HOARD MAGAZINE June 2005
HOARD: Hi John John. How old are you? JOHN JOHN: I'm 35. I was born in NYC in the same hospital that John Lennon died in.HOARD: Define "Punk" and/or "Punk Rock". JOHN JOHN: That's a difficult question as there are sooo many factions and sub genres of the scene/movement... but to me, in my life, punk rock was the world in which I entered at 14 years old because I didn't fit in anywhere...not at school, not with friends, and not with my family. Back in the 80's we were all serious misfits who didn't belong, and together we were REALLY united. We all came from broken homes, we were victims of child abuse, we were angry, political, idealistic, drunk and proud...basically punk rock music goes beyond the realms of just being a music scene. It's a lifestyle and commitment. It's my world, and honestly it's all I know...and it's where I fit.
HOARD: Where did you grow up? JOHN JOHN: I grew up in the Lower East Side of New York City...before the regime of gentrification came about. It was a bombed out gang ridden, drug infested amazing place where the element of danger was always in the air. We hung out on St. Marks Place, on Avenue A and in Tompkins Square Park everyday until the sun came up. The neighborhood was also a Mecca for artists, Rastas, anarchists, squatters, punks, skinheads, musicians and the homeless... and we all hung out together in front of a bonfire in the park... we even fought cops together (1988 Riot of Tompkins Square Park). HOARD: You left home at age 14? JOHN JOHN: Well, home was not happy...at all... I dropped out of high school, split home and lived in doorways and then eventually into a very broken down squat. I panhandled everyday for food and beer money. In normal rock and roll cliché, I acquired a bad drug habit and had to steal to support that. Eventually I formed my own punk band, and not far after, we were on tour all the time... HOARD: You were the founding member and bassist of the political punk band, NAUSEA. How long did the band stick together and make music? JOHN JOHN: During the mid 80's we were the ONLY punk rock band in NYC... I think we were together from 1985-1992... it was our life...we woke up and our lives revolved around Nausea, our music and our mission... we recorded some records and did extensive tours of the states and Europe, until eventually we could not get along anymore. Most of us lived with Roger from Agnostic Front. We were living together, rehearsing and touring together and naturally it took its toll on us, hard...
HOARD: What's the difference between expressing yourself musically, and expressing yourself through visual art? Does one art form give you something the other art form can't? JOHN JOHN: It's a big separation. Playing in a punk band, you can release anger and frustration. You can yell, scream, spit, and jump around in front of huge crowds of kids. With being a painter, it's working alone, not a unit of 5 people... It's like mediation compared to the chaos of playing a concert. My paintings are about my life story... almost like a diary, telling tales visually about my past. Musically, we are screaming about how much cops suck and how the government screws you. But I think both screams out "victory".
HOARD: Do you still make music? JOHN JOHN: Yeh, I play in this band with members of Leftover Crack, World Inferno Friendship Society called Morning Glory. I play guitar... it's a band that was established before I joined... but we don't gig too much so it's more laid back than Nausea. It's also much more melodic than Nausea, but with basically the same message. HOARD: Do you feel more inspired and creative during the day, or at night? JOHN JOHN: Usually in the morning after my first coffee and after walking the dog, Bela. HOARD: Do you work whenever the mood strikes you? Or do you sometimes force yourself to begin on a canvas. JOHN JOHN: Well, when it wasn't a career yet it didn't matter... there was no pressure to "out-do" to last piece. Occasionally I hit a stump, and it frustrates me to hell! Now I know there's a period of time before my next big exhibit and I have to work everyday. I love what I do, so I don't mind putting in major hours. But to break the pace, I've taken up some old hobbies like radio controlled nitro cars and collecting old 1966 Batman stuff from the TV show and antique switchblades.
HOARD: Your images depict a certain mockery of traditional Catholic iconography, but I also sense a bit of reverent nostalgia mixed in with this. Am I wrong? JOHN JOHN: Like I mentioned, the paintings are my autobiography. I went to Catholic School in NYC for 8 years, and my family was ultra religious so we had to go to church, and church functions all the time, so it was only a matter of time that I saw the hypocrisy of organized religion and rebelled against it. I must admit though, that the look and *bling bling* aspect of catholic imagery is gorgeous, and campy in a way, so it brings a nice element to the work, and at the same time I'm laughing at it instead of bowing down to it. HOARD: How does it feel when others start picking apart and analyzing your work? Do you appreciate this kind of feedback or does it annoy you? JOHN JOHN: I hate that...most people don't get it...they think I'm trying to be "sexy"...quite the opposite actually.
HOARD: What's your favorite piece of work to date? JOHN JOHN: Not so sure but it's a toss up between, "My Way", "Das Alptraum" and this new one no one has seen yet called "J is for John John"...it will be unveiled in October 2005 at my NYC solo exhibit at ART@Large .
HOARD: A book of your collected works is coming out soon? JOHN JOHN: There is no definite publishing deal at the moment...my gallery reps are searching for an appropriate deal now...so who knows. In the meantime, the gallery sells a nice selection of my signed prints in all price ranges for everyone HOARD: Tell me how your artwork has saved you. JOHN JOHN: I can't say it has saved me... I saved myself before I was seriously painting. I got clean off of 15 years of heroin, cocaine and whiskey addiction, then I painted...but getting clean has given me all the gifts of life I have now. HOARD: Who is your favorite hero of all time? JOHN JOHN: I have a few... Sid Vicious, Adam West (Batman), Jamie Reid, Crass, Joe Strummer, Joey Ramone, Casper the Friendly Ghost.... HOARD: Here's to them! And here's to you! Cheers! [END]
--- To obtain original paintings and prints by John John Jesse, contact : John John's website is www.johnjohnjesse.net --- Consider these HOARD selections: digital art by RAY CAESAR interview with NYC based electro-punk duo MOMMY AND DADDY interview with painter CLAUDE MARQUIS --- |
