Cartoonist Always Returns to the Richmond

By George McConnell

"The speedometer must have been stuck on 88, but we had to be going over 100 the whole time. I don't know how else we did it in three days because we didn't drive the entire time and we never saw a cop until we got to California," said Keith Knight, reminiscing about a coast-to-coast trip in 1990.

Tall and lanky with an easy smile, Knight, 37, author of "The Kchronicles" cartoon strip, reminisces about the trip that brought him to the west coast from his hometown of Boston following graduation from college.

After his arrival in San Francisco, with what he calls a useless degree in graphic design, he spent the next seven years working in a youth hostel, playing in a band, riding a skateboard and cartooning.

"I lived cheaply during those days," he said. "One of the advantages of playing in a band is that you get free passes to shows and museums."

Knight's career as a cartoonist began in elementary school with a book report.

"Instead of writing it, I asked the teacher if I could do a cartoon version and he agreed. He liked what I did and said I should pursue it. After that, I never stopped or got discouraged," he said.

There are now three published collections of his multi-panel comic strip "The Kchronicles" and the first collection of his single-panel strip, titled "Red, White, Black and Blue," debuted in February.

His cartoons appear regularly in magazines and newspapers and he has a segment on cable television's ESPN called "Sports Knight." In addition, his cartoons have been displayed in museums and galleries worldwide and he provides commentary when he shows slides of his cartoons.

"My goal is to eventually go to Los Angeles and get into television and films and do animated cartoons," he said.

In addition to cartooning, Knight raps and plays the tambourine for a popular hip-hop group called the "Marginal Prophets."

"I play a mean tambourine," he says with a chuckle.

The band just released its third CD, drolly-entitled "Bohemian Rap CD," which has been nominated for a California Music Award.

Since coming to San Francisco 14 years ago, Knight has lived in the Richmond District, where he lives with his wife, Kirsten. He enjoys playing tennis in Golden Gate Park, shopping at the neighborhood's small markets and attending midnight shows at the Coronet Theatre.

"The Richmond isn't one of those hip neighborhoods, but there's a lot happening here," he said.

Book signings and shows keep him frequently on the road. He recently traveled to New Orleans, San Antonio, Texas and Olympia, Washington. This month, he's off for San Diego.

When he is not traveling, cartooning or playing in his band, he serves on the board of directors at the Cartoon Art Museum, the Just Think Foundation, and 826 Valencia, which tutors kids in art and cartooning.

Knight said his strips are very popular wherever they run and he gets a lot of mail from around the country. In the Bay Area, however, he said some editors will not run his strips because of its controversial language or subject matter.

"I'd say I get several e-mails a week from somebody telling me that I have offended them but, I guess, if I don't offend somebody I'm not doing my job," he said.

In his strips he likes to make fun of his twin sister, Tracy, calling her his "evil twin sister." His twin sister, however, isn't really evil, he said.

Knight says his sense of humor comes from his aunts, uncles, cousins, a steady diet of Warner Brothers cartoons, including Mr. Magoo and Mad Magazine, and racism when he was growing up.

"Experiences in life shape you and racism is something that is evident. It is a reality of life and I tackle it in my strip," he said.

He likes the comic strips of Bill Waters and Jules Pfeiffer and believes it is easier to approach certain issues with humor.

"I think it is a positive thing. Humor is a coping and healing device. It is an amazing thing to get somebody to laugh, and I hope I can do that every once in a while," Knight said.

For more information on Keith Knight and "The Kchronicles," visit the website at www.kchronicles.com.