'Vooruit met de G... Gids' (2024). Translation: "Guide from Bruges pushed in Bruges Reie water." - "I...I...can't swim!" In the background the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk ("Church of Our Lady") is depicted.
Guido Beuckels is a Belgian city guide and spare time cartoonist, active in Bruges. Since the 1990s, he is also notable as a gag comic artist for regional magazines and papers, like the Brugse Streekkrant and 't Brugsch Handelsblad. His regular comic features ''t Brugs Hallerietje', 'Guido Gezellig' and 'Vooruit Met De G... Gids' all combine regional news, atmosphere and slang.
Life and career
Guido Beuckels was born in 1952. Between 1972 and 1975, he studied at the Sint-Lucas Institute in Brussels. In his professional life, he has worked as a construction technician for Groep Planning (1975-1981) and as coordinator of technical facilities for the Belgian Public Broadcasting Corporation (1981-2015). He was also the union leader for the network, representing the christian-democratic union ACV (1992-1999). He additionally works as a city guide in Bruges.
''t Brugs Hallerietje' (1996). The tower sings Willy Lustenhouwer's song 'Zet Je Vanachter', which invites people from Bruges to "ride along". However, the Bruges-born business guru and convicted fraudster Jean-Pierre Van Rossem can't join in, thinking: "You shouldn't stand in front of the line."
Cartooning career
Since 1991, Beuckels has also been drawing comics and cartoons for local newspapers like the Brugse Streekkrant and 't Brugsch Handelsblad. His gag comic ''t Brugs Hallerietje' (1990-1998), which ran in 't Brugsch Handelsblad, imagines the three Towers in Bruges as anthropomorphic characters, overseeing whatever happens in the city. During the 2020s, he has made new episodes of the comic for 't Brugsch Handelsblad. Another 1990s creation was 'Guido Gezellig', a cartoon feature starring a fictional version of the comic author, whose name is a pun on the Belgian poet Guido Gezelle and the Dutch word "gezellig" ("cosy"). Both comics poke fun at current events, some from the national news, others more located in Bruges itself. A book compilation was published under the title: ''T Brugs Hallerietje: Oender de Brugse Torens: Guido Gezellig' (Bonte, 2021). A later gag comic by Guido Beuckels is 'Vooruit met de G... Gids', serialized in the Gidsenkroniek Hello Bruges, about a Bruges city guide like Beuckels himself. The nameless title character tries to do his job well, but is often confronted with unforeseen obstacles or situations where he didn't think things through.
'Guido Gezellig' (1997).
All of Beuckels' gag comics convey a very recognizable and picturesque atmosphere. The backgrounds are instantly recognizable tourist hotspots, like the Belfort or the Arme Klaren. The cartoonist pays attention to local traditions and folklore, like the Procession of the Golden Tree and the Holy Blood Procession, and also to football clubs Club Brugge and Cercle Brugge. Characters often speak in West-Flemish slang and nationally famous West-Flemish people are often given cameos, like painter Roger Raveel, novelist Pieter Aspe and business guru/criminal Jean-Pierre van Rossem. Beuckels also provides guest roles for famous Belgians from other provinces, like the Belgian royal family or world famous celebrities who just happen to visit Bruges, like Russian president Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Donald Trump. He simultaneously provides people who are known in Bruges itself with unexpected cameos, like local politicians and store owners. Not bothered by anachronisms, even historic West-Flemings have turned up, like painters Hans Memling, Jan & Hubert van Eyck.
''t Brugs Hallerietje' (2023), with a cameo by former radio host Nico Blontrock, who later became municipal officer of Culture in Bruges. He says he isn't going to "NICaragua" this year, but to "Puerto NICO".