#351: Drawing Hungry New Yorkers on the UES, TimeOut New York gives me an official title & a farewell Thank You!

+ Mort Gerberg & Morris meets Grandpa!

Hope you’re having a half-eaten hot dog of a Friday.

I’m sorry this edition is going out later than usual. This week has been…

But it’s ending in a surprising way!

I’m writing this between scenes on the set of a short film I got cast in at the last second for a pretty massive client. I’m bursting to tell you more but I have to walk around with gaffer tape over my mouth for the next four days. I’ll be able to rip it off (along with half of my beard) next Tuesday— (Make sure you’ve added this email to your address book so I don’t land in your $P@M folder.)

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But first, a Farewell. And a big Thank You.

It’s too long for this post, so I’ve written it up in a separate post. Click below to read it.

Your Shout is a collection of New York stories from you, the reader that I illustrate with a cartoon. Think of it like the Metropolitan Diary in the NY Times. But on Substack. And longer.

🔒 This feature is available exclusively to Paid Subscribers first and later unlocked & added to the archive.

The one dropping in the next week is about an angry New York bouncer and a lost ID. I can’t wait for you to read it.

Scribbling New Yorkers on Napkins

This week, I was drawing hungry New Yorkers in a bakery on the Upper West Side.

The bakery Ole & Steen has been getting me to draw cartoons of their customers on napkins and coasters to celebrate the opening of their new locations. They sell a Cinnamon Social (think Wisconsin Kringle on crack) that has created a cult following.

Kind of like my drawings. On Napkins. It is, no doubt, the reason TimeOut New York just officially dubbed me a… “Napkin Artist.”

I met some amazing local New Yorkers and loved listening to their stories and advice while I was scribbling them. (Hello to any of them who subscribed after we met this week).

I finished the day with a drink downtown at Harry’s Sidebar

I didn’t know Harry’s (at Hanover Square) had a little speakeasy attached to the side, but I do now. And I am going to eat potatoes and draw at that bar as often as the 1 Train will allow.

If you enjoy my work, there’s a hefty chance you might like the people I enjoy, too. Each week, I share a new person who tickles my fancy. This week’s person is…

Mort Gerberg

On Monday night I got to schlep to the Village to kvetch about the state of cartooning with my favorite alter kaker, Mort Gerberg. (He’d be verklempt that I used those terms correctly.)

Mort has been teaching me how to talk like a real New Yorker for most of my time here. He grew up in Brooklyn playing punchball and lived in New York for over 90 years. Here he is at dinner, speaking in wonder at his impression of modern Brooklyn:

“They’re all so young! They’re walkin’ around wearing diapers!”

I couldn’t have wished for a better role model for a cartoonist, New Yorker, or friend. He is a staunch advocate for cartoonists, for the art of cartooning, and even in his 90’s is still working, innovating, and learning about how to share his work with the world. Oh, and he’s still funny.

“I’m sorry, I can’t be at your book launch, I've got the shpilkes!”

I asked him to present the categories for Best Gag Cartoonist and Best Book Illustrator last week at the Reubens, because he’s both one of the most prolific New Yorker cartoonists, and happens to have contributed to, written, edited, or illustrated nearly 50 books in his career.

Any time a cartoonist asks for a book to help them with gag cartooning, the first words out of my mouth are Mort Gerberg. His book, “Cartooning: The Art and the Business” (Or as it’s called in the super-old version on my desk, “The Arbor House Book of Cartooning”) is referred to by many in the cartooning biz as the gag cartoonist’s “Bible.” It was blurbed by Charles Schulz (but what would he know about cartooning?!)

He’s one of my favourite people in the world.

I shlepped to his apartment on the Upper West Side to interview him a couple of years ago when he was inducted into the National Cartoonists Society Hall of Fame. You can watch it here:

I wrote up a full Artist Spotlight post on my website about Mort here.

Until next time,
Your pal,

Jason

Sophie's Running a Marathon to Raise Money for Ronald McDonald House.

I will be on the sidelines eating a slice of pizza at mile 16.1

Sophie, AKA “The lady with muscles who helps me carry boxes of books” is lacing up her running shoes to take on a momentous challenge - her first full marathon run in support of Ronald McDonald House! But she can't do it alone, and that's where we need your help...

How do you help?
By supporting Sophie's marathon run, you can contribute to Ronald McDonald House Bronx's vital mission. Your donation, big or small, will directly benefit families in need, ensuring they have a comfortable place to stay in a supportive community.

P.S. If she hits her fundraising goal, she will eat an entire bagel at the finish line. Click below to support. Every little bit helps!

…to his (second) grandpa for the first time.