Everybody will shit everyone else's pants when they read this TeamLump Sucks exclusive special edition extravaganza email (electronic mail) interview with Philadelphia's favorite son, artist Andrew Jeffrey Wright!!!
JC: Okey doke. Lets start with you maybe telling me a little about the early days of1026. Did you receive a key to the city?
AJW: In July 1997 a few of us, well really Jeff Weisner and his dad cleaned up the dusty vacant space that was to become Space 1026. The rest of us were at at trade show in San Diego California trying get shops to order product from our soon to be failed attempts at a skateboard company and a clothing company. We lived in the space for about a year before we all figured out a way to live in actual apartments and other places. Eventually we built a mini ramp and then had to tear it down about two years later, by round about request from the land lord. We didn't receive a key to the city, but we did get voted, by the people, Best Art Gallery, in a local city paper poll.
JC: Were you voted "Who's Who's Most Likely to open a gallery with
friends" back in high school? Do tell.
AJW: In highschool, I was voted "most artistic" by the students, but my friend Bob Schroeder, was awarded for artistic excellence by the art teachers. He received a fancy pen and something like a piece of paper. I got my picture in the yearbook with a caption under it stating how great of an artist i was. Sometime in college a few friends and myself started a secret art club called "The Council of Five". We would have yearly art events to show off what we made and do performances. We didn't want to wait around for some gallery to start showing our art. Our first art show was in my parents' living room and then we had them at a teen club/community center called The Grapevine. The last show we did as The Council of Five was in a living room in West Philly, in 1994.
JC: I just went and ate pizza, did you? And, if so, do you still harbor
bitter feelings toward Bob Schroeder?
AJW: No, I just ate a lentil dal wrap. I love Bob. He lives in NYC now and is a graphic designer. He went to the same art school in Philly as me and worked his way through school by delivering pizzas for Carmen's Pizza, located in the suburbs we grew up in. Bob didn't live in the city. He commuted to school and lived with his parents all through college. When i was in high school i was bummed i didn't win the award Bob won, but in hindsight I know he deserved the award and not me. I drew like a 6th grader and he drew like a 12th grader.
JC: Which grade level would you say you're drawing at these days?
AJW: Maybe still a 6th grader, but one who concentrates really hard on his drawing, cause he really wants to get it right.
JC: Have you ever accidentally downloaded an art blog into someone else's pants?
AJW: Hmmmm, no i haven't, but since cooking is an art, anybody that has cooked a meal that caused another person to crap their pants, has had their art blog downloaded into another persons pants.
JC: Do you have any recipes you could share with us?
AJW: Yes, yes, i do have recipes! i currently don't really cook or prepare food, i just eat cereal and buy food some one else made. It gets kind of expensive, but since i don't smoke heroin, main line jack daniels or eat pot i have enough money in my life to pay some one else to make food for me. Though i just had my third car stolen a week ago, so maybe i should start preparing my own food and try saving money for another car, but i find no joy in food preparation. These two recipes are recipes i don't even create any more, because i don't eat cheese or eggs. forever i wouldn't give away my secret recipes, but since i no longer make them maybe they can live on through some one else's hands and heart.
RECIPE #1
THE AJ EGG BREAKFAST SANDWICH
1) fry one egg without the yok
2) toast an english style muffin or some regular
sandwich bread
3) spread a preserve or marmalade onto both pieces of
toast
4) put the egg on the spread side of one piece of the
toast and then
place the other piece of toast, spread side down,
on top of the egg
5) enjoy!
RECIPE #2
PIZZA SOUP
Preface: This soup was served at the ridley high
school cafeteria in the 1980s. They never told us how
to make it, but i cracked the code myself and will now
entrust you with the secret.
1) as you are heating a pot of tomato soup add some
oregano and
garlic powder. do this when the soup is near the
end of it's heating
process as to not boil away the flavors. you will
also have to use trial
and error to figure out the correct amount of
garlic powder and
oregano.
2) pour the soup into a bowl.
3) add some croutons to the bowl of soup (in a pinch
you can also use
toast cut into crouton size bits)
4) add some grated mozzarella cheese to the bowl of
soup
5) do not let the soup sit. enjoy!
Important notes: if you add the croutons and the cheese to the soup while it is heating, the croutons will get too soggy and the cheese will dissolve, so don't even think about it. Do it as described. However feel free to experiment with making different styles off pizza soup, like Hawaiian style. be creative! And most importantly of all, don't get any body pregnant and never use a microwave oven ever for anything!
JC: What is your favorite song to spin for folks?
AJW: Right now i have three favorites; HIGHER STATE OF
CONCIOUSNESS TWEEKIN ACID FUNK MIX by Josh Wink, WRONG
GALAXY by Shit Robot and JUPITER ROOM(EROL ALKAN'S
SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE EDIT) by Digitalism. I enjoy
these songs way more than the people at the club do
and it is proven every time I play them. If I played
only what the party kids wanted to hear I'd only own
three records, The Best of Prince, The Best of Madonna
and The Best of Michael Jackson.
more from Andrew Jeffrey Wright
here.
also, i heard artintheage.com posted a video interview with him recently.
-jerstin
