Oly Artist Interview: Steve Willis

Morty the Dogenpen: If you could take any organ from your body, sculpt it into anything that you'd like and mount it on a public pedestal for all to see, which organ would it be, what would you sculpt it into and where would you locate it?

stevenl : My heart. It is such a powerful symbol. I'd probably put wings on it or something. But if I took it out and made an art piece of out if it, I'd be dead, and aorta know better than that.

If you were trapped in a whale and had the materials and time to create one more story before being digested, who/what would be the central character and why?

In an answer that sort of links to your first question, I would draw a black and white line story with #1 lead pencil called "15 Heart Attacks." It would be based on a friend of mine who died mysteriously in Roswell, NM a dozen years ago. Really. Actually, I have put some work into this project over the last 3 years, but I think I would be required to be inside a whale in order to have the peace and quiet to complete it. I would also need ambergris -proof boots.

Is it true that you recently took away all of your work from The Danger Room in order to manipulate the art market?

Yes, I recently retired my comix inventory from the Danger Room. The reason was simple. I'm broke and needed the $$$. But my comix still appear on eBay and through Rick Bradford's site.

What is Morty the dog's song?

Morty the Dog sings in many of his comix-- an influence of those old Mad Magazine "sung to the tune of" tricks. His song is in the cadence and timing of his speech. If he was in animated cartoon, I would imagine his voice to be deep, alcohol-ravaged, and wheezed out from too many cigars. When I write his dialogue I frequently think of Bogart in the role of Fred C. Dobbs in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre .

* Steve Willis' two part show, Bezango WA 985 , is on display at the Batdorf & Bronson Coffeehouse (516 S. Capitol Way ) from yesterday until July 30, 2007, switching from part 1 to 2 on July 1. *

 

Comments

excellent!

excellent!

Nice interview, although

Nice interview, although that aorta joke is terrible. Stevenl, I am glad you have a show at Batdorf & Bronson and will try to check it out in the future.

clam down ya crab

I thought the aorta joke was the penultimate piece de resistance of the interview. It fits in so well with OlyBlog's pool.

"Please name to me a single tribe in the last 500 years that became better off after contact. There is none!"

"In principle, I am an anarchist. Kurt Vonnegut once said he was an agnostic who respects Jesus Christ. I am an anarchist who loves democracy." - Kenzaburo Oe