In this special MF Doom tribute, Josh and Sergio create alter-egos! We decide on what we would paint under our pseudonyms, and Josh gets VERY excited about the possibilities for Sergio’s ideas. Make sure to let Sergio know he needs to bring Lazerblade to life!
We start the 2021 year of Our Lord by talking about the Capitol Hill takeover, fixing the keyboard layout (26:10), the concept of “stealing your base,”(41:07) Milo Hartnoll calling out Devon Rodriguez for his staged Tiktok videos and Guiseppe Celi, the passing of MF Doom and what he meant to us, and the mysterious Cookie Monster mural.
Cover art credit: Nate Van Dyke
Josh and Sergio talk about the art world’s obsession with originality, recap their Christmas celebrations, Josh explains why he hates getting gifts, the aftermath of creating merch, and more. We then play the 2020 cliche game, where the winner is the person who used the most cliches! Who used the most cliche phrases, or the most cliche activities? We also find out what pop culture references are now 20 years old! It’s our most Buzzfeediest episode yet! We finish up by talking about our 2021 plans and Josh’s future business ventures. It’s a low key vibe thang y’all.
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Sergio asks Josh all about his process for rolling out merch! Josh breaks down how much he spent, how he would sell the prints differently, the companies he used and the advantages of printing local, the reasons for selling merch beyond monetary gain, the importance of ordering the right sizes for apparel, and more. If you’re about to make your own merch, or even thinking about it, make sure to listen to this episode first!
We start off by talking about how to not do soul-sucking commissions and Josh asks Sergio a potentially friendship-ending question (17:40) before we get into what everyone is here to listen for: the recent video featuring Josh and MJ’s art without their permission! (20:00) Josh talks about why he deleted the story on his IG where he first announced this(38.37), what the response was to the video takedown by the offender, and why they were against the mural in the first place! They also talk about the Stone Sparrow Gallery show (1:07:10) and the new direction that MJ wants to go with her next body of work. Sergio talks about where he is at with putting together his gouache course (1:28:40) before we talk about the TV shows The Mandalorian, Fargo season 4, and Kingdom. We end with MJ talking about some interesting payment innovations in the gallery world. Get some merch from Josh at www.joshualawyer.com/shop!
Our first guest in the quarantine! Fan favorite Monty Guy talks to us about life in the Arizona desert, lack of motivation, The Chappelle Show being sold to Netflix, the cost of living, flags and borders, the deterioration of the Bay Area, embracing the outlaw, thoughts on the gallery role in the future, haggling and discounts(Josh gives a hot tip!), and a whole lot more.
On today’s mini episode, we discuss the pros and cons of the pursuit of perfectionism at the expense of profitability. We also discuss the existence of squid people in our government.
Josh’s exhibition “Object In Motion” LINK
Sergio is joining the faculty at Sentient Academy! We talk about how teaching can be thought of like an artist, why artists shouldn’t self-deprecate, Josh’s feelings about his work after finishing the paintings for the Stone Sparrow Gallery show, scientists splicing human genes into monkey brains, the pressure of the first page of the sketchbook, and more. Is Josh an optimistic nihilist? Would any artist be invited to the locker room if their favorite team won the Super Bowl? Is art fame the best kind of fame? All these questions answered on this week’s episode of Waiting To Dry!
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We answer the listener question, F— Marry Kill: Van Gogh, Picasso, and Pollack! It morphs into Pollack, Koons, and Hirst. We also discuss an article about the muralist Nychos getting a mural in Glendale taken down, and the stupid reasons that a mural can be taken away from the public space. We touch on the aftermath of the attempt to get Josh’s Roseland mural taken down, and the consequences of cancel-culture on art. A classic WTD Rant Corner! Look out for Josh and MJ’s show later this month at Stone Sparrow Gallery in New York City!
Sergio talks about his course and being in teaching-mode and how that affects his painting. Josh talks about nearing the finish line of the work for his upcoming show in November. We answer a ton of your listener questions this week too!
Some of the questions answered:
(23:35) Do you make 5-year plans or just go with the flow?
(38:42) Do birds have fun?
(45:43) What’s a subject matter you dislike painting?
(51:05) What is most fun in your process?
(1:03:15) Is there a reason to what seems like you solely using women as subjects in your work?
(1:18:05) Do you have favorite easy foods to make while painting?
(1:27:48) Having this platform, do you ever worry about getting canceled in this cancel-culture world?
(1:37:20) Why doesn’t Josh start his own pencil company and make millions?
(1:43:11) Do you ever have the urge to put all of your creative energy into one style or body of work?
(1:51:12) How did you realize that you can make a living off of your art? How did you start?
(2:03:00) How do you stay motivated while doing the busy work admin part of being an artist?
We also rip on the documentary, “The Price Of Everything” and praise Jeffrey Catherine Jones’s documentary “Better Things.”
Sign up for any of Sergio’s three workshops at www.themainloop.com!
