John Prine, Richard Thompson, Graham Nash and I walk into a bar...
A story about writing a story about aging rockers. Which never gets old. WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED by PETER MOORE, about my piece in OLDSTER MAGAZINE
I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE: I’m kind of old.
Which is why, naturally, I became a contributor to
’s brilliant Substack: The Oldster Magazine. I’d been reading her Trademark Feature™ The Oldster Questionnaire, in which exalted figures like Elizabeth Gilbert (age 54) and Rosie O’Donnell (age 63) discuss how it feels to be in their wrinkling skin.I’m not as famous as they are, but at least I’m older. Plus I have a secret weapon: Cartooning! So I pitched Sari on answering the questionnaire, and she went for it! This is 67: Cartoonist Peter Moore Answers the Oldster Questionnaire (in Drawings). One reader called it an “instant classic,” but maybe that was a veiled comment on my advanced age. Anyway, Sari invited me to cartoon Another Five Questions, even though I didn’t remember my answers to the first fifteen.
Now I’m a contributor to the Oldster, for as much time as I have left. (Don’t worry, I’m feeling fine. At the moment.) But who knows how many more birthday candles I’ll blow out, without assistance?
I was co-mingling with lots of oldsters last year when I attended concerts given by such enduring rockers as Graham Nash (age 83) and Richard Thompson (age 76). And those great concerts reminded me of my last visit with John Prine, who rocked Red Rocks Amphitheater in the fall of 2019. The concert organizers invited the Colorado Symphony Orchestra for the ride, as well. They might have struck up a dirge, for an encore; John Prine died of covid seven months later.
There was an essay in there, somewhere, and Sari agreed. So I pushed my walker over to my computer, figured out how to turn that damn thing on, wiped my bifocals, and wrote and cartooned my latest piece for the Oldster:
Rock n’ roll never gets old. It just de-composes.
There’s more where this came from at:
Tell Sari I sent you.
Then: Why not subscribe to both newsletters? You’re not getting any younger, either.
Me:
Sari:
Many thanks for joining us here on the Road2Elsewhere.
Hi Peter, I'm a new reader to your newsletter. I'm 72, a bona fide OLDSTER (I'll have to check out the magazine). Your illustrations are great! I'm writing because your two b-day cards are right down my alley, humor-wise. I've written a piece of doggerel for friends who reach a certain age. It's the kind of poem that elicits laughs and knowing nods when read aloud at parties. I was wondering if you'd consider reading it, and, perhaps, do some illustrations to go with the words. This is a non-paying gig, by the way. But if something were to come of it, I would be happy to split any proceeds with you.
Your self-deprecating humor is chef’s kiss, and honestly, I now aspire to be as witty when I hit the "I don't remember my own answers" phase of life. Oh wait, I'm already there!