Artist interview Artists Showcase 6: Jimmy Lee by Anthony Andujar Jr 2/17/16

Artist interview Artists Showcase 6: Jimmy Lee by Anthony Andujar Jr 2/17/16

Interviewee: Jimmy Jonathan Lee

Interviewer: Anthony Andujar jr

2/17/16  

Q1. What was the first set of drawings that you made as a child?  

JL: let's see, the best thing I could think of was when I was in elementary school was a big city drawing. Yeah, anything else?

Q2. Who are your artistic influences?

JL: let's see, I admire Madonna for her work ethic and ambition. Jack Kirby for his creativity and persistence. Jimi Hendrix, because he had a unique feel and drive. the Rolling Stones in their prime, because The Beatles were kind of more innocent and childish, while because they had a very devilish blues rock and forbidden sex.  

Q3. Are you influenced by internal or external forces?

JL: I'm more into psychological state, a little Freud (Sigmund) kind of complex. That's why I've always liked Evangalion a lot haha.  

Q4. Was art always apart of your family or something you stumbled upon?

JL: stumbled upon. I always wanted to be in a punk or cinematic art of film. Unlike most middle school kids I watched a lot of 40s film like Casablanca or Noir films, Godfather. It was the first time I saw nudity at a young age.

Q5. If there was a film or franchise that you would do your own interpretation of, or continuation, which film would it be? Why? And what would you change and what would you keep?

JL: I don't know.. Let's see, um, I would do a Teen Titans trilogy where they're more psycho sexual angsty parts of the Judas Contract saga. The second franchise I would take on would be Grant Morrison's Animal Man run. which would be the first metaphysical superhero film where it would examine what does it mean to be a superhero film breaking the fourth wall. The original dragon ball with a collaboration with old school Disney animators and anime animators. I would love to have Evangalion live action film done by David Fincher, and David Lynch, I don't think America has ever seen a movie about mentally fucked up people trying to save the world in that way before.  

Q6. What's the most difficult part of the creative process?  

JL: um, just forcing yourself to think of good ideas. A lot of my writing is more autobiographical. Like I like character studies, like when I was a kid I wrote a fucked up story about Harry Osborn as a kid having a fucked up psychological breakdown and stuff.  

Q7. If you could make a book, comic, film, or tv show off of an album, which album would it be and why?

 JL: station to station by David Bowie. It's basically a story about a fucked up, drug addicted, aristocratic singer who sings about lost loved songs and such with ubermensch themes and such. Which is basically about Bowie at the lowest during his career. I would do an optimistic film or comic on Paul McCartney's Ram album because it's an optimistic album full of silly love songs and it would make for a good romantic comedy. What album would album would you choose as a film or book?  

Ant A: I would choose Radiohead's kid A, amnesiac and hail to the thief as a comic book to film trilogy, simply because it's a sonically abstract yet personal experience. I would make a story about an individual trying to find his way into society, rejected by society and then finally leaving it all behind. And then I'd make a trilogy based on Bjork's post, Homogenic and Vespertine. Or even Massive Attacks works. There are many other albums that come to mind and are difficult to pick, but the ones mentioned are definite.

Q8. If you could speak to a deceased creator, who would it be and why?   

JL: let's see, Rozama Tuzuka, the creator of Astro Boy. He was basically the manga version of Jack Kirby. This guy worked on so many books and basically had no sleep for like 10 years or something.  

Q9.  If you could which Living creator would you speak to and what would you want to collaborate on or do?

JL: Which living creator? Umm, let's see... Uh, I don't know, like uh. I'm very interested in more female creators, artists and writers. There's not that many well known female creators, it's kind of sad. I'd like to talk to Courtney Love and how she made the Hold albums while simultaneously her husband was making in Utero, like how? Let's see, not many other than PJ Harvey. Oh and Grimes, I'd love to see a documentary of the making of her first album ( I believe it was Genesis) like how did you make that album without any musical or structural training?  

Q10. What would you advise to your younger self or next generation?  

JL: study hard and all the cliche. The sex and stuff may sound cool, and the popularity of drinking when you reach 26 gets pretty lame. If you want to be rebellious, do it in a constructive manner. This makes me kind of miss high school in a way.  

Q11. 30 years from now what would you hope to reflect on and hoped on to achieve?  

JL: I'll be like in my 50s late 40s. I don't know it's sorta far away. I hope to have a happy family and be well off, I don't know? I'd love to live a country you know? A good place to raise a family. Because to me the city and the suburbs is too busy and too much I feel like it's beneficial to be around nature, I don't know what you think.  

Q12. If you were to write a book what era of your life would you could on thus far?  

JL: I would focus on the contrasts between being in church's and then going home and seeing how dysfunctional it is in contrast to that.