Ed Subitzky
Ed Subitzky, full name Edward Jack Subitzky, is an American writer and artist. He is best known as a cartoonist, comics artist, and humorist. He has worked as a television comedy writer and performer, a writer and performer of radio comedy, and a writer of radio drama. He has also created comedy and humor in other media. Subitzky is a member of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Writers Guild of America.
In the early 1970s, Subitzky became a long-term contributing editor at National Lampoon magazine, where he worked with many well-regarded humor and comedy creators including Henry Beard, Doug Kenney, Michael O'Donoghue, P. J. O'Rourke, and Michael Gross. Subitzky also wrote for, and voice acted with National Lampoon comedy performers John Belushi and Chevy Chase, in many episodes of the National Lampoon Radio Hour. Subitzky also directed John Belushi and Chevy Chase on Subitzky's Lampoon comedy record album, the Official National Lampoon Stereo Test and Demonstration Record.
Subitzky went on to various other kinds of humor and comedy work, including appearing on television multiple times with David Letterman, and more work for radio. He has also written broadcast horror stories.
During the 1990s, several comic strips of his appeared as "Op/Art" in the op-ed pages of The New York Times.
Starting in 2003, Subitzky contributed 17 pieces on the subject of consciousness to a serious science journal, the Journal of Consciousness Studies. He has had over 20 letters published in New Scientist magazine. And since 2015, Subitzky's drawing and writing has appeared in many issues of The American Bystander humor magazine.
In 2015, clips from an interview with Subitzky were used in the documentary film National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead, and his likeness was used in one of the Rick Meyerowitz cartoon posters for the film.
In the fall of 2023, a retrospective book of Subitzky's humor work was published by the New York Review Books, see Poor Helpless Comics!.
For many years, Subitzky worked a day job as an advertising copywriter.
Early life
Subitzky was born in and grew up in Mount Vernon, New York, just outside of New York City. As a child, he read a wide variety of comic books and Mad magazine. He was greatly influenced by the work of Harvey Kurtzman and to a lesser extent that of Will Elder, both of whom he met briefly in Mount Vernon when he was about 12 years old.He was educated at what is now Binghamton University, where he was a mathematics major who also took many philosophy courses.
A few years later, he moved into Manhattan, and took cartooning classes at the School of Visual Arts. The classes were taught by Bob Blechman and Charles Slackman.
''National Lampoon'' magazine
A great deal of Subitzky's work was published in National Lampoon magazine. His contributions primarily consisted of comic strips, cartoons, and humor writing.His connection with National Lampoon magazine was first established in 1972, when contributing editor Michel Choquette visited the School of Visual Arts cartooning class which Subitzky attended. Choquette took a liking to Subitzky's work, and brought him over to the offices of National Lampoon.
Subitzky subsequently became a long-term contributing editor; one or more of his comic strips, cartoons, and written articles appeared in almost every issue of the magazine. In September 1974, he guest-edited the "Old Age" issue of the magazine.
His name remained on the masthead of National Lampoon all through the 1970s, through the decline of the magazine in the 1980s, and almost up to the point of its eventual demise.
Shary Flenniken, in the biography on her official website, describes Subitzky as "hysterically funny and unassuming".
Comic strips
Subitzky's roughly 100 comic strips for the National Lampoon included “Saturday Night on Antarius! ", “Two-way Comics!", "Eight Comics in One!”, and “Come Too Soon Comics!” Many of his comic strips ran to several pages, and featured numerous very small panels.Written humor
His approximately 100 articles and written pieces for National Lampoon included “How I Spent My Summer” in the Self-Indulgence issue and "Stupidworld" in the Stupid issue.Fumetti
Two of the many fumetti, also known as photo funnies, that Subitzky wrote were "The Perfect Date" and "Every Red-Blooded American Boy's Dream: Three Pretty Girls Doing Just What You Want So You Can Masturbate!"''National Lampoon'' books
In 1974, Subitzky wrote two sections of the infamous National Lampoon 1964 High School Yearbook Parody: the first piece in the yearbook, which is the Principal's letter, and "In Memorium", which is a parody of a student In Memoriam piece.Also in 1974, Subitzky wrote numerous sections of the National Lampoon book,The Job of Sex, which was a parody of The Joy of Sex.
His writing and cartooning were reprinted in many National Lampoon anthologies.
Other anthologies
Pieces of his have been included in several other anthologies, including the 1990 Harper/Collins Big Book of New American Humor, and more than one cartoon collection edited by the cartoonist Sam Gross.A comic drawn by Subitzky in 1972 piece entitled "Two-headed Sam in the Singles Bar!" was included in the large-format book The Someday Funnies, which was finally published in 2011. The book was a collection of creative commentary on the 1960s, the content having been collected and compiled by Michel Choquette during the 1970s. The Someday Funnies included pieces by William Burroughs, Federico Fellini, Tom Wolfe, Frank Zappa, and 165 others.
Works for radio
''National Lampoon'' radio
Subitzky was a writer for and an occasional performer on The National Lampoon Radio Hour, which ran for just over a year in 1973 to 1974. He conceptualized and wrote all, or nearly all, of the “Public Disservice Announcements”, as well as a number of other pieces. Some selections from the Radio Hour work appeared on the CD album Gold Turkey.Subitzky also conceived, wrote, and starred in a one-hour, two-episode radio play broadcast on The National Lampoon Radio Hour in 1974. The play was entitled The Sluts from Space and it was a spoof of popular science-fiction/horror dramas. The two half-hour episodes aired on May 25 and June 2. Subitzky voiced the part of the science-nerd hero, Timmy Johnson, who by clever control of the supply of deodorants, manages to save the world from alien invaders disguised as beautiful and seductive women. The Sluts from Space episodes of the show are listed in detail at: and .
Horror stories
In 1980, Subitzky wrote numerous pieces for a nationally syndicated series of five-minute horror stories, which were broadcast on radio. The series was entitled The Nightwatch. Some of these stories were also made available on an album by Clack, Inc., called Ten Horror Stories: For Radio.''National Lampoon'' comedy albums
Subitzky conceived and wrote two National Lampoon albums:- Official National Lampoon Stereo Test and Demonstration Record, 1974, an LP record which was voiced by John Belushi and Chevy Chase, among others. Subitzky also wrote the extensive liner notes for the album.
- The Official National Lampoon Car Stereo Test & Demonstration Tape, 1980, which was on cassette tape, and was supposedly an audio test for car stereo.
Television work with David Letterman
Comedy writing and performing
In 1980, Subitzky was hired as a comedy writer on The David Letterman Show, where he helped create "The Imposter," a series of comedy sketches about a person who pretends to be celebrities in order to get on television. During the sketches, Letterman always completely accepts the fake identity that the Imposter has presented. Subitzky was soon asked to actually play the character of the Imposter, which he did four times on the morning show. He also reprised the role twelve more times on Late Night with David Letterman.For the sketches, in most cases Subitzky wore his own clothes, and there was usually no attempt to make him look like the person he was purporting to be. However, when he was claiming to be James Clavell, Subitzky wore a tuxedo, and when pretending to be Don Henley, he was dressed in a leather motorcycle jacket and a black sequined teeshirt. When Subitzky was announced as being the viewer Elizabeth Callahan, he appeared in full drag and makeup, however, his real-life moustache was clearly visible. As Santa Claus, Subitzky wore a full Santa costume, beard and hair, and, as the U.S. Airforce Academy Choir, he wore a chorister's robe.
At the end of the first three sketches that were made, Subitzky left the stage via the same entrance that he came in at, i.e. via the wings, however by the 4th sketch and for all the subsequent sketches, Subitzky left the stage by walking up the aisle through the audience, apologizing profusely to audience members as he went along.
For the first three sketches, Subitzky had claimed to be just one celebrity, but by sketch number four he claimed to be two people simultaneously. Late in the series of sketches he claimed to be an entire choir of children.
On ''The David Letterman Show''
- The following four Imposter sketches ran on episodes of the morning show, The David Letterman Show :
- July 2, 1980: Ed Subitzky as the singer Donna Summer
- July 18, 1980: Ed Subitzky as the actor Gary Coleman
- July 24, 1980: Ed Subitzky as the actress Suzanne Somers
- August 5, 1980: Ed Subitzky as actor Burt Reynolds and actress Sally Field