Paul Sample

I enjoyed Paul Sample's Ogri cartoons from the mid-1970s in Bike Magazine when my older brother started buying it, until it was canned by a management 'modernising; the magazine. In the end, they modernized Ogri back to the inside back cover, when they realised that it was a feature that people actually bought the magazine for! The great thing about the uniqueness of Paul's art style, was that it so recognisable, and given that he also was given advertising commisions, it was always a treat to suddenly recognise his inimitable style in a non-motorcycle paper or magazine. I'm happy to have one of his Ogri cartoon prints hanging in my house to remind me of his talent, social insight and humour.
 
I still have a few of the Ogri t-shirts bought back in the early 80’s, only worn them couple of times, saved them 'for best'! I've lost the badges of Ogri, Mitzi and Kickstart the dog that adorned my old bike jacket back in the day (and I'm built more for touring these days rather than sports).
I still have the Ogri board game 'Hell for Leather' and based around the TT. I bought that at the Ace Cafe when it first reopened.
Paul Sample was a great cartoonist and reading Ogri was a monthly fix.
 
To many UK (and beyond?) bikers of a certain age, the passing of Paul Sample will have hit home pretty hard.
His huge contribution to the culture of motorcycling, particularly in the 70s and 80s cannot be underestimated.

Via his superb Ogri cartoon creation, he pretty much touched us all over the years. Witty, incisive and beautifully illustrated.
The adventures of Ogri, his circle of friends, and the people they associated with, kept us all entertained. Essential reading.

Sometimes, you could read them as a compendium of stories, rather than just one. Often, there were other tales running in the background being told, to one degree or another... There was always something else going on...

Great stuff, and for many Bike mag readers, the last page was always the first one visited.
To this day, whichever magazine I pick up to read, I always start at the last page first. Old habits die hard...:)

Respect to Paul, and sincere sympathies to his loved ones and friends. He was a friend to us all, I think.

P.S. I was looking through my '83 copy of his totally essential Ogri book. So many great tales told within.
This bitter/sweet, laugh out loud one belongs to Cyril.
Staring out of an office window. Wishing he was somewhere else, doing something exciting.
We've all been there eh?
Hopefully, yours didn't end the same as poor old Cyril...:ROFLMAO:




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A late friend who had emigrated from Old Blighty many years before I met him introduced me to Ogri. Great stuff. We have our own version here in Oz, called Fred Gassit - still going after a recent resurrection. Totally politically incorrect by today's standards, of course! But hilarious and highly entertaining. In the tradition of Viz comics.

Vale Paul Sample.
 
piranha-bro2 said:
A late friend who had emigrated from Old Blighty many years before I met him introduced me to Ogri. Great stuff. We have our own version here in Oz, called Fred Gassit - still going after a recent resurrection. Totally politically incorrect by today's standards, of course! But hilarious and highly entertaining. In the tradition of Viz comics.

Vale Paul Sample.
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Fred Gassit appeared in Superbike- “ Get a big black dog up ya!” Was one of my faves.
 
My favourite was Fred Gassit's alter ego, Bellstaff Man; both authors had an intense insight into the Motorcycle World and were really funny.
 
Fred had a wonderful way with words, reflecting the quaint Orstraylian pastime of engaging in lighthearted banter.

For example, 'Tcht kahn!' might appear if a motorcyclist on his 'Kwaka 9' wishes to express a fear that a car driving individual is about to enter the roadway in front of them. A suitable translation would read 'Watch it, #unt!!'
 
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