Punk Graphic Artist Boot Camp with Brian Walsby:
An interview by Chris Shary.

Anyone familiar with mid-1980s California punk undoubtedly knows the work of artist Brian Walsby. There was a time when you couldn’t pick up a Maximum Rock’n’Roll or Flipside without stumbling across Brian’s Peanuts-esque charactures of all your favorite hardcore personalities in MAD magazine- styled parodies. Brian was prolific, vital, and most of all one of us, a fan. As the 1980s faded into the humdrum 1990s, Brian’s work became increasingly hard to come by, and before you knew it he had gracefully, if not surprisingly, seemed to disappear. Every now and again you’d hear faint rumblings of Brian in relation to North Carolina and to bands like Corrosion of Conformity and Superchunk, but for the most part, he was gone. A decade’s past and I got to thinking of him, and his relative obscurity these days. It took awhile, but I found him.

So Brian, where have you been?
Well Chris, I have been here in North Carolina for about fifteen years now. I moved out here when I was twenty from Los Angeles, and I guess you could say that I am stuck here now. It was and still is sort of a nice place to live. Kind of boring at times, but that is just fine with a high paced living sort of guy like myself.

It has been awhile since many people have seen new works from you. In all this time have you stopped?
Actually, except for a couple of years awhile ago, I haven’t stopped drawing. It’s just that I was kind of losing my inspiration for what I was doing. I never stopped drawing stuff but didn’t really submit things to magazines like Flipside or MRR like I used to, mainly because I wasn’t (okay, here is a hippie word.) “feeling it.� I did little fanzines that locals saw and that was mainly it. I wasn’t very ambitious, either-maybe I didn’t think so at the time, but looking back it is pretty obvious to me that that was the case.

It always seemed like your work was best suited for the comic book format. Ever consider doing one?
Actually, yes. It’s in the works right now as a matter of fact. It is going to be a limited three-issue mini-series called “Manchild.�

Tell me about “Manchild.�
There is this guy I have known for a long time named Daniel Gallant, and as far back as I had known him, he was always a nice guy and a good artist. He has been a commercial artist for many years, and I was kind of in awe of him. He made a living doing that stuff! He had started a publishing company on the side a while ago called Alternating Crimes publishing, which I guess existed to put out a few projects of his, and some other people as well. I had another friend named Jen Dorn, who suggested to Daniel that he should do something with me, and amazingly enough, he agreed. It’s been kind of slow, and a lot of work, but I think it will be great. This is something I have always wanted to do, so of course I am thrilled about it.

When are you expecting to complete it?
I’d like to say early next year, at the earliest. Hopefully, that will be the case.

So what was the impetus for you to start back up again? Weren’t you kind of burnt out in the first place?
Definitely. But this is what I do. Part of my problem was I couldn’t admit that I was an “artist� way back then. I just thought of all of that stuff I did as not being very good, and besides all of that the stuff was just cranked out. I mean, I kind of cringe when I look at that old stuff but yet I am glad people like you remember it, because obviously it did touch a nerve somewhere, for other younglings like myself at the time. That stuff was exclusively my life back then. But after I moved I started to get a little tired of it, and kind of backed off. About five years ago I decided to try and get back into focusing on drawing and it worked. I discovered that I liked to tell stories as well, and that I had a lot of them, just based on what has happened in my life. Also, I am definitely kind of a smartass and have become a bit more cynical and negative towards certain things. I think being cynical is not always bad. For instance, if I am cynical about the current climate of music, it’s because in the past I have heard a lot of kickass music, and nothing has really touched that. It shows that I care. So those are a few reasons why I am back. & along the way, I have noticed that I have improved a whole lot. I t took me a long time just to get to this point with what abilities I have.

Like it or not, you’re best known for Walk Together, Rock Together. I understand there’s a story behind that.

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Well, back then, I was a really big fan of 7 Seconds. I mean, looking back at them I think that although they were never really a great musical experience, they still embodied a lot of cool things, talked about things that I was really into. They were nice people. I ended up being friends with them, and I gave them that drawing, and they liked it, and that was that.

So after like 16 years have you ever seen a dime for that?
This is where you insert the laugh track. No, actually I didn’t get anything for it. In the comic book, there is going to be a panel of me kicking Kevin Second’s ass, and I am saying, “remember the kids, Kevin. Remember the kids!!� It is a little bit bitter, I guess. No, I am not serious about it…Those guys were always famous for their terrible business skills, and I barely got copies of the record. Not from them, but from Sean “Mr. Adult Brigade� Stern, who was kind of a jerk. I think he also sent me a couple of extra small t-shirts with that drawing on it as well. And that is all she wrote, folks.

Ever settle things with 7 Seconds?
You probably got your answer already for that one. I handled the situation really poorly. I waited a couple of years afterwards. I was sick of people coming up to me and telling me how I was getting ripped off, which was the truth. They eventually came to Raleigh and played dumb while still selling t-shirts with my art on it. Then Kevin and me got into a huge argument. It was hard to patch things up when people I knew would come up and say things like, “Are these assholes ever going to pay you?� right in front of them. I certainly talked enough shit about them, that is for sure. This was all a real long time ago.
These days, it’s not like I like 7 Seconds secretly, but I can’t admit it because they burned me. I’m not into that lame-ass music anymore. But having said that, I realize in real life, especially when you are younger, you kind of fuck up things sometimes. Besides that, everything was done in the spirit of “punk rock�- who thought of asking for money? It is a similar story for a lot of people. If Kevin was here, we could probably listen to Elliot Smith & chug some brewskis. I am sure he is still a nice guy. It was just too bad but these things happen.

I know H20 are huge 7 Seconds fans. Have they ever approached you?
Another great story: No, they didn’t but a friend of theirs that I knew from Canada named Jill Heath set it up that I would draw a new version of that old idea but with them in it. It looked good, and it felt like closure. Ha ha ha. Apparently they were into it but I sent a Xerox to their manager who never showed it to them for some reason. So they had a buddy of theirs do a crappy version of it. At least that is what I was told. I imagine they were not too happy when they found out, and of course by then it was too late.

So you got burned again?
Well, not really burned, but I couldn’t help noticing the irony of the situation. If H20 ever want the original, they can get in contact with me and I’ll work out a nice little deal!

Now I have to ask, some of your cartoons always seemed like good-natured lampoons to me, but I’m sure that’s not true of everyone. Have you ever caught flack from any in particular?
Oh hell yes, man. It happened a lot. There will be something in “Manchild� that addresses that as well. I think a lot of people just don’t seem to have any kind of a sense of humor about themselves, it is almost like they are just begging for some teasing- and there have been cartoons I have done about certain people that I definitely heard about later, and sometimes I couldn’t take it as well as I could dish it out. I did one making fun of Fugazi years ago that MRR printed. I heard later that they were really upset. Someone apparently even cried over it-there is no way that probably happened but that is pretty fucking funny to me. Some people loved the satires, like Mudhoney. They were like, “yeah man! That is great! Do some more of us!�

Any regrets from any of the cartoons you did?
As it turns out, no. Not at all. Someone has to carry the Mad magazine torch.

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Around the mid-eighties artists like Shawn Kerri, Mad Marc Rude, Pushead, and Raymond Pettibone were all steadily cranking out artwork, too. Was there any kind of kinship with any of these other artists?
Brian: I came around later then those people, all of whom of course I liked. I thought Shawn Kerri was just great. I did meet Mad Marc Rude once. It says a whole lot that these days Raymond Pettibone is getting his stuff shown in galleries. He is great, really good. I actually met & wrote to Pushead for awhile. He ended up being kind of weird. You also have to remember that I never once considered myself in the same league as any of these people. I was just a primitive cartoon doodler who got a lot of mail. But yeah, Pushead.

Tell me about meeting Pushead.
He was nice the first time. The second time I met him, he ignored me. This was hard to do as I was staying at the MRR house where he lived. The late Tim Yohannon informed me that he was jealous of me, or threatened by me. That was weird.

What do you think he was threatened by?
Keep in mind that this is what I was told. To this day, I have no idea. It actually hurt my feelings. But I got over it by doing cartoons that made fun of him. What an egomaniac!

To me, your artwork was always way different then your contemporaries. What influenced you?
Two things: Mad magazine and Peanuts.

Ever get a cease and desist from Charles Schultz?
No, darn it! I sure wish I did! To me, Charles Schultz was a fucking genius. Nothing comes close as far as I am concerned.

One of the best things about your band drawings is the wonderful sense of movement. You really get the impression that you froze a moment on stage. Did you ever draw at shows, or do you work from photos?
I only ever took a pad of paper to one show, and that was my first one. It was December of 1983 and it was 45 Grave, Redd Kross & D.Boon. I brought a pad of paper so I could get attention, and hopefully not get beat up. I didn’t know what to expect, I looked normal, you know? I made friends that night, and left the paper at home from then on. A lot of those drawings were just done from the memory of going to a show, although every once in awhile I’d work from a photo.

Now in addition to your zine work, you also seem to have done a lot of work for Mystic Records. How’d that come about?
That sure is a feather in my cap, isn’t it? I am not really aware of how much I drew for those idiots, or how much I got ripped off for it, either. I was just excited to draw for anybody. I definitely got taken advantage of. I barely remember doing any of that stuff, anyways so I am sure I didn’t exactly labor over anything.

So at the time you were drawing and playing drums for Scared Straight. Did that help push your art?
It was all the same thing in those days, I did both equally. We toured the country in 1985, and that was the pinnacle of my “fame.� Every city we went to had lots of kids who knew me through the art and they would ask me tons of questions. It was cool. I was a celebrity.

In the beginning, I always gave away my original art to whatever band I did it for. Please tell me you didn’t do that.
Of course I did! I wish I didn’t now, of course. I don’t think a lot of it, in retrospect, was very good but it was still mine. I wish I was able to save everything.

Back to the music, what’d you get up to after Scared Straight?
It was near the end of my life in Southern California, so I didn’t do anything music-wise until after I moved to Raleigh.
So did being a drummer in a relatively early straight edge band give you a bit of a reputation?
I’m afraid not. Scared Straight was a competent run of the mill hardcore band that was a lot of fun to be involved in. We were kind of before all of that militant jock minded idiot version of that kind of stuff. We never took it too seriously, despite the name. We used to make fun of those that did, though.

Any later period straight edgers try to recruit you to play drums with them?
Brian: When Youth Of Today first came out, they played in Raleigh and I remember that they kind of asked me to join! I don’t know how serious they were, but there is no way in hell I would have done it. I was so NOT into their thing. They were pretty funny to watch, though.

In Raleigh I know you’ve had a string of bands, and near misses with massive stardom. Give me some of the highlights.
I was thinking about this the other day, I have been in at least nine bands since I’ve lived here. Some of the better ones were Shiny Beast, the Patty Duke Syndrome, Daddy, and Polvo. The Polvo gig was certainly the most rewarding in many ways. I got to tour the country for a month and we did very well. The music was great to boot. I have a special place in my heart for the Patty Duke Syndrome. It was a three-piece band that had amazing chemistry. The guitar playing singer happens to be one Ryan Adams, who I’m sure will be on the cover of Rolling Stone before too long. He is kind of a famous singer/songwriter guy; he was probably the person that I had the greatest chemistry with. I’ve played with a lot of great people, so that says a lot. The best near fame story is when years ago my friend Buzz Osborne, who plays in the Melvins informed me that his pals in Nirvana were looking for a drummer. Would I like their number? This was before Dave Grohl joined. I had only heard their first record at the time and didn’t think too much of it so I told Buzz that I wasn’t interested. Now of course I’m not saying it would have happened anyways, but you got to admit, that is a near miss with fame if ever there was one!

 

 

 
 

 

Being so tight with Superchunk and C.O.C., I’d have thought you’d have done tons of art for them. What’s the deal?
Well, I’ve known the Superchunk people forever, but I can’t really say I was ever really friends with them. They did almost let me design a t-shirt idea for them, but it fell through. C.O.C. were my favorite band when I moved here but I don’t know why I never did anything for them. Perhaps they never asked, or maybe I was too scared to ask, I don’t know.

Since everyone knows punk doesn’t always pay the bills, what else do you do for a living?
Lately I have been working a few very part-time jobs to more or less just get by. I haven’t had a real full time job in over two months. I live with my girlfriend Jen but she’s not paying my way, thank goodness! I will have to get a real job again soon. This is too bad.

And I assume you got a new band in the works.
Actually, no. I was playing with a friend of mine just playing covers, but that is it. I have packed the drums away for now. There is nothing out here or no one doing anything right now that I feel especially inspired by. I am just sitting on the sidelines for now, which is fine with me, as I realize I am not exactly living to play music anymore. Maybe something will turn up in the future. We shall see.

As I mentioned earlier Walk Together Rock Together is what you’ll be remembered for, but what are you the most proud of?
That’s a hard question. I don’t know. None of that earlier stuff is anything I am especially proud of, other then the fact that I did it. I think all of the newer stuff that I am doing that will be in “Manchild� for right now, is what I’m the most proud of. I don’t think I am done yet, so hopefully I can do something that will really be my “Mona Lisa� in the near future.

Have you ever done a gallery show of your work?
Brian: I did a lot of paintings a few years back, and had a real show. Also, I was able to hang some stuff in a few coffee places around here, and even sold some. For the most part, I kind of slacked off on the painting scene as I realize that most art-types wouldn’t be into buying a quality painting of John Candy as Johnny LaRue. It’s their loss, not mine!

Now that you are getting the ball rolling again, do things seem different to you?
In terms of the actual motivation, not really. This is something I just have to do. As far as what surrounds the motivation, it has definitely changed. All of the punk rock stuff makes for great story telling but as far as current inspiration it is more like actual real life experiences and the usual observations on the follies of human beings at their silliest, myself included. Now that I know I have progressed, I can even ask for money, and sometimes I get it. Eventually you have to come to terms to being true to yourself and try to carve out a little thing for yourself so that you can possibly profit from it. ALL ARTISTS DESERVE TO GET PAID FOR THEIR EFFORTS. Only a moron would disagree.

If I were a kid that loves to draw and is stoked on music, considering your triumphs & pitfalls, what advice would you give me?
The only thing that I would have changed is I would have tried to go to school. School is not for everybody, and I know that but there is no denying that an education in whatever you are pursuing is not going to hurt you. I’ve been involved in projects around here that I was lucky to do considering I would be up against college-educated people with degrees-and I would still get them. But this probably doesn’t happen too often with most situations, I am sure. Other then that, if you stay true to what you are in terms of what you want to achieve, I am sure that you will be fine in this world. Sure wish I listened to my own advice years ago!

AFTERNOTE:

Unfortunately, the above noted Canadian involved in the architecting of “Manchild�- Mr. Daniel Gallant, had to close his company up for good last December. Yet besides the bad news, the saga for a home for “Manchild� and other projects lunges forward, with Daniel’s continuing help. Rest assured, we’ll find a home for this stuff soon. In the meantime, I am still devoted to drawing constantly as well as picking up the sticks again to play in NIGHT MOOSE, proving that old habits never go away no matter what I think. Any info requested, write to Brian at reluctantking@msn.com

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