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Many of your paintings and illustrations document people
involved in the Civil Rights movement. You were exposed to a lot of
this as a young kid in the 1960?s and it obviously has had a long
lasting effect on you. Viewing your work as a whole is somewhat of
a history lesson. Was this something you planned on when you began
painting?
I think because of growing up through that time and then
being involved in the early (late 70s/early 80s) DIY scene , i
realized there was a spirit that ran through all of these periods
that is timeless. Its the idea that one person , because they
disagree or are not interested in what is being presented to them ,
can plant a seed in others just by going their own route. That
knowledge , as corny as it sounds , is really inspiring / hopeful
to me. I think the more that that message gets out there the better
chance it has of planting some sort of positive change in others. In
my small way ... i am planting seeds. (smile)
You've been recording some songs for a dance piece commissioned
by Holly Williams over the past couple years. How did that come
about, and have you had to approach the writing process differently
than you normally would?
I have a really great friend (josh) who is now playing with a band called
Him. When they played in austin, they stayed with beth and I, and
we spent most of the day talking about music/20th century composers/etc.....
and someone in the band was telling me how in Chicago, they had
started getting musicians and choreographers that would normally
never work together to create dances. I thought that was pretty
cool and was telling a friend here on campus, who at that time was
head of the fine arts library.She in turn told Holly about me and
the idea, and we have been doing things together ever since.I have
done 4 for her and just finished a 5th for another choreographer
here (Kathy Dunn Hamrick)
Its all done pretty much the same way as being in a band. You will
get an idea of what the piece might be about, and then you work
together to get the final product. Because i dont think in terms
of genres when it comes to any sort of self expression ,which to
me is basically life (smile), and that i also completely accept
the idea that all sound is valid ...these beliefs have probably
helped me in the process as well. They have certainly have helped
me become more aware of what is happening all around me and made
my life richer.
Skateboarding has played a major roll in your life since you were a
kid. In the 1970?s and 1980?s companies like Alva, Dogtown, and
Powell Peralta ruled the concrete, but now huge corporations have
changed the entire look of it. Skateboarding is now talked about in
industry terms and riders make millions of dollars a year.
Self-expression was once the core of skating?is it lost?
Dont forget Zorlac! (big smile) I grew up surfing on the texas gulf coast
so skating has always been to me, just an extension of that. I think
just like with anything, you will always have those that are not
really concerned with others expectations and will skate, play music,
do art,write,etc... for the enjoyment that they and they alone get
from it and when it comes to the appointed rule makers sitting at
the cool lunchroom table ..... I will remember the statement from
SunRa ...... "Not of your world."
You've been producing records for a number of years now. What has been
the most challenging aspect of this, and has it helped you while
in the studio with one of your own bands?
The biggest challenge is making sure everyone in the band is getting
his or her say and making sure that everyone understands that when
it comes to self expression, nobody as an individual in what they
think or want to bring to the table is wrong.Its the realization
that to work as a group they are going to have to work as a group
to make their statement. Of course working with all these people
has helped me in seeing things I like differently or clearer or
both. We are all students, we are all teachers! (big smile)
By the time Sun Ra left this Earth (possibly via some sort of space
ship) he left behind hundreds of albums. His life was anything but
ordinary and his dedication to his music was nothing short of
extraordinary. Is there anything you would like to say about him or
the t-shirt you designed?
In his own way , he really has alot of great things to say. When I read his
autobiography (Space Is The Place), alot of the things he said gave
words to things I was feeling as well and in a way put exclamation
marks to alot of my thoughts. "History is his story " is just one
of many great examples of his play with words and his interpretation
of living in this world.
Be sure to
visit www.timkerr.net |
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Michael Coleman |
Michael Sieben |
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Travis Millard |
eThos |
thom lessner |
nevada hill |
jeremiah ketner |
brett superstar |
greg shirilla |
tim kerr |
abby friedman |
"the guy" |
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