avarinde
Alex Nino, Berni Wrightson, Will Eisner, Dave Stevens, Sir
Alma-Tadema, Gustave Dore, Franklin Booth, Go Nagai, Sylvio
Cadelo, Arthur Rackham, Rene Bull, Kenneth Smith, Ernst
Fuchs, HR Giger, Dean Cornwell, Enki Bilal, Al Hirschfeld,
Kevin O'Neil, Bill Sienkiewicz, Burne Hogarth and others
These are the ones that get me charged, let's say
How was the Psychedlic Solution gallery show?
It was interesting and fun. It was a lot more work than I
thought. It really isn't something for me, and I don't plan to
do another one for quite some time. I did what I did so that
the people who were interested in seeing what the originals
looked like got the chance to do so. So many times I can
spend hours on an illustration and when it comes to being
printed it never comes out like the original. You would really
hope it would, but about 50% of the time it doesn't. It can be
really frustrating as an artist to see something come out
really awful and not even close to the original. When it does
come out right there's a great sense of satisfaction. So, the
gallery show was just a visual thing and gave people
chances to purchase some artwork since I had never had the
opportunity to sell my originals. Except, of course, to Kirk
Hammet (Metallica), who is a major purchaser.
How did your work with Metallica come about?
Originally, after I had met the guys, James wanted an illo
for the inside of "Master of Puppets' that showed the four of
them as elongated zombies. Well, Metallica went to Denmark
to record, and James left me with this number for their man-
agement company and told me to contact them. I called it
and some elderly woman answered. It was a wrong number.
With no way to contact James, I was out of luck. By the time
Metallica got back from Europe, it was too late, so James had
me do a design for their upcoming Damage Inc.' tour. The
second design I did for them never saw print, as I wasn't
happy with it and it was a bit unusual, different than what
they wanted. So, the second piece to appear was the 'Crash
Course in Brain Surgery which was for their European tour.
Now I'm working on stuff for their new material.
How did you go from punk/hardcore to the metal scene?
After I moved to San Francisco in 1984, I was in more of
an environment to witness a lot and do more work. While I
was in Boise, I did most of my work through the mail-stuff
for Tesco, the Necros, SSD, FUS, Zorlac and Rattus all came
out of that period. Before I left Boise, the new metal explosion
was happening and there were some bands I heard that were
really good. Stuff like Slayer, Metallica. Living in S.F., I was
able to see these bands, the energy, and it wasn't much dif-
ferent than the hardcore scene, just to some degrees, differ-
ent people. I met Kerry King (Slayer) and gave him some of
the shirts I had done. He dug it and we talked about doing
something for Slayer, but it never came about. Then, of
course there was C.O.C., who were already an unusual hard-
core band, and this new metal crowd dug them, too. They had
me do their 'Animosity' sleeve, which took a while because
the label people bugged me too much and it was irritating. I
was doing art for C.O.C., not the label. When the Lp finally
came out, I had even more problems getting paid and getting
samples. I ended up having to buy one just to have a sample.
but luckily, not all labels are like this. I was also doing the
Metallica thing. All in all, I still dig hardcore and still want to
work in that area, but I dig the metal stuff, too. I had roots in
early Judas Priest, AC/DC, Rush, Montrose and didn't give
those up because I dug hardcore.
Is it hard working in the music industry?
It depends. It's different; things work on a different base.
If you don't get a call back you can't take it personally. The
industry can suck you in, chew you up and spit you out if you
let it, but I guess any industry is like that. It has its rewards.
The last minute projects can come at the wrong time and it's
hard to figure out how a band can spend six months to record
but they want finished art in two days. Still, I can't deny it's
62 Тикланя Масло
fun and I enjoy it. I've met lots of really nice people who are
usually nicer than the bands they work for. You get to see
that backbone, that added success to a successful band. I've
met lots of bands, lots of people I thought I would never
know. Of all the bands/individuals I've met, the nicest was
far and way, Aerosmith. Really sincere. Of course, I can't
include Metallica, because I'm really good friends with them.
How did your association with Zorlac come about?
It must have been ten years ago. Jeff Newton, the origina-
tor of Zorlac which was a very underground company based
in Texas, called me up and wanted an image that was very
Texas/South/voodoo-oriented, and I wanted a revamping of
one of his decks, the "John Gibson," his main (and only) pro
model. I already knew John from the times he was at Del Mar
and protégé of Chris Strople. Obviously, Jeff was very happy
with what he got, and that was the beginning. Off the top of
my head, I don't know how many illos I've done for Zorlac, but
the art is the imagery of Zorlac. Just like Cort was at one time
the main designer for Powell-Peralta or Phillips for Santa
Cruz. Strangely enough, prior to my Zorlac association, I had
finished a design for Jay Smith for his first pro model with
Powell-Peralta which I had done with Jay's specs. It was a
skull character with an iron cross...really punk, which is
what Jay wanted (this is 1980), but Jay was really bummed
when Powell rejected it, saying it wasn't their image.
I know that Jeff Newton, because he lived in the South,
took a lot of grief for images which the religious groups
looked at as being Satanic, certain shops and distributors
wouldn't carry him. This is still something that goes on
today. Maybe it was anarchy/rebellion in the skaters, but the
whole design as a graphic took off and all the companies
went for it. Now it seems like a lot of board graphics are so
tame, like the kids want decks that are parentally approved.
Kids will tire of that, too.
What do you think about the current censorship debate?
Oh Mike, you censorship fiend! I was raised in a way
where I was responsible for my actions. I can't ever remem-
ber my mother telling me when I watched cartoons, TV or
movies that I shouldn't inflict the violence I saw on others. I
just knew it was entertainment. But what is sad is that you
have both sides of the censorship issue throwing so much
stupid stuff around in hopes of gaining a victory, it just loses
its luster. I haven't really seen anything that was a sincere
fight. You have a photographer in jeopardy, but there are
works in print that are far worse. I guess it's just the mental-
ity and how people feel threatened or how those want to
threaten those feelings. There are things much stronger hap-
pening that are the elements of a much broader issue. Do you
ever wonder how advertising can promote something that's
not tested as hot, but when it is tested, it fails and disap-
pears? How the public can be manipulated for something as
simple as toothpaste and how propaganda can fuel paranoia
and opinions run amuck without people thinking rationally at
first, but just reacting to the propaganda? The world is full of
opinionated people who can't opinionate the opinion.
You're a collector, correct?
I only collect art books and toys/materials that I either
enjoyed as a child or enjoy now. Currently, I'm still searching
for Quisp' items. It was my favorite cereal as a kid and I
have a Quisp corner on one of my shelves. Stuff like cereal
boxes, comics, giveaways. It's hard to find, but something
turns up every once in a while. It's a fun hobby. I guess you
could say I collect music, but not fanatically I just like to lis-
ten to all types.
If you were "stranded on a deserted island," what 15
pieces of music would you want to have?
1) Genesis - Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
2) Passport-Infinity Machine
3) Mahavishnu Orchestra-Visions of the Emerald Beyond
4) Black Sabbath-Sabotage
5) It Bites-Once Around the World
6) Alice Cooper-Love it to Death through Muscle of Love
7) Wire-154
8) The Mission-God's Own Medicine
9) Hawkwind-Warrior on the Edge of Time
10) Tangerine Dream-Ricochet
11) Triumvirat-Spartacus
12) Discharge- Never Again
13) Fields of the Nephilim - Dawnrazor
14) Lenny White Adventures of the Astral Pilot
15) Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties
Who are your favorite skaters?
The ichi-ban choice is Jay Smith, even though it's biased
since he's a good friend of mine. Watching him is insane, to
say it right. He didn't win contests but he was fast, rubbery
and tight. Watching him do one of his patented laybacks was
a sight. Stevie Caballero is another one, especially for his
commitment and his size. Rodney Mullen for his innova-
tion-most of the skaters today owe something to Rodney's
ideas. I saw Tony Alva skate at the peak of those hype
days-LA. versus the South, late 70s. Some kids were bitch-
ing how he wasn't doing all the tricks in the magazine, while
they weren't acknowledging he was so tight, so precise, so on
the edge smooth and in control. He is a true innovator of the
sport, besides, he was the one who made wild skate clothes
for the public first. New kids? Gonz, Natas, Sasha, Danny
Sargent and even an old-timer like Bryce who still puts more
into the sport than anyone I know. Can't say these guys are
my favorites, it's interesting to watch the innovations occur.
After all this time, do you still skate?
It's a lot harder now, the main reason is because of the
workload. It takes more time and I can't stay in skate-shape
to mentally do all the stuff I've done before, but I still skate.
It's different now. You can feel the years of skating in your
joints; I'm always popping my knees, something that when I
was younger I had no idea that sliding on the knee pads and
falling would do. Still, the thrill of it is just as exciting. I am
what you call an old-school skater, raised in the barrier-
breaking period of skateboarding when a two-foot aerial was
awesome, unheard of sometimes, and the fear element was
so there' on something as simple as dropping in on a verti-
cal which was intense until that barrier was broken. And
skating today is so vivid, as alive as it ever was, that same
element but explored to a new, thought-provoking boundary
and the future is being made every day. Sometimes you won-
der if it progressed too fast, that it would kill itself from it's
own self-competition. What I know from skating and what I
experienced I wouldn't trade for anything. Sometimes you get
a bit irrational with the fever' but it rolls on.
What can we expect from Pushead in the future?
I'm presently trying to put together all these ideas and
imaginative quests into some sort of 'fan club. I don't like
using the term 'fan club, but I'm trying to make something
that offers graphic and musical items to those who want
them in limited quantities. What I know is that it will have
some sort of graphic magazine and a limited series of 7's
including a Septic Death 7" of new material, plus the offer-
ing of signed/numbered prints. Just fun, collectible stuff
that's not the same as what's offered in the stores. Seems to
be a lot of interest and demand for it. There will even be a
limited resin sculpture just to get back to my interest in fas-
cinating design elements and fun stuff.
As far as artwork goes, there's stuff for the upcoming
Metallica tour, the next LP sleeve, a bunch of secret stuff
ly know, totally hush, hush...), more Zorlac, and even Poison
Idea wants something really perverse. Maybe Gitter, skin
pierced, hanging in the shower, blood flowing but no water
shooting out. Just that red iodine rushing from the shower
head. But to give it that quirk, Gitter's got a smile on his face
and his dog is licking his feet....