Das Heads

 

The German music magazine Musikexpress is working on a story about Talking Heads. It will feature the book What The Songs Look Like: Contemporary Artists Interpret Talking Heads Songs, and include my portrait of David Byrne.

The book was my brainchild and I got to collaborate with my very favorite band. I was able to obtain work from many incredible artists including: Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Byrne, Sue Coe, Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Duane Michals, Jim Nutt, Nam June Paik, Gary Panter, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, William Wegman, Tadanori Yokoo and others.

Byrne-ing Down The House

Cover design and my portrait of David Byrne from What The Songs Look Like: Contemporary Artists Interpret Talking Heads Songs (1987). The book was my brainchild and I got to collaborate with my very favorite band, Talking Heads. I was able to obtain work from many incredible artists including: Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Byrne, Sue Coe, Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Duane Michals, Jim Nutt, Nam June Paik, Gary Panter, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, William Wegman, Tadanori Yokoo and others.

Truckin'

Rediscovered this piece I created for The Art of Micky Mouse: Artists Interpret The World's Most Famous Mouse edited by Craig Yoe and Janet Morra-Yoe (1991). I was truly flattered to be asked to contribute something to be included along with work by such noted artists as Andy Warhol, Charles M. Schulz, Peter Max, Keith Haring, R. Crumb, Milton Glaser, R.O. Blechman, Gary Panter, Gary Baseman, and Rick Griffin. The book might be a distant relative of What The Songs Look Like: Contemporary Artists Interpret Talking Heads Songs which I co-created with the band in 1987.

Moon Rocks!

In honor of the 4oth anniversary of the first moon landing I am posting Moon Rocks (1986). It was one of several illustrations I created for my book with Talking Heads titled What The Songs Look Like: Contemporary Artists Interpret Talking Heads Songs. The artwork is 20 x 20 inches and was created with cut paper, ink, gouache, spray paint and collage. The original is in the collection of band members Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth.

That 80s Show

I'm mostly awful at promoting myself. Here's an exception from the vault. A large promotional print piece (measuring 24 x 17 inches when folded open) for my good old studio Manhattan Design. Shown above is the fashionista cover photo of my partner Pat Gorman and myself taken by Caroline Greyshock and the inside spread, which required my extreme x-acto blade typography work. Can you believe the copy?!: "Billy Idol sums up their work as 'fuckin' brilliant" and "The whole world looks to Manhattan Design". Whoa!

Blues Brother

My author photo from What The Songs Look Like: Contemporary Artists Interpret Talking Heads Songs, a book I created with the band (mostly David Byrne) in 1987. Shot on film. No retouching. Just bright lights and face paint. Taken back at the good ol' Manhattan Design studio by my gifted friend Deborah Feingold.

Artists Only

A spread from What The Songs Look Like: Contemporary Artists Interpret Talking Heads Songs (1987). The book was my concept and I got to collaborate with my very favorite band, Talking Heads. I was able to obtain work from many incredible artists including: Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Byrne, Sue Coe, Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Duane Michals, Jim Nutt, Nam June Paik, Gary Panter, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, William Wegman, Tadanori Yokoo and others. To illustrate the song "Artists Only," I painted over a large photo print of myself with a painter's palette worn as a mask. The photo was taken by Caroline Greyshock.

Loving the Alien(s)

I was asked to create this drawing of David Byrne and some alien buddies to promote his limited edition Illy espresso cup collection (2001). I first met David when we worked together on the book What The Songs Look Like: Contemporary Artists Interpret Talking Heads Songs. The preface of that book featured a portrait I drew of David in the style revisited in this illustration.

Sound + Vision

Cover design and dummy spreads from a book proposal (circa 2000). Named after the David Bowie song from his ground-breaking album, Low.

A collection of paintings, drawings, collages, photographs, etc. created by contemporary musicians.

Would have been the third book in a sort of trilogy following What The Songs Look Like: Contemporary Artists Interpret Talking Heads Songs (Harper & Row,1987) and Buddha Book: A Meeting of Images (Chronicle Books, 1997).

Potential contributing musician/artists included: Terry Allen, Laurie Anderson, Melissa Auf der Maur, Beck, David Bowie, David Byrne, John Cage, Kurt Cobain, Billy Corgan, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, Perry Farrell, Chris Frantz, Jerry Garcia, Kim Gordon, John Lennon, Tony Levin, John Mellencamp, Natalie Merchant, Joni Mitchell, Meredith Monk, Thurston Moore, Bill Nelson, Yoko Ono, Liz Phair, Iggy Pop, Lee Ranaldo, Lou Reed, Todd Rundgren, Patti Smith, Michael Stipe, Suzanne Vega, Don Van Vliet, Victoria Williams, and Ron Wood. (Keep in mind this list was compiled about eight years ago).

Approximately 50 pieces of art accompanied by a small photo of the musician/artist, a brief statement by each contributor about the relationship between music and visual art, and specifications of the work (title, date, size, etc.)

Foreward by a notable artist, best-selling author or musician/artist (possibly Laurie Anderson).

Introduction (possibly by Oliver Sacks) discussing the connections between music and visual art. (Note: this was my idea about ten years before Oliver Sacks’ best-selling book, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain).

The book proposal was rejected by about a dozen publishers.

Although my agent was unable to place this project, I made some new friends during the process. Most notably the amazing British musician, Bill Nelson.