For my first-ever caricature I became a rocker with a Flying V

By Steve Newton

The night before last I went to the Georgia Straight‘s 50th anniversary bash. For those out of the loop, the Georgia Straight is the weekly Vancouver newspaper that I’ve worked at for 35 years.

The Straight was founded as a counter-culture publication in 1967, the Summer of Love, and has managed to stay in business (and independent) while lesser broadsheets have died a slow (or split-second) death due to that pesky internet and social media and such.

So it was definitely a night to celebrate, and staffers and invited guests downed Steamwhistle beer and assorted munchies while a magician wandered around, doing tricks. Since he wasn’t sawing a woman in half I wasn’t that interested, but I kept eyeing the caricaturist in the lobby, who was banging out pretty sweet representations of the happy folks posing for him.

I’d never had a caricature done, although I’d seen the booths at the PNE every year and thought about it. I recently turned 60, though, and realize it’s time to throw caution to the wind and live a little.

So I sat down and chatted with the artist, a dude named Cory (Corycatures.com), to discuss the theme of the cartoon. I suggested he make me a rocker because, hey, who doesn’t wanna rock? Cory told me that he plays in a local hard-rock band called Skookum, so I figured he’d be up to the task.

He asked me what kind of guitar I wanted to be playing, and I told him a Flying V, which he thought was a damn fine idea. I specified a Fender amp as well.

My wife was off searching for Steamwhistles while he sketched away, so I told him that when she gets back he might as well just draw her in as a groupie. Remember that part about living a little?

Five or 10 minutes later he handed me the finished work of art, and I thought it was totally rockin’. Skookum, even.

Cross one off the bucket list!