Tag Archives for brian chippendale

CF/Chippendale/Fraction interview

CF and Brian Chippendale came by Floating World last month as part of their book tour for Powr Mastrs 3 and If ‘n Oof.  It was great to meet these Fort Thunder legends in person.  We started the evening with each artist doing a slide show presentation as they talked about their work.  Brian shared a lot of really cool early drawings, zines and sketchbook stuff that we’d never seen before.  CF gave a preview of some new paintings he’s been working on. It looks like CF is ready to start experimenting with some new styles.  I also admire that CF was really comfortable talking about some of the more abstract, subconscious philosophies that go into being an artist.  His mystic personality balanced nicely with Brian Chippendale’s sweet punk personality.

Then we were joined by superstar comics writer Matt Fraction (Casanova, Invincible Iron Man, Thor), who moderated an interview with the boys.  It was a a great comics crossover to have one of the top mainstream writers meet with two of the best creators from the avant garde experimental comics world.  We found that CF and Chippendale are actually working in the action genre and Fraction said they were representing the weird comics power of Jack Kirby better than anyone in the mainstream comics world.  For your pleasure we recorded the 60 minute conversation in its entirety.

Brian Chippendale interview / Book tour with C.F. this weekend

Brian Chippendale and C.F. are hitting the road this weekend to do a book signing tour along the west coast for their new works, If ‘n Oof and Powr Mastrs 3.  Chippendale and CF will present slide shows about their work, answer questions, and sign books.  At their Portland stop here at Floating World Comics, we are also honored to welcome local writer, Matt Fraction, who will interview the artists about their work.  I’m anticipating the comics crossover of the century.

I read both of the new books multiple times this past week. Powr Mastrs 3 sees C.F. taking his incredible artwork to the next level. It’s a science fiction adventure comic, but I’d probably compare it to interpretive dance before comparing it to Jack Kirby. Papa don’t take no mess.

If ‘n Oof is an 800 page! chunk of comic, literally a Picturebox. But it reads fast with lots of humor and surprises. The first time through is a visceral experience. The book almost animates itself as you turn the pages. Multiple readings reveal that the surreal story actually ties together with lots of layers and backstory.

Chippendale has had a busy weekend, getting ready for the tour, but he had time to do a quick interview with me about his new book.

Jason Leivian: I want to start with some questions about the characters and world of If ‘n Oof.  Does this land have a name?

Brian Chippendale: If ‘n Oof takes place in and above a giant crater. Inside the crater is called “The C.” A mountain range separates The C from the city of Grain (now called Grave), the setting for my Ninja book and also my new comic Puke Force.

JL: There’s a huge cast of characters in the book. Many characters you only meet once and each reveals new information about the world they live in. Doctor Payne has apparently created a lot of the lifeforms in this story through his experiments. Does he have much power and influence in this world, or is he just more of a mad scientist?

BC: Doctor Payne is a major player in this book, but he is also a victim. There are more major players than him, specifically The Nine, who are actually a shattered god divided into nine pieces. Worshipped by nine different cults. This is barely, possibly not at all recognizably, referenced in the book. The Nine are also mentioned in Ninja. Doctor Payne does research for the Nine but was also wronged by them and craves vengeance. He has been populating The C with his failed creations but doesn’t have much power over these creatures after that. He’s really just a semi-successful businessman/scientist with a host of issues. But he does have power for sure.

JL: At the beginning he refers to something called Operation Dreamworld.  At the end of the story, we hear about Operation Bloodworld.  Are these two outcomes related?

BC: Operation Dreamworld is Doctor Payne’s plan to put all the citizens of The C and surrounding areas to sleep and use them as human batteries. Operation Bloodworld refers to a feud Payne has with a being who lives under The C, in The Ancient City. These Operations are separate, but are rooted in a greater scramble for the natural resources of The C.

JL:  Is If some sort of artificial life-form?

BC: Good question. Aren’t we all?

JL:  Good answer. After reading the book I started thinking that all human beings are almost clones of each other. Most of our genetic material is so similar with just slight variations here and there.

BC: Interesting train of thought. Are we all clones of Adam and Eve? I like how tech terms like “hardwired” are creeping into descriptions of people. That we are “hardwired” to be act a certain way. Will there be a discovery that we have been super advanced organic machines the whole time? At some point as technology gets smaller and crazier, will there be a difference between sentient and not?

JL:  They refer to If as I-6/B and also mention that he may have a twin brother I-6/A, the failed creation from the opening scene.  There’s also some other relatives like Uncle Ouch and Cousin Eek. I couldn’t quite keep it all straight. Do you have these backstories and relationships worked out in your notes?

BC: There are several “I” models in development on the SciCitadel. Uncle Ouch has a story but Eek is not really developed. There is also an Auntie Em, short for Auntie Empathy.

JL:  Maybe it’s some sort of Wizard of Oz fantasy inspired by the 16 Assassins comic book, where If has a dreamlike adventure in the crater. Oof could be like his Toto?

BC: Hmmm. If Oof is Toto, perhaps If is Journey? Where is Styx? Yes. This is the kind of shit I root my stories in. Funny reference. Now just to set the record straight, there are absolutely no dream sequences in the book. It is all hard, cold reality.

JL:  Good, I like that better. The pacing of the book is a lot of fun. Almost every page is a single rectangular panel and the book almost seems to animate itself as you turn the pages. These are punctuated with incredibly detailed, double spread, full bleed splash pages that are as surprising as they are fun to look at. Did you get to experience the timing of these punchlines as you drew the book?

BC: I made physical mock-ups of each chapter as I went. It took a lot of time to make each one and then I would change the chapter and have to make a whole new mock-up. I have a large pile of glue-sticked together chapter books. It had to be done so I could see if it would read correctly and really flow.

JL:  Someone told me that you drew Maggots kind of like a steady drum beat. I imagine that would be a bunch of 1/16th or 1/32nd notes. If ‘n Oof definitely has a nice rhythm to it. Can you imagine a soundtrack or what kind of music would go with the chapters?

BC: I had some soundtrack ideas. In chapter 1 when IF is in the bathroom and the room next door talking to the robot guys I was listening to a lot of Raymond Scott. So it would be Soothing Sounds for Babies for that part. When the Benjo-Men show up it would like a more evil Tibetan chant. It’s mentioned that they sing a spooky song. There would be a series of ice cream truck songs for some of the boy scenes. I had some more music ideas but I have forgotten them. I would play certain stuff when drawing certain scenes to get the mood right.

JL:  Did you draw the pages basically in the same order they appear in the book, from start to finish?  Was it improvised or scripted out?

BC: It began utterly improvised, and some of those improvised pages landed in the second half of the book. The scenes where the Boys start appearing. After that I worked backwards to get the characters to that point and finally did the closing chapter and some additional middle scenes. Maybe halfway through I began scripting/penciling and inking much of it so I could steer the mess I had made to some sort of logical conclusion. I like brainstorming a ton of crap with no rules or plan and then quickly jumping in before I can get a grip on it. Then after a while I try to sculpt what I have started into a more recognizable form but due to the senselessness of it’s beginning it retains some elements based in what might be bad idea.

JL:  Is this possibly an all-ages book?  I imagined giving it to my younger self and I’m guessing it’s something I would not have understood, but would have wanted to enjoy anyway. It seems to be a cartoon adventure at heart. Oh wait nevermind, I see there’s some language in the book. I guess it would be like coming across a Bakshi cartoon as a kid.

BC: I thought about cleaning it up as I got near its finish really because it was so close to being a kid’s book. There is some violence that’s over the top I could have removed or softened, but I decided to leave it in and then add even more for chapter 8. So it’s not for kids, but it is a bit schizo in terms of it’s audience. Because it also is for kids. Kid’s these days have seen way crazier shit than what’s in If ‘n Oof. Well, teens have. I would like to make a less gruesome kid book someday. Kids will find it. You cannot stop the children.


JL:  That would be great if kids found this at their public library. I think kids like finding stuff above their reading level anyway. I started reading Stephen King in 4th grade and my favorite comics were the gory ones, Tales From the Crypt and Fist of the North Star. Did you get into comics as a kid? Even before music?

BC: I got into comics I think around age 10. Before that I was probably looking at AD&D books my older sister had to see weird stuff. The comics where G.I. Joe and Marvel stuff. Nothing too gory. It was probably not until high school or late junior high that my friends and I got into watching horror movies all the time. I can’t remember my first encounter with truly shocking imagery. The Faces of Death movies? And when I was buying G.I. Joe I was listening to Van Halen. I was middle of the road all the way till 9th grade, and then my hair started getting long. I discovered Metal Edge magazine and South Street in Philadelphia.

JL:  Are Master of Boys and Doctor Payne related?  What about that hippie character at the end?  They all seem to look similar and have moustaches or beards.

BC: No relation that I know of. Other than being gross half-poisoned adults. Don’t all adults have mustaches?

BRIAN CHIPPENDALE AND C.F. ON TOUR, FALL 2010

Over the past decade Brian Chippendale and CF have reinvigorated the action-adventure genre and with their unique mixtures of personal politics, humor, fantastic worlds, sex, and visionary drawing. Now these two acclaimed Providence-based artists are embarking on their first book tour in support of their new works If ‘n Oof (an 800 page graphic novel) and Powr Mastrs 3 (the climactic volume in this multi-part graphic novel series).

Chippendale and CF will present slide shows about their work, answer questions, and sign books. At Floating World in Portland we are also honored to welcome local writer, Matt Fraction, who will interview the artists about their work. I’m anticipating the comics crossover of the century.

About the books:

If ‘n’ Oof (Flexibound, 800 pages, $30) focuses on the misadventures of the mismatched eponymous duo Chippendale’s very own Laurel and Hardy. Chippendale allows the two to explore his landscapes and alien beings. Comedy, horror, and out-and-out adventure in a story-driven, manga-style adventure, replete with the frenetic linework and concise, witty dialogue for which he has become known.

Powr Mastrs 3 (Flexibound, 112 pageas, $18) This latest installment continues C.F.’s Dune-like science fiction/fantasy epic featuring a misguided scientist and the race of beings he has created, who inhabit a surreal world called New China. Powr Mastrs overflows with graphic innovation, from the intricately designed costumes each character wears to the exactingly drawn architectural detail, all rendered in C.F.’s distinctive pencil line.

About the authors:

Brian Chippendale, who also performs in Lightning Bolt and Black Pus lives and works in Providence, RI. His previous graphic novels include Maggots (2007) and Ninja (2006), both published by PictureBox.

C.F., a contributor to Kramers Ergot, among other books, also performs under the monikers Kites and Daily Life. His first two books, Powr Mastrs 1 and 2 were published in 2007 and 2008 by PictureBox. He lives in Providence, RI.

Byron Coley and Thurston Moore’s “Bull Tongue” column from Arthur No. 30 (July 08)

BULL TONGUE
by Byron Coley and Thurston Moore

from Arthur No. 30 (Oct 2008) [available from Arthur Store]

This new Little Claw 7” on the Physical Sewer label which they had on their last roadtrip doesn’t even sound like them. But what do they sound like anyway? They sounded like the greatest goddamned fucking band on the planet the time we saw ‘em. Two minimalist drummers, a guitar dude with a nice underhook rhythm rip and a girl with a badass no wave slather tongue tearing hell out of her slide guitar given half the chance. And not all hellbent rage either—some nice licorice melt drizzle crud groove too. Fuckin’ awesome. This 7” sounds amazing but like some other weirdness was at play in the living room or wherever this beautiful session went down. You’re fucking nuts not to locate this—try their myspace roost.

Although the material is clearly posed, the new Richard Kern book, Looker (Abrams), is as voyeuristic as Gerard Malanga’s classic Scopophilia and Autobiography of a Sex Thief. Kern’s volume combines a feel of chasing a subject and photographing her without her knowledge, with some purely 21st Century tropes (dig the upskirt end papers), but the feel seems to also be a tribute to the ’70s Penthouse mag vibe. The nudes and font and the introductory essay by Geoff Nicholson all combine to create a volume with a much more gentle charge than Kern’s last book, Action. On the virtual opposite end of the photographic spectrum is David B. McKay’s Yuba Seasons (Mountain Images Press), which has some of the best nature photography we’ve seen in a long time. McKay has spent 40 years photographing this Northern California river and the area around it, and he has captured something really mind-blowing about the interaction of water and light and stone. The landscapes are great, but the river shots are beautiful, mysterious, fast and deep. You can feel them as much as you see them. Really fine.

There’s been a whole ark-full of gospel comps the last few decades and Lord yes they are always welcome but just when you think the well is dryin’ up along comes this motherfucker of a manic backwoods backstreet romper Life Is A Problem (Mississippi Records, 4007 N. Mississippi Ave., Portland, OR 97227 tel.: 503-282-2990). It’s been out a while and is even in a second pressing (without the first pressing’s bonus 7”) and is compiled by Eric and Warren from the Mississippi record store and label in Portland, OR and Mike McGonigal, who also annotated. It’s a 14-song set with some really raw guitar blowouts, handclap n’ chant fever stomps and sweet as ‘Bama honey singing. Some names on here we know like the lap-steel slasher Reverend Lonnie Farris but there are some straight up surprises. Particularly “Rock & Roll Sermon” by Elder Charles Beck, where he rails against the devil’s music, all the while kicking rock n roll ass. More sanctified sounds promised from this label in the future. Before this LP they issued a comp called I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore 1927-1948 which is also sheer beauty digging into tracks released by immigrants to America delivering early Zydeco, Salsa, Hawaiian slack key, etc.

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"Fruiting Bodies" by Brian Chippendale at Cinders Gallery, 6/4 – 7/3

“Fruiting Bodies” by Brian Chippendale

Opening reception, June 4th 7-10pm

Cinders Gallery

103 Havemeyer St.

Brooklyn, NY 11211

Brian’s hyper busy mark-making achieves a similar barrage of rhythms akin to his drum playing in the band Lightning Bolt, obsessively filling up all available space until the viewer/listener is in a state of blissful frenzy.

Brian Chippendale comes to us from Providence, RI, where he has resided for the past 13 years. As a co-founder of now legendary art warehouse Fort Thunder, Brian has been an important part of the underground music and art scene that sprouted out of the Fort and other similar collective-living spaces. In addition to art and music, Brian is known internationally for his innovative comics and has just finished a new 800 page comic called “If N’ Oof,” to be published by Picturebox this Fall.

Brian has also shown his visual art at the Macro Future Museum in Rome, the Deste Foundation in Athens and the RISD Museum as part of Wunderground: Providence 1995 to the Present. This is his first solo exhibition at Cinders.

Pre-order "POWR MASTRS 3", "IF 'N OOF" – get free silkscreen prints and personalized copies!

Exciting news from our friends at Picturebox, new books from C.F. and Brian Chippendale!  Observe this growing trend in small press publishing – smaller print runs, but also an awareness that just about every new art comics that comes out these days is essentially a limited edition.  That in itself is worth noting.  These are increasingly the best books on the shelves, but small press seems to be getting smaller and smaller distribution-wise.  Publishers like Picturebox recognize that this also allows more precious hand made details to go into the products.  It’s the equivalent of seeing your favorite musician in a small, intimate setting.  Vinyl and comic books, you’re an art collector/supporter and you didn’t even realize it.

We have two amazing graphic novels scheduled for November 2009 and February 2010. They are fantastic, vital works of art and we need your help to release them.

Powr Mastrs 3 (104 pages, 5.75” x 7.75”) continues CF’s visionary narrative about the complex relationships between mysterious beings in a place called New China. If ‘n Oof is Brian Chippendale’s 650 page, 5” x 7” magnum opus, a sprawling, hilarious tale of two pals wandering through a desolate, hostile landscape.

These two books are among the best graphic novels of our time, but they need your support. Like a lot of publishers, PictureBox is looking for new ways to navigate the current terrain. To that end, we are attempting to raise the money for these books ahead of time. It’s all an experiment these days.

So we are looking to you, as a community of readers, to help make these books a reality. Everyone that orders advance copies of one or both of these books (up until August 1) will receive the book itself and a signed silkscreen print upon the books’ releases. Everyone that orders in advance by June 20, 2009 will have their names hand-lettered in the book with their corresponding level of support (see below). We need about 400 of you per book to step up and help make this a reality. Let’s come together as a community.

pm3-p6

ifoof

MINDFLAYER

Mindflayer


Its Always 1999

LOAD 059 CD

Robo generated psychic booty pulse coupled with metro scrambled drumstick action. Battle station personnel
on this disc includes Brian Chippendale of LIGHTNING BOLT and MEERK PUFFY of FORCEFIELD. The duo have oscillators working overtime in the psychic war deck and gabba friendly drums. This CD is a re-release of a barely available record from the Ooo Mau Mau record label from 2001. The record was recorded in the halls of FORT THUNDER, a deserted cultural bunker/state of the art Dunkin Donuts in Providence, RI. The record has been re-mastered for loudness and delicacy, so pay heed.

   The sounds on this record are the hustle and bustle of bass-bin boom on the space throughways of the Milky Way circa 3167 A.D. Slowed beats with the force of tree roots hitting supertanker hulls. Vast radio dish networks with squelch and pulse tremors using solar systems as tweeters and white dwarfs as shredded woofers. Your head is caving in, your eyes are melting. Time is space and colors are sound. All is brown, hail the ramparts, to the battle stations!