A biography for Garry Trudeauhasn’t been written yet.
“Because I was a diminutive, arty kid, I felt like a misfit in high school - but who doesn't?”
“Coming up with ideas is really hard - they don't spontaneously pop into my head while I'm cutting vegetables.”
“Lives have been altered in fundamental ways, and later, after they acquire a more complete understanding of what goals are actually attainable, many are left facing a lot of pain and frustration. And yet, there's no culture of complaint.”
“There is nothing worse than annotated humour.”
“The systematic dismantling of reproductive rights, much like the takedown of collective bargaining, has been taking place in full view.”
“Well, it's a humor strip, so my first responsibility has always been to entertain the reader... But if, in addition, I can help move readers to thought and judgment about issues that concern me, so much the better.”
“I'm still passionately interested in what my fellow humans are up to. For me, a day spent monitoring the passing parade is a day well-spent.”
“In their heyday, comics were a dominant force in popular culture, but that's over.”
“In any event, it's not exactly a secret to regular readers what my views on the war are.”
“There's always been some concern that adult subject matter should be quarantined from a page that attracts children. Unlike late at night, when 'South Park' and 'Colbert' are on, impressionable minds are wide awake when the newspaper arrives.”
“I try not to second-guess editors; they're the clients, and I have no expectation that my strip is going to make it into every paper every day.”
“As far as I'm concerned, there is no subject that's off the table.”
“That's what fiction writers do: create characters and do terrible things to them for the entertainment of others. If they feel guilty enough, they write happy endings.”
“I don't think so, but it's always in the back of my mind that many of the soldiers being wounded and killed in Iraq are about the same age as my kids. My godson is going over soon, so the war's about to get personal for me.”
“I just happen to have one of those skill sets that allows me to work in my underwear.”
“When you're young, with less on the line, it's easier to be audacious, to experiment. So I introduced the concerns of my generation - politics, sex, drugs, rock-and-roll, etc. - to the comics page, which for many years caused a rolling furor.”
“When you're young, you don't feel iconoclastic - you're just kind of doing what seems natural, what moves you.”
“Medical decisions have been politicized. What doctor wants a state legislator in his consulting room?”
“I don't want to sound disingenuous here - controversy is obviously good for business, especially if your business is satire. And it does amplify the discussion - in my view, a good thing.”
“I've never taken any issue off the table for lack of suitability. Only for lack of imagination.”