Legendary Ralph Bakshi Emerges From Seclusion for Interview
FILED UNDER: Interviews. Movies, People.
Legendary animator Ralph Bakshi has finally emerged from self-imposed exile after abandoning Hollywood over ten years ago for the seclusion of New Mexico. It seems the failing of his last movie, Cool World, was all Bakshi needed to finally give up on Hollywood politics once and for all.
Since Bakshi has been AWOL for so many years, his name may not mean much, if anything, for a new generation of film-goers, but back in the 70s, Bakshi was a household name, if for other reason than he created the first X-Rated animated cartoon in Fritz the Cat. He later created the animated version of Lord of the Rings, a movie that irritated a great number of fans with its liberal alterations. Personally, I find his movie Wizards to be his best work and I urge you to seek it out.
Ralph has given his first interview in quite some time to the excellent BlackBook Magazine. It contains the same old cranky tongue Bakshi is famous for:
BB: Everyone from Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee to Peter Jackson and Matt Groening claim to have been heavily influenced by your work. How would you like to be remembered as an artist?
RB: You do something because you love it, and you do it with everything you’ve got. And then you die. What you leave behind doesn’t matter. How much money you make doesn’t matter. What people think of you doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is how you spend every fucking day of your life, how you feel about yourself—and not in the narcissistic, egotistical way. It doesn’t matter how I’m remembered, because I’ll remember everything myself. I’ve drawn every day of my life since high school and that’s a pure victory. I’m able to eat. I have hot dogs and I’m not starving. I live in a decent home on top of a mountain. I give my thanks, and I’m not angry anymore. The only person I’m angry with is Robert Crumb. He’s been on my back for too long. Tell him to get off it.
Ralph, now 70, will be making three public appearances in New York where he will be signing copies of Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi.
If you happen to be in New York, head to page 2 for dates and locations, plus a clip from Wizards.
Read More (Source: BlackBook)
