Friday July 12th 2002

   A weird dream about Will Smith. I dream I'm in a rap competition with the former 'Fresh Prince' and he wants us each to go head to head with a battlerap. But I challenge him to freestyle instead, which intimidates the hell out of the man in black. 

   Of course, in real life I'd suck at that. 

   Kirrily comes over. We discuss the cover with Michael. It seems we've gotta do a little touch up to make it screenable. Kiz takes off to bike into town. She's gonna meet us at the gallery. Westspace is right near the bus station, and the post office, so it's perfect as a staging area. 

    We call a taxi, and toss bags and art gear in. Tim shows up and helps me bring our gear up via the elevator. 

 I get to work with the cover. One more set of photocopies, and it's ready to screen! I get some coffee and a big cheesy pizza roll. 

    Stefan Neville appears; Kizza arrives, downs some coffee, and buys some bulbs for our screenprinting device.

    Whoops, mistake on the copies. (I'm not a quickarse, I'm a dumbarse.) We go out to make some more, and also get some food. I must be taking up all Kizza's time this week, she's also got a birthday/housewarming ('Cheese Party') to plan. I eye a lamington at the Vic markets. That would be a great band name: 'The Lamingtons'. Maybe it's taken already. 

    The Japanese 'Gocko' is good fun. (Fun to say, fun to use!) It's originally designed to make holiday cards, which is just the right size for A6 screenprinting.  

    Each time you burn a screen, you use one set of bulbs. They have a plastic coating, so you have the tactile fun of crushing the bulbs in their little capsules. 

    We make two screens, then set up in the back room for printing and collation. Michael is a big help with this. 

     Meanwhile, we've also got the box of fifty Pure Evils we're going to send to Top Shelf. We've put word out over the Cartoonists' Telegraph that anyone who wants to chuck something in the pile can do so. Greg shows up with some of his latest. Stefan tosses in a lovely copy of Milk Milk Lemonade - I can't believe he only did like fifty copies of that. 

     Barbara Kerr shows up for the fun. The scanner came through! Yay! 

     We start screenprinting. Stefan chews the fat with Michael. Greg is in and out. 

     Since we've got two colors, making them match up is tricky. First we do the orange, then yellow. But Kizza seems to have a knack for this, and we do about thirty covers.  

      Meanwhile, Stefan ('Pumice') and Michael ('Froth') realize that Pumice is volcanic froth, and decide this is good enough reason to do a collaborative project. Collaboration in the front room, collaboration in the back room. No holdin' us back. 

       Okay, we've got the covers done. Kizza has to head off to work. But the deed is done, we've got the screens, and thirty copies we can now staple once the covers dry!

Stefan Neville

     Time out to interview Stefan. I warn him: "I interviewed Barbara four years ago and it was never published. You're staying with Chris Smith, who I also interviewed and never got published. So don't hold your breath."  He's cool with it. There's going to be a big profile on Oatz Comics in the next issue of Officer Pupp, a New Zealand Comics reviewzine.

 

Chat over, Stefan's off to play in the What is Music festival tonight. Gonna be a shame to miss that.  

      Oh shit, it's nearly Five O' Clock! We start slapping together the Top Shelf box. The boys are skint so I'm gonna pay for it with my credit card. 

     Barbara, Greg and I take off at a trot down the street to the post office. They close the door right in our faces. Greg flips them the bird, and we head down Elizabeth Street to the next nearest one. Whew, it's still open. I cover the box in tape, and send it off airmail. All right. 

     

     New comic, and new distro. That's a satisfying day. It's time for Babs to split off, so we say goodbye, and Greg and I head back to the gallery. 

 

     Tim comes by, and we lock up the show for the day. We lug my bags over to the bus terminal. Shit, I can't find my bus ticket! Fortunately I've got my name registered. 

     A few more goodbyes - I tell 'em to expect me back in a matter of months, not years. 

 

Next: Saturday July 13th 2002