to be confused with WalMart, but in the interest of small, local businesses...-kk)
posted by keith at 12:18 AM

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

*MY BOOKS SHOULD REMAIN IN THE TOILET, NO MATTER WHAT...

Hi Keith,

After reading your Wednesday strip at salon.com for a couple of years, it was great to finally meet you and your wife at Comic- Con last Saturday. You're so down-to-earth and easy to talk to, and I wanted to thank you for taking the time to chat. I've been enjoying the Beginner's Guide to Community-based Arts, and have been kicking around some ideas for how I can get more involved. I've had to take What a Long Strange Strip It's Been out of my bathroom because my friends keep trying to take it with them. I'm pushing them to order their own copies.

Take care and keep up the great work--

--v.

*EARTHQUAKE!!
Woo..Just had a 4.4 roll through San Francisco. I've never been in a bad one, but I've been around enough people who have, so I'm always quick to head for cover...
posted by keith at 9:27 PM

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

*A NEW (TH)INK COLLECTION IS COMING SOON!!
I'm putting it together as we speak. It's gonna be called "Are We Feeling Safer Yet?" and it collects the best of my single panel strip from late 2003 until now. What's different this time is I'll be publishing myself, through my own SheepInnaToilet Press.

It'll be available in the Fall EXCLUSIVELY through my website..and won't hit stores til the end of the year..So figure out who needs a good comic smack in da head and order a few come da holidaze..Okay?

*HEY!! IF ANYBODY WATCHES THE T.V. SHOW "ROCKSTAR:SUPERNOVA"..
..Ex-San Francisco Rock Goddess Storm Large is on there and it looks like she may win. She deserves it. She was one of the most talented performers I've ever had the pleasure of sharing the stage with. When we first met, she picked me up, threw me over her shoulder and carried into this club, threw me down and demanded I dance with her. 'Nuff said. Vote for this force of nature.

*EXPECT SOME MARGINAL PROPHET REMIXES IN THE NEAR FUTURE..
And mebbe even A SHOW!!

Cheers!
posted by keith at 10:23 PM

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