Praise for "Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm"

Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm written by Percy Carey and illustrated by Ronald Wimberly came in at number 9 of Time magazine's Top Ten Graphic Novels for 2007. And CNN's Best of the Rest 2007.

See my interview with Percy Carey at Comic Critique.

© Frank Reynoso, Feb. 4, 2008, All Rights Reserved

Interview with Ayo

In the midst of the 2007 MoCCA Arts and Comics Festival, I briefly spoke with Ayo, author of the irreverent and often pantomimed mini-comic Little Garden.

Where are you originally from?

I’m from Mount Vernon, New York. It’s a small town north of the Bronx. Home to such rappers as Heavy D and Pete Rock and CL Smooth. That’s right. And Rob O who I see sometimes. I live in Brooklyn now.
That’s good company to have in Mount Vernon.

(Laughs.)
What do you think is the best musical accompaniment to your comics?

I used to post track lists on my blog with the panels, the cartoons I did – stuff like Jimi Hendrix and the reggae Bad Brains. But really what I listen to mostly is Dead Kennedys and gangsta rap.
What is your comic embarrassment?

Hmmm… I put out some minis [comix] in 2005, which I didn’t like them when I made them, but for want of nothing else to do, I put them out and gave them to people blindly. So I... hopefully they’ve discarded them unread. (Laughs.)
What comic would you never publicly admit to reading?

Wouldn’t that be like publicly admit to reading it? I can think of some stuff but like at the same time…I don’t know…Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what: Sizzle magazine from NBM because they publish this really gross, hardcore porn but they also publish good people like Brandon Graham from Ciero so I was “I love that guy so I’m just gonna pick up this thing no matter what the person behind the counter thinks of me.” (Laughs.)
Fill in the blank: milk is to cookie as ___ is to my comic.

As color is to my comic. You see I eat cookies without milk but at the same, you know, if I wasn’t lactose intolerant, it would be a nice thing to go along with it. I would love to combine if I could. (Laughs.)
Where can people find your comics?

Mostly people can only find my comics in New York City at the major comic stores [Jim] Hanley’s [Universe] and Rocketship and Forbidden Planet. The main thing I do is a comic called Little Garden but there’s no words on the front. Title’s on the back. Make you work for it. (Laughs.)

Thank you very much, Ayo.

Thank you.

© Frank Reynoso Jan. 2008, All Rights Reserved

Interview with filmmaker Kurtis M. Speiler

KURTIS M. SPIELER INTERVIEW
By Frank Reynoso

Writer, director and producer Kurtis M. Spieler trekked from Connecticut to New York’s West Village, braving the chilly October rain to attend the screening of his short film Sheepskin. A group of young suburbanites abduct a man who they claim was responsible for the murder of one of their own. Armed with chains, bats and a gun, they drive him to an abandoned drive-in where tension thickens and moral doubt creeps in. The subtle thriller was one of the many shorts that pointed to a new crop of filmmakers – at this year’s New York City Horror Film Festival – who are forging new territory, making the beloved genre their own.

After a program of shorts that included Spieler’s short along with the feature presentation of Hershell Gordon Lewis’ notorious Two Thousand Maniacs, the young filmmaker took some time out to answer some questions in the lobby of the Cantor Film School of NYU.

How did you get into filmmaking?

It’s always been something I’ve been interested in ever since I was younger. I got my hands on a video camera when I was younger. My friends and I actually started off by making mostly skate boarding videos and we sort of learned how to cut them ourselves. It was just always a passion and I kind of ran with it.

It took me a while. I didn’t originally go to school for it; I have a degree in criminal justice. When I was in the working field, I realized that that wasn’t what I really wanted to do and that filmmaking was. So I stopped what I was doing and went to film school here in NYU and that’s where it’s taken me.

How did you come up with the idea for Sheepskin?

Basically the idea behind Sheepskin sort of spawned from [asking] what if somebody killed a friend of yours or a family member? You would ultimately view them as a monster and so you would see them as not human in a way. So what I was trying to do was take the idea of this person being a monster but actually, literally making him a monster.

Why are people so interested in mythological movie monsters like the werewolves, vampires…?

I would say because it’s fear of the unknown. (Sigh) Frankly, there’s a lot of fear that we have amongst each other as people but it’s scary to admit that. People can be the scariest things. I think sometimes we create these monsters to distract us and make us be afraid of the unknown instead of what’s in front of us.
So stand-ins for our own fears and anxieties.

Right. Basically.

What social/cultural function does horror serve aside from the one you just explained right now?

For me, I think it allows people a safe environment to express how they feel, both for filmmakers and for the viewers. Movies are fake; they’re not meant to be real. You know, horror in real life is scary and it’s ugly but this allows us a safe environment for people to act out fantasies and enjoy things that in society are wrong and taboo.

I think for filmmakers it allows us a chance to just express ourselves in various ways by creating monsters that may represent other things. I think for the audience it allows them the chance to sort of indulge in those fantasies in a safe place as well as be scared and face things that maybe they are afraid to face in real life.

How would you explain particular horror films like Halloween or vampire movies that stand the test of time?

As far as what?

Well a particular film speaks of a particular fear and anxiety of that moment? So why would something like George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead still stand the test of time?

I think some of the classics have universal themes and they are expressing things that are universal throughout. Sort of what I was saying before about us being afraid of, really, each other, that’s definitely what’s in Night of the Living Dead. There’s a lot of social commentary in [that movie] but that for example is taking people, dead people but still people, and making them the monsters. So I think [in] things like that, there are themes that can go throughout. [In] Halloween, you have the nameless, faceless killer. He can represent any nameless, faceless killer that you see on the news. [In the news] they give them names, they give them faces but in the movies we don’t. Those are themes that go throughout because that’s what everybody is afraid of. It’s that guy who’s lurking behind you, lurking in the closet, looking in the alley. I think they have universal themes that stand throughout.

Any last thoughts you’d like to add?

No. It’s a great experience for me here at this film festival. I sort of upped and stopped my life and decided to pursue this career of filmmaking full force. I finished at NYU at the beginning of January and since then I’ve shot a few short films and have really put myself out there and it’s a great honor to be here at the New York Horror Film Festival.

Are you working on a film right now?

I have a couple of shorts that I have shot and now cutting and I’ve also been working on a couple feature lengths.

Thank you so much.

Thanks.

© Frank Reynoso, Oct. 2007, All Rights Reserved.

Knight Interview on Comic Critique

The folks at Comic Critique uploaded my Keith Knight e-interview on their
site:

http://www.comiccritique.com/interviews/ginterviewSt53.html

© Frank Reynoso, Oct. 2007, All Rights Reserved

Keith Knight Interview

My friends Mikhaela Reid and Masheka Wood introduced me to Keith Knight at this year’s MoCCA Arts and Comic Fest. I got his email address and permission to conduct an email interview. I shopped the interview around a bit but didn’t get anywhere. Rather than letting it whither away, here’s the unedited interview.

KEITH KNIGHT INTERVIEW VIA EMAIL
By Frank Reynoso

With two fierce, weekly comic strips, (th)ink and K Chronicles, Keith Knight easily surpasses many cartoonists’ creative output. Add to this his numerous books, his band Marginal Prophets, greeting cards, and his ubiquitous presence at annual comic events like MoCCA and SPX, and you’ll get a better understanding of the word prolific. Behind Knight’s gentle demeanor and pleasant voice is a sharp mind that roars in his works, delving into a range of subjects: from everyday racism to post 9/11 America to urinary mishaps. Mr. Knight took some time to answer these email questions that reveal what makes for a good political cartoonist and how he’d physiologically describe his visual style.

FR: Where are you originally from and how did you end up in LA?

KK: I grew up in Malden, Massachusetts. Just north of Boston. Birthplace of Converse All-Stars and Jack Albertson, the old man from "Chico and the Man".

I just moved to Los Angeles four months ago after 16 years in San Francisco. I moved cuz I was getting complacent.
FR: What is one childhood experience that's defined you?

KK: When I asked my 11th grade English teacher if I could do a comic book report instead a regular book report. He allowed me to do a comic book parody of George Orwell's "Animal Farm". He gave me an A-plus, and said I should be doing a syndicated comic strip.

FR: What's a typical day for you? Talk us through your day from waking up with a coffee in your hand to passing out with a pen in your mouth.

KK: No coffee. I'm a green tea guy.
I get up. Make some cereal. Write down a list of what I'd like to accomplish for the day. Check email. Take care of any impending comic deadlines by 5pm eastern time (2pm my time). Shower. Grab my drawing stuff and head to a local cafe. Draw for a few hours. Head home. Check email. Make calls. Fill online orders. Prepare dinner. Fool around with the wifey. Mebbe go to another cafe to draw some more. Mebbe we watch a movie and go to bed.

FR: Who is the biggest non-comics/cartoon influence on your work? How did you end up being a cartoonist?

KK: George Lucas. Richard Pryor. Spike Lee. My great uncle Owen. Does it have to be just one?

I've always wanted to be a cartoonist. I didn't know how it was gonna happen. I just knew I was gonna be one.

FR: What is your biggest cartooning regret?

KK: No regrets. I ain't got time for regrets.

FR: What makes for a good political cartoonist?

KK: Taking a complex issue and distilling it down to a simple, humorous and effective image.

FR: Which of your works do you like least? Which one do you like most?

KK: There are a ton of strips that I'd like to write and draw over again. But you just move on and attempt to do better with the next one. There are a few K Chronicles that I really enjoy. The K Chronicles is my favorite strip to do.

FR: What's missing in comics and/or cartoons?

KK: Nothing and everything. You can do so much stuff with a comic. It's like your own little film where you control the dialogue, the actors, the scenery. It's a great medium.

And there are so many different people doing some many different things. Something for everyone. You just gotta search for it.

FR: What body part would you use to describe your visual style?

KK: Ass. Pure ass.

FR: Where can folks find your cartoons?

KK: Lots of places. Salon.com. Mad magazine. The Funny Times. A lot of alternative weeklies and college newspapers. Go to my website: http://www.kchronicles.com It'll tell you where you can find my stuff.

© Frank Reynoso Oct, 2007, All Rights Reserved

Interview with Percy Carey aka MF Grimm

A FEW SENTENCES WITH PERCY CAREY

Here's an excerpt from my interview with the multi-talented artist Percy Carey, best known as MF Grimm. For the full interview, go to Comic Critique.

["One man's trash is another man's treasure." Percy Carey outside the Puck building.]

Percy Carey has embarked on a new venture, which is to be expected of an artist like him. With enough street cred to choke a stable of horses, he’s trained his energy to music under names like Grand Master, Jet Jaguar, Grimm Reaper, and MF Grimm, and founded Day by Day Entertainment. Even if we were to dismiss all of his previous musical output, his latest release American Hunger, an imaginative and versatile triple-disc album, is enough to make him a force within Hip-Hop.

And it’s his former street life and artistic aspirations that’s the subject of Vertigo’s upcoming, autobiographical graphic novel Sentences: The Life and Times of MF Grimm illustrated by Ronald Wimberly. Sidestepping the well-publicized rivalry he had with one-time friend and partner at the mic, MF Doom, Mr. Carey discussed his latest creative endeavor as a writer of comics. Sitting between smokers and dumpsters on a warm Sunday afternoon on the infamous Mulberry Street outside the Puck Building — and with Mr. Carey’s blessings — we spoke about craft, comics, and Krypton.

FR: So how did this project come about?

PC: It came about with a good friend of mine, Casey Seijas. He’s an editor at Vertigo, DC comics. He approached [me] with the idea of doing a story on my life. [He asked me to do] a couple of pages on my life. It was something that I didn’t really – I thought my life was boring to write about. But he showed me that everyone has a story so I [sat] down and [wrote] it out. [I] did it and [editor in chief] Karen Berger and [publisher] Mr. Levitz, Paul Levitz approved it. And here we are today. It was a beautiful experience. And Ron Wimberly I can’t forget him. Ron Wimberly did the artwork for Sentences.

FR: Yeah. Looks like he did an awesome job from the looks of the sampler.

PC: Thank you so much.

FR: What’s it like to transition from being an artist, a rapper, [and] a musician to being a writer of comic books?

PC: I would have to say it’s the equivalent of a writer of comic books coming into the realm of hip-hop. You have to be looked at. You have to be watched. For instance, I don’t want it to be seen as a gimmick or just a commodity. I really have comics in my heart and I’m a creator so I want to be viewed in the same way and held to the same standards as someone coming into my medium. I want to be watched [and] critiqued and also if need be, and appropriately, praised. So, I’m just thankful. I don’t want it to be viewed as something to be taken advantage of, you know. It’s a sacred art and it should be held at a higher esteem and I look forward to the people telling me if I’m appropriate for the medium.

© Frank Reynoso, Sept. 2007, All rights reserved

Fly in Your Eye: excerpt from my interview with LES cartoonist Fly

FLY IN YOUR EYE: An interview with LES cartoonist and activist Fly















Here's an excerpt from my interview with radical cartoonist and awesome person, Fly. You can find the full interview at Comic Critique or the Indypendent. Thanks to Louis Vitela at Comic Critique, and John Tarleton and Irina Ivanova at The Indypendent for punching this material up.

- Frank

Fly’s distinctive style and message came to my attention some years ago on a flyer for a political event at ABC No Rio. Her actions and works speak volumes of the enigmatic person: a consistent presence in New York City radical circles, a member of the World War 3 Illustrated collective (founded by Seth Tobocman and Peter Kuper), and an adamant supporter and teacher of DIY zines and comics. From the cover of the first issue of $pread, a magazine by and for sex workers, and PEOPS, her zine-turned-book by Soft Skull, which chronicles the lives of many downtown Manhattan residents, artists and activists, Fly hardly shies away from the controversial and the commonplace. The prolific cartoonist and illustrator took some time out to talk about the laborious task of making zines, her artistic growth inspired years ago by Sue Coe’s powerful work and Fiona Smyth’s techniques, and the transformation of the Lower East Side in Manhattan.

FR: What she makes of the transformation of the Lower East Side?

FLY: That’s a big question. The LES has been transforming for so long! It’s sort of the nature of the place. People have been fighting [the latest wave of gentrification] since way before I arrived here in the late 80s. There was of course the real estate boom of the 80s that sort of went bust. Anyway, when I got here it was still pretty rundown and crazy in good ways and bad ways. I have to say that I do not miss the drug dealers or the people shooting up on the street but I do miss all the insanely talented artists and performers and just general characters that used to populate the area and I also think it is very unfair that so many people who were born in the Lower East Side now cannot afford to live here. It used to feel a bit like a small town around here but with all the options of a big city. Now if I am out in the evening, especially on the weekend, I am horrified walking along the sidewalks — even on avenue C! — to see the multitudes of loud drunken idiots making so much noise and making a big mess. I don’t know what the hell they are doing but its just so boring! I think a big problem with the Lower East Side is that it used to be a neighborhood and it had real character — and you can still find that here but it is seriously threatened by the dorm mentality of some idiot developers and the fancy restaurants and hair salons that no one living here can afford to go to. With the whole clean-up of the area of course it became safer and so suddenly since it’s considered so “edgey and hip” everybody wants to live here and the rents have become ridiculous. So what happens in the long run is that the real neighborhood gets displaced because people can’t afford to live here and they are slowly being replaced by a very transient population, NYU students and other high priced renters who are not interested in working on a connection to the real soul and history of the place. The LES is just a stepping stone for them, a place to sleep and to use as a background for pictures — oh — I could rant for hours about this. I know I am generalizing but hopefully you get the idea. There are some books I could recommend for your further edification like the recently published Resistance, edited by Clayton Patterson and published by Seven Stories

FR: What would be your dream collaboration? Living or dead.

FLY: Hmmm…. That’s a really hard one because there are so many people that I’d love to collaborate with… and lately I have been collaborating more… But I’m such a control freak. I think my dream collaboration would probably be not with another visual artist but with a writer. There’s so many writers that I really love so it’s hard to… I know: Kathy Acker. She died a while ago but I would love to have been able to work with her on a comic. (excited) Oh man, yeah. Kathy Acker. Definitely Kathy Acker. I first read her stuff in the 80s when my life was really chaotic and transient. I felt like the way she wrote was like the way I was thinking; it was like the voices in my head mixed with what was happening in the moment mixed with what already happened. It was like deconstruction or something… sorry I’m not much of a literary critic. Her writing to me was just really authentic — she wasn’t afraid to just put everything out there. I could feel it in my bones and the thing about it was that when ever I read any of her stuff I would get so inspired that I would end up doing a lot of writing and drawing myself and I would also have the craziest dreams — I used to do a lot of comics based on dreams too. I just think I could have done some amazing comics in collaboration with Kathy Acker! Hmmm maybe I should try to do a piece on her.

© Frank Reynoso, Aug. 2007, All Rights Reserved