Farewell To Freedom

I have been a fan of The Colbert Report since early in it’s run. I really love the character Stephen created, because he brilliantly illuminates and satirizes the techniques of cable news pundits while simultaneously using the aggressive nature of the character to ask tough questions of guests across the political and cultural spectrum. I’m in awe of Colbert’s intelligence and quick wit. I’ve had the honor of being a guest on The Colbert Report a couple of times and my artwork has been used or discussed on the show a few other times. Stephen is such a formidable interviewer, that I almost lost my nerve to go on his show when I was first asked in January 2009. Right before I went on the show, I found out that Stephen and I both went to the same uptight and elite prep school in Charleston, S.C. I felt that our shared experience at Porter-Gaud, a school where the key to survival was being able to verbally and intellectually eviscerate the enemy, made me more prepared for the interview. I hated Porter-Gaud, sought refuge in art, skateboarding, and punk music, and left the school after 9th grade, while Stephen obviously thrived and stayed through graduation. Regardless, I thought I did pretty well in my interview. Click here to watch the interview.

When Stephen asked me if I’d be one of the guests on his farewell show, I was incredibly flattered, but when I was also asked to do a graphic for the final episode, I was humbled. The pressure to do something strong for the FINAL Colbert episode was daunting. With Stephen everything has to be over-the-top, hyperbolic, life-imitates-art or art-imitates-life (who knows which?) ego-driven absurdity, so we conceived an image that would aspire to the grandeur of his final skit. Stephen liked the image I created enough to not only incorporate it into the show, but to allow me to make a limited edition of art prints. They will be available TODAY! I’m grateful to Stephen for his inclusion of me and my work on his show, but I’d mostly like to thank him for being a supreme leader in the war against bullshit! Even in character, it takes incredible smarts and courage to maintain the rigor of his show and bring the heat to George W. Bush at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The Colbert Report will be missed, but I’m sure that with his fierce intelligence, Stephen will bring a new dimension to the Late Show. I look forward to it.
-Shepard

18 x 24 inch screen print on natural paper. Signed and numbered edition of 500. Limit 1 per person/household. $50.

*Orders will be fulfilled week of December 29th*

Release date: December 19, 2014 at 9:00 AM PST in PRINTS.