Re/Read is an occasional column by Fantagraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid drawing attention to comix that you may have overlooked or are worth of another read. This time we’ll look at Giraffes in My Hair: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Life written by Bruce Paley and drawn by Carol Swain.
Paley’s memoir reads like a contemporary telling of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, a book that inspired the writer from an early age. His harrowing adventures frequently found him at odds with the cops, drug dealers, and other nefarious characters. They also brought him into contact with counterculture celebrities as diverse as Allen Ginsberg and Johnny Thunders. Carol Swain’s atmospheric renderings provide a perfect complement to Paley’s bleak, but often amusing, narrative. Giraffes in My Hair – (the title is taken from a T Rex lyric) – is an engaging chronicle of the emerging moments of punk. A wonderful time capsule in comix form.
You’ll find Giraffes in My Hair and other works examining the intersection of music and comix at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, located at 1201 S. Vale Street in the heart of Seattle’s historic Georgetown arts community. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206-557-4910.