Talking Movies: From Zap to Zapiro – Episode 2

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Welcome to Talking Movies, I’m Spling. This week we begin Episode 1 of From Zap to Zapiro…

It is amazing how prolific you have been and the name Zapiro. I wanted to find out from you, how did you arrive at that name? And were there any other names in the running?

As a long-time fan of Zapiro’s work, it’s always a treat to delve into the mind of this South African cartooning legend. Listening to him recount the origins of his iconic name was not only fascinating but also humbling. It’s incredible to think that such a powerful brand emerged from a school prefect’s nickname!

Among all the contenders, no other names stood out as potential winners. In essence, I often express that everyone is a natural-born cartoonist. You see, we all exhibit cartoonist tendencies when we’re three, four, or five years old. The ones who continue to draw in this style are the ones who eventually transform into professional cartoonists.

When I was around 8 or 9 years old, I started participating in the annual Christmas card competition for juniors and developed a distinctive, cartoonish drawing style. However, I continued to sign my artwork as Jonathan Shapiro.

In eighth grade, which is when I was in standard 6, I enrolled at Rondebosch High School. Prior to that, I had attended primary school as well. One of the prefects there was an exceptional athlete and scholar, admired by many.

Martin Shapiro shares a similar naming pattern with names like Szabo, which are spelled in a way common among Polish and Hungarian names, as they both start with “Sz” (pronounced ‘Sh’). Therefore, Martin’s name can be written as Martin Szapiro.

In my class, people mistakenly believed I was his sibling and referred to me as “Zap.” This nickname seemed fitting for the cartoons I planned to create. Unbeknownst to me, it turned out that name was already quite popular, with Zap Comics and Robert Crumb associated with it.

It wasn’t until later that I discovered I had been signing my artwork as “Zap” throughout high school and even during my college years, while I was pursuing architecture and occasionally creating art for the side. During this time, I also dabbled in political activities, and it was under this pseudonym that I signed my drawings.

In 1984, I sketched an image of a police officer fatally shooting another person. The casual nature of “Zap” seemed inappropriate, so I began thinking it might be more suitable for the Underground Dissident Faction (UDF) instead.

I pondered, no, I needed to attempt something more significant. I considered incorporating additional elements of my name. Spending the afternoon, I endeavored to connect the Zap symbol I already had, which seemed quite charming, with other letters that felt harmonious in the same realm.

I mean, it’s become such a brand for you. And I think it’s, I don’t know how much you would say it’s contributed to your success. And it’s got quite a catchy sound to it. So yeah, I mean, it’s become this entity in its own right. And obviously, it wasn’t Zorro that got the Z there. But you have become like a bit of a superhero in a way, in the South African political landscape.

Appreciate your sentiments. I didn’t foresee all the events unfolding, but I avoided the term ‘branding’. At that point, it felt more like a promotional or commercial endeavor to me. However, I did grasp the potency behind Giles’s signature and others, such as Modillo’s.

Whenever I examined Charles Schulz’s autograph, he simply wrote “Schulz” – a name familiar to many, much like the signatures of Hergé and Udozo. It left no room for doubt that I needed to secure something identifiable by the public.

What’s amusing is that someone from deep within Limpopo, even a Zapiro trading store, sent something to me. The name alone seems to have a sort of independent existence, much like how a shower can feel self-sustaining in its purpose.

In this day and age of things like X or Twitter and social media, where the news breaks almost instantaneously, how do you stay ahead of the curve when it comes to breaking news and making sure that your work, which is published the next day is going to still be hot off the press, so to speak?

You know, there’s like two things there. One thing that people often ask me about is about breaking stories. I don’t do breaking stories. I want there to be a little bit of time so that people know what the thing is about.

I’d like it to be clear enough for multiple readers to grasp the subject matter beforehand, reducing the need to read it and potentially diminishing the impact of the cartoon due to uncertainty about its content.

Today’s pace is significantly faster due to social media and immediate news sources compared to traditional methods such as newspapers or radio broadcasts where information was delivered gradually. In today’s world, when discussing topics like X on platforms like Twitter, one must react more swiftly than before; however, it is still important to remember that the goal isn’t to break a story but rather to contribute to an informed discussion.

In today’s fast-paced world of technology and social media, it has become evident to me that things which were once only heard on the radio or early forms of social media can now reach my ears much more easily.

If I come across an interesting use of language, whether it’s intentionally humorous or clever wordplay, I might borrow it in my own conversations. However, nowadays, the creativity and quick wit required to keep up with such instances is simply beyond me.

It’s too fast. I can’t compete with the memes, with the big tweets because they’re out there and then so many people have seen that that people will say oh that’s not original so I’ve got to do something different as a cartoonist. That’s been the biggest difference for me.

I’ve got to be fast, I’ve got to be more layered than the way that the memes are.

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2024-09-29 10:43