I used to list Tchaikovsky as a musical influence, ’cause that sounded more legit than “8 bit video game soundtracks.”
Really though, who are we kidding?
Char Man
The stories of Char Man are wide and varied, but they all seem to agree on two details: the guy burnt to death, and he’s still around.
There’s a stretch of the 118 freeway where he’s said to jump onto passing vehicles, spraying blood and fire on the windshield to create unsafe driving conditions for the unsuspecting motorist.
My friend Kurt and I were driving that road at some obscene hour, and it occurred to us that we didn’t want to experience this. It felt very likely at the time that we were about to.
So, I did what you would probably have done; what anyone would… I wrote him a theme song.
I guess I thought this would somehow re-frame the experience; give us a new perspective so we don’t panic like other drivers when he chooses to introduce himself. And let’s face it — everyone needs a theme song.
We sang it again and again until we were safely out of range.
This is that song:
There’s also a followup piece, “Char Man’s Holiday” (for the unproduced sequel).
You can listen to that as well:
two more quick sketches
I bought a guitar simulator for FL Studio, and did roughly what you’d expect from that combination.
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Same tools, different atmosphere:
I should revisit that last one, develop it further.
Tailing the Nose
This was my first experiment with FL Studio (then called Fruity Loops). It’s a fun program to write music in, as the interface sort of pushes you in creative directions I don’t normally explore.
Idea Ship
I made this image as a Christmas present for artist and activist Phil Yeh, who created and owns the Winged Tiger and Patrick Rabbit characters pictured, and reserves all rights to them.
Phil’s work is about promoting literacy and creativity, and I used this project to pull myself out of a creative slump. It seemed a poetic fit.
If you haven’t read Winged Tiger Comics & Stories, the scene depicted might not make a lot of sense to you. Patrick Rabbit is a cartoonist with writers block, and the Winged Tiger is using its magic to drag Patrick all over the universe to ask artists where they get their ideas. Wherever possible, the answers come from Phil personally interviewing those artists, and the comic’s artwork incorporates sketches that they give him. It’s an inspiring community effort, as well as a technically daunting collaboration. To read more about or purchase Phil’s books, visit wingedtiger.com.