"Garfield" debuted in 41 U.S. newspapers on June 19, 1978. Jim Davis, the creator of the famous lasagna-loving fat cat, was interviewed recently over at Biography. The interview is a preface to the release of "Garfield's Holiday Collection," a new DVD compilation of holiday specials that returns five enduring 1980s animated TV specials to print. It includes the special Davis calls "the most 'Garfield,' in that it involves food." It is the Thanksgiving show, a special challenge because the holiday feast arrives just as Garfield goes on a diet.
In the interview, the 69-year-old Davis discusses many topics, including the comic strips he loved as a kid growing up on a farm in the Midwest. He loved Milton Caniff's "Steve Canyon," especially the Dragon Lady. And "I was a big fan of 'Peanuts' and 'Beetle Bailey,' 'Hi and Lois,' eventually 'B.C.' and 'Wizard of Id' and also 'Pogo.' That one, I never understood it but I'd love looking at the pictures, the artwork by Walt Kelly."
On Lorenzo Music, the long-time voice actor for the animated Garfield: "He had a way of throwing a line away and not really caring about it. Everything was said with such comedic timing and made you laugh. That's very rare. Especially back in the day when comedians were pretty much over the top, pretty much stand-up kind of timing and stuff like that. He was really a departure, and he captured the spirit of Garfield so perfectly."
In regard to Garfield's love of lasagna, which came from Davis' own predilections: "Yeah, I love lasagna. I thought it would be funny to have a cat who likes lasagna but as it turns out, I hear from people all the time that their cats love lasagna."
On why a cat would despise Mondays so much: "Garfield does not have a job, Garfield does not go to school and every day is the same. Nevertheless every Monday is just a reminder that his life is the same old, same old cycling again and for some reason even though his life is pretty much the same every day on Mondays specifically, awful things tend to happen to him physically."
And on Garfield's widespread appeal as a sort of feline everyman: "The very first products done had lines like 'I Hate Mondays,' 'I'd Like Mondays Better If It Started Later,' and things people did not want to say themselves but they would let Garfield say it for them. It is the attitude that people gravitate to because he is such a great escape for that."
The "Garfield Holiday Collection" DVD set will be available at most retailers starting today.
