Famed Animator Ron Campbell Brings Art Show To San Diego

Listeners of a certain age may remember waking up on Saturday mornings and watching the cartoon adventures of the world's most famous band the Beatles or seeing a full-length animated version of the Beatles yellow submarine. The man who worked as animator for those cartoons is in town for a show of his work and joining me is Ron Campbell. Welcome to the show. In queue it is a pleasure to be here. Are you surprised that you are so well known for the work that you did on the Beatles cartoon? Are you kidding? If you would've told me 50 years ago that I would be on your radio station talking to you I would've been amazed. I was just doing my job. It was what I did. What did you know about the Beatles at the time you got the job as animator? Virtually nothing. They were a peripheral image for me. The producer of the Beatles called me in the middle of the night and said he just sold a new TV show and we would like you to direct it. I said that is terrific what is the show? He said it is a Beatles. Thought for a minute and I said Jiminy cricket was a great insect but I don't know if insects make a good character seen for children's television. And then they said this was the Rocco -- rock 'n roll band. Ron, you said that you got interested in trying when you were six? Indeed. What was it about it that drew you to it? Every child draws and wants to paint and it is something you do that. Some of us continue to draw and paint for the rest of their lives and this is -- I think that is a difference between a novelist and something that does something more important. So that's the way it was for me and I went to the movies on the Sunday afternoon with all the other kids in the neighborhood and watched cartoons. Ice was fascinated by the cartoons. I do not understand what they were. Thought perhaps they were real animals and they were alive. I did not associate that beam of light coming down from the screens. When I told them about these cartoons he said they are just drawings. It was like a six-year-old epiphany for me. It just seemed to me like enormously fascinating. I am afraid that the emotion carried with me all through my teenage years. Did you ever hear at the Beatles like the series? There was a story told to me about the first time they went into the screening room and watched a few episodes. Ron Campbell, you have drawn for just about every child's favorite TV cartoon character there is Scooby Doo, Flintstones, Jetsons, is there one character or TV series that has stayed with you that maybe what's your favorite? There is not one but every single one. There have been times when I can't quite remember working on the show and the computer information tells me that I did. So that's a a bit disconcerting. There is no favorites. Had you differentiate between Scooby Doo and Rugrats. It can't be done. You may desperately worked with pencil and paper but a lot of the cartoon emanation these days is done digitally. How was that shift change the industry and the art of illustration? Well, each generation comes along and has to do their own thing. The technology was changing as I was working through my career. I stayed away from computer generators dust generated films. My last film was working on a timing director on Ed, Ed & Eddie. human beings I think conversely can do things that no computer can do. So there are different things. I'm fully expecting in times to come somebody will say why don't we try doing a drawn cartoon again. Then I will realize nobody knows how to do that and they will have to learn all over again. It will be an innovative breakthrough Emma Wright? Now that you are retired you focused on painting Cartoon Pop Art Show are these based on the shows that you've worked on? Everything that I do now believe me there is a second act in life all you have to do is find it for yourself. And my second act is doing training space on the cartoon shows that I did on my real career. This is just a fun retirement gig that I do doing paintings and I find that people like the paintings and like to buy them and that is a great pleasure for me. Any advice for young artists out there but Yes, go to art school long enough to be able to control your pencil. [ Laughter ]. Take it from there yourself, right quick Right. Ron Campbell will be painting and talking cartoons at Michael J Wolf fine arts Downtown San Diego and the show runs from this Friday to Sunday. It was a pleasure. Thank you so much. In queue. The pleasure was mine.