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© 2005 Lou Brooks
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Lou Brooks was born a bastard out of wedlock in 1944 in a basement apartment on the seventh floor of a log cabin. Early on, he tried his hand at song writing, and is best known for “I Wanted to Paint Her in the Nude, but She Made Me Wear a Robe,” which is still an annual “show stopper” each and every Christmas eve on the popular TV show, “Midnight Mass from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.”
Even though discouraged at first by his father, who said: “What are you gonna paint... FLOWERS??”, Lou’s greatest successes in life came from the world of art. As a cartoonist, his work was a prominent feature in Playboy for over a decade. His character design of “the little guy in the top hat” for the game of Monopoly is just about as well known throughout the world today as Mickey Mouse. As an illustrator, he has created at least a dozen covers for Time and Newsweek, and his work has appeared in most every major publication. He is a regular contributor to Blab!, and the current issue features his art as a wrap-around cover.
His school photo (shown here) had to be reproduced from the original 1958 Edsel Ford Junior High School yearbook. It was the only school photo his parents refused to buy. “What can I say?” says Lou. “Elvis Presley and Charles Starkweather both hit me big that year.”
Lou’s latest book, “Skate Crazy: Amazing Graphics from the Golden Age of Roller Skating,” was published last year by Running Press. He is currently working on a Broadway musical called Bird!, based on his 1971 song hit, “She Was Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage, But It Was Thanksgiving and We Had to Cook SOMETHING.”
LouBrooks.com
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© 2005 Lou Brooks
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