American artist Lauren LoPrete created a viral sensation in 2013 with her Tumblr page ‘This Charming Charlie’. Featuring mash-ups of Peanuts strips with lyrics by English band The Smiths, the work is currently on show in our exhibition Good Grief, Charlie Brown!
Famous for their articulations of despair, angst, loneliness and unrequited love, LoPrete saw the band’s music as a perfect fit for the misfit characters of Charles Schulz’s cartoon: “The work connects two elements of 20th century pop culture that so many have connected to on a very intimate level. It carries on the adult emotion that runs through The Smiths lyrics with the innocent child-like candour of the Peanuts gang.”
The page went viral when, within six months of starting, LoPrete was issued take down notices for her work violating copyright laws by Universal Music Group, guitarist Johnny Marr’s record company; while Morrissey, the Smiths’ singer and lyricist, recognised the compliment and publicly expressed his support. With the help of a fan, LoPrete worked to gain rights back under fair use laws and the Tumblr page remains up. Both Universal and Warner (Morrissey’s record company) have given permission for the mash-up to be reproduced for this exhibition.
Whatever the legalities of homage and parody in the internet age, the images struck a chord far and wide: LoPrete says, “to this day I continue to hear from fans who were exceptionally moved by the connections the comics. I’ve seen the work recreated in t-shirts found in Korean subway stations and permanently inked on fans’ bodies.”
Lauren LoPrete has spent 13 years working in print and digital design. She works across media including graphic, exhibition and user experience design. In 2010, LoPrete and her husband started a record label publishing small batch vinyl singles and LPs from indie bands across the US. Three years later, she connected the illustrations of Peanuts with the words and lyrics of The Smiths on her Tumblr page. Her work has been featured in international publications including Rolling Stone, Vice, NPR, Esquire, and Pitchfork.
