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 meathaus interview
 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.DIY comic genius. The Meathaus collective began in a rather amusing way. Founders Farel Dalrymple, Serge Marcos and Chris McD were running New York’s School of Visual Arts’ radio station in 2000, although the station was actually broken. “No one could hear it,” Chris recalls. “So, essentially, we were being paid to just hang around and listen to all the latest records the promoters sent us. It was a lot of fun; it was like a secret club house.” It was while wasting their hours that they conceived the idea of a comic-book anthology which took only 24 hours to create. In reality, of course, the comics took much longer, but the group of illustrators, artists and animators was born.  Initially they were based in ultra cool Williamsburg in Brooklyn, throwing book release parties and shows, as well as doing road trips to indie comics conventions. Now, though, the core 20 or so members are spread across the globe with members in Tulsa, London, Oakland, Seattle, Los Angeles and Toronto, with some still loitering in New York. “I think that’s both the strength and weakness of Meathaus - our collective nature,” explains founder Chris McD. “The real motivation for each artist is, ideally, to produce the best comic they can. It certainly isn't money as there isn't any. So the strength that comes out of this is great work, from the unique perspective of each artist.” There is still a tight community around the group and they have no history of printing submissions from strangers: “It’s just that the book is already so large that it has become more difficult to put out over the years.” There simply isn’t the room.  Meathaus’ DIY books are now themed around ideas rather than a loose collection of comic-book stories, although the tales are still exceptionally varied. Poetic, humorous, detailed, light-hearted, personal, fantastic – the only thing they have in common is their independence, and the fact that they’re in black and white. This labour of love definitely proves that liberty and collaboration can be a very inspirational mix.
Francesca Gavin
Meathaus 8: Head Games, out in February published by Alternative Comics.
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books  books and comics archive Author interviews and reviews from 2002 to 2008. games  games archive Gaming features and weekly columns from 2002 to 2008. |
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