ABSTRACT
Terry Zwigoff introduces us to Robert's Crumb art through carefully constructed montage sequences. Zwigoff, through Robert, reminds us of Sigmund Freud's aphorism by showing us Robert's sketch of an aggressive female nude with the caption 'Anatomy is destiny', as the nude invites the viewer to 'Check it out, sucker'. Zwigoff's presentation expresses his admiration for the artist, and offers a wild formulation relating to Robert's singular success. Zwigoff's presentation suggests that castration anxiety has structured a regression to an insecure, fetishistic, and ambivalent phallic-narcissism. Zwigoff presents himself as transgressive; he elicits these responses. Zwigoff's film tells us that father, now deceased, wrote a book entitled Training People Effectively, and that mother became an amphetamine addict when Robert was 9 years old. Robert's provocatively misogynistic and racist cartoons are the subject of debate in Zwigoff's film. The experiential past that informs Robert's perversely entertaining style is clarified by the film-maker's inquisitive camera.
