Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Western Syndrome

It was so long ago I can't remember now, but I used to work at one of the most thankless jobs ever at a small record distributor near the San Francisco airport. I remember it just being a daily dose of despair and I used to go out and smoke weed in my truck every day just to swim above the hurt.

Everyone there hated it, but since it was a "music industry" job, they put up with it. Little did I know that it was one of the events of fate that would put me on the path I am on. I have found over the years that many of the awful times were just times where I was being put through the fire.

It just so happened that my coworker was Chris Manak (Peanut Butter Wolf) and his fledgling label Stones Throw had it's humble beginnings in this very office. See, there was this complete asshole who sat in front of me and wrote reviews of techno records all day long. He would explode at people for no reason and was this bundle of festering anger that could be set off just by asking him a simple question. In retrospect I can't hate on the guy too much, I would be a mountain of sheer anger too if I had to listen to techno and write about it all day. To make a long story short, he exploded on me one day for asking a question. His answer was something like...

"IT IS NOT MY FUCKING JOB TO TALK TO YOU!!!!!!'

....and that was that. I began drawing pictures of him and putting them on the cover of the catalogue. These cartoons gained a small following and soon the warehouse could not wait for new issues. When thing sgot hot and people started to take notice, I would do something standard like a dj on the turntables. This would always cause the warehouse manager (an ex marine who loved fucking with you if you crossed his path) to come upstairs and acuse me of being a pussy. I couldn't really argue because he was absolutely right.

Mr. Manak enjoyed the cartoons and soon had me do a seven inch cover for him and that led to more artwork over the years for him and Madlib. We don't see al that much of each other these days, but last year we talked about doing a night of art and music, and that day has finally come.

The Western Syndrome
the art of Aaron Guadamuz with music by Peanut Butter Wolf
Thursday September 25th, 2008 at 111 minna gallery, san francisco
7-late 21 and up free before 10pm, $5 after