Thierry Culliford

Thierry Culliford (b. 29 December 1955, Uccle, Belgium) is a Belgian comics author, scriptwriter, publisher, and musician, son of renowned cartoonist Peyo, né Pierre Culliford (1928—1992), and elder brother of Véronique Culliford (b. 1958). Thierry has collaborated with his father since 1983, notably contributing to [url=https://discogs.com/artist/319535]The Smurfs[/url]. After Peyo died in 1992, he continued producing new issues in the existing comic series, such as [url=https://discogs.com/artist/8465445]Johan et Pirlout[/url], under his father's pen name.

In his early twenties, Thierry co-authored a humorous "coming-of-age" comic strip, [url=https://discogs.com/artist/4236274]Germain et nous…[/url] ("Germain and us"), with his ex-classmate and friend [url=https://discogs.com/artist/211353]Frédéric Jannin[/url], published by prolific Franco-Belgian magazine Spirou between March 1977 and September 1992. As their comics began gaining critical acclaim, Culliford and Jannin decided to work further on one of its recurring themes — a fictitious favorite band of Germain and his teenage friends, The Bowling Balls (usually mentioned in the context of their repeated failed attempts to record an illegal live bootleg). Thierry and Fred invited [url=https://discogs.com/artist/3958826]Bert Bertrand[/url], son of Peyo's frequent collaborator and the "Smurfs" scriptwriter Yvan Delporte (1928—2007), and another mutual friend to join, posing as brothers [url=https://discogs.com/artist/923761]Elton[/url], [url=https://discogs.com/artist/923760]Averell[/url], [url=https://discogs.com/artist/923757]Billy[/url], and Fernand Ball in the abundant faux ephemera, including a bogus press kit, non-existent album covers, and several fake interviews; Thierry's father Peyo joined the hoax, appearing as the band's producer Jack Grodikski. The increasingly elaborate joke culminated in a debut 7" single, God Save The Night Fever, released by Spirou on 1 April 1979. A not-so-fictional-anymore band soon signed with Spirou, releasing Visco Video 7" in 1980 and a few more singles. The group's aspiring career was cut short by Bertrand's suicide in 1983, with the remaining bandmates releasing an aptly titled First & Last Album For The Same Price LP a few months later.