One book leads to another...

Friday, April 8, 2016

Friends of the Famous - G



In addition to his critically acclaimed comic book series; The Sandman, English novelist Neil Gaiman was the first author ever to receive both the Newberry and the Carnegie medals for the same work; The Graveyard Book. When he isn’t writing epic kid-goth or inspecting universes behind the fridge, Gaiman spends treasured time with furry friends, including a handful of cats and a dog he once rescued from the side of a road in the rain. He named the dog Cabal, after King Arthur’s dog; who could see the wind (and was also white as snow). Gaiman and Cabal enjoyed a great many years in mutual devotion before the dog passed away.
“Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.” ~ Neil Gaiman

Unintended star of the world’s most syndicated comic strip, Garfield the lasagna-loving cat is also the most beloved creation of author/illustrator Jim Davis.  Davis patterned the character after his grandfather, who he describes as “a large cantankerous man” with a farm and a great many cats, though not as the leading character of the comic strip. Garfield’s ‘owner’ Jon was originally intended to have the lead role, but fans decided otherwise.   While 17 million fans are nothing to sneeze at, Davis still somewhat laments the fact that his own father preferred ‘Beetle Bailey’ to the Garfield comic strip. The continued success of the cat’s adventures was largely enhanced when Charles Schulz (Peanuts creator) happened by the drawing desk one day and suggested Davis give the cat bigger back paws in order to stand upright. With that, Garfield slimmed down (a little) and was given a voice for film and television adaptations. The voice was that of Lorenzo Music who also did the disembodied voice of the doorman Carlton in the sitcom “Rhoda” and subbed for Bill Murray on occasion in the movie “The Real Ghostbusters”.  When eventually Bill Murray agreed to be Garfield’s voice, Davis was genuinely pleased and well aware of the irony.
“Way down deep, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them.” ~ Jim Davis  


Have you named any pet after a famous person or pet? What kind of human food does your pet enjoy?

11 comments:

  1. Hi, dear Diedre!

    I can't think of a finer deed than rescuing discarded animals from the side of a road in the rain and giving them a forever home. That's as good as it gets. When you see an opportunity to commit a random act of greatness - go for it.

    I am inspired by this Jim Davis quote:

    “Way down deep, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them.” ~ Jim Davis

    Mrs. Shady and I named our black Cocker Spaniel "Toto" even though the dog was female. We acquired Toto when our granddaughter was age two and becoming fascinated with The Wizard of Oz movie which we played for her many times in her childhood. Like most dogs, Toto was always more interested in what the people around the dinner table were eating than what was in her dog dish. She begged for beef, chicken, spaghetti, pizza and other meaty scraps.

    Thank you, dear friend Diedre!

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    1. Hi Shady!
      "Random acts of greatness", I like that:-) The best thing about an animal rescue is that you often get rescued yourself.
      I loved the quote about cats, 'the courage to live by them'. While I wouldn't dare complain about the food set before me, my cat would blatantly try to bury her dish as if it were in her catbox! The nerve.
      How sweet that you named Toto for your granddaughter's favorite show! When we first got the girls (as puppies) we'd already named one Ginger, so naturally my grandson wanted to name the second one Mary Ann - he of course, would take the name Gilligan!
      Thanks for coming by today, my friend:-)

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  2. Loved The Graveyard Book. And of course, Garfield.

    I've never named a pet after anyone/anything famous, but I have always wanted a Great Dane named Scooby-Doo.

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    1. Hi M.J.!
      I'd name a Great Dane after Scooby-Doo too! I never tired of that snicker he had:-)

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  3. Someone in my writer's group got into a Twitter battle with Neil Gaiman a couple of days ago. I felt two degrees removed from fame!

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    1. Ha! How ironic is that? I don't do twitter but folks sure seem to use it for venting. Course, I guess any social media is a platform of sorts. Thanks for commenting, Stephanie:-)

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  4. I'm blogging about Neil Gaiman today too. I read The Graveyard Book. It was a great and inspiring read. Back in the day, I was a huge Garfield fan too, even though I didn't like how he was sometimes mean to Odie.

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    1. Hi Cynthia!
      I hadn't heard of The Graveyard Book before this challenge, but it sure sounds intriguing;-)
      Garfield was sure a stinker, wasn't he? Amazing that it was part of his popularity.

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  5. You are the second person to mention Neil Gaiman. I know him mostly from reading Neverwhere and the episodes of Doctor Who he wrote.

    I used to LOVE reading Garfield when I was in high school. If I were to get a pet, I'd likely name it after someone or something from a favourite film or TV show.

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    1. Hi Jeffrey!
      Cynthia (see above) did a great review on another of his books :-)
      I usually name the pet whatever it makes me think of, Stretch, Shadow, Bandit - we did have a dog named Skynyrd;-)

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  6. That rescue story was heart-warming and the fact that it was raining made it even more so. That's one good guy!
    Interesting history about Garfield's origins and all new to me. I remember Carlton The Doorman, though. ☺ My grandmother gave me a miniature poodle when I was 12. I named her after the RAGG MOPP song. So corny!

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Any thoughts? Join the conversation, comments welcome here!