Staf Magazine: Jeremy Fish Interview (Feb/Mar 2005)
Jeremy Fish is a man who doesn’t need much of an introduction. I’m willing to bet that most of you reading this are already familiar with Mr. Fish, or at least his artwork anyway. And I’m sure you will agree with me when I say that the guy is one exceptionally talented motherfu*&er.
Mr. Fish has built quite a name for himself in the skateboarding and art world over the last decade. His work has appeared just about everywhere: galleries, legal walls, illegal walls, newspapers and magazines, books, skateboard decks, skateboard wheels, etc. The list goes on and on. In fact, he even did some of the illustrations for my book, “Left-Handed Stories,” and I’m very thankful for that.
Not only is Jeremy a successful artist, but he is also the founder and unofficial leader of a cold-blooded, ruthless street gang known as “The Silly Pink Bunnies,” or “SPBs” for short. Jeremy and the rest of his bunny militia are a force to be reckoned with. Here’s a nickel’s worth of free advice: if you ever see them on the street, I suggest you get the f*ck out of their way and run. Seriously, they will slice your goddamn neck just for the hell of it and laugh while they tag their names and gang signs on the wall with your blood. It’s sickening.
OK, now that you know the real scoop on Jeremy Fish, make sure to check out his website: sillypinkbunnies.com. There you can view a handful of Jeremy’s illustrations, paintings, sculptures, skateboard graphics, and press. On this website, you can also learn more about Jeremy and Scott Bourne’s skateboard company, “The Unbelievers.”
Additionally, be on the lookout for Jeremy’s new book of art that is scheduled to be released in April ’05.
Enjoy this interview and please don’t let Jeremy’s charm fool you, because he’s really a cold-blooded killer at heart, believe that. Also, let me ask you “Have you ever danced with a Silly Pink Bunny in the pale moonlight?”
So Jeremy, how did you get into art?
I guess the same way you get into anything. When I was a kid I spent most of my time creating art and as I got older it was the only thing I was good at. I sucked at everything else and art was the one class I actually felt good about what I was doing. My mom is a teacher and really into education, so she pushed me to pursue it and go to school for it. I have her to thank for most it, because she was really supportive. The rest of my family was like ‘What the hell are you doing?’
And how did you get into skateboarding?
Same sort of deal, it’s like one of those things you do as a kid and you either grow out of it or you don’t. I stuck with it. I found a way to through skateboarding to tie what I wound up doing for a living with what I grew up enjoying. Doing skateboard graphics isn’t anything I thought was going to happen, it just sort of happened. It is probably one of the things that I am most proud of, because it is a cool way for me to give back to a community and lifestyle that helped formulate who I am as an adult.
What do you feel are the similarities between skateboarding and art?
I guess it’s the difference between becoming a lawyer and becoming an artist. Skateboarding and art is more creative, self-directed and individual. It’s not like a coach deal or a regular nine-to-five gig.
Name some artists that influenced you growing up?
I didn’t have a formal art family background, so it was mostly pop culture shit. When I was really young it was artists like Dr. Suess and Hanna Barbara. Then as I got older it was artists like Jim Phillips, Puss Head, and all the dudes from the 80s that did skateboard graphics.
What were some of your skateboarding influences?
I don’t know it’s a mix. Since I grew up in Upstate New York, all those guys that you’d see in magazines and videos didn’t really seem real to me. Well they did, but it wasn’t until I moved to San Francisco that I realized that they were all real people. I grew up in a really random part of the country, but skateboarding was huge there. I was more influenced by the guys back where I grew up rather than the guys I would see in the magazines. There is, however, the obvious pros though like Gonz, Neil Blender, and Tommy Guerrero. All those guys were like heroes to me, but they weren’t really influences, you know? Like I said, I was more influenced by the dude’s that I skated with.
What prompted you to move to San Francisco and how long have you been living in this rat pack city for?
I came here when I finished school and have been living here about eleven years now. It was either here or New York. I grew up near New York City and I didn’t really want to live there. San Francisco seemed way more approachable. New York seemed way more menacing and intimidating. San Francisco was 3,000 miles from everything I knew and it just seemed like the right place to go.
I don’t know if this is a super top-secret thing for you to speak on or not, but what is the Silly Pink Bunnies gang all about and how many members does it consist of?
I have answered this question so many ways, but basically it’s an inside joke that just got carried and carried and carried. For me, it’s just the fascination of taking nothing and making it into something, and also watching peoples desire to be involved in something. It’s fascinating for me to watch grown adults gravitate towards something that’s kind of stupid. I kind of geared it to not be not so attractive-kind of goofy and kind of dumb-and somehow it’s gotten so big to a number of people I can’t even really account for. Man, I don’t even know how many people there are in the gang. There has got to be a least a hundred or so, but then again everybody has got a friend of a friend or something that has some t-shirt or some sort of an affiliation. That’s the other fascinating thing, aside from peoples desire to be a part of something, I’m also fascinated by watching something I created grow into something that I’m not even farming anymore. To see stickers in places that you have never even been when you go there, or to talk to a friend that just got back from South Africa and said he saw a Silly Pink Bunnies sticker in the subway. You know, I’m like, ‘how the fuck did something go from being so dumb to something so big?’ It’s a cool way for me to reconnect with all my friends though too. We all get together once a year, sit down and discuss important issues like world domination and those sorts of things (laughs).
Have you ever killed anyone before?
No, definitely not. I have people do those types of things for me.
When did you start up Unbelievers Skateboards?
It will be three years this spring. Yeah, I’m stoked, man. It could be a lot bigger than it is. It’s definitely not going to be the next World Industries or anything like that. We have a really small manufacturer and distributor and they do the best they can with it. We are working on a shoestring budget right now, but for me, it’s probably the ideal situation with doing skateboards, because I had a full-time job doing that out of college and it was fucking hectic. Unbelievers is a lot more free and I can do whatever the fuck I want with the graphics.
And do you do all or most of the graphics?
All of them, anything digital. Again though, it’s not nine-to-five work. It’s so small. We run advertisements really sporadically when we can afford them; put out twenty different decks a year, as well as a couple of catalogs. It’s nice that I can pencil it in with the rest of the stuff I’m doing.
I understand that you also have your own signature series shoe out now. What’s that all about and where can the readers pick a pair of them up at?
I did it through Upper Playground. They made a really limited number of them and I think they might even be sold out at them moment. However, I have another shoe coming out down the line, but I can’t really talk about it right now. It should be out by fall of 2006. I’m really proud of it.
What other projects do you have up your sleeve?
First and foremost, I have to finish this book. I’m excited about it because it’s a nice way for people to flip through my stuff and see a whole period of my life. It’s also a nice way for me to reflect over my work, see where I want to go with it and what I want to do with it. The book comes out in April ’05 and I think in the summer I’m going to do a little trip around the United States and maybe even abroad…have some small art shows, sell the book and promote it.
That sounds pretty cool. I know a lot of people reading this will be looking forward to seeing that when it is released.
OK, let’s try something a little bit random now…
Fresh or hesh?
Fresh.
Plaid or corduroy?
Corduroy.
Blondes or brunettes?
Brunettes.
Favorite website?
Fecalface.com
Best Album of 2004?
(Thinks about it for a moment) Mad Villain.
Most emerging artist of 2004, locally or all-over?
Jeff Soto. I think he’s the guy that I looked at the most this year and was like, ‘That guy is fucking amazing!’
Skateboard video classic?
Foundation-“Glam Boys On Wheels.”
Alcohol or weed?
Both, you’ve got to keep it even.
And lastly, automobile or public transportation?
Automobile, for sure! Fuck the bus!
OK, that’s a wrap. Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions, Jeremy.
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