I've been a fan of Paul Sample's cartoon character Ogri since spotting him in Bike magazine way back in the early 1980s. The strips were always good fun, with multiple layers of meaning and plot - and my interest was piqued by Ogri riding vintage bikes on occasion.Sample says, "The first strip cartoon was based on my own experience of driving up the M1 at 90mph on a Rocket Goldstar and wondering what the rattle was. The inspiration for most of the stories comes from riding my bike, talking to people in the pub or things on the news. I am constantly writing down ideas in a book. Most people think Ogri is about biking but it's not, it's about life in general."
My suspicions about Sample being a fan of Old Motorcycles was confirmed by this photograph aboard his Sunbeam S7!
A selection of his original drawings is coming up for sale at Halls Estate Auctions on January 27th. Estimates for an original pen-and-ink strip are £120-180 - affordable original artwork!
