Sunday, May 29, 2011

I'm New Here.

What a beautiful song.
R.I.P Gil Scott-Heron.








I was just reflecting on Gil Scott-Heron's album 'I'm New Here' and how it reminds me of Johnny Cash making his last recorded albums 'American Recordings'. I love it that these great artists gave their best even when they could have easily retired. These records are something the industry can never categorize, it's art in relation to life, the words shaped can never be mimicked. Art needs to come out from life, you have to have gone through what Gil Scott-Heron went through to make his art, and he went through a lot, having lived through the Jim Crow laws, laws that segregated black people from white people in America, as well as an ongoing struggle with drug addiction. I love that he was always frank and honest about the way he felt about his country and himself, he made it a point to bother about the bigger picture, that what happens in another country, happens to his country, that the world's problems were his problems. That what the future generations of rappers have to fear are making songs that aren't based on authentic experiences. His last album is something like vintage wine for me, ripe with all the flavors of a beautiful life. It's sad that he couldn't have made more music. All this makes me realize that old age is something to actually look forward too, unless you go senile, Gil Scott-Heron is evidence that great things can be done even then. 

Sunday, May 22, 2011

An Assault On Affection.















It's out! My first comic, An Assault On Affection.

There are 2 shops that you can purchase my comic from:

The first is Doinky Doodles, at 33 Bali Lane (2nd Floor). Tues-Sat 1-8pm. Website: www.doinkydoodles.com. Doinky Doodles is an amazing shop, that my friend Pixin owns, there's a little section of comics and zines there that  I absolutely love (including her own). Do check it out!

The second is Absolute Comics, at 200 Victoria St #03-13 Parco Bugis Junction, it's a comic shop that I have been faithfully buying comics from, another great shop.

I really hope that more people will support these local shops, to me they are something special. The big stores are much more impersonal in comparison. I'll be putting my comics in at least three more stores and that will be that. Will update this post as I find more stores.


BTW, make sure you check if the stores are closed for special occasions, by checking online.

For any inqueries, please e-mail me at fatcrumb@gmail.com.






Updates

You can now get my comic at Cat Socrates too! # 03-39B Bras Basah Complex, 231 Bain Street. They open from 12- 8pm (mon-sat) / 1-7pm Sun and Public Holidays. Website: www.catsocrates.com.sg.


Sunday, May 8, 2011

Special Powers.






Really wanted to post this one much earlier but the cleaning up process took longer then I expected (I usually clean up the eraser marks and white ink with photoshop). Also, I'm in the middle of my national service. Since my last reservist, I had a little idea for a strip about my experiences in camp, might work on that soon.

I'm really starting to enjoy making these Sorehead strips, went jogging today and came back with so many ideas. I'll probably do a lot more before I get back to painting. When that happens the strip will come out infrequently. 

Along with the strip above, I thought it would be nice to attach this image I made of a couple that I drew in my sketchbook. The sketch came in handy as a reference for the couple in my strip above. 








I've been thinking about this strip I made recently and my opinions and views as expressed in the strip are very different now. I realize that I can never look at a single person and 'figure them out'. People are a constant mystery for me and that includes myself. I'm a constant mystery to myself and can never predict the mood I'll be in, or the way I will react to sudden situations. That said, the validity of this strip still holds up in a certain way because most times I find that people do behave in ways that are predictable as as if their actions were scripted. I find it constantly disappointing when the obvious presents itself to me, and that is probably what this strip is about, a lament over the 'predictable'. How much of it is the fault of the given situations people are subjected to? How much out of it is just the person/s' willingness to be subjected? This un-ending mystery presents itself daily. 

27/07/2011



Monday, May 2, 2011



A year ago.. or at least I think it was a year ago. I stumbled on this video interview with Leonard Cohen. He made me think about something that I reflected on before and totally agree with, that of making art in-spite of suffering and not by being fueled by it.

I think this is an important point for all artists who believe that they need to live a self-destructive life before they can make good art. It's a cliche. Funny how just today, I stumbled on Jeff Tweedy (below) saying the same thing!

Start listening to leonard's clip from 3:17.