Jimmy Thudpucker
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Thudpucker is a fictional character in the comic strip Doonesbury
, created by Garry Trudeau
.
He is generally seen as a combination of Bob Dylan
and John Denver
(and to some extent, Loudon Wainwright III
), and became a rock star in the seventies, when he was only 19. Others have compared Thudpucker to a young Jackson Browne
.
Unlike many other celebrities (who are often portrayed in the strip as shallow and conceited), Jimmy is essentially a good guy. He is very moral and not afraid to turn down money for what he feels is right. He even wrote a song about Ginny Slade to help her raise money for her campaign for free, because he agreed with her politics. Jimmy is also extremely devoted to his fans.
Jimmy expatriated to Vietnam
during the 1990s, and became the number one act in the country. While there he performed in a benefit organized by Kim Rosenthal to help the poorly paid workers at a Nike
plant. He has since returned to America.
Jimmy's biggest fault seems to be his habit of "reinventing" himself, often switching musical genres on a whim. When he does so he changes his name to match his new style; he became Jimmy Ray Thudpucker to perform country music
, MC Jimmy to perform rap music, Jimmy T. to record a Christmas album, and James R. Thudpucker III to make an album of standards.
Jimmy supports file sharing
, and firmly believes that in the future artists will make a modest living by touring because the recording industry will collapse and all music will be free. He has released all of his own music on the internet, to be freely shared, emulating the practice of Janis Ian
who has seen sales of her music radically rise after making her songs freely available on her website. As of January 2009, he has branched out into recording and selling ringtones. In February 2010, he visited Afghanistan with the USO show. On the return journey his helicopter was accidentally shot down by Jeff Redfern (who was on duty for the CIA). However, Jimmy and the other helicopter passengers survived unharmed.
In an interesting real-world crossover, Garry Trudeau
really did have "Jimmy"'s music recorded. Actor ("Ryan and Sean's Not So Excellent Adventure"); producer ("Simply Sondheim - A 75th Birthday Salute"); singer and songwriter James Allen (Jimmy) Brewer co-wrote and sang the songs, as "Jimmy," on the single "Ginny's Song," released by Warner Bros.; on the LP album "Jimmy Thudpucker's Greatest Hits," released by Windsong Records, and in the Academy Award-nominated A Doonesbury Special (1977), which also won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Doonesbury
Doonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
, created by Garry Trudeau
Garry Trudeau
Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip.-Background and education:...
.
He is generally seen as a combination of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
(and to some extent, Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Snowden Wainwright III is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, folk singer, humorist, and actor. He is the father of musicians Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche, brother of Sloan Wainwright, and the former husband of the late folk singer Kate McGarrigle.To...
), and became a rock star in the seventies, when he was only 19. Others have compared Thudpucker to a young Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
.
Unlike many other celebrities (who are often portrayed in the strip as shallow and conceited), Jimmy is essentially a good guy. He is very moral and not afraid to turn down money for what he feels is right. He even wrote a song about Ginny Slade to help her raise money for her campaign for free, because he agreed with her politics. Jimmy is also extremely devoted to his fans.
Jimmy expatriated to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
during the 1990s, and became the number one act in the country. While there he performed in a benefit organized by Kim Rosenthal to help the poorly paid workers at a Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
plant. He has since returned to America.
Jimmy's biggest fault seems to be his habit of "reinventing" himself, often switching musical genres on a whim. When he does so he changes his name to match his new style; he became Jimmy Ray Thudpucker to perform country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, MC Jimmy to perform rap music, Jimmy T. to record a Christmas album, and James R. Thudpucker III to make an album of standards.
Jimmy supports file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
, and firmly believes that in the future artists will make a modest living by touring because the recording industry will collapse and all music will be free. He has released all of his own music on the internet, to be freely shared, emulating the practice of Janis Ian
Janis Ian
Janis Ian is an American songwriter, singer, musician, columnist, and science fiction author. Ian first entered the folk music scene while still a teenager in the mid-sixties; most active musically in that decade and the 1970s, she has continued recording into the 21st century...
who has seen sales of her music radically rise after making her songs freely available on her website. As of January 2009, he has branched out into recording and selling ringtones. In February 2010, he visited Afghanistan with the USO show. On the return journey his helicopter was accidentally shot down by Jeff Redfern (who was on duty for the CIA). However, Jimmy and the other helicopter passengers survived unharmed.
In an interesting real-world crossover, Garry Trudeau
Garry Trudeau
Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip.-Background and education:...
really did have "Jimmy"'s music recorded. Actor ("Ryan and Sean's Not So Excellent Adventure"); producer ("Simply Sondheim - A 75th Birthday Salute"); singer and songwriter James Allen (Jimmy) Brewer co-wrote and sang the songs, as "Jimmy," on the single "Ginny's Song," released by Warner Bros.; on the LP album "Jimmy Thudpucker's Greatest Hits," released by Windsong Records, and in the Academy Award-nominated A Doonesbury Special (1977), which also won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.