A review by twirlsandwhirls
The Lovely Horrible Stuff by Eddie Campbell
3.0
I found this book at the library and decided to read it on the spot rather than take it home. You see, I have a problem where my currently-reading and to-read stacks blend and I never finish anything anymore. I figured I'd prevent that (and strain my back less) by reading it at once. The narrative was mostly what I'd expected: a responsible man explaining his very well-meaning views on money. Most of me hoped it'd be completely unexpected, perhaps even an absurdist view about finances. Not so. He explained his history of not incurring debt, trouble with lending to family members, and the dangers of wanting to be right (suing) rather than just muddling through (paying down debt).
This is where the art became more interesting because the story bounced from his story of being a freelance artist who managed his own finances via various schemes to an artist who hired an accountant. We started to see the difference between his real life and his ideals, where he'd like to be. The art was great in that sense because it was so expressive. Blurry lines; hasty-looking background coloring; scratchy, not-quite-clear features. That said, I wasn't bowled over by his art style. Eddie Campbell is certainly a very skilled artist. His scrawling lettering and scribbled outlines just weren't for me. I must say I like cleaner lines.
The last section of the book took a real curve. He started to write about a Polynesian society that he's fascinated with. They made gorgeous, giant rock sculptures that white men turned into currency. At some point in the past there was a great hey-day of this rock art. So much so that it fueled competition among artisans within the tribe. Presently they are mostly just left around the island for historical and aesthetic reasons. Perhaps this was the absurd turn I'd hoped for in the beginning. I did like that this story of the sculptures posed more questions than it answered, like money itself. Can we ever get a full grasp on it? Are we ever going to have a definitive answer about how to properly have and maintain wealth, especially as money changes over the decades. It used to be on a gold standard until U.S. currency was digitized in the '70s. That's just as real a change as the stone sculptures falling into and out of favor. Are we more civilized in modern, digital times? Even Eddie ends the book by declaring that he has no idea and knows nothing about the right way to handle money.
This is where the art became more interesting because the story bounced from his story of being a freelance artist who managed his own finances via various schemes to an artist who hired an accountant. We started to see the difference between his real life and his ideals, where he'd like to be. The art was great in that sense because it was so expressive. Blurry lines; hasty-looking background coloring; scratchy, not-quite-clear features. That said, I wasn't bowled over by his art style. Eddie Campbell is certainly a very skilled artist. His scrawling lettering and scribbled outlines just weren't for me. I must say I like cleaner lines.
The last section of the book took a real curve. He started to write about a Polynesian society that he's fascinated with. They made gorgeous, giant rock sculptures that white men turned into currency. At some point in the past there was a great hey-day of this rock art. So much so that it fueled competition among artisans within the tribe. Presently they are mostly just left around the island for historical and aesthetic reasons. Perhaps this was the absurd turn I'd hoped for in the beginning. I did like that this story of the sculptures posed more questions than it answered, like money itself. Can we ever get a full grasp on it? Are we ever going to have a definitive answer about how to properly have and maintain wealth, especially as money changes over the decades. It used to be on a gold standard until U.S. currency was digitized in the '70s. That's just as real a change as the stone sculptures falling into and out of favor. Are we more civilized in modern, digital times? Even Eddie ends the book by declaring that he has no idea and knows nothing about the right way to handle money.