Scott Adams Interview

INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT ADAMS FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

DM) Do you think that if the boss makes the employee happy, productivity will increase?

SA) I think it makes him not quit. Retraining new employees has got to cost you something.

DM) How do you feel the working world and the environment have changed since Dilbert came on the scene?

SA) Most of the changes have to do with just the way the economy is performing. The thing that's happening now is that executives are trying to explain to employees that when things were going well, it was because the executives were doing such a good job, and now that things are going to Hell, it's probably due to the bad economy. When things are going up and everything's looking good, I wasn't getting many complaints from employees, so I guess they all figured, "I'm making so much money and I could always go across the street if I don't like it here." But now, belts are tightening a little bit; you've got the threats of downsizing and suddenly things are getting in a new tense mode again.

DM) So now that the economy starts heading south, people get more concerned about workers' rights and you get more complaint e-mails supporting your column.

SA) I feel kind of like a funeral director after a bus crash. I realize it's bad news, but it's kind of good news for me.

DM) So your world increases more as the rest of the world decreases.

SA) (Laughs) Yeah.

DM) Do you feel that people have taken to heart the suggestions you've made in the Dilbert column?

SA) Well, there's a subtle effect; people are less likely to do something if they think it will be in a Dilbert cartoon. There's a dampening effect, I guess. I've heard the story dozens of times about somebody rolling out a new policy, thinking it sounds too much like a Dilbert cartoon and then saying, "Ok, forget it, it sounds too much like a comic strip." I think the threat of being mocked in the comic strip has a dampening effect.

DM) Have there been any effects you've learned about?

SA) There's a communication effect that occurs when somebody is about to do something that you are sure isn't going to work, but if you were the one who said it, they wouldn't listen to you anyway. But if you caught it on a Dilbert cartoon and tacked it the door, then they know at least two people thought it was a bad idea--and probably more, because the comic comes out of people's suggestions. I kind of pack the weight of numbers behind my message.

DM) How are the next few steps in your career coming along?

SA) Well, the next book compilation is coming out, entitled "When Did Ignorance Become a Point of View", and in the spring "In Your Cubicle No One Can Hear You Scream" is coming out.

DM) How is the popularity of your older books compared to the newer ones?

SA) Well, it's hard to measure, because people are buying the old ones as much as the new ones. It's just not something you can compare.

DM) Do they increase or decrease in popularity based on the economy?

SA) I think they increase. I'm seeing, based on e-mail response, a resurgence of interest that will probably increase as things decrease.

DM) So, do you see a turnaround in the economy in the near future?

SA) I think the economy has got to digest all of the dot-com stuff until it's completely through the small intestine and excreted before you're going to see anything that looks like a bottom.

DM) Do you think there will be any "internet resurgence" at some time in the future... some new "Amazons", so to speak?

SA) I can't imagine it. I think you'll see it occasionally, but I think the big lesson here is that the large established companies will just extend their reach. I think we are about a year away from bottoming out on the economy.

DM) Do you find you are getting asked a lot of "non-Dilbert" questions from your fans on subjects such as the economy and technology and so forth?

SA) Yeah, I do, it's funny that anybody would listen to anything I have to say. Afterwards I often laugh and say, "Why the hell am I answering that question?" I've discovered that since I wear glasses, I seem like an expert in many things. People ask me about psychology, economics, particle physics, you name it...

DM) With a number of comics out there, there are some progressions throughout the series, introductions of new characters, etc... What major changes have happened with Dilbert since he was first introduced to the world?

SA) Well, lots of new characters, Catbert was introduced a few years into it... Ashok the intern, Ming the Webmistress... There were no web sites when Dilbert started. Just yesterday, in fact, I had Dilbert get fired, but you won't see that for a few months in the actual newspaper.

DM) I assume that's not going to be a permanent condition.

SA) Probably not, but I haven't drawn it yet.

DM) You have no idea what the next stage is?

SA) No, I never decide in advance. I usually don't decide until I sit down that day.

DM) Has there ever been anything you regretted doing to the character?

SA) Well, I do fewer continuing stories than most cartoonists do. The reason I is because there is always some point in the continuing story where you run out of story and you know the wrap-up won't be funny, so you've thrown away a day. I did a series where Dogbert was doing some genetic research and created giant mutant cucumbers that became menacing. I realized halfway through the series that there was no way this could end well, so I just did an editor's note saying I realized it wasn't funny and so I thought I'd just stop there. People agreed with me that the cucumber thing was going nowhere.

DM) Do you get the feedback that immediately?

SA) Well, I do get it in months later from when I actually run it.

DM) When you are writing every day as it comes, can anything that comes along inspire you which you will then put into the strip?

SA) Yeah, but I have to judge carefully whatever the inspiration is, such as will it be something that will still be inspirational in a few months when it goes to strip, or in a year when it goes to book form. If it's something that won't last a year, I try to avoid it.

DM) So you avoid using things in contemporary news?

SA) Yeah, I don't do anything in the news unless it's business news.. like downsizing, for example. I held back on that topic because I wasn't sure it was going to last. I'm only going so far as to say that I think the bottom will happen in a year, but I'm not sure how fast we'll pull off of that bottom.

DM) But for you, that will simply mean Dilbert will get only more popular!

SA) It's all good.

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