Jello Biafra celebrates 50th birthday w/ 2-day gig
Line Up
June 16th

Jello Biafra with the Melvins
Jello Biafra without the Melvins (new music, new band!) Drunk Injuns Los Olvidados The Melvins play "Mangled Demos"

June 17th

Jello Biafra with the Melvins
Jello Biafra without the Melvins
Triclops!
Akimbo
The Melvins play "Mangled Demos"

Tickets are $22 per night in advance or $40 for both nights plus free gift-oid.
- http://elecvp.blogspot.com/2008/05/news-jello-biafra-celebrates-50th.html

Dale Tama Interview

from mule, an interview with Mackie Osborne, from a great Austrian magazine called Rokko's Adventures.

Rokko: When did you start making art? And what were the results?
Mackie Osborne: I started drawing animals as a kid, I ended up with a career in advertising and design.

Rokko: Did you go to an art school or are you an autodidact?
Mackie: I went to school. Although I have to say I've learned more from working that I ever learned in school. School can be good for learning social skills, they're important. Also learning to listen to input and take criticism gracefully is a very important skill set in this field, probably one of the most important skills you can learn.

Rokko: Who are artists [music, film, painting, writing, performance,... ] you admire and that have inspired you or still do?
Mackie: Those are some long lists... I like a lot of different stuff. Musically: David Bowie, the Melvins, of course, Patti Smith, Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Zeplin, Big Black, Sex Pistols, Johnny Cash, Throbbing Gristle, Tool Artistically: Edward Gorey, Diane Arbus, Chas. Addams, Alex Steinweiss, Chip Kid, Vaugn Oliver... Writing: J.D. Salinger, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Hafiz, Film: Blade Runner, Princess Bride, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands, Dune, Fire Walk With Me, Wild at Heart, Blue Velvet, My Neighbor Totoro, Snow White,

Rokko: How was your career as graphic artist? Since when can you live on making art?
Mackie: I've made a living doing art since the 80's. After school I worked in advertising for six years. Since then I've worked freelance, doing music packaging, some book design, art direction on a couple magazines, some entertainment stuff and whatever else came along.

Rokko: You also did work as art director for Eptiapth Records, didn’t you?
Mackie: I worked freelance for Epitaph for about six years. I also did a bunch of work for A&M and Hollywood Records, Dead Possum, Kung Fu,

Rokko: Are you freelancing now?
Mackie: Yes.

Rokko: Where do you work? Do you have an atelier?
Mackie: I work in an office, and in my print shop. I guess it's an atelier. That's a fancy sounding word. I have a pretty cool office with some neat stuffed animals in it and a couch and a TV and stained glass windows that I designed.

Rokko: Do you everything on your computer?
Mackie: Almost everything. Except make dinner. And walk the dogs.

Rokko: Do you create everything on your own [except like photos from Kevin Willis] or do you also use found material?
Mackie: I use a ton of found art, and I draw, and I work with other illustrators and photographers.

Rokko: The Melvins book “Neither here nor there” is the most beautiful book I have ever seen. It has so many dimensions and is such a vast compendium of beautiful ideas – how long did it take you to arrange the whole thing and what do YOU think about it?
Mackie: I'm glad you like the book. I think it's one of the best things I've had the opportunity to design. It took almost a year of working on it on and off, designing the pages, contacting the artists who participated and dealing with the logistics of getting it printed. It started out small and just grew and grew and grew.

Rokko: You are also desiging qees – was that your idea or a remittance work?
Mackie: The qees are an extention of the work I do for the Melvins. That happened as a result of our friend Tom Hazelmyer from Am Rep. He generously invited us to participate.

Rokko: Do musuems also exhibit your art?
Mackie: No, I've shown in galleries a little. I don't think of myself as a fine artist. More like a garage artist and a garage musician.

Rokko: You are also a musician. I know you have played in Fleabag, Gashley Snub and Get Hustle. Are there other bands you have played in?
Mackie: You are good. There were others; Hydrafist with Dave Stone, Gorgonie with Georganne Deen and Amanda Fergusson, and before Get Hustle we were called Burlesque Affair - Aron Montaign from Antioch Arrow was the singer - he later joined the Marines and became an assassin or something... that was before Dave Stone came along. I played in some other bands too, I can't even remember their names at this point.

Rokko: How did you get to know Get Hustle? Was it through the Melvins because Mac Mann also did some stuff for “Honky”? How long have you been a member of Get Hustle and on which records are you? Why did your ways part?
Mackie: I met Mac and Valentine at a show somewhere. I kind of knew Mac and Aron from Antioch Arrow. Mac ended up working with the Melvins on the Honky record after I joined Burlesque Affair. I played with Mac and Valentine and Aron and Ron for a couple years, and with a few other people here and there. I quit the band a little after Dave Stone joined the band. It stopped being fun. I played some on the first single and some on the first CD.

Rokko: In Get Hustle, you played the bass, right? What did you play in Fleabag and Gashley Snub?
Mackie: The only instrument I play with any aptitude at all is bass. I can attack a guitar and make some noise, I know a couple cords, but not much more than that.

Rokko: Have you ever worked together music-wise with your husband?
Mackie: We've played together some, not much. He plays too fast and too many weird time signatures for me. I can't keep up.

Rokko: Are there musical projects you are still involved in?
Mackie: The last thing I worked on was Gorgonie with Georganne and Amanda. It's really cool. I don't know if anything will ever come of it. You can hear some of it on the Western Witch web site. Georganne sings and plays keyboards, I play bass and Amanda plays accordion. It's Georganne's thing, she is amazing. I just play bass. I haven't been playing much lately. I'm kind of obsessed with my printing presses and yoga actually

Rokko: I guess a lot of people want to have their records designed by you – how do you decide with who you work and with who not? [Who have you refused to work with?]
Mackie: I don't turn down anyone, as long as they show up with the $$$. I like $$$.

Rokko: What was the first record you designed?
Mackie: The first record cover I designed was for the band D.I., they're from Fullerton. I also designed the Social Distortion skelleton around the same time, it's all kind of a blur.

Rokko: Which artwork you did for a record is your favourite and is there one don’t you like anymore?
Mackie: I've got a bunch of favorites and a few that make me want to vomit. I better not say which ones they are - none of them are for the Melvins or Tool, I like all of those covers.

Rokko: The Trilogy was also designed by you, right? Was it your decision on working with the symbols of the Black Panthers, Satanists, Jews, Nazis,... ?
Mackie: Buzz is fascinated by hate groups and we thought they were compelling images. Any kind of extreme beliefs, trigger extreme reactions and we wanted to make people think about their own prejudices and where they come from and the harm they cause.

Rokko: Do you know the Unpop-artists and their style? If yes, what do you think of them?
Mackie: No sorry, I don't know them, should I?

Rokko: How strong does the music on the actual record influence your work? Or does it happen that it goes vice versa: that your artwork influences the musicians?
Mackie: The artwork always follows the music. Sometimes I get to hear the music and it influences the imagery I choose. Sometimes I don't hear the music until after the whole job is finished and printed. Usually I'll talk to the musicians to get an idea of what kind of feeling they're looking for and what kind of imagery they like.

Rokko: Do you listen to the particular record while doing the artwork?
Mackie: Usually I don't get to hear the records until they're printed, except for the Melvins. Sometimes I'll listen to an earlier release, usually I just listen to what I'm listening to at the time.

Rokko: Do certain musicians tell you what you should be doing and how their record should look? [I don’t know, I may be completely wrong, but “California” by Mr. Bungle looks like a compromise between your ideas and someone else’s?]
Mackie: You're very perceptive, Mike pretty much dictated the whole thing - layout, type choices, the sunset image, the flowers. Adam from Tool always has a very specific idea what he wants. The Melvins are completely the opposite, they give me complete creative freedom. Both approaches have produced some really great work and I enjoy working within the limitations of a very specific direction as well as working completely without boundaries. Basically, it's all good.

Rokko: Which format to you prefer to listen to and to work with as designer?
Mackie: I listen to CD's, I have an iPod, and I listen to the radio... is that what you mean? I like all kinds of music. Right now I'm listening to Dengue Fever, Krishna Das, Black Heart Procession and 100 Opera Classics... I like books on CD in the car too. Oh yeah and I love the radio show "This American Life"

Rokko: In what way will upcoming developments in music publishing change the world of artwork in music?
Mackie: It's completely changing. The CD cover is an endangered species. It's going the way of the vinyl record and it's not going to be replaced. Music will be free and downloadable, not much artwork will be involved. You'll just have to watch a commercial to get the download. Limited edition packaging will be collected like it is today, but less and less CD's will be sold. That's what I think anyway.

Rokko: Of course we’d all like to know everything about you and Buzz, but we also know that one does not ask you those questions. But one question has to be asked: How is living together with Buzz?
Mackie: Buzz is my hero. He is a big sweetheart, a big loud intense super smart super talented teddy bear. After 14 years, it's still a lot of fun. We've got three great dogs, we go to the movies for fun. We live a pretty normal life, awake in the day, sleep at night.

Rokko: What are your next plans?
Mackie: I'm working on a limited edition box set for the Melvins that will be printed by DeeOhGee Press. I'm also designing a book for Chet Zar and working on a line of merchandise, among other things.