Brandons's Column -02/18/03
Past Columns
02/04/03
01/10/03
12/11/02
11/27/02
Welcome, everyone, to the first in a series of small press creator interviews. Recently, Samurai Comics flew me out to the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco to meet some of the promising new talent in alternative comics and catch up with a few of the stars of the independent press. The con is a celebration of comics, particularly as an art form...many of these creators take time away from their everyday jobs to promote books they barely break even on, just to get their art into circulation. My own experience was off-the-charts incredible, and we’ve got a huge APE-related feature in the works which will include over twenty 30-second interviews with some of the best talent the medium has to offer, and a ton of other fun updates and reviews.
First in the series is James Kochalka, who wasn’t actually in attendance at APE, but ended up playing a large role in my visit to San Francisco.
I’ll begin by saying that James Kochalka is my favorite cartoonist. He’s got a simple, understated style that doesn’t contradict his wisdom and sense of incredible humor. Journalistically, I’m not actually supposed to write in first person, but I’d like to share a very special personal story about him: as I attended said comic book convention, my girlfriend Brandi was at home celebrating our 3-year anniversary alone. On the way to the convention center, I decided I’d ask James to sing a few lines from our favorite Kochalka song to her over the phone.
Though he wasn’t at APE (he and his wife are expecting a child soon), James ended up calling from Vermont and singing “President Kochalka” on our home answering machine after I’d e-mailed him about the idea. James seemed genuinely delighted to do this, because he knew how much it would mean. That’s the kind of wonderful and considerate person James Kochalka is. Hopefully, the following interview will convince you to pick up at least one of his books, or buy one of his CD’s, and experience a truly unique and amazing individual’s expression of self through art.
Ladies and gentlemen...James Kochalka, Superstar!
BNH: Since you and your wife Amy are expecting a child soon, will you be giving up live musical performances entirely? Will you be giving up teaching?
JKS: Oh, I gave up teaching a long time ago! But no way am I giving up live performance. That's crazy talk!
BNH: Speaking of Amy, where did you meet her? Didn’t you do a comic about you two meeting? What was the wedding like? Did you use any of your own songs?
JKS: I don't think I ever did a comic about us meeting. I met her at a YRUU youth conference, at a church in Rutland, Vermont. Also, she had moved to my hometown after I moved away to college, and made friends with my friends who were still in High School. So, I'd see her when I came home for break and stuff. We've been together for 17 years now. The wedding march was Casio & guitar. This band called The Happiest Guys in the World played at the reception...and I did a song too. I think I sang "President Kochalka". But the best part was when all our little nieces and nephews took over the instruments and made crazy Japanese noise rock for an hour.
BNH: How did the “Superstar” nickname come about?
JKS: I was in the least popular band in town, called 50 Hot Lester. I thought it was funny that we were so un-liked...so to play it up a little, I wrote a song called James Kochalka Superstar.
BNH: In regards to teaching, what is it that you taught (well, art, I know...but what kind?) and where?
JKS: I taught a few painting classes. I taught an oil painting class, and an acrylic painting class, and some kind of more advanced sort of painting class at St. Michael's College in Vermont. That was a few years ago...I quit after two semesters. I liked teaching, I was good at it. However, although I still had a lot of freedom, I really wanted the super extra freedom of just not working at all. Still, it was probably dumb to quit. I could've had that sweet easy job for the rest of my life, if I wanted it.
BNH: Will the baby be a boy or girl? And what names do you have picked out? I still like Frogger Kochalka...got any other good name ideas?
JKS: We won't know if it's a boy or girl until it's born I guess. The midwives don't want to tell us. If it's a girl we're going to name her Josie James Kochalka. As far as boy names go, Frogger is a good one. Another favorite was Obie Wan Kochalka. Tronald Kochalka, so we could nickname him "Tron". But Amy didn't like any of those. We might name the boy after my friend Jason Cooley (known in the comics as Jason X-12 or Jason Schoolbus)... so it could be Jason Cooley Kochalka. But we might just go with Jesse James Kochalka. Every little boy would like to be named after an outlaw from the wild west.
BNH: What kind of college did you attend?
JKS: I went to the University of Vermont, and got a normal well-rounded education. Pretty much I'd paint 8 to 14 hours a day on top of all my other studies. After UVM, I went to the Maryland Institute for graduate school, and studied oil painting.
BNH: Got any saucy (and by saucy, I don’t mean XXX...) stories about school to share?
JKS: Way too many! My friends and I almost got kicked out of graduate school because we spent the first month just raging completely out of control. Later, I got to see our file and it was pretty funny. I don't even know where to start.
BNH: 2003 is going to be a big year for you in terms of book releases...what do you have in store for us this year?
JKS: First, Magic Boy and the Robot Elf comes out this month. Then Sketchbook Diaries #3 in March. And then in April, Monkey Vs. Robot and the Crystal of Power. And then May 3, Peanutbutter & Jeremy #4, the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Special. Then Fancy Froglin's Sexy Forest sometime this summer, then Sketchbook Diaries #4 in September, then Peanutbutter & Jeremy's BEST BOOK EVER in November. Yeah, it's a lot. Damn straight. I draw a lot.
BNH: Are you planning any new CD’s or musical releases soon? How would you describe your music? How were you able to break into the music industry?
JKS: I HAVEN'T broken into the music industry. I send my CDs to radio stations, and they play the f*#k out of 'em, but you can't find my CDs in any music stores, and I don't have any deal with any record label. I've never tried to get a record deal actually, nor have I ever tried to get my CD distributed by any record distributor. The CDs are available at comic book stores, though. The music is sort of like punk rock children's music for grownups. I don't know exactly how to describe it. It's silly...it rocks...it's incredibly catchy. I am working on a CD now called Spread Your EVIL WINGS and Fly. It's my response to September 11. It's my most hard-rock album ever, because God damn, if nothing else, us American's know how to ROCK.
BNH: What should people know about you and your work if they are interested in reading or listening but haven’t yet?
JKS: Despite the humor in my work, it's not some kind of novelty or comedy stuff. I deal with all the big emotions, and I consider my work in comics and music to be a true art that deals head on with what it means to be a human being. Its’ life affirming.
BNH: That’s definitely true, and a great way to describe your work. I happen to work part-time as a waiter, as you once did-how does it feel to get out from under the greasy boot heel that is restaurant service? Did you enjoy being a waiter? Can you give any of us still struggling in the food service industry any encouraging words or advice? Got any good stories to relate about your waiter-y experiences?
JKS: My book Quit Your Job was all about the struggle of trying to reconcile your life with the fact that you have to have a job. I was a waiter at the Peking Duck House for 6 years, and had other crappy jobs before that. I figured that was going to be my fate for the rest of my life. And then one day I realized I was actually starting to make a little money drawing comics... so I quit that job and never looked back. I haven't worked any kind of job for years now. But my hip is still f*#ked up and sore from being a waiter. That rushing back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room is not good for your hips, I don't think. Too much turning back and forth. But let me tell you, if you ever are able to get out of that job.... DO IT! And if you can't, then just try to find the space in your life to also work on your art, music, writing, website, sports, or whatever it is you like.
BNH: I AM getting out of that job! Where can fans find your music and comics work on the web?
JKS: I post a new diary comic strip each day at http://www.americanelf.com. I also post new songs there...I have about 22 songs up so far, and put more up all the time. You can also find a few songs at http://www.mp3.jks and you can listen to my web-album Hotchocolate Superstar at http://www.dangerfive.com/jks.
BNH: Which comics work are you most proud of?
JKS: I'm most proud of my daily diary comic strip. I've been working on that since 1998. 2 book collections have been published by Top Shelf under the title Sketchbook Diaries. (Actually #3 comes out in March, so soon there will be three.) Each day I just draw a small diary comic strip in my sketchbook. Sometimes it's just the simplest little moment of the day, and sometimes it actually deals with more complicated emotions. But as a whole, day after day, the strips are adding up to be a really nuanced and complex portrait of what it means to be a human being. This is going to be my master work, I can just tell. This is what I'm going to be remembered for.
BNH: Got any details about your life that you haven’t given in your strip?
JKS: Sure, thousands. Tens of thousands of details get left out. Hundreds of thousands. But of course, a lot gets in too.
BNH: Tell us about sketchbook diary comics and how you feel your work has affected that genre...do you feel like you are the originator of daily sketchbook diary comics (I think you are, by the way...)? Is it flattering to see so many new creators entering the genre, or has the sheer volume of new sketchbook comics begun to annoy you?
JKS: People have done autobiographical comics for decades now. My main innovation has been to marry the autobiographical comic with the format of the daily strip. It seems simple in retrospect, but as far as I can tell, no one has ever done it before... and it's an incredibly powerful combination. A daily diary comic strip, it's really a perfect glistening gem of an idea, and an amazing way to express the rhythm of life. Tons of young cartoonists have followed my lead. I'm fine with it-I think it's great that I've inspired folks to make more art.
BNH: Did you begin your career entirely by self-publishing? How did you catch on at Highwater, Top Shelf, and Alternative Comics?
JKS: Highwater, Top Shelf, and Alternative Comics all did not exist when I began self-publishing my mini comics. They were fans of my work, and when they started publishing houses, asked me to do books with them. In a way, to some degree, my work inspired my publishers to publish.
BNH: Do you like Michael J. Fox?
JKS: Sure! I especially like the stories he tells about trying to hide his alcoholism from his wife. That's pure, sad, comedy.
BNH: Yes. Yes it is... How did you get involved in Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and why is it so important to the comics medium?
JKS: For some reason, most of America seems to think that comics are for kids. So, prosecutors love to attack publishers, artists, and comic book stores that offer more mature comics aimed at adults. Because they just can't wrap their minds around the fact that these comics...made by adults, for adults...are not aimed at children. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a first-amendment rights group that protects publishers, artists and comic book stores from over-zealous prosecutors. Basically, I feel like they're fighting for the principal that comics are a full fledged artwork that can cover the same ground as any art or literature. You can learn more about them here: http://www.cbldf.org.
BNH: H*ll yeah!! What’s been your proudest moment? What are your goals, both professionally and personally?
JKS: I like being able to meet other cartoonists whose work I admire and to hang out and talk with them. I liked being able to convince my publisher Top Shelf to sign this fabulous younger cartoonist named Jeffrey Brown. I liked going on my rock tour in Scandinavia. I guess my big professional goal now is to break out of the "alternative" comics world and into the world of movies, television, and videogames. But mostly I want to keep on drawing comics and pushing myself harder and further. Personal goals are to buy a house to put my wife and baby in, and get that baby born.
BNH: Where did you grow up, and how has it affected your comics and musical work?
JKS: I grew up in a little town in Vermont, where I was a freak. I played in the woods a lot, and that definitely affected my comics. I'm always drawing scenes that take place in the woods. I think being from a small town...you're always looking out at the world...culture, music, comics...they're things that come from elsewhere. I never thought I'd ever be able to enter that world and move freely in it. But I can.
BNH: Those last two sentences describe my life so well it’s eerie. What is your favorite thing in the world? Favorite movie? Favorite food? Favorite beer? Favorite comic?
JKS: I like a lot of stuff-I can't really choose any one favorite. My favorite movie might be It's a Wonderful Life. Favorite food: probably rice. It's good with everything. Beer...hmmm: Magic Hat. Favorite comic: Louis Riel by Chester Brown.
BNH: How did your cat Spandy get her name?
JKS: It's the first name I came up with that Amy didn't hate.
BNH: Where can fans get your hot sauce? How does it taste?
JKS: It's pretty good. There are four different flavors. I still haven't tried them all. But the labels are even more important than the sauce itself. You can get the hot sauce from http://www.chicagocomics.com/exclusive/exclusive.html.
BNH: In addition to all the hours of comics and commissioned work you do, you also did the labels for your hot sauce. How much discipline does it take to draw and draw every single day?
JKS: I guess I have a lot of discipline, but it's really not that difficult. I guess I just LIKE to draw every day. If you don't like to draw every day, then you should find something else that you like to do with your time, I guess.
BNH: Talk about Clumsy, and why it’s your favorite graphic novel. How did you come across Jeffrey Brown and his work?
JKS: It was easy to find, because he mailed it to me. Now, with all honesty I can't read everything that people mail me. I just get too much. But his book stood out right away, and I made sure I found the time to read it. What's so remarkable is that the book is almost 100% sex scenes. It's the true story of his relationship with a girlfriend, told almost entirely through sex scenes. And it's drawn in a kind of a cute style, so it's not gross.
BNH: Describe some of your influences in life...
JKS: I guess my cat Spandy has been a big influence.
So there you have it, everyone: the incomparable James Kochalka Superstar. I’d like to leave you with a little bit of wisdom James put forth in his graphic novel Magic Boy and Girlfriend. Please go buy something by James. It’ll make you really happy:
JAMES (as himself):
When I was little I used to promise myself I’d always believe in faeries. I knew all about how when people grow up the little kid in them died. I was determined it would never happen to me. Little did I know that life is a series of events, designed to transform you in exactly that awful way.
Like, how does one go from being the good little boy in this story to being a wild drugged teenager? The little kid is slowly chipped away...
Every encounter with drugs does change you a little bit. After your first sip of beer, or probably even coffee, you get this feeling like things have changed forever. It’s like liquid “adulthood” pouring right into you. And each small step makes the next step easier.
Until you don’t believe in faeries anymore.
Something tells me James Kochalka still does believe in faeries. I sure hope so.
Brandon N. Huigens
**Tune in next time to check out an interview with Clumsy creator Jeffrey Brown!
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