Every week, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 40-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
This song was about a specific woman who took on the world and evidently experienced some success through lobbying, etc. It was my intention to make the point that one person can accomplish a lot in terms of changing things.
The illo shows what looks like an older woman being hauled away by the cops. At the risk of hijacking David’s intentions, to me, she’s being removed from a protest, one of hundreds she’s participated in. Maybe it’s 20 or 30 years from now. Her identity is not known to the viewer, but her commitment to progressive social change is implied here, within the context of our doings. This is also a great example of how David trusts me with his work. I impose meaning in language, based on our nearly 40 years of working together.
“One Woman” from Calico Kills The Cat (K, 1988) (download):
