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(More customer reviews)In this online world of LOL and LMAO, the notion of actually laughing out loud has become cheapened and reduced to cliché. "I just dropped my fork LOL!" "Time to walk the dog LOL!" Let me be the first to take back this expression from the Tweeters and Bloggers and say that Drew Friedman's new book literally made my mouth open and emit short, uncontrolled bursts of noise in the "ha-ha-ha" sequence. Yes, I laughed out loud.
You probably will too when you see the hilariously distorted yet at the same time brutally accurate portrayals of contemporary political figures. All my favorites are in here. The people I like and those I love to hate. They're depicted in Drew's trademark style of warts and all (or liver spots and all, wrinkles and all - take your pick). The expressions on their faces and the way Friedman has exaggerated their features causes that involuntary response mentioned above. Great stuff.
The second part of the book is a loving look at show biz personalities and my open-mouth reaction was less about laughing and more about reverent, slack-jawed awe. The way Drew captures these faces shows how much he genuinely likes comedians, singers and actors (especially compared to politicians and candidates). Although the same brutal ugliness is omnipresent, it's done with a palpable love for the subject. Many of the celebrity portrait are suitable for framing and daily ogling. (A good reason to buy a second copy of the book.) That having been said, some of these are also laugh-out-loud funny.
This kind of book is often called a coffee table book because you can leave it out and leaf through it at your leisure. I highly recommend that approach. I tried to consume the book all in one sitting in an effort to give a fair review and was amazed at how often I chuckled, chortled or guffawed at these wonderful paintings. It was exhausting! I wish now I'd saved a few for a rainy day, although I'm sure I'll come back to the book again and again when I need a snicker or two.
Highly recommended for lovers of laughter and admirers of fine art.
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The first collection of celebrity portraits andcaricatures from the pen of Drew Friedman.
With Too Soon? Friedman finally (none 'too soon," in fact) gets his due with this fat, beautiful collection that showcases his wide-ranging skills as a portraitist and caricaturist.Too Soon? is evenly split between political celebrities and show-business ones, ranging from Friedman's instantly iconic 'Barack Obama as George Washington" New Yorker cover to brutal depictions of Britney Spears and her tabloid-filling ilk.Subjects (or targets, depending on how you look at it) for Friedman's pen on the political side include Bill and Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John McCain, and George W. Bush (with an iconic 'W. as Strangelove" image) and his gang. Entertainers include Tiny Tim, Barney Fife, Bob Dylan, Woody Allen, Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand, Jerry Lewis, the Three Stooges, Ellen DeGeneres, and Conan O'Brien. And falling somewhere in the gray area between entertainersand political players (you make the call!) Rush Limbaugh (who blasted Friedman's George W. Bush image as being of 'low artistic quality"), Sarah Palin, and Michael Moore.The book will also include a running commentary by Friedman on the stories behind the drawings, including reactions from magazine editors, celebrities, and their fans. The cover is a stunning depiction of Michael Jackson. Too soon? Nah! 200 color illustrations
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