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Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot: Now a Major Motion Picture―A Quadriplegic Cartoonist's Hilarious and Harrowing Journey to Fame
Now a major motion picture directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, and Rooney Mara
Featuring more than 60 of Callahan's original cartoons
“When people laugh like hell and then say, ‘That’s not funny,’ you can be pretty sure they’re talking about John Callahan.”— P.J. O’Rourke
In 1972, at the age of 21, John Callahan was involved in a car crash that severed his spine and made him a quadriplegic. A heavy drinker since the age of 12 (alcohol had played a role in his crash), the accident could have been the beginning of a downward spiral. Instead, it sparked a personal transformation. After extensive physical therapy, he was eventually able to grasp a pen in his right hand and make rudimentary drawings. By 1978, Callahan had sworn off drinking for good, and begun to draw cartoons.
Over the next three decades, until his death in 2010, Callahan would become one of the nation’s most beloved—and at times polarizing—cartoonists. His work, which shows off a wacky and sometimes warped sense of humor, pokes fun at social conventions and pushes boundaries. One cartoon features Christ at the cross with a thought bubble reading “TGIF” In another, three sheriffs on horseback approach an empty wheelchair in the desert. “Don’t worry,” one sheriff says to another, “He won’t get far on foot.”
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot recounts Callahan’s life story, from the harrowing to the hilarious. Featuring more than 60 of Callahan’s cartoons, it’s a compelling look at art, addiction, disability, and fame. A film adaptation scheduled for 2018, starring Joaquin Phoenix as John Callahan, will bring fresh attention to this underappreciated classic.
Featuring more than 60 of Callahan's original cartoons
“When people laugh like hell and then say, ‘That’s not funny,’ you can be pretty sure they’re talking about John Callahan.”— P.J. O’Rourke
In 1972, at the age of 21, John Callahan was involved in a car crash that severed his spine and made him a quadriplegic. A heavy drinker since the age of 12 (alcohol had played a role in his crash), the accident could have been the beginning of a downward spiral. Instead, it sparked a personal transformation. After extensive physical therapy, he was eventually able to grasp a pen in his right hand and make rudimentary drawings. By 1978, Callahan had sworn off drinking for good, and begun to draw cartoons.
Over the next three decades, until his death in 2010, Callahan would become one of the nation’s most beloved—and at times polarizing—cartoonists. His work, which shows off a wacky and sometimes warped sense of humor, pokes fun at social conventions and pushes boundaries. One cartoon features Christ at the cross with a thought bubble reading “TGIF” In another, three sheriffs on horseback approach an empty wheelchair in the desert. “Don’t worry,” one sheriff says to another, “He won’t get far on foot.”
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot recounts Callahan’s life story, from the harrowing to the hilarious. Featuring more than 60 of Callahan’s cartoons, it’s a compelling look at art, addiction, disability, and fame. A film adaptation scheduled for 2018, starring Joaquin Phoenix as John Callahan, will bring fresh attention to this underappreciated classic.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
57 people are currently reading
2836 people want to read
About the author
John Callahan
82 books37 followersJohn Callahan was a cartoonist who often drew on his struggles (he was a paraplegic and recovering alcoholic) for his humor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
April 21, 2018
Dexter had mistaken a Con Edison pole for an exit and had run straight into it at ninety miles an hour. The Volkswagen had folded up like an accordion, causing minor injuries to Dexter but neatly severing my spine. I didn't notice, though. I was too drunk.
John Callahan was twenty-one years old when a night of bar hopping led to the accident that left him paralyzed for life. You might think that would prevent him from living an eventful life. Hell, it didn't even stop him from drinking!
Thankfully, this is not one of those touching, inspirational stories of a handicapped individual who faces his challenges with a brave smile upon his face. It is a gritty, dirty (in ALL senses of the word), laugh-out-loud funny journey through one man's attempts to make a go of it while being . . . a head stitched to a dead body.
Callahan was paralyzed from the diaphragm down, and had lost the use of many of his upper body muscles. After loads of therapy, he was able to hold a pen in his right hand and began to produce cartoons in the style of one of his idols - Sam Gross. His work was either hilarious or tasteless, depending on your sense of humor, and many of his single panel works depicted disabled individuals.
I can't find an online copy of it, and I won't attempt to describe it, but the punchline to my favorite toon contains a newspaper with the headline LOCAL QUAD SMOTHERS IN CUNNILINGUS ACCIDENT.
At the height of his popularity, Callahan's work appeared in more than 200 newspapers worldwide, and in Penthouse, National Lampoon, and The New Yorker.
Callahan died in 2010. He was 59 years old.
John Callahan was twenty-one years old when a night of bar hopping led to the accident that left him paralyzed for life. You might think that would prevent him from living an eventful life. Hell, it didn't even stop him from drinking!
Thankfully, this is not one of those touching, inspirational stories of a handicapped individual who faces his challenges with a brave smile upon his face. It is a gritty, dirty (in ALL senses of the word), laugh-out-loud funny journey through one man's attempts to make a go of it while being . . . a head stitched to a dead body.
Callahan was paralyzed from the diaphragm down, and had lost the use of many of his upper body muscles. After loads of therapy, he was able to hold a pen in his right hand and began to produce cartoons in the style of one of his idols - Sam Gross. His work was either hilarious or tasteless, depending on your sense of humor, and many of his single panel works depicted disabled individuals.
I can't find an online copy of it, and I won't attempt to describe it, but the punchline to my favorite toon contains a newspaper with the headline LOCAL QUAD SMOTHERS IN CUNNILINGUS ACCIDENT.
At the height of his popularity, Callahan's work appeared in more than 200 newspapers worldwide, and in Penthouse, National Lampoon, and The New Yorker.
Callahan died in 2010. He was 59 years old.
August 10, 2022
An irreverent look at disability and the way the world (doesn't) treat disabled people as equals, or ignores them. John is not about pity, and he is not silent about his views either. D0n't expect this to be light and cheerful. I'd say it is more of a political vent.
Sadly the author died some short years after this.
A challenging but informative read. I think part of the problem is we are afraid--afraid of offending, of saying or doing the wrong thing, of not having the experience to know how to react around the handicapped (otherwise abled). I find that's true for me at least.
Sadly the author died some short years after this.
A challenging but informative read. I think part of the problem is we are afraid--afraid of offending, of saying or doing the wrong thing, of not having the experience to know how to react around the handicapped (otherwise abled). I find that's true for me at least.
September 1, 2010
I was very sad to hear that John Callahan had passed away last month. His great memoir of his struggles with alcoholism and becoming quadriplegic was still on my main bookshelf, having survived the great Book Purge of 2003 when I moved to Palo Alto, so I reread it in tribute to the man.
You have probably seen Mr. Callahan's cartoons at least once in your life. They are somewhat crudely drawn (on purpose, by the way), generally deal with handicapped people, and make you laugh despite knowing that you probably shouldn't.
Some examples:
The cartoon that the title of this book comes from shows an empty wheelchair in the dessert. Some men on horseback are looking at it. One of them says, "Don't worry, he won't get far on foot."
Two disembodied heads on carts are begging for change on a corner. One of them is blind. The one who isn't blind says to the other, "People like you are a real inspiration to me."
A guy being strapped into an electric chair by prison guards says, "Ahh. First chance I've had to sit down all day."
The only horrifying thing about this book is that I learned later that Robin Williams bought the movie rights to it. The thought of Robin Williams playing a guy in a wheelchair who gets sober and finds dignity makes me shudder. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned this.
So at the age of 21 Mr. Callahan was out bar hopping with a friend, who hit a pole going 90 driving his Volkswagon. His spinal cord was severed.
After years of extensive rehabilitation, which is described in great detail, he is left to deal with his love of alcohol, feelings of abandonment from being adopted, and being generally maladapted to the human race. This latter struggle is what takes up the majority of the book. Fortunately, this is not too mawkish thanks to the clear eyed and blunt way that he writes about it.
The best thing about the book is the way that he lets you know about everything that you are afraid to ask. How does he go to the bathroom? Get ready in the morning? Can he have, you know, relations? He has a hilarious cartoon explaining how he was almost smothered by a lady friend. He gives a very interesting description of joining AA and working through the steps with a sponsor.
The reward after getting through all that is an overview of his cartooning career and an excellent primer on how to break in to cartooning. Then it ends with a typical day in the life that made me miss Portland and even feel a little envious of him.
You have probably seen Mr. Callahan's cartoons at least once in your life. They are somewhat crudely drawn (on purpose, by the way), generally deal with handicapped people, and make you laugh despite knowing that you probably shouldn't.
Some examples:
The cartoon that the title of this book comes from shows an empty wheelchair in the dessert. Some men on horseback are looking at it. One of them says, "Don't worry, he won't get far on foot."
Two disembodied heads on carts are begging for change on a corner. One of them is blind. The one who isn't blind says to the other, "People like you are a real inspiration to me."
A guy being strapped into an electric chair by prison guards says, "Ahh. First chance I've had to sit down all day."
The only horrifying thing about this book is that I learned later that Robin Williams bought the movie rights to it. The thought of Robin Williams playing a guy in a wheelchair who gets sober and finds dignity makes me shudder. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned this.
So at the age of 21 Mr. Callahan was out bar hopping with a friend, who hit a pole going 90 driving his Volkswagon. His spinal cord was severed.
After years of extensive rehabilitation, which is described in great detail, he is left to deal with his love of alcohol, feelings of abandonment from being adopted, and being generally maladapted to the human race. This latter struggle is what takes up the majority of the book. Fortunately, this is not too mawkish thanks to the clear eyed and blunt way that he writes about it.
The best thing about the book is the way that he lets you know about everything that you are afraid to ask. How does he go to the bathroom? Get ready in the morning? Can he have, you know, relations? He has a hilarious cartoon explaining how he was almost smothered by a lady friend. He gives a very interesting description of joining AA and working through the steps with a sponsor.
The reward after getting through all that is an overview of his cartooning career and an excellent primer on how to break in to cartooning. Then it ends with a typical day in the life that made me miss Portland and even feel a little envious of him.
July 14, 2014
The traditional narrative about someone suffering a debilitating accident has the victim becoming stronger, braver, kinder, and more accomplished; going on to win athletic completions, taking up painting. Superman becomes a mensch and an advocate. This is not that story. Callahan does not try to become the poster child for quadriplegics, he just carries on, much as he had before. He gets angry and annoyed and he still find absurdity amusing. I prefer this kind of story. For a similar memoir, try I Had Brain Surgery, What's Your Excuse?.
July 23, 2018
An excellent book. I wanted to read it prior to seeing the movie and I'm glad I did. John Callahan was funny, insightful and incredibly talented. This is a wonderful autobiography, illustrated with his brilliant cartoons. I loved it, though if you're easily offended it may not be ideal for you.
December 7, 2018
You know how sometimes two words together make an unexpected thing like 'brutally funny'?
This is more than two words long.
This is more than two words long.
April 11, 2016
John Callahan was a gloriously disturbed individual as well as exceptionally funny human being. However, his life was almost nothing but tragedy and misfortune, much of it could be said to have been brought upon himself but somewhat understandably so considering his history.
Callahan was adopted by an Irish Catholic couple that believed they could not have children and then proceeded to miraculously have 8 children of their own. Consequently, John literally became the proverbial redheaded stepchild. A slow and steady rebellion grew out of this situation, what psychologists refer to as a cry for help through negative behaviors. To make matters worse, he was also molested by one of his teachers as a child. These combinations of factors led him to show little respect for anyone or anything, sadly most of all for himself. He became a raging teenage alcoholic with a three pack a day cigarette habit hell bent on a speedy demise.
Then, at the age of 21 he nearly got his wish and was involved in a spectacularly devastating car crash while bar hopping with a friend. This resulted in him being paralyzed as a quadriplegic. However, this didn’t seem to change him much and although he was now challenged to find inventive and creative ways to continue his reckless behavior he essentially possessed an indomitable rebel streak in him that refused to give up that is nothing less than admirable.
Back when he was in Catholic school he had drawn vicious caricatures of the nuns that did not please his subjects in the slightest but won him the grateful esteem of his equally oppressed peers. Continuing this tradition as a disabled adult, he turned his wobbly held pen between two useless hands upon himself and began drawing cartoons that made fun of his life and situation with equally merciless black humor. This actually turned into a career and one that was not well received by all.
I first came across his single panel cartoons in a local free weekly. Although, at this time I had no idea of his life or situation I nevertheless found them immensely funny, if not also highly disconcerting at the same time. Then a good friend of mine who was in Alcoholics Anonymous recommended this autobiography as a wonderful life lesson as to the benefits of this organization. Callahan had eventually quit drinking himself by becoming a “friend of Bill’s” and although he does not heavily preach it in his book he does emphatically support their efforts. He reassures those faced with losing this social crutch that ones personality does not need to change with the loss of liquid courage and that life can be just as full of humor and adventure as in ones glory days without it.
I highly recommend this to anyone that thinks their life is a steaming bowl of crap and have little choice in the matter other than to continue drinking themselves into oblivion. It is doubtful that many others can top Callahan’s life in hitting “rock bottom.” He is a definite role model to uphold in this regard. On the other hand, he is also a champion of the disabled but in other less appreciated ways.
His dark humor offends many able-bodied individuals as being horrific and moreover extremely politically incorrect, and rightly so it is. Only, here’s the thing. Those bound to wheelchairs themselves adore this man. So, what right do those with the full use of their two legs have to complain about?
One of my good friends has lived his entire life in a chair and I can tell you that the one thing that he absolutely does not want from people is their pity. I liberally dispense with this in regards to him by giving him just as hard, if not harder, of a time for it. One of the strangest ethos or creeds, if you will, that I’ve learned through the punk rock community is that insulting one another as best you are able shows a certain respect for one another in that one is comfortable enough with all of your own flaws to point out the same in others. It’s a bonding experience that breeds absolute equality, or at the very least a punch in the face. Only, later should this lead to violence, even this tends to be is laughed about later. This book is both of these things, a sucker punch to all of humanity with a great big shit-eating grin! Highly recommended!
Callahan was adopted by an Irish Catholic couple that believed they could not have children and then proceeded to miraculously have 8 children of their own. Consequently, John literally became the proverbial redheaded stepchild. A slow and steady rebellion grew out of this situation, what psychologists refer to as a cry for help through negative behaviors. To make matters worse, he was also molested by one of his teachers as a child. These combinations of factors led him to show little respect for anyone or anything, sadly most of all for himself. He became a raging teenage alcoholic with a three pack a day cigarette habit hell bent on a speedy demise.
Then, at the age of 21 he nearly got his wish and was involved in a spectacularly devastating car crash while bar hopping with a friend. This resulted in him being paralyzed as a quadriplegic. However, this didn’t seem to change him much and although he was now challenged to find inventive and creative ways to continue his reckless behavior he essentially possessed an indomitable rebel streak in him that refused to give up that is nothing less than admirable.
Back when he was in Catholic school he had drawn vicious caricatures of the nuns that did not please his subjects in the slightest but won him the grateful esteem of his equally oppressed peers. Continuing this tradition as a disabled adult, he turned his wobbly held pen between two useless hands upon himself and began drawing cartoons that made fun of his life and situation with equally merciless black humor. This actually turned into a career and one that was not well received by all.
I first came across his single panel cartoons in a local free weekly. Although, at this time I had no idea of his life or situation I nevertheless found them immensely funny, if not also highly disconcerting at the same time. Then a good friend of mine who was in Alcoholics Anonymous recommended this autobiography as a wonderful life lesson as to the benefits of this organization. Callahan had eventually quit drinking himself by becoming a “friend of Bill’s” and although he does not heavily preach it in his book he does emphatically support their efforts. He reassures those faced with losing this social crutch that ones personality does not need to change with the loss of liquid courage and that life can be just as full of humor and adventure as in ones glory days without it.
I highly recommend this to anyone that thinks their life is a steaming bowl of crap and have little choice in the matter other than to continue drinking themselves into oblivion. It is doubtful that many others can top Callahan’s life in hitting “rock bottom.” He is a definite role model to uphold in this regard. On the other hand, he is also a champion of the disabled but in other less appreciated ways.
His dark humor offends many able-bodied individuals as being horrific and moreover extremely politically incorrect, and rightly so it is. Only, here’s the thing. Those bound to wheelchairs themselves adore this man. So, what right do those with the full use of their two legs have to complain about?
One of my good friends has lived his entire life in a chair and I can tell you that the one thing that he absolutely does not want from people is their pity. I liberally dispense with this in regards to him by giving him just as hard, if not harder, of a time for it. One of the strangest ethos or creeds, if you will, that I’ve learned through the punk rock community is that insulting one another as best you are able shows a certain respect for one another in that one is comfortable enough with all of your own flaws to point out the same in others. It’s a bonding experience that breeds absolute equality, or at the very least a punch in the face. Only, later should this lead to violence, even this tends to be is laughed about later. This book is both of these things, a sucker punch to all of humanity with a great big shit-eating grin! Highly recommended!
September 14, 2007
I'm not sure where I picked up Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot: The Autobiography of a Dangerous Man but I imagine the title caught my eye, then I realized it was by John Callahan, one of my favorite sick cartoonists [http://www.callahanonline.com/index.php].
The first chapter leads us up to the accident that left him as a quadriplegic; he was out partying with a friend who was driving while very, very drunk. "Dexter had mistaken a Con Edison pole for an exit and had run straight into in at 90 miles an hour". He then goes back to the beginning, as an illegitimate baby adopted into a devoutly Catholic family. He discusses his upbringing matter-of-factly, focusing on the religious aspects. His parents were neither angels nor demons, and he doesn't really seem to blame them for his incipient alcoholism. He started drinking when he was about 13, and didn't let his accident or recovery stop him.
He writes bluntly about recovering from the car wreck and the various therapeutic devices/torture instruments he dealt with to regain the amount of mobility he has. The description of his eliminatory processes are not recommended mealtime reading. He lived in several group home environments, managing to get back into the drinking life with a minimum of hassle. He regained a measure of freedom by moving into an apartment and hiring attendants - who were in their own ways as broken and damaged as he was. Callahan writes of hitting bottom, then of how AA saved his life; again - he pulls no punches as he shares the difficulties of recovery, and how he slowly accomplished each step.
Once he was sober, cartooning came back into his life. He'd always been artistic, but had never really done anything with it. He combines stories about his first sales and successes with the struggles of being on welfare; how any money he makes pushes his delicately balanced budget and living situation off kilter. He's working with a lawyer on a "Plan of Support" - a document that will (hopefully) allow him to use some state benefits while still being able to have a career. The last chapter takes us through a typical day. It shows both how much harder a "normal" day is for him, and how he seems to be getting along just fine anyways.
Recommended to anyone looking for a straight-shooting autobiography with a little black humor around the edges.
The first chapter leads us up to the accident that left him as a quadriplegic; he was out partying with a friend who was driving while very, very drunk. "Dexter had mistaken a Con Edison pole for an exit and had run straight into in at 90 miles an hour". He then goes back to the beginning, as an illegitimate baby adopted into a devoutly Catholic family. He discusses his upbringing matter-of-factly, focusing on the religious aspects. His parents were neither angels nor demons, and he doesn't really seem to blame them for his incipient alcoholism. He started drinking when he was about 13, and didn't let his accident or recovery stop him.
He writes bluntly about recovering from the car wreck and the various therapeutic devices/torture instruments he dealt with to regain the amount of mobility he has. The description of his eliminatory processes are not recommended mealtime reading. He lived in several group home environments, managing to get back into the drinking life with a minimum of hassle. He regained a measure of freedom by moving into an apartment and hiring attendants - who were in their own ways as broken and damaged as he was. Callahan writes of hitting bottom, then of how AA saved his life; again - he pulls no punches as he shares the difficulties of recovery, and how he slowly accomplished each step.
Once he was sober, cartooning came back into his life. He'd always been artistic, but had never really done anything with it. He combines stories about his first sales and successes with the struggles of being on welfare; how any money he makes pushes his delicately balanced budget and living situation off kilter. He's working with a lawyer on a "Plan of Support" - a document that will (hopefully) allow him to use some state benefits while still being able to have a career. The last chapter takes us through a typical day. It shows both how much harder a "normal" day is for him, and how he seems to be getting along just fine anyways.
Recommended to anyone looking for a straight-shooting autobiography with a little black humor around the edges.
October 11, 2009
This is a sick, twisted, offensive, hilarious, and ultimately, poignant book. It was supposed to be made into a movie with Robin Williams some time ago, but unfortunately, it was never made. Author John Callahan is a cartoonist who, through his own admitted stupidity, became a quadriplegic at age 21 after a drunken night of partying and driving led to a tragic car wreck. Among other subjects (including his alcoholism and his fight to beat it), Callahan addresses the car wreck in great detail in this book, as well as the problems, joys, sorrows, and fears that were part of the aftermath of his accident. Some of Callhan's cartoons in this book directly or indirectly reference the "new reality" that he found himself in after the car wreck. The single-panel cartoon that inspired this book's title is particularly funny to me. The majority of Callahan's books are collections of his cartoons that tackle a wide variety of subjects. Whenever I need a laugh, this or any of Callahan's books are certain to do the trick. A word of warning, though...if you're easily offended by topics that would normally be considered risque, politically incorrect, insensitive, or otherwise "taboo" in many circles, then this book is not for you. Otherwise, get ready to be simultaneously touched and offended, all while laughing yourself silly! Enjoy!
(BTW, Callahan's bio is almost certainly about another author with the same name. The only similarity is that the John Callahan who wrote the book I just reviewed does indeed live in Oregon.)
(BTW, Callahan's bio is almost certainly about another author with the same name. The only similarity is that the John Callahan who wrote the book I just reviewed does indeed live in Oregon.)
April 11, 2007
this book was recommended to me by a friend of mine in college. it's the autobiography of the controversial/offensive/hilarious comic john callahan, from adoption to addiction to disability. it not only looks at his disability as it relates to society as a whole, but it also points out day to day challenges that not many "able bodied" people would think about. it's pretty raw, but i appreciated his honesty and the cartoons (though not for the faint of heart) are pretty damn funny.
June 17, 2022
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot~~
Quadriplegia, or any serious neurological injury, is not a laughing matter—except when it's a R-rated quadriplegic telling the joke inspired by his own life and candid observations. John Callahan, injured on his twenty-first birthday in 1972, doesn't want anybody's pity. He's a born artist, he would've told you, with quadriplegia in the back of the frame of his life.
In his first memoir, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot: The Autobiography of a Dangerous Man, he pulls no punches about how he ended up with his terrible injury. While writing the book in the 90s, he was a recovering alcoholic praising the twelve steps of Alcoholic's Anonymous for saving his life, but from age thirteen to a handful of years after his injury, he was usually drunk. He didn't feel he belonged in his family as he had been told he was adopted and the whole family knew it.
It was perhaps suicidal that he got in the car driven by his equally sloshed friend who proceeded to run into a lightpole. Callahan didn't feel his spine break.
If you've never experienced the horror of living with quadriplegia, you can experience it in ungarnished splendor with Callahan. Note that the movie based on his book with the same name attempts to be a little less offensive to sensitive viewers..
I won't go into much detail about his long recovery and rehab mostly in California. In the 70's long before the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1992, wheelchair access was a dream. Callahan didn't have qualified home health care aides to rely on and they often left him sitting all day or in bed or without much more than a drink.
One day he dropped his wine bottle and it rolled underneath a cart. He finally broke down crying at the mess of his life and decided to join AA the next day..
Because of the emotional changes and clarity of mind brought on by AA, he realized how much he loved drawing cartoons. It took years of rejection slips to magazines like Penthouse and a mentor like groundbreaking cartoonist Sam Gross for Callahan to develop a cult following.
Many of his wise-ass cartoons are included. I don't always get the humor, but some I do.
In the end he explains that he has no regrets (not quite true, he regretted not meeting his birthmother he discovered had died) and greatly enjoys being a cartoonist making people laugh and giving support to other alcoholics. He was getting his maser's degree in counseling when he died in 2010. I think the Joaquin Phoenix movie came out shortly after and I liked it, but Phoenix never looked twenty-one.
Highly recommended, especially if you''re not obsessed with being politically correct! .
Quadriplegia, or any serious neurological injury, is not a laughing matter—except when it's a R-rated quadriplegic telling the joke inspired by his own life and candid observations. John Callahan, injured on his twenty-first birthday in 1972, doesn't want anybody's pity. He's a born artist, he would've told you, with quadriplegia in the back of the frame of his life.
In his first memoir, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot: The Autobiography of a Dangerous Man, he pulls no punches about how he ended up with his terrible injury. While writing the book in the 90s, he was a recovering alcoholic praising the twelve steps of Alcoholic's Anonymous for saving his life, but from age thirteen to a handful of years after his injury, he was usually drunk. He didn't feel he belonged in his family as he had been told he was adopted and the whole family knew it.
It was perhaps suicidal that he got in the car driven by his equally sloshed friend who proceeded to run into a lightpole. Callahan didn't feel his spine break.
If you've never experienced the horror of living with quadriplegia, you can experience it in ungarnished splendor with Callahan. Note that the movie based on his book with the same name attempts to be a little less offensive to sensitive viewers..
I won't go into much detail about his long recovery and rehab mostly in California. In the 70's long before the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1992, wheelchair access was a dream. Callahan didn't have qualified home health care aides to rely on and they often left him sitting all day or in bed or without much more than a drink.
One day he dropped his wine bottle and it rolled underneath a cart. He finally broke down crying at the mess of his life and decided to join AA the next day..
Because of the emotional changes and clarity of mind brought on by AA, he realized how much he loved drawing cartoons. It took years of rejection slips to magazines like Penthouse and a mentor like groundbreaking cartoonist Sam Gross for Callahan to develop a cult following.
Many of his wise-ass cartoons are included. I don't always get the humor, but some I do.
In the end he explains that he has no regrets (not quite true, he regretted not meeting his birthmother he discovered had died) and greatly enjoys being a cartoonist making people laugh and giving support to other alcoholics. He was getting his maser's degree in counseling when he died in 2010. I think the Joaquin Phoenix movie came out shortly after and I liked it, but Phoenix never looked twenty-one.
Highly recommended, especially if you''re not obsessed with being politically correct! .
April 7, 2015
Don’t Worry... is the troubling, emotional, and evocative autobiography of the shock-cartoonist John Callahan wrote at thirty-nine about his accident, alcoholism, and life leading to his career as a cartoonist.
For whatever reason, I was expecting something completely different than what I got with this book, and was more shocked at the complete honesty and depressing series of events that seemingly followed him throughout his life and eventually led to the dark gallows humor of his life’s work. I feel like this book focused a lot on his alcoholism and recovery process, and that he looks stoically on the decisions he made that led to his alcohol dependence and also his recovery in AA. There is no humor in much of the suffering he had endured in his short life, and this book is a brutally honest reflection of his experiences, “putting his best foot forward” and facing his demons head on.
I suppose I expected to see more of his work (not reproductions, rather his rise to being a notable artist) in the book, and perhaps a bit more humor, but in order to appreciate the work that he went on to do later there is no surprise where the inspiration came from. The organization of the book is relatively straightforward: the first third is about his childhood and events leading up to and including his accident, the second third is about his recovery and processing and recovery of his alcoholism, and the final third (which I thought the book would primarily be about) was about his career in cartoon gags.
I received this from my good friend Dr. Bill Keough when he was still alive, and enjoyed reading along with him the story of this man who he held in high regard. There is something about reading a book that a friend had cherished after they are gone and appreciating the sentiment and appreciation they had with the piece and wanted to share with their good friend. Similarly, I very much appreciate the man Callahan was (who was also alive when Keough bestowed it on my collection), and find it somewhat sad that at the end of his career he had given up drawing and moved on to write music that holds a depressing and melancholy mirror to his (and my parent’s) generation.
He was a champion of free speech, and with few exception can I remember someone who has graced the pages of my favorite magazines with as much satire and bewildering offensiveness in their work, but in a manner that leads the observer to appreciate the message the work is conveying. With Callahan, there is certainly a message, and it helps us poke fun at our insecurities, inequality, racism, and differently-abled-ism (name the word-du-jour) to evoke a positive change in laughing at ourselves and our situation in humanity. What made this book so brilliant and touching was that he finally, seriously, and truthfully turned the mirror on himself, and allowed us to peer into the struggle that made such important (and hilarious, and offensive) work.
For whatever reason, I was expecting something completely different than what I got with this book, and was more shocked at the complete honesty and depressing series of events that seemingly followed him throughout his life and eventually led to the dark gallows humor of his life’s work. I feel like this book focused a lot on his alcoholism and recovery process, and that he looks stoically on the decisions he made that led to his alcohol dependence and also his recovery in AA. There is no humor in much of the suffering he had endured in his short life, and this book is a brutally honest reflection of his experiences, “putting his best foot forward” and facing his demons head on.
I suppose I expected to see more of his work (not reproductions, rather his rise to being a notable artist) in the book, and perhaps a bit more humor, but in order to appreciate the work that he went on to do later there is no surprise where the inspiration came from. The organization of the book is relatively straightforward: the first third is about his childhood and events leading up to and including his accident, the second third is about his recovery and processing and recovery of his alcoholism, and the final third (which I thought the book would primarily be about) was about his career in cartoon gags.
I received this from my good friend Dr. Bill Keough when he was still alive, and enjoyed reading along with him the story of this man who he held in high regard. There is something about reading a book that a friend had cherished after they are gone and appreciating the sentiment and appreciation they had with the piece and wanted to share with their good friend. Similarly, I very much appreciate the man Callahan was (who was also alive when Keough bestowed it on my collection), and find it somewhat sad that at the end of his career he had given up drawing and moved on to write music that holds a depressing and melancholy mirror to his (and my parent’s) generation.
He was a champion of free speech, and with few exception can I remember someone who has graced the pages of my favorite magazines with as much satire and bewildering offensiveness in their work, but in a manner that leads the observer to appreciate the message the work is conveying. With Callahan, there is certainly a message, and it helps us poke fun at our insecurities, inequality, racism, and differently-abled-ism (name the word-du-jour) to evoke a positive change in laughing at ourselves and our situation in humanity. What made this book so brilliant and touching was that he finally, seriously, and truthfully turned the mirror on himself, and allowed us to peer into the struggle that made such important (and hilarious, and offensive) work.
April 23, 2018
Gary Larson likes this book cause it makes his stuff look tame! this is a no holds bared, tell it like it is experience of the public sector health system, the rehab farm Rancho Los Amigos in LA, where people get warehoused, and as one who worked in a similar system, caca pasa! this irreverent perspective is very, very real and I am grateful John was willing to write and draw his story and find the incredibly dry, dark and off beat humor in it. great insight for folks working in the field how it looks and feels to be in the wheelchair or bed. Strongly recommend and yet it's not for the squemish.
October 18, 2007
AS Drunkalogs go, this is a fine job, with some humor to it. John came out of an automobile accident parlyzed. He was someone who managed his psychological and physical pain with alcohol. He drank a lot. He tells many funny stories about it. He made it sound almost fun. Being drunk is highly over-rated. Finally he wakes up, and the story gets more readable, and he claims himself and his life back from the booze. It is a heart-wrenching first person story about how drunken driver and drunk driving destroys people. That the survivors build lives for themselves afterward at all is a miracle.
June 6, 2011
I found this on my Dad's bookshelf. This is the autobiographical story of a man who became a quadraplegic and then a fairly well known cartoonist. Unfortunately my Father discovered him after his death in 2010. Some of his cartoons are hysterical and some are just awful. His story was very inspirational
January 26, 2016
His recent death made me want to read about how he got started cartooning. I enjoyed reading this for both Callahan's sense of humor (admittedly a little sick) and for his insights in being both a quadraplegic and an alcoholic. He makes light of it, but what an inner strength he must have had to get through this. Makes you wonder if you could do it...
September 28, 2014
My favorite memoir. Honest, irreverent, funny.
Paralyzed after driving drunk, Callahan discusses life as a quad, sobering up and being too successful at cartooning for the government's liking.
Bonus: cartoons by the author.
Paralyzed after driving drunk, Callahan discusses life as a quad, sobering up and being too successful at cartooning for the government's liking.
Bonus: cartoons by the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2017
Accurate, shocking, amazing... must read
May 8, 2024
Incredibly inspiring! A new favorite.
April 15, 2020
I thought this book was great, but if you don't like reading the f word or blatant sexual talk, then don't read it. I heard that the movie was good but it couldn't have included many of the things talked about in the book. First of all, it read just as if Callahan were right in front of you, talking to you. Particularly interesting was to learn what life is like for a quadriplegic and what the rehabilitation hospital was like. His search for his biological parents was also very interesting. All through the book I enjoyed his strange sense of humor - well, not really strange, but you can hear it in the first few pages. I already knew about what AA is like. However, for me, it was mostly a real education to experience vicariously the life of a severely disabled person.
October 29, 2012
Very approachable honest book about callahan by callahan. Instead of being more integrated longer story, he naturally separates his story into sections of Drinking/Youth, Recovery/Being Quad, and Cartooning/Work with some illustrations, comics spread throughout
Since moving to Portland in 2001 I got to know Callahans comics and humor in his one box comic published in the weekly. They were very much in your face, too honest, sometimes embarrassing -- but funny, almost always funny. I didn't know a lot about his life, but knew he was quad -- not that gives him more of a card to make fun -- but the guts and humor were there. Sad when he passed away not too long ago as I enjoyed seeing him wheeling around the NW.
The book is in your face with a truthful voice that echoes his cartoons. I'm adding this book into my Hidden Portland collection and plan to read more autobiographies of local semi-famous.
Since moving to Portland in 2001 I got to know Callahans comics and humor in his one box comic published in the weekly. They were very much in your face, too honest, sometimes embarrassing -- but funny, almost always funny. I didn't know a lot about his life, but knew he was quad -- not that gives him more of a card to make fun -- but the guts and humor were there. Sad when he passed away not too long ago as I enjoyed seeing him wheeling around the NW.
The book is in your face with a truthful voice that echoes his cartoons. I'm adding this book into my Hidden Portland collection and plan to read more autobiographies of local semi-famous.
May 29, 2012
I've been a fan of Callahan's cartoons for a long time and remember when he was being published in Willamette Week. This book is fascinating in its gritty realism and stark descriptions of daily life when you require help to do just about anything.
Less compelling, however, were Callahan's portrayals of the AA culture and his (justifiable) rants at the welfare system. I personally found the most touching moments in the book had to do with Callahan's search for his birth parents and coming to terms with the sense of abandonment he felt even as a small child.
Several very obvious usage errors detracted somewhat from the narrative ("midrift" instead of "midriff," on one page referring to his brother as Skip and later on the same page as Kip. All in all, however, a thoughtful and eye-opening memoir.
Less compelling, however, were Callahan's portrayals of the AA culture and his (justifiable) rants at the welfare system. I personally found the most touching moments in the book had to do with Callahan's search for his birth parents and coming to terms with the sense of abandonment he felt even as a small child.
Several very obvious usage errors detracted somewhat from the narrative ("midrift" instead of "midriff," on one page referring to his brother as Skip and later on the same page as Kip. All in all, however, a thoughtful and eye-opening memoir.
April 12, 2011
Funny, but often with dark humor, story about the late cartoonist John Callahan's descent into alcoholism and welfare and his ascent to sobriety and productivity. The journey is a compelling one because he becomes a quadriplegic while driving drunk, so medical problems, embarrassment and discomfort become his daily companions. The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous figure prominently in the book, as they should. There is no better advertising for AA! He also offers incredible insight into nursing homes, attendant care and welfare. Able to see humor in almost every situation, his cartoons often depict the handicapped and draw angry replies from self-appointed defenders of the handicapped - who don't realize that Callahan himself is worse off than most of his cartoon characters.
April 11, 2023
There were many things I didn’t care for in this book, and I was planning to only give it two stars but it somehow redeemed itself.
John Callahan had a hard life and was an unusual talent. He also is entirely self-absorbed. Reading his memoir is at times captivating and other times makes you really, really dislike the man. This book came out in 1989, and the misogyny, racism and homophobia made me mad and uncomfortable.
The parts of this book I enjoyed were hearing about his spinal cord accident at age 21 and recovery. His journey with alcoholism was also interesting. Finally, his chapter on living as a quadriplegic cartoonist on welfare in the US was very thought-provoking. Not for the faint of heart.
John Callahan had a hard life and was an unusual talent. He also is entirely self-absorbed. Reading his memoir is at times captivating and other times makes you really, really dislike the man. This book came out in 1989, and the misogyny, racism and homophobia made me mad and uncomfortable.
The parts of this book I enjoyed were hearing about his spinal cord accident at age 21 and recovery. His journey with alcoholism was also interesting. Finally, his chapter on living as a quadriplegic cartoonist on welfare in the US was very thought-provoking. Not for the faint of heart.
March 5, 2021
3.5 stars.
The first half was great, real, raw, funny, etc. I kinda lost interest once he gets into the cartoon writing. I knew nothing of John Callahan before reading this and bought it (for super cheap) cause of the movie tie in cover (Jonah Hill, Joaquin Phoenix, Jack Black). It was fun to learn more about him and what it’s like as a quadriplegic and an alcoholic.
The first half was great, real, raw, funny, etc. I kinda lost interest once he gets into the cartoon writing. I knew nothing of John Callahan before reading this and bought it (for super cheap) cause of the movie tie in cover (Jonah Hill, Joaquin Phoenix, Jack Black). It was fun to learn more about him and what it’s like as a quadriplegic and an alcoholic.
November 11, 2012
Callahan tells a great story. He applies his comic wit to the first-person literary memoir, fully conscious of the genre.
Some cartoons are included. I only wish more had.
His self-awareness is probably due to the fact that he is educated. He worked hard for it, sure. His partial paralysis was caused by an accident due to self-admittedly risky behavior.
Dark time eventually is vanquished -- this is an epic tale.
Callahan is not a victim and he is willing to share with brutal honesty his reality. It's rather pityless.
His humor is keen.
Some cartoons are included. I only wish more had.
His self-awareness is probably due to the fact that he is educated. He worked hard for it, sure. His partial paralysis was caused by an accident due to self-admittedly risky behavior.
Dark time eventually is vanquished -- this is an epic tale.
Callahan is not a victim and he is willing to share with brutal honesty his reality. It's rather pityless.
His humor is keen.
December 18, 2016
Callahan's story fits into three acts- angry young drunk, quadriplegic recovering alcoholic, and deranged but wiser cartoonist. I can't imagine what got left out of his story. It's especially relevant in that the experiences he describes with his quadriplegia, getting decent help and fighting for financial assistance in an era of conservative government that is only too happy to slash welfare benefits for the most needy in favor of tax cuts for the least needy is going to be the story (again) for the next few years. An inspiring if maddening book.
September 9, 2013
Really great read. I have loved Callahan's cartoons/humor for years, but had no idea he had such an inspirational story of recovery. It's pretty difficult to complain about your own trivial stuff when you read about his life as a quadriplegic, and his ability of get sober and create a pretty great life for himself. His writing is honest and is devoid of cliche or self pity. I wish he was till around.
July 25, 2016
As I noted at the time, this book is subtitled "The autobiography of a dangerous man" and I could easily see it being made into a film. A car accident left him a quadriplegic, he struggled with alcoholism and was searching for his biological parents, but he tried to avoid self-pity (quoting AA: "Self-pity is like wetting your pants in the winter, a very warm feeling for a very short time). He was also a cartoonist with a biting sense of humor.
January 25, 2009
John Callahan has written a darkly funny and brutally honest book about his experiences that blows stereotypical attitudes out of the water. As the mother of a child in a wheelchair, I can relate to so much of what he's written, laugh with a lot of his dark humor, and wish this was required reading for everyone.
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