Interview With Mike Mastrangelo

June 13, 2014 by Tim Granda

Mastrangelo is a punk. A low down, dirty punk… and I mean that endearingly. His work is fast and loose, like a guitar riff hammered out by a beer soaked Steve Jones dodging bottles at the 100 Club. It’s real, and from the heart. Full of swagger and purpose. Mastrangelo is that tease that keeps you crawling back for more.

He has an uncanny knack for the “hook”, which I can best describe as the ability to produce an image that instantly becomes etched in your brain. Check out the Manson piece below that he drew for Heavy, and then honestly tell me it isn’t one of the most iconic images in the scene today. Read the fuck on, foolish mortals. This film is about to begin.

Mastrangelo’s work lives on the edge, and by that I don’t mean some bullshit marketing description to signify that something is outrageous. By “edge” I mean that line where if you fall off one side you achieve utter brilliance, but on the other it’s nothing but limb-strewn carnage and chaos. Think of it like this: you’re coming in hot on a turn, when suddenly you catch the rear in some loose gravel. You’re either going in the fucking ditch, or you’re straightening her out and leaving a hot testament of rubber snaking across that old country road. Fuck yea! Living through those moments are what life’s all about, and inevitably those moments become the stories that define us. The stories we pass on to those who matter.

That’s the “edge” where Mastrangelo lives. The place where time stands still. The place between the frames of a camera. That place on the country road where your headlight reveals past conquests laid out in rubber.

Grab hold, we are about to begin…

Hey Mike! Can you tell our readers where you’re based?

I’m London based, and have been for all my 50 years on this planet.

Where about did you grow up?

I was raised in a little town just outside of main London Town… a very interesting place… a little place called Thornton Heath. It was the hangout in the ’70s for one of the first unofficial UK bike chapters: The Nightingales, who as a kid I used to walk past. Seeing these greasy bikers and their shinny machines had me jumping up and down! They looked dangerous. I ended up working with one of the members many years later and was told the odd story or two. Some of these guys were old English rockers from the ’60s.

Who were some of the artists you were digging back then?

As a kid, I was heavily influenced by American comics: old Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Hulk, you know, the old DC and Marvel stuff. BUT the stuff in those comics that I loved were the ads for life-size Frankenstein’s, Magic Horses, ha ha. I also loved Aurora model kits and one day can across some old Roth model kits in a newspaper store near my grand parents home. Now those kits blew my tiny mind! Rats driving drag machines, brother Rat Fink on a motorbike, Angel Fink etc.

Being close to London also meant I’d be able to get great comics and magazines. We had a second hand book store near me which I use to go to when I was 14, and it had great comics, old Easyriders, but the best bit was it had a section in the back of the shop which housed adult magazines! Playboy, Knave, which was a classic ’70s adult magazine that ran a feature on the Hells Angels. I had heard of the HA through papers, but never actually seen pictures of them, and as you can imagine SF California was another planet! I loved the imagery of the bikes; those choppers where like flying saucers from another world. Another place, far far away.

I was also influenced by early skateboarders from the ’70s. It was a big thing for a short time, but again I found myself looking at the likes of Tony Alva and the Dogtown crew as something I really loved. Many years later when I worked for the Gun Club, I got to meet Tony Alva as his band The Skoundrels supported the Gun Club at an L.A. show. Seeing Evel Knievel jump was another big inspiration. I saw him jump at Wembley Stadium in 1975 and crash. It was amazing!

But without a doubt, it was the Dave Mann’s work in Easyriders that I loved. Frank Frazetta was also a huge influence, and someone I wished I could be as good as. I loved all his great movie posters. All those great Clint Eastwood film posters. In fact, the first film I took my now wife to was Every Which Way But Loose, which of course has the legendary Black Widows in it. I wanted to be a Black Widow big-time! Still do, ha ha! Also various artists like Charles Burns, Gary Panter, Spain, Roth, Robert Williams, Joe Coleman, and one of my all time favourite artists is Edwin Pouncey (aka: Savage Pencil). I have been a friend of his for years, and have some of his original art, but for me helping him with one of his greatest pieces of work blew my mind. In the ’90s he put together a fantastic LP called Angel Dust Movie Music for Bikers, a selection of killer tracks from various ’60s and ’70s biker movies with a beautiful gate-fold sleeve and picture disc LP.

Do you remember the moment where you realized art would become a lifelong pursuit?

Nope! Music has been one of my biggest loves. I actually came back to art about two years ago in a big way, but working in the music industry is the full time gig. I have to pay the bills and support the family!

As a very young kid I loved bands like KISS, Black Sabbath, Led Zep, Deep Purple, as well as old Rock ‘n’ Roll/Rockabilly. My parents loved music, and my father worked for an old ’60s record pressing plant so I was subjected to all kinds of great music. Beatles, Stones, reggae… loads of music! The art of LP covers always played a big part with regards to what records I purchased. Anything dangerous looking came home with me. I was lucky to live near the UK’s largest second-hand record store Beanos, and would take my pocket money and buy LPs by The New York Dolls, Stooges, Grateful Dead, and The Fugs, to name a few. I loved Glam Rock; that was the first thing that was mine. The Sweet, T Rex (Marc Bolan), Suzi Quatro, Slade, but PUNK really got me going!

I was 14 when punk rock broke, and I remember the first time I saw the Sex Pistols, along with The Damned, Ramones. It was dirty and dangerous. Music has been a big part of my life. In the early ’80s I got a gig running the fan club for one of my all time fave bands: The Gun Club from LA. I was also a huge Cramps fan, so I started doing fanzines, writing for music papers, and doing flyers for bands as well.

Over the last 25 years, I have worked in the music business. I managed a large second-hand record store, then went to work for Sanctuary Records by putting records out, and doing artwork for the likes of the Sex Pistols, The Fall, The Damned, Motorhead, and Black Sabbath (to name a few). In fact, I oversaw the transfer of music from original master tapes for the then recently discovered multi-track tapes for the first 3 Black Sabbath LPs when I worked for Sanctuary Records.

Most people tuning in for this interview will recognize your art from Show Class Magazine. How did you hook up with those dudes?

A few years ago I hooked up with an old friend Dean, who does DiCE magazine. I had not seen him in years, and as it turned out I’d bought some issues of DiCE but never made a connection for some reason. I’d been painting old Rock ‘n’ Roll stars like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Johnny Kidd in my style for fun, and one night when Dean came over we had some beers and I showed him my stuff. He asked me to do something for a possible DiCE cover, but it was never used as they changed the format and style..

I had so much fun doing it but it was a bit too cartoonish, I fear. My bike builder Benny Thomas said I needed to make the biker art more realistic, and that was sound advise which I thank him for. But seeing Dean and seeing what he was doing in LA made me sit up and want to do what I’d dreamed of doing for years: get myself a bike! Fulfill a dream. Here in the UK, Harleys are not cheap. You pretty much have to double up on US prices! Plus the old school chopper scene is pretty small, BUT there are some great people in it

It’s not been easy, but I got me a chopper! Then I wanted to look cool as F**k on it, so… I contacted Billy at Hellmutt Liners. We chewed the fat and got on well. I got a killer helmet done and am so afraid to wear it – it’s a work of art in its own right. But I saw he was selling a magazine called Show Class, a term I was aware of due to having read Hunter S. Thompson’s HA book.

I bought all the issues Billy had and was sold as soon as I saw it. It’s different to DiCE. I love both magazines but Show Class is a bit more dangerous, if that makes any sense at all? Billy put me in touch with Tim from Show Class as he’d been doing some stuff with them. I said to Tim “You know what the magazine is missing? A cool Dave Mann style painting like Easyriders. It’s got everything else but that.” Tim said yeah, then why don’t you do some paintings then. The rest is history, as I’ve been knocking ’em out like little baby turds ever since. They seem to love them (Tim and Zak).

It’s now progressed to the odd t-shirt design, other ideas, and with Tim and Zak calling me the out-of-house artist, which I guess makes me a part of the SC team (which is something I’m proud of). I like what they do a lot. For me the shame is I’m some 4,000 miles away from all the great bikes featured in the magazine. I really hope the people who buy the magazine like the art too. One of my recent ideas for those guys was the 49% SHOW 51% CLASS idea which they beautifully turned into tees and caps. I’m currently working on an original piece of art which hopefully will be received well by the scene in America. Someone will end up the owner of an original piece, which hopefully will mean a lot to them.

I also want to spread the word to the UK and Europe too. The scene here in the UK is small for the real old school bikes from the ’60s and ’70s, but we have some amazing bike builders here too. People who I admire: Benny at Boneshaker Choppers does some amazing builds, as does Andy at Pacoma Cycles, and the mighty Toshi at Bell 45.

That’s awesome, man! Will we be seeing a cover somewhere down the line?

Yeah, I done a nice front and back cover which I’m hoping will be used sometime soon, and I have ideas for an even better one, but my big problem is time. I hold down a regular job and do all my art in my spare time. I certainly keep busy, and just completed designs for Heavy, Sinner Supply, and am about to do a killer collaboration with Jesse from Rising Vision in L.A. More Reaper Madness…

Heavy Clothing recently put out your epic Manson tee. What’s it like working with Zak on Heavy stuff? Does he give you any indication of what he’s looking for, or are you given free reign with the design?

Zak is nothing but trouble. I tell ya that guy is so dark he scares me – way too much darkness. He’s trouble with a capitol T. Ok I’m lying, he’s very much like Tim at Show Class: COOL AS FOOK. Very easy to work with, happy to be hit up with ideas, and happy to tell you what he does not does not like. Straight talking mofo. That’s the way I like it. I’m pretty happy with the Heavy Charlie design I did. Zak’s also the other part to Show Class. Apparently those guys are sending me a Panhead for Christmas! I cannot thank them enough for liking what I do.

What are you riding these days? Are there any bikes over the years that you wish you never sold?

I ride Ding A Ding Dang My dang Along Ling Long. She’s my baby. A ’98 Evo Sportster chopper, shrouded shocks, ’70s Sportster front-end, 21″ front 18″ rear, which soon will have an original hamburger-style front brake and a vintage flamed Sportster tank (with great thanks from Dean at DiCE). She’s my first bike so I have never sold a bike. I’d love to have a Knucklehead hardtail, or Panhead, but for now that’s a pipe dream. I went for an Evo chopper as I wanted to have fun riding without too much hassle. I’m not gonna lie, I’m no hot shot in fixing these thing, but I’m learning a hell of a lot fast. I hope in a few years to go for a Knuck or a Panhead, but for now all I can say is that first ride when I got my bike home was worth all the pain in getting it!

Are there any new artists out there that you’re really digging, or inspire you to work harder?

Show Class always features some great artists. I like Tallboys work a lot! Toby Tequila is another kat who does some amazing work on the back of cuts. I just traded up an original of mine for a cut of a Reaper he did for me. Donny Gillies work is great too. Jesse at Rising Vision does some monster posters too.

What are you working on next? Got any new prints or projects we should have our eyes peeled for?

Show Class has a heap of art to roll with. There’s a great Heavy inspired poster. I’m working with Rising Vision in L.A. on a new t-shirt and poster design – a great collaboration with Jesse. Just finished two designs for prints and t-shirts for the mighty Angelo at Sinner Supply in Belgium. “Reaper Spelled Backwards is DEATH” t-shirt design he has total exclusivity on. That’s my baby and its a killer t-shirt. I’m also planning to do a few more affordable prints as well. I like to make my work top quality but also affordable to everyone, from the guy who has a very healthy bank balance, to the kid on the street who has to work his butt off for anything. I did 13 prints of “Reaper Madness”, signed and numbered, for a mere £35 each (about $45-$50 dollars). If you want an original, well that’s cheap too. People should hit me up.

I ask this closing question to everybody, because you never know what you’re going to get, and the answer is often filled with insight: If you could travel through time, where would you go?

This one is going to have two answers ha ha. I’d go forward a week so I could find out the winning lottery numbers so I could win!! That way I pay my bills off and get the bikes of my dreams! Or… take me back to L.A 1991 to Long beach so I can buy the Robert Williams “Zombie Mystery” painting I passed up on for $1500!!! Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers now owns!

Thanks a ton, Mike, for this opportunity to interview you for Doom Cycle. It’s been a blast, and I’m always looking forward to seeing what you’re up to. Cheers!

Interview with Matt Kerley

December 14, 2013 by Tim Granda

Matt Kerley hates you.

No, really. Matt Kerley hates you. It said so right on the pins and shirts that he’s had in his store. Personally, I found the man who creates such undeniably powerful artwork to be one really cool dude, and not once did he ever say he hated me (not within ear shot).

His illustration work is so… so god-damn bizarre! Kerley conjures up clean hard-hitting images, with such purpose and precise line work that they immediately grab hold of your brain and squeeze. And then, out of the corner of your eye, you notice some writing scrawled off on the side. After you read it, the text and image begin to meld, and what initially seemed to be just a bunch of random words suddenly makes sense. Almost immediately you get this rising feeling in your gut, like the floor has just dropped out from under you. Powerful stuff, from a super talented artist.

Kerley’s work in tattoos is just as astounding; go on and check out some of the examples below. In fact, why don’t we all head down there right now and get this interview started. Matt Kerley might hate you, but I bet when you get to the end of this interview you’ll come to the same conclusion that I did: Matt Kerley’s one really cool dude.

I’ve heard you recently moved from Brooklyn back to North Carolina, the state you grew up in. What prompted the change?

Actually, I moved back to North Carolina from Chicago. I lived in Brooklyn before Chicago though. I’ve bounced around and traveled for the last few years after leaving North Carolina initially. I lived in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and then Chicago. I wanted to move to the Asheville, NC because its quiet. I was just tired of the people and commotion of major cities. Also, I wanted to concentrate more on painting and drawing again. So I travel and tattoo on weekends to cities that are close to where I live.

While growing up, what was it about “art” that grabbed your attention? Were you aware at the time that this was something you would pursue for the rest of your life?

I’ve drawn ever since I can remember, really. My older brother was sick my whole life. So while we were in and out of hospitals I would always be given a pad of paper and pencils to draw to keep me occupied.

Drawing was the only thing that really got me any attention as an introverted weirdo kid. As a young kid I got into comic books and skateboard art. So my attention quickly became centered in the art of comic books. My earliest memories as a kid was sitting around my grandparents houses drawing Spider-Man, Daredevil, Hulk, etc. The first art book I was ever given was “How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way”. That’s where I first learned proportions and foreshortening which I still use today. That and underground comics and cartoons at a very young age subconsciously honed my gnarly way of looking at art.

What steered you towards tattooing, and when did you start down that path?

In high school I use to go to the local newsstands when my mom went to the grocery store. Back then they had all the tattoo magazines in the porn section which was terrible. But luckily a good friend of mine got a job there. I was able to sit and look at all the tattoo magazines that I wanted.

In high school I would draw comics and tattoo inspired flash. All of it was pretty terrible really. When I graduated high school I still wanted to draw comics. So I got into the Joe Kubert school of Graphic Art in Dover, NJ. But last minute I changed my mind and went to East Carolina University to get a BFA in painting. I ended up getting a double BFA in Painting and Sculpture.

When I was in the art program, one of my instructors named Bill Dermody was apprenticing to be a tattooer. I had always wanted to get tattooed since I was 18 but was too intimidated by the shops in my area. So I never got one before I met Bill. Bill ended up doing my first few tattoos. Then I got tattooed at a few conventions and would enter tattoo flash into contest and won first place at the first few I entered. The owner of the shop offered me an apprenticeship while I was still in school. So by the time I was out of college I was tattooing full time.

I was pretty much at the right place at the right time really.

At times, your tattoo work brings to mind one of my favorite artists, Basil Wolverton, so I’m curious as to who some of your favorite artists were during your formative years.

That’s one of the biggest compliments you could ever give me. I love everything that Wolverton ever touched. He was way ahead of his time in every aspect.

Growing up I was inspired by old Jim Philips graphics, underground comics like Robert Crumb, and old cartoons like “The Brothers Grunt”. In college I was more inspired by contemporary sculptors and painters such as Basquiat, Henry Moore, David Smith, Rauschemberg, Bernini, Bosch, etc. But at the same time, I was reading Charles Burns and Daniel Clowes books, and listening to punk rock when Raymond Pettibon was on everything I’ve ever held dear.

When I graduated college and was studying the art of tattooing, I was introduced to artists such as Ed Hardy, Daniel Higgs, Dave Lum, and Jeff Rassier. All of which, on top of a fine art and punk rock background, have helped me develop the style I have now.

Your first book, “Cone, Sphere, Cube” was created while on the road when you toured the USA from one city to the next. How did your new book “Further, Farther, Further” come together?

Well I started “Cone, Sphere, Cube” when I was living in Philadelphia. I wasn’t able to paint tattoo flash where I was staying but I wanted to keep up with ideas I had. So I kept a moleskin of ink drawings that I could do in coffee shops and stuff. Eventually that became what is known as “Cone, Sphere, Cube”. ”Further, Farther Further” was made after I left Philadelphia, traveled a bit more around the US, and then completed when I lived in Brooklyn, NY.

These were more refined illustrations in the same Clowes/Pettibon style of ink and brush drawings.

I started to jot down little one liners of songs or quotes I could hear while I was drawing. To me, it was to solidify my environment I was in at that exact moment. To hopefully put the viewer in that moment that I was in when I drew that page.

I drew, laid out, and published both books on my own. I try to be as DIY as possible. I personally ship out every book, flash set, t-shirt etc that I sell. Both books are 100 pages of black and white illustrations. I’ve revisited some ideas in both books for paintings and tattoos.

Your work in pen and ink utilizes very powerful color choices, and you’ve mentioned using snippets of lyrics and quotes within each piece. To me, they function as a sort of narration over the piece itself; to be interpreted by each viewer in completely different ways. Do the drawings always come first, or have there been times where you had a phrase or description in your head before you even got started?

After I did both of the books I really liked how the wording seemed to help with the power of the image. I think it relates directly to my comic book background. A lot of times the phrases are very vague and ambiguous. I think it helps the viewer narrate the image in different ways depending on how they see the image and read the words.

Almost every time the illustration comes first. Then, while drawing, the phrase comes to mind while I’m thinking about whatever the image evokes in my head. Although, lately I’ve been doing the reverse: jotting down single sentences or ideas for phrases on scraps of paper, and then later adapting them to images in my head.

For me, I think of everything when I work on a piece. I think about the wording, the overall image layout, and the color theory. Everything is thought out while I’m working.

Are there any new artists out there today that you’re really digging?

In the last 10 years I have completely surrounded myself with artists of different kinds, and I’m lucky to take away pieces of each of them in some way. I’m part of the art collective Swamp Wizards and we encourage each other to develop each others work with critiques and gallery shows. And we’re just getting started! Its going to be a good year for the Swamp Wizards.

As far as tattooing goes I can see a very strong influence in a surreal or “Weirdo” art movement. My favorite tattooers are Daniel Higgs, Jeff Rassier, Josh Howard, Robert Ryan, Danny Reed, just to name a few. Each one, I feel like, comes from a similar background as me.

Every day I look at tattooers, illustrators, sculptors, comic artists, poets etc. Everything inspires or sparks a thought that can be used for something eventually.

I recently interviewed the artist Gorgeous George, and it sounded to me like you two are good friends. How did you guys get introduced?

George is one of my oldest and dearest friends. We first met at art school in early 2000s. We were both in the painting program together. I switched to concentrate on sculpture but we always stayed friends. In addition to art, we built Frankenstein rat rod bicycles together, and terrorized that small town we lived in. We were in bands together as well. He played bass and I played guitar in a honkytonk band and a couple of short lived punk bands.

He’s one of the best dudes I’ve ever known, and one of the most driven artists I’ve ever had the pleasure of calling a friend.

You just teamed up with Shirts and Destroy to release a line of your designs. How did this collaboration come together?

I’ve always been a huge fan of the label. When I was in school I was really into Doomriders and would buy their merch from Shirts & Destroy. And then when I was into tattoos I respected every artist that made shirts through that company.

When I lived in Brooklyn I would try and stop by the store front, but for whatever reason, it never worked out. I was either there too early or they were closed for whatever reason. So I was never able to meet Ryan and the other folks face to face. It wasn’t until a year or so later that I met Ryan via the interwebz. When Ryan sent me an email about doing shirts with them, I was extremely excited. In the last year or so I’ve been very lucky to be able to work with several companies that I’ve looked up to for a long time.

So what’s next in the pipeline? Are there any new products or appearances we should watch out for?

Yeah, there’s a lot of really great things in the works for the near future. There’s only a few things I can talk about right now though. I was just asked to draw the next pro deck for Peter Ramondetta. Hopefully that will be the gateway for other work with Deluxe in SF. I just got done doing some design work for Affliction clothing, Holy Mountain Printing, and True Black Clothing.

I’m going to be releasing my own line of shirts tentatively called Heart Drops Clothing Co.

I’m working on a third book. This one will be all of the color series I’ve been doing. The book will be called “The Damned” and it should be out early 2014. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a publisher this time around; it’s too much work for me at the moment to layout and publish everything on my own these days.

As far as tattooing, I’ll be doing a few conventions and traveling around the east coast mainly. I’ll probably be doing a month long westcoast trip too. Keep an eye out for tour dates everybody!

On Doom Cycle, every interview to date has ended with this question, so let’s keep the tradition going: If you could travel through time, where would you go?

That’s a tricky question. I want to say the ’50s so I could pick the brains of some very rad artists that I admire, or I’d say New York in the ’80s, so I could eat trash can burgers with Basquiat, see Danzig sing with the Misfits, and punch Rollins in the dick, all in the same day. I’ll go with option B: the ’80s.

Haha!

If I could, I’d like to do a quick list of thank yous.

Absolutely, Matt. Go right on ahead.

I’d like to thank anyone and everyone that purchases a book, painting, print, or t-shirt from me. Also, anyone that gets tattooed by me. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to travel and live my life as I do, and I am forever grateful.

Everyone at every tattoo shop that has ever let me do a guest spot, or bought me dinner, took me into their homes, or gave me a bed to sleep on while I was traveling. The overwhelming human kindness made me realize that not everyone is a bag of shit.

I’d like to thank Danny at Holy Mountain Printing for always being a good dude. Everyone at Seventh Dagger for helping me get started on design work.

Lastly, Thanks to the Swamp Wizards for being my brothers.

Thanks a bunch, Matt, for taking the time out of your schedule to speak with me here on Doom Cycle. Most of us only know an artist through their work, so when an opportunity comes along to hear from the artist themselves, it’s really damn cool! Thanks again, Matt! You rock!

Doom Cycle

Covering the raddest artists in and around the chopper scene.

Interview With Mike Mastrangelo

Interview with Matt Kerley

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