Pages

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Bruce McCall's diesel typewriter

Canadian-born satirist Bruce McCall (1935-2023) reliably delighted me with his New Yorker covers that explored fantastic scenarios: What if New York City were nice, easy, and happy? What if there'd been a golden age of New York where everyone loved highbrow culture? How big and aggressive can a tour bus get? McCall always illlustrated his ideas with precise detail and a great sense of scale and perspective.

I was sad to read of his death in this New York Times obituary, but also intrigued by a reference to his "4,000-horsepower diesel typewriter." 

After some hunting, I was able to track it down. It appears in McCall's extensive parody of Popular Mechanics in the July 1973 issue of National Lampoon.

 Rest in hilarious piece, Mr. McCall.

1 comment:

  1. "The machine is so sturdy that it can be rammed by a five-ton truck moving at fifty mph without jarring the keyboard." Ha! That bit got me :)

    A lovely tribute, thank you for sharing this snippet with us.

    ReplyDelete