Cool Hunting

Though you may know him as the driving force behind the amazing Ghostshrimp, his name is actually Dan James. Dan recently took a break from his busy schedule to answer some questions for us.

What is your artistic background?
Artistic background. Well. Let me take off my shoes and think about that. I have to relax and pretend I'm on an airplane for interviews to work. Okay, artistic background. Yeah my shirt is coming off too, I have to take my shirt off when I fly on airplanes or I break out in song. It's a rare condition; only I know I have it. I collect rare infections. My brain is pretty badly damaged. Also my bladder is dangerously small. I have to sleep in the bathroom when I stay in motels. So. What was the question? Mm. Right. My background.

Well I began masturbating when I was 13. That's just a reference point. I had been drawing at least a decade by then. You got to just do it everyday. Which one? Well both I guess. Sometimes at the same time. To save time. My older brother drew a lot. When I went to college I had some great teachers. Mostly though, the way I understand drawing is like a large wheel turning slowly in deep space. And drawing is the only thing I understand about life. The rest is all heavy breathing underwater.

I have to constantly set myself on secret missions. Also I must be wrapped in specific disguises. And the wheel works like this: m.c. Escher, for example, makes a bunch of drawings a thousand years ago. He dies of stage four fetal albatross syndrome. I am born in 1980. I smoke Newport cigarettes for three months in high school. I see the m.c. Escher drawings. Now this is where it gets magical: all the focus and creative energy he poured into that drawing is transferred to me. Inspiration travels through osmosis. Ask a doctor.

Then my brain is severely infected with inspiration. Visions flood my tiny towns. My wiring is running hot. Full capacity. Now I have no choice but to put that down on paper. I draw a bunch of drawings. And the wheel rotates silently forever in deep space.