Madison has a wealth of great historical architecture to enjoy. Fans of local landmarks love to take walking tours and snap photos of the slobbering Saint Bernard gargoyles atop St. Bernard Church, the beer-drinking gargoyle that adorns Breese Stevens Field, and the electricity-powered gargoyle that leans against the iconic Orpheum Theater sign.
Actually, those gargoyles don’t really exist on Madison landmarks. They, and many others, only exist in the imaginations of Madison authors Jim Good and Bob Kann. The duo have written a new humor book, “The Gallery of Lost Gargoyles,” that features illustrations and histories of 21 fictional Madison gargoyles.
In addition to being funny, the book is a love letter of sorts to Madison from Good and Kann, who both moved to the city in the 1970s. Kann talked about how the book came to be in a recent Q&A.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Who came up with the idea of fictional Madison gargoyles?
I asked Jim if he had an idea for a new project, and he said he'd like to make lino cuts of about 20 iconic buildings in Madison, and attach gargoyles to them. And he asked me which buildings I would suggest. So I sent them a list of buildings. I sent them some history and stories from the buildings I knew about, and he asked me if I wanted to collaborate. So that's what sort of brought us together.
How did the collaboration process work?
Jim is trained as an architect, and so he provided descriptions of the architectural features of each building. We would have a biography of the gargoyle. There would be a section we called “Memories and Local Lore,” which is essentially what happened during the tenure of the gargoyle on that building, and what are the legends and rumors that arose. And finally, “Removal and Current Status,” what circumstances led to the gargoyle being removed? And if we know where it is now, where is it?
Very early, it became quite apparent to both of us, although we never spoke about it, that we're both committed to making this the funniest book possible.
Do you have a favorite gargoyle, or one you wish really existed?
Well, I go around Madison, and passing these buildings, I think, “Oh, they’d look much better with a gargoyle on it.” I like the gargoyle for the Leitch House (now Livingston Inn), Gazey Gargoyle, because the way the story is conceived, she’s chronicling Madison’s history from her perch. So I could then work in all these different stories from Madison history.
One of the joys for us is when people ask us “Did that really happen? Is that true?” I was looking through the book, and there are some things where I can’t remember if I made it up, or Jim made it up, or if it’s true. So it’s fun in that regard.
What is it about gargoyles that appeals to people?
I think it's got a different appeal for different people. Jim's grandson, Leo, who's four years old, asked if he could have one of the prints of one of the gargoyles. And he chose the gargoyle from Ace Hardware, which I think is the most ferocious. There was something about it that appealed to him. So I think it really varies from gargoyle to gargoyle and whatever tickles someone’s fancy.
