–Meet the Artist:Tedd Hazard–

 

Q: I met you as a musician. How long have you also been drawing lines on paper?

A: I’ve been drawing all my life mostly. But I started doing comics in high school as a way to escape the boredom of my Applied Bio Chemistry class, and, eventually, most of my sophomore and junior year. It was also a way to get the real me out, because before I started doing them, I didn’t really have a personality. Eventually, friends started reading them and realized who the real ‘me’ was.

Q: What about comics do you love? And, what’s the “Guts Crew” Series about?

I wouldn’t say it’s ‘comics’ that I love. I’d say it’s the ability to tell a story using my art. But, I’ve tried telling stories in other mediums (film, writings, etc.) and I feel comics are the best way. I just love telling stories. But Guts Crew Records is the chronicles of the day to day operations of an independent record label ran by a bunch of DIY punk rockers. Or at least that’s what it used to be about. Now, it’s evolved into this huge world of different characters and occasional little story arcs.

Guts Crew was a real funky idea compared to most of my comics. I had just got done working on Squid Life Crisis, which was the third novel I’ve done since getting back into doing comics, and I was working on another one based on a screenplay I had written. I was feeling a little burnt out and the turn around of feedback on graphic novels is relatively long. So one day, I was sitting around, and realized there was a lot of funny stuff that went on with me and all of my friends in bands. So I came up with the idea of doing a bi-weekly web comic based on us, and my friend Tyler Troutman’s record label, ‘Guts Crew Records’. I did the first one and it went over real well, waited a day and got bored, so I did another one. Eventually, I abandoned the novel (which…really wasn’t going anywhere) and stuck with doing GCR everyday, and it just took off from there. The idea of tagging musicians and bands in the comics was kind of an after thought. I would do them and thought “Hey, it’d be cool if I could use this as a tool to help promote my friends band” and I would tag whatever band the characters in the comic where in. Turns out doing that broadened my fanbase to people I never even met before. It’s a real genius idea and I kind of thought of it by mistake.

Q: How many different comics do you have? Are they in print by chance?

A: Right now I’m only working on GCR and Whine and Dine (my other more contemporary comic based on the food service industry), however, I have about three graphic novels I’ve worked on the last two years I’m still producing. Captain Anarchy: Attack of the Hipsters is the only in print comic I have right now. Since everything is going digital, I’m kind of conforming to that right now. But I am trying to get print copies of my other two books, Squid Life Crisis and Life is Pain available next year. Also, Guts Crew 1-100 will be out around Christmas in a big book, as well as the first 100 Whine and Dine comics.

Q: What inspires you to create?

A: This is a funny question. Just the other day, someone asked me the same thing and I explained “I really just think up scenarios in my mind constantly. Also, life, and my surroundings help me come up with stuff a whole lot” to which the person said “sort of like schizophrenia? Since you have different characters talking in your head all the time”. It kind of made me wonder about my mental health, but it’s a lot like that. I get a lot of ideas for Whine and Dine while I’m working at my day job as a chef, and I get a lot of ideas for GCR from playing shows, band practice, and really, most things that happen around me.

Q: Name an artist you are wow’d by?

A: Honest, now a days, I couldn’t tell you. A lot of the things I’ve been seeing now a days just looks all the same to me.

Q: When you create, do you typically listen to music, and if so what?

A: I don’t. I listen to background noise in my house. Like the TV going. And whatever else is going on. A while a go when I would work I used to watch a lot of movies but found it was too distracting when I was doing Guts Crew, so I stopped. And I feel it helped make the comics a
little better.

Q: Any recommended reading?

A: There’s a book called Jellyfist by Jhonen Vasquez and Jenny Goldberg. It’s really messed up. I think that’s the last comic I’ve read I actually liked. I don’t like superhero comics. They bore me.

Q: Are you an action, comedy or romance man, and what film would you then recommend? Of course you could also maybe be a documentary guy?

A: It’s no secret my favorite film of all time is District 9. But, I also like Seeking a friend for the end of the world and Hesher. I guess I would say I am a lover of most things film.

Q: We know being an artist is a lot of work, so what drives you to keep going?

A: People’s reactions to what I do. I like to see people laugh at my work. I like to see my comics make people happy. And I also love to create. I’m always thinking of what to do next. In a given day, I could think of about 3-6 GCR comics and 6 Whine and Dine comics and keep them in my head till I do them.

Q: Since we also know you as a musician, we’ve got to ask what you’re up to musically these days? And where can the people hear you??

A: Right now I’m in a new band called Clayton Ravine. When I was doing the solo thing I went on tour with Chris Decker last year. He brought along his fiddle player Jeff and we thought “Hey, why don’t we just play each other’s songs and start a band?” and that’s how Clayton Ravine got started. Since then, we’ve gained a drummer, Jamie Lanunziata. And we’re kind of blowing up the NEPA scene right now. We’re trying to get all over the place as fast as we can! Unfortunately, we don’t have any kind of music up yet. But we’re planning on recording our first full length album this winter. Also, I’m still in my side project, Horrible People, with Tyler and Billy of Condition Oakland and our bassist, Zack. We’re also trying to get our next album done. The Tedd Hazard solo project, however, is pretty much done for now. But never say never.

Q: Best and Worst pieces of advice you’ve ever gotten?

A: Don’t ever stop drawing. That goes for both.

Q: How do you think the Internet has changed art?

A: As a cartoonist, I think it’s helped people like me out a lot. Without the internet, my comics wouldn’t of gotten as popular as fast as they did in such a short period of time. It really helps people see a lot of interesting things in art and comics that the mainstream media would never show you. I think it’s for the better. Now you know more
about a lot more

Q: Words of wisdom to a ‘struggling artist’?

A: If someone tells you that you suck, don’t give up. Just tell them they suck back, and get better. That’s what I did, and look where I am today.

Want to be our next featured artist? Send us a message with some info (links, who you are, what you do) to theteam [at] allwegotrecords [dot] com