PETE FOWLER: ALL ROUND MONSTER MAN
For this issue of Fused we decided to take the cover to the island of monsterism. Pete Fowler, artist behind album sleeves for the Super Furry Animals, cartoonist, toymaker, resident of a parallel world, Pete Fowler all-round-monster-man, took time out from a wild schedule and produced the cover for this issue. He also gave us a panorama of his world when we bent his ear. Fused caught up with him:
How would you describe yourself?
Brownish hair, glasses, cord wearing artist/illustrator/painter/doodler.
Are you represented somehow by ‘monsterism’?
Absolutely! Monsterism is made of the stuff I soak up through interests, influences and the world around me that I experience, it’s a filter that I’ve constructed to project myself through to a degree. It’s how I’d like to see an alternate world.
Do you see an alter-monster in everyone?
There’s some out there more monstrous than others! I think it’s personalities of people that I maybe pick up for characters sometimes, maybe I recognise the monster in myself too. We’re all beastly really aren’t we?
I’d say so! With artists it’s always interesting to know about inspiration. What or who is yours? (Does Maurice Sendak feature somewhere for example?)
I love Sendak, of course ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ is still a benchmark in illustration, imagination and the balance of simplicity and complexity. ‘Noggin The Nog’ could be one too, amongst the great kids TV shows of the 1970’s by Oliver Postgate. I love Jim Woodring and Shigeru Mizuki particularly for their incredible imaginations and craft.
What else influences the monster world?
Music is a big inspiration and influence for me in my work and I think that has been seeping in there for a while. I tend to be more interested in music rather than following illustration or art particularly, I tend to get freaked out by incredible artists if I look at too much work so music is just always there when I create. Animals are something I’m interested in, birds, sea life and horned creatures are creatures I think have inspired me.
Who are your heroes?
One of my heroes is the comedian and psychedelic explorer Bill Hicks. Never afraid to tell the truth and shake up people. Who knows what he could have achieved if it wasn’t for his tragic early death?
There is a big amount of creative storytelling going on in your work. Do you see yourself as the narrator?
To a point I think, I’ve never really spelt everything out in my work and like to leave space there for people to use their imagination and project their own ideas onto it. It’s different with animation and dialogue but I love to leave some sort of mystery here and there. Someone like Sendak is the master of that, not imposing on the story too much, giving it a life of it’s own.
We’ve heard that your biggest fan is Uri Gellar. Have you ever met him? (And if so when you shook his hand did you pretend your arm had gone all bendy?)
He bought a lot of artwork from me at one time after we had a call from him one day, which we thought was a crank caller! He visited my studio and the first thing he did was request a spoon to bend. Seriously! My arm was left un-bent but he has a very firm handshake.
How much of your work is geared towards children?
Children seem to like it, but I never until recently geared my artwork to anyone specifically. I created the work that pleased me and happy to know that kids like it, they can be very critical! I’m in the early stages of planning a cartoon for kids so it’s something I have to look at more closely. The fun aspect of creating is something I try to keep alive with everything I do. I’m not really the tortured artist type and I like to think my work has a sense of humour in some way.
You have a fine art background. What kind of work did you create when you were a student?
I did a lot of varied work whilst in art school, using sculpture, printmaking, painting, confectionary and epoxy. My degree show included a large painting of some one’s head exploding, taken from the film Bad Taste [Peter Jackson’s first film].
What’s your favourite “ism”?
Nudism.
How does music fit in to this picture?
For me, it works and continues to do so without being tiresome. Again music is a big influence in my work and to work with SFA and all the artists on my CD make sense to me and fit in with my ethos of sound and vision. I think it’s foolish to separate the two senses. I think they compliment each other well and for me the LP sleeve is most holy.
So you believe that the artistic/musical experience unifies?
I’ve never really though of the two apart. I guess growing up through the 70’s and 80’s music had an exciting visual to it for me, be that from the covers or sound and design. I think that forged the two elements for me, there’s been many records I’ve bought and continue to buy on covers alone. Working with SFA over the years I think I’ve created a visual identity for them and the always felt the association felt very natural.
More particularly, could you describe the story behind your album ‘A Psychedelic Guide to Monsterism Island’?
It sort of follows on from a CD I compiled on Heavenly, but the tracks on this release for Lo are almost entirely produced specifically for the album by friends and musical heroes of today. I was lucky enough to get amazing sounds back from all included and feel honoured that they came to the Island. The idea behind it is an imaginary soundtrack to the sultry Island of Monsterism through a psyche/exotica/electroid lens consisting of all instrumental tracks with links by the sunburned/fried beachcombing narrator.
Finally, how do you go about attracting such a group, including the likes of Jerry Dammers, Gruff Rhys and Luke Vibert, to your absurd island?
Lots of pleading and begging! I’ve known Gruff since first working with SFA and Luke from my days in Cornwall. Jerry is someone who I’ve met a few times and the guys at Lo knew him so it was a case of making a list and seeing how we could get on. Some artists couldn’t make it but I think we got together a fantastic range of artists on board and think there is something on the CD for every freak and beast!
First appeared in Fused Magazine issue 36
