| SPUNGIFEEL COMICS |
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| What's the origin of the
Soggy Toast character Partially Eaten Donut Man? |
Answer: Well, I usually answer, "Personal nightmare, nothing much..." But it
really goes a bit deeper than that. This is a story that appeared in the Spungifeel Sundry Scoop series, so some
of you will be in for a little rerun action. Anyway, I guess it was about 15 years ago when I purchased a box
of generic brand baked pastries (think of Pop Tarts here) from a convenience store near my house. The timing capped
off a a series of pathetic errands I had run and, man, was I read to dig into those little suckers. Ah, it was
a hot summer afternoon, and I was definitely up for a complex carbohydrate rush in the air-conditioned comfort
of my own home. It was always such a beautiful delight to eat those pastries in my favorite chair. So, I put myself
in a comfortable position and began my mid-afternoon sugar snack feast. I think the first pastry was cherry-flavored.
Not that it really mattered, but it was my favorite. I took a bite. And then I took another. And then....guess
what? I took another. I was pretty hungry, so there wasn't a whole lot of savoring going on. Probably on the
fourth or fifth bite (again, I know, who cares...I'm just trying
to build a little suspense here), something tasted a little funny...a little metallic...a little extra grainy...a
little NOT like a cherry-flavored baked pastry. Sitting there with a mouth full of mushed goo, I began to examine
the pastry thinking perhaps it was not cherry-flavored after all, but some, I don't know, pina colada flavor (blech)
or something. Hmmmm. Sure enough, it had the look of fake cherry with fake cherry flavoring on the inside. So
things were suppose to be in order here. Hmmm. More carefully examination would be required. And so, I stared
a bit more. It was a really bad taste....faintly like a fake cherry should taste like, but....there was something
else to it. Yes, there really WAS something else...something....that was...moving...in the pastry....in the fake
cherry pastry. Before my brain could reflect on what I had seen, I immediately switched to gag mode. Most folks
do not knowingly eat anything
that is moving unless they are desparate or playing freak. I was neither. I was Mr. Panic running to the bathroom.
Emergency! Get out of my way! My mouth is full of fake cherry pastry with something moving! Once I'd completed
about 60 repeats of take a drink of water, gargle, and spit, I returned to the scene of the crime and the mysterious
pastry with the wiggling aesthetic. Sure enough, upon closer examination, there were tiny worm things waving and,
I presume, giggling at me. I never did figure out what exactly they were but, instead, threw the box away, vowed
(with four letter words) never to purchase them again, and badgered myself to forget the whole sickening episode.
Well, the first two were do-able. But something like that I simply could not forget. So, years later, when I
was putting together Soggy Toast, that episode re-entered
my mind and the "Partially Eaten Donut Man" was created. And for the record, other inspirations include
dead-bird-with-ants-eating Salvador Dali (look it up....I'm not kidding) and lots of time listening to a ground-level
rock group (they have arrived) called Guided
by Voices.
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| Are you related to funny
man Tom Green? |
| Answer: In a universal sense? Yes, because we all came from the same
dirt or original humans. But that's as far as it goes. Actually, the incredible Mr. Green is pretty relaxed compared
to me. Also, I prefer sugar on my cottage cheese. |
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| What do you look like?
I picture you as a salivating wacko version of Robert Crumb. |
| Answer: I'm not sure what I look like anymore. Tired most of the time,
I guess. Here is a bigger version of the self-portrait above. |
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| What is your secret to
being creative? |
| Answer: It's a secret. If I tell you, it won't be a secret anymore, and
then everyone and their mother will be as creative as I am and better. Then I'll have to do something else (like
collect stamps or something else that makes no money) because things will be far too competitive. But I'll tell
you this: it involves the patience to stare at blank sheets of paper longer than most people could ever muster. |
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| Your humor is so weird...do
you think you're letting the ink fumes or worse get to you? |
| Answer: Nope. I'm not living like The Residents were rumored to have
done (i.e. living for years above a paint shop, I recall). My work area is well ventilated. |
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| Why do your characters
always have differing eyes? |
| Answer: Ah. Someone finally notices. It's true...I rarely draw characters
that have two identical eyes. I guess I find it more intriguing, much more than drawing the same thing twice. It's
definitely intentional, and I think it adds an extra measure of personality. |
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| What does “Spungifeel”
mean? |
| Answer: It is the feeling one has when they are punchy...when the mind
is famished for sleep. I use to do all my comic work when I was in a state of exhaustion or at least way past my
bedtime. Over the years, I discovered I didn’t have to rely on that state to do my thing. I liked the name, so
there you have it. |
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| I noticed that you seem
to draw a lot of ugly people. What's with that? |
| Answer: Well, I don't think everyone I draw is ugly. Just different.
Just unique. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. But nevertheless, unusual looking people are interesting
to me, and that's why I tend to focus on facial features that are wildly distinctive. |
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| Is the intro to The Spungifeel Primer about
you meeting Steve McGarrett true? |
| Answer: First off, it was a dream. If dreams are true, then this is true.
For those who haven't read my book (The Spungifeel Primer), one day a few years ago, I had a dream that Steve McGarrett and I were having
breakfast together. He implored me to put together an anthology of my comic work, and I subsequently did. You don’t
mess with Steve McGarrett. The next day I had learned that Steve McGarrett’s real world counterpart, Jack Lord,
had died along with all hopes for a stellar Hawaii 5-0 reunion. The cover of the book was inspired by that dream by the way. You can
see it here. |
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| What kind of paper and
tools do you use? |
| Answer: I've used tons of different tools and just about any paper for
jotting ideas. I've even used my hand as “paper” for jotting down quick ideas. Anyway, I've just started using
a graphic tablet to do some work. Most of the time, however, I still use ordinary high quality printer paper and
Flairs, Uni-Balls, and Pigma Microns to get the job done. By the way, I would not recommend toilet paper because
it lends itself to very thin humor and falls apart easily just like this ignorant answer. |
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| Where did Somedaze start?
What does it all mean? |
| Answer: Here's a look at Somedaze from the 1980's.
I had been drawing comics for several years, and one day in 1982 I began displaying my work on the door of my college
dorm room. As a result of my dorm room being strategically chosen very close to the dinner hall, my early comics
were noticed by a lot of people...weirdos and normals alike. An editor of the college newspaper dug my scribbles
and started the ball rolling. He and I came up with the name MONDAZE because the comic had a dizzy feel and was
running on Monday (I know, I know...I can hear your groans). As editors changed, the comic moved to different days...usually
whenever they had room or I had something new. Thus, the name "Somedaze" was born. After college, Somedaze
took a sabbatical until 1991 when eventually found homes in over 30 newspapers. In the mid-90s Somedaze was again
quietly subdued, for the most part, in favor of other projects until 1998 when I decided to rejuvenate it and finally
reward it with daily status one year later. |
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| Have you done any other
cartoons or comics other than those discussed on this website? |
| Answer: Sure. I've done several other features including the web-only
serial The Pungent Pylon
a few years back. Pungent was
basically the adventures of a troubled bright orange pylon that escaped from a road crew and only conversed in
rhyme. It was a short-lived unusual experiment, and, at this time, I do not have plans to revive it. If you think
what you see on this website now is strange ...well...hahahaha. I also did a strip in college called Hershyville
about the moronic people of a fictional town of the same name. |
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| I want to know why you
call your comic "Salamander Bits". Isn't that gross?! |
| Answer: As you might expect, this is probably the most asked question
or item commented on concerning my comics. The comic was originally called Salamander
Crisp, and even I thought that was too"out there".
First, it had to be an "S"-word like most of my other comics and organizations. Next, I chose the word
"salamander" because the salamander is supposedly considered by some to be a mythological reptile that
lived in fire. I knew that this comic was very different from the start. No continuing characters, a unique first-person
only format, and very unusual look folks. The heat would be on so to say. I added the term "bits" as
in "humor bits". The words also just sounded good to me. But please note, the title has absolutely nothing
to do with dissecting salamanders. Now that WOULD be gross! |
