The late, great Paul Reubens was an artist of incredible duality, a quality embodied by his most famous character, Pee-wee Herman.
With his neatly-cropped hair, snazzy red bow tie, and stylin’ grey suit and pants, Pee-wee looked like a member of The Little Rascals who had inexplicably grown up overnight.
He wasn’t all childish innocence and mischief, though.
More than a bratty streak, there was something undeniably twisted about Pee-wee, even if, as a kid, I could never quite place my finger on what it was.
I just knew that I liked it.Reubens’ brilliance in the art of dark absurdism made him a perfect match for Tim Burton, another artist who appealed to my off-kilter sensibilities before I was old enough to understand why.
The pair would join forces multiple times over the course of Reubens’ career, beginning with Burton’s feature directing debut, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” in 1985.
Looking back now,…
Read full article