I was saddened to learn yesterday of the death of the well loved cartoonist, Tony Husband. I thought I’d look him up and see what he’s doing and found the news releases by BBC and The Guardian, detailing his passing last year, on October 18th, 20231. I re-posted his interview here, today, to introduce people to his work.
Originally inspired by a nasty beating he received from a group of skinheads, Tony Husband’s comic strip, Yobs, featured in England’s top selling current affairs magazine, Private Eye, for thirty-eight years. Tony’s single panel gag strips regularly appeared in Private Eye, Punch, Playboy and many other major publications.
Those who grew up in the UK during the eighties will remember Tony Husband’s comic magazine Oink and its TV spin off, Round the Bend. An accidental sequence of events made Oink controversial: Ian Paisley wanted Oink banned in Ireland and Oink was discussed with concern in the English Houses of Parliament.
In 2014, Tony wrote and published Take Care, Son: The Story Of My Dad And His Dementia, a funny and tender graphic novel about his father’s struggle with vascular dementia. This book deal came about when, after seeing some early panels, Stephen Fry tweeted that they were “rather wonderful cartoon strips… chronicling his father’s dementia with loving charm and wit”. Take Care, Son is that and more.
After this interview was recorded in 2017, Mr. Husband published From a Dark Place: How a Family Coped with Drug Addiction, about his son’s struggle with addiction2. Mr. Husband co-authored From a dark place with his son, photographer, Paul Husband. Working in a different medium, the younger Mr. Husband is an artist like his father, producing very fine and emotive photographic portraiture.
I spent some time with Mr. Husband and learned about his childhood, career and influences. Mister Husband struck me as sensitive and kind hearted, and I liked very much what I got to know of him.
Since this interview originally took place, I have had personal experience, myself, with family members suffering from dementia (my brother had Parkinson’s) as well as with loved ones suffering from health issues related to substance use disorders. I listen to this talk, now, with a new perspective. Life is never dull.
The telephone interview could have better sound and during the interview, we were interrupted by a parcel delivery and a meter reader. Ha! But I didn’t mind. It was interesting and inspiring to talk to Mister Husband. He was charming.
Living in Canada, I regularly peruse the BBC and Guardian headlines and I suppose I missed the news of Mr. Husband’s passing somewhere down below the Gaza headlines that were capturing my attention at the time.
For insight into how frighteningly common the health issue of addiction is, see my March 18, 2024 article, Overdose and Suicide.
Interview With Cartoonist Tony Husband