Ashville, North Carolina has a claim on three editorial cartoonists as residents. David Cohen (Asheville Citizen Times), Randy Molton (Mountain Xpress), and Brent Brown (Mountain Xpress) talked to station WLOS about the challenges.
From larger-than-life politicians to protests and a global pandemic, at times over the last two years, we’ve probably all taken a step back and thought, “Is this real life?”
Asheville’s three editorial cartoonists are showing what it’s been like to draw this history that’s felt like a cartoon because, like it or not, it’s a cartoonist’s world and we’re just living in it.
© David Cohen
“It’s a thing where they say, ‘Oh I can’t believe they said that. It’s going to be great for a cartoon, but it’s going to be terrible for the country,’” said David Cohen, who works as a cartoonist for the Asheville Citizen Times.
© Randy Molton“The new congressman gives me plenty of material and, in some ways, you don’t really miss Trump because we actually have a Trump right here, you know,” Molton said, referring to freshman NC 11 Rep. Madison Cawthorn.
© Brent Brown
“Everything is more politicized. You used to say, ‘Well, let’s not talk about anything divisive. Let’s talk about the weather.’ Even the weather is politicized,” Brown continued. “Sports, no that’s been politicized, too. Fast food places, no I can’t eat at certain fast food places.”
WLOS interviews cartoonists continuing the tradition.
The 1921 Asheville Tradition of Billy Borne.
