All right, let's do this. How are you? What the fuckers? What the fuck buddies?
What the fucksters? What the fuck of delix? What's happening? This is mark marin.
This is wtf. This is my podcast. Thank you for being here today on the show Aaron Draplin from Draplin Design Company This is a guy. How do I explain this?
I'm not even sure how we how we came together I think someone said I should talk to him and then I did a little research on him and he seemed like an interesting character He's he is the overseer of Draplin Design Company. Mr. Aaron James Draplin. He's a self-made man He's an obsessed man.
He's obsessed with logos and design. I don't know much about design, but he speaks to people about this He's he's a charismatic man. He happened upon something in his design practice These field notes blank books became very popular and he designed him and now he's got this whole racket going and I wanted to Learn a little bit about design. I've been a little fascinated with design here and there I read a book about this guy who invented planned obsolescence.
I was sort of obsessed with that point on What was this guy's name? Was it Brooks Stevens? Yes Brooks Stevens. I became sort of obsessed with the idea of planned obsolescence And I believe he was the guy that figured that out.
He was an industrial designer I don't know Draplin is an industrial designer He's a he could be but anyways There was things about design that I was fascinated about and I knew nothing about and I called this a email They're tweeted out or somehow got in touch with Aaron Draplin We talked and I found him to be a compelling individual And then when I was up in Portland a while back him and I sat at the headquarters of Draplin Design Company and we talked it out and that's what's on the show today You can go to Draplin calm and see the stuff. He did my poster We did a poster for the show. He's like he's an all-around design guys got patches and posters and these field notebooks and combs and Yeah, you got to go. It's hard to explain.
He's got a little design empire and You'll hear him talk about it in just a few minutes. What else is going on? There's a couple of things going on actually um was looking at an empty deck with a few sad Ikea chairs that were in tremendous Disrepair just because the finish was off and they just looked old and and I expressed some interest in getting new patio furniture Then you go look at new patio furniture And there's all these sets and things and umbrellas and then I thought why don't we just why don't I just put a picnic table out there? Just like a classic picnic table like a cheap fucking just regular old standard picnic table out of my deck and My girl Sarah the painter for my birthday bought me a pine assembled unfinished picnic table Just a fucking you know the kind that you're like hey is that a place to eat on the side of the road?
Yeah, there's a picnic table there well now when I walk out of my house and like is there a place to eat on my deck? Oh shit, look there's just a picnic table there So now I have a picnic table We painted it red stained it red because that's what picnic tables are in my in my mind So now it's just like it's like camping at one of those places where you don't have to you don't have to eat on the ground My deck is now a campground where I don't have to sit on the floor in my tent You can just sit at my picnic table. I know it's not really camping, but it's all I can handle So here's the deal we're still checking out some of the old learn discussions that I've had on the show Hopefully these will give us some context to my upcoming interview with the Buddha the lorn the devil whatever you want to call them Whatever I thought all those things now the thing about this is me and Jason Sudeikis This is from episode 205 back in 2011 And I think it's around the first time I felt like it was becoming necessary to have lorn michaels on the show Right, so this is me and Sudeikis and I'm tempted if you can hear in the clip But obsessed always obsessed. So this is me and Jason Sudeikis from episode 205 in 2011 You know like I I keep feeling like the more people I talk to from that show and they show I feel like I'm circling lorn Like there's part of me.
Oh to be on here. Yeah, I mean, I'll definitely say something Dude because like I just wrote Jimmy. Yeah, because like I had this weird story with him and like with Jimmy with lorn Yeah, I know I've heard of you of course, you know, and I feel like he brought me in there to teach me a lesson And now like you know, I wanted to do it again. Yeah, like I want to know I would like him to feel that like would you go to him?
Sure. Yeah, I can't feel like never come to this fucking I'd like him to feel that whatever I'm doing that whatever recognition I have in the room in here for the throne I mean, I know that in my mind I believe he would think like you know like well I'm there and back and he's doing a thing and but it's really nothing like I want him There's there's part of me that I want some day like to have that attitude and let me sit with him for now I mean I would I would I would uh you don't have to coach him on the attitude But he could put it in his ear. No, I would I would absolutely encourage him to do so. I think I think he's uh he's fascinating I think that there's part of me that thinks like he would want to I Know he's pretty private.
He doesn't talk to many people and I know that like you know, I've had a lot of people from the show on Yes, certainly from your generation and I'm at armist and I've had Seth Mulaney and I know me. I mean Amy Yeah, and Fallon and I know a lot of people Listen to it over there. Yeah, I just what highly regarded throughout all the circle stand up and pro Yeah, it's it's it's it's it's it's got if we can pull that off like I don't know like if he would even remember me But I know that because I did Conan so much in that because I auditioned for the show He's that he's he's he's remarkably sharp. That guy gives a damn Like that's what that's one of things like he's there.
Yeah, I mean, it's not like it's not it's not a meritus Exactly producer emeritus what sort that that dude is it's his show like you you know that going in That's why I if you get mad you're mad about something that you're not something that you're only there because of him Well, well, let me know what happens. I'll remind you. Oh, yeah, please. I don't have to I mean when I see him like a Some supposed to do something I don't want to do.
Oh, right? I Think you tell him I did it and you know So that was more than four years ago Crazy and it's finally happened and I'm sorry to say I guess you'll have to wait and find out if he really did put me in my place Or or he didn't or if he even remembered our meeting all questions will be answered for me maybe But it's coming it's definitely coming. So here's here's what I want to talk about I had sort of a shitty experience last night Watching the Amy Schumer special that was recorded. I believe they broadcast it live from the Apollo in October 17th Now I generally don't watch other comics and you know less or good friends I love Amy, but I just don't make it a habit because I want to keep my head clean and As you know, I just taped an hour plus special in Chicago at the Vic theater That was back on June 6th.
I taped it. I'd been working that material for about a year My special will be released on epics in December. I'm very proud of this special. I was very excited about it I thought I did a good job.
I planned I prepared I you know, I have you know, there's callbacks in it It's a theater hour an honest. I got a theater hour after my last special thinky pain Which was a club hour a loose club hour. I wanted to do a tight theater hour I get came pretty close and I'm excited for you to see it But I'm I turned on Schumer special and I love Schumer But I want to see what the you know what the stand-ups looking like and how she's doing because I you know I talked to her years ago in here before she was a You know the big comedy star that she is now and I'm watching the special and I'm liking it I'm having a good time. I like her like dirty I like her shamelessness and then she sets up a bit She does a little bit and it's a lot like one of my bits And the thing is like I didn't even think that she took it and I knew I didn't take it from her It's just one of these things we deal with as comedians It's like well that premise is a lot like the premise I got and the fuck the thing about it was that the premise I do that similar to she was I mean you would never think that Amy Schumer and me would be similar But it was actually a part of my my hour that was a little bit of a departure for me I was gonna get a little dirty again and I did because I wanted to flex those muscles But there was a similarity there and it just it just hit me in the gut because because the day and age we live in now All of a sudden it's sort of like oh no to similar and it's really literally like maybe 30 second It's just a premise, but it is a defined premise.
It's not that unusual. It's not like it was necessarily an inventive thing It's an observational piece of comedy, but it's a little crass But as I said didn't think either of us stole the joke or the premise But I thought well what if people think that and then that sort of weird fear comes in you like what am I gonna have to manage? What kind of shit's coming gonna come at me for that and Amy just went through some shit herself over stuff that was not true and It's just a garbage culture. We live in of talentless Policing of people who do things as a means to sort of get traction and cause trouble that troll culture and It's diminishing and it's frightening and it's like I had this moment where I'm like I'm not gonna fucking even record comedy anymore I don't have to I just do the podcast I go could perform my comedy But I'll have to put it on tape to be scrutinized fuck it.
It's not worth it anymore in troll garbage culture Where people that do nothing? But troll can hurt other people or try to destroy them, but that was the fear that was the feeling the way we used to handle it Is the way I handled it. I watched her special I texted her. I said Amy great special It's really funny, but you know I got a bit that's a lot like one of your bits and I just you know now I'm all panicky and she texted back.
Hey, it's you know parallel thinking happens sometimes They'll probably blame me and I'm like it's not about blame. I just feel shitty and these things happen But she's like well, it's cool We can talk about it next time I come on the show because I'd asked her to come back because she's one of these Guests that had this tremendous success since I've talked to her and I think I don't repeat gas But I asked her to come back a couple weeks ago and I go great. Okay. Well fun special and then that was that So it was just never a thought and I mean the fact is is that it is what it is her special came out first But in that moment because of the world we live in now was like fuck what are the odds?
What are the fucking odds? It's just what happens. We're all drawn from the same fucking reality But it's a it's not a good feeling and it's sort of um Sad to me that my thought my first thought was you know not she stole it or I stole it which did not happen But like what's the point of putting comedy out there in the world in a recorded fashion for idiots to disassemble? It was just it was yeah, and I believed it but Again, you're a little dirty.
You talk a little dirty. You're probably gonna talk dirty like somebody else who talks dirty It's it's all funny. So right now people I'm excited for you to hear this is a sort of an off beat Conversation for me. It's a little out of my wheelhouse, but I but I love this guy I love the Aaron Draplin from Draplin design company and and he's a sweet guy.
We had a nice chat So let's let's do this now. This is I did this in Portland a little while ago We're walking talking So this is a what is the title? What is the name of this operation? The Draplin design company Portland, Oregon.
Japlin design company Portland, Oregon Is the corner where the guitars are right? This is my cockpit where I work in books and treasures and guitars and you know computers and things Look at those guitars, dude. You're a guitar player. Well, that's that's a bit of a stretch.
I learned a song I forget a song pretty simple, but can you can you jam when necessary? It's pretty much kind of by my lonesome Uh-huh. That's how I roll and that's a little fender amp. Well 54 champ.
That's a real 54 champ Yeah, when I made it that's one of the first things I bought wasn't real 54 tweed champ Yeah, I was a lot of money, you know, I splurged and you can buy those reissues, but I went no I just got a 65 I saw and now we move over here, and this is where you have a merch. Mm-hmm. All the shipping Everything's done from here. Well, not field notes.
The limits is not a Chicago, but here all the drippin design stuff pencils trinkets Coin purses beanies hats. That's all shipped out of here. Mm-hmm, and you don't live here. No, no you live in a house I spent a lot of time sure I live in a home.
Yeah, let's walk over here again anvil. I have an anvil just a word that's a what? Been restored We ever stored anvil and these are all the field notes and that oh look here's some some logos for things for you Little cards to say thank you to people when we when we fill the orders patches patches. Yeah, field notes buttons trinkets cones You got a good head of hair.
Why don't you take a comb? Yeah, I like it. It's a little comb I don't know if it's gonna work for me got the space shuttle got t-shirts come over here I'll show you where everything's we keep all the all the stock where well, okay? This is my so I have two partners here.
Yeah, we have John Famister. Yeah, David knock him out And this is how we look out over Portland here. Yeah, we've been here about six seven years Right. I work with these guys.
We watch over each other, but we don't really like this mean this guy in the corner Yeah, we make sure that we are as far apart dining as possible. But he works for you. No, no, no They work on their own projects. We just watch over each other sort of financially Okay, they have their projects they work on a bunch of gero helmets and shit Yeah, they have their side of the job So I have my side and I move an inch a month.
Yeah, into their space right slowly and then one day you're gonna be like fellas That the time is gone. I got if I hit it big. I'm gonna forget those guys first I'll choose them to work well We all work together at a little space in town here called single design, okay And we all jumped out work on our own yeah, our basement Mm-hmm and I got a little I don't have space so we all came together to kind of watch because they're strength and numbers You know the idea that we're sort of watching for each other's you know invoices and things and then it's better to have eyes on All of our projects so whatever I'm working on Dave comes over and checks out trust these guys Oh, they're brothers of mine right now seven years in the shop at Ben Buddy's and I got to Portland on 2002 So there you guys yeah, yeah, all right Well, this is all very exciting and what a box is what a merch but this part of your operation There's no reason for you to outsource the the merch operation because that's part of what you do else gets the cut Then let's go sit down and we're gonna sit down and do this in your corner I'm supposed to where's the spot where I say to you? Why am I freaked out here's a thing Aaron?
I'll tell you why I'm here and why you're here and why we're both here You come very well recommended by people that love you you do a thing that is uniquely your own you seem to be a character You made a poster for me. I you know I didn't know who you were even though you accosted me in an airport in a very polite way and you were a fan I remember that but at that time I had no idea and I think you actually tweeted that you you met me and then people were like You guys got it and I'm like I don't know who that guy is And then I did a little research I thought you were just when he's poster artist fellas who I've come in contact with but no you you run this small self-made empire of design and manufacturing and People have a lot of respect for you and I did a little research and you seem to be an obsessive character that gets a lot of Like when I watched that video of you going through your drawers when you held up certain logos Yeah, it was as if you just took a hit a crack like that you would say you would take a logo and you went Oh, like you you had a thrill that it did something to your mind and heart that there was it does that's why I'm here Okay, and I'm just a little freaked out man because I listen I listen to the number of years Well, don't judge yourself against any of the other interviews I know there's some big ones, but this is where the the podcast takes a slump and might need that after what you've been going through There's no slump. I'm just set it up man. I don't want to let you know what you're doing is you're telling people to lower their expectations You are an artist and you are a man that's made something of himself in a very specific world You're wearing a hat that has your logo on it.
Oh, yeah, that's not nothing It's bigger. Yeah, it's this what's so fun about this is when people you know say that how many people work for you It's it's me, you know, I do all the design, you know from from you know from landing the job Yeah, all the way up to you know Settling settling all the other invoices and making the client happy now in other situations There's a lot of bureaucracy and hierarchy and things that's a little design shop I did that for a couple years. It wasn't that's so it was bad. It wasn't for me, but let's go back Yeah, let's go back to like so where people how do people know you?
Well probably through field notes now. These are the books. Yeah, these are little memo books that I make now Now let's we make a whole staff makes these things out of Chicago, but this caught on yeah, how did that happen? Okay Well, I mean I'm from Michigan right from Michigan and going all the way you know from Michigan to Portland and going junkin right antique malls Flea markets, you know my dad there that's uh You know he trained me this is Jim Draplin still around no no no no About as desigants.
Oh, but still with us and every one of your molecules right now Jim Draplin. This is the this is the fucking fucking we can Swear all we want to say sure. I know you're dealing right right that was the blue light special champion of participating came Art stores another mission right there. That's the guy Jim Draplin my dad right so growing up we came you know Polish pack rat His joke was he always wanted one of everything yeah, right?
Yeah, and he taught us how to pull the vines back in Detroit when we find these old signs now Those old signs were two and three thousand. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, so that that quality of he sold this stuff No, no, no, he was an industrial tool salesman He just loved stuff.
He loved the tactile quality. He loved a little logo He loved the charming all of our furniture and stuff. Yeah, that was stuff that he found dead and antiques You know antiques or what was it Christ piece a roll top desk was one of the big ones some coca-cola stuff Maybe his children. He had three kids one of each.
That's what you say right? Yeah, he was funny as shit Yeah, so you're driving with your pop going and he's showing you how to do stuff Well, you'd see a you'd see a garage sale sign. Yeah, and he'd start in on you and say hey This could be the one was it 1987. I'm in the skateboards.
Yeah, so this is the one with a box of skateboards I said no no, he said you never know yeah, and then we had to go and ever found shit Yeah, I was years but once all these things he dragged my grandma all of us and have all these funny stories But that's that was planted to me and then when I would drive out west as a youngster Yeah, I'd go junk, you know because people do for fun on the road I don't know yeah, and I would make the time I find these little metal books I mean we're talking to urban to a farm sale. No, oh, it's the saddest thing in the world people are rifling through things You know in a state sale. Yeah, I think so yeah When you go to look a little old lady who's selling off the farm and you're digging through her drawers And you find a stack with your husband of these memo books that he lived and died in there's a lot of ghosts there And that's what he's only looks came from I would collect those things hoard those things I've got about a thousand filled filled with people handwriting and stuff. I mean what were he doing on the memo books Was it just a coincidence you found all these or is this specific?
It's sort of the currency of the agrarian landscape. Okay, and these old times always had the shit in their pockets, right? So they would write what in it? lore farm notes seed stuff.
Yeah, these are giveaways. So all my life growing up I always had something in my pocket and I build my own books. I would make my own I would How old were you talking? Oh, I mean since I can remember and I was I got a book deal right?
So I've been going through all my stuff. I have journals going back until I was about 12 really yeah Yeah, and then I reread all the shit from when I left out West crying when you leave your mom and dad was 19 years old And I documented all that shit. I don't know what that was in me that was you know fearful of not wanting to capture Yeah, I caught a lot of it right. Yeah, so the idea of always having something to draw on at all times I get fidgety months not right here, right, you know because not only is it about like Collecting your last night your show at your ticket stuff deans little ticket stuff is in there You know, it's a little Mix the sticker gamey.
It's a way to protect things, but any idea I have that's where it goes That's how the old-timers did it for the last hundred years That's how I used to do like always had a notebook or nap like right now I'm like what if he says something I got to bring it back around I don't have a piece of paper with me. Can I have a field? Let me just put this down. Yeah, I'm gonna change your life.
Okay now everything is post pre post now it's time to get some film Okay, a wood. Oh See that That's an actual piece of wood. Oh, right? So now So good overnight.
Yeah, it gets sheared off. Yeah, they could hear it to basically brown paper bag Right that gets off. You know stamp down and you can prep stuff So this is like I've seen these around and this is you yeah, so this was inspired with a big asterisk Me and Jim kudal my mentor my older brother who you know I made a big stack from here in town because I couldn't find ones I liked everything you go see in some like a Moleskin I'm using on work around the shop. Okay, sorry.
Yeah, I'm what I saw those fuckers over in Italy My first time I went there with for a client with a little band around and I bought like 500 bucks What because I never thought about Italy, right? But you loved it. They were great I used I used them for a couple years. Yeah, and then I made my own It's just as simple as that right here important and then you know that first making I hand screen print them like a poster I handed them you know You put staples and you cut the corners and all the stuff I owned every little piece of it gave those the buddies They ate them up a couple hundred and then I made two thousand gave a stack to Jim kudal on Chicago Jim What does he do?
I mean he's just this incredible sort of entrepreneur But sort of design a little bit of web and incredible website going 15 years now just incredible links and weird things These are guys that figure out how to take your remember your old Macintosh Keyboard they washed it in a dishwasher. You know the hair and shit It's not fair enough you go scrape that keyboard you'll get a wild assortment of shit man You could populate a whole city blocks from the primordial. So I'm gonna get into it But remember how much hair and shit would be in those things they washed it so they're just these really creative weird What do they do with them once they wash them? They just want to go test it but they make these wonderful videos and have beautiful type beautiful ideas And you know it wasn't you didn't have to sign up for this shit So I was a fan of these little sort of like you know skits and things and then they have clients But they've never really talked about really what they do Jim's whole mantra was basically if a client doesn't teach us something why are we gonna be involved doesn't know how much money you Is a design firm yeah, yeah, you know kudal partners What's called so I gave a stack to this guy who I was looking up to right and he knew my shit I'm 2005 24 and then next thing now, you know we have a website.
We have people interested He's got all these tech people that he knows because he's a big keynote speaker itself myself. That's all the tech side of things and it explodes And before you know it's a real company. You're one design. It's a real deal You can find in men's stores and I go on this fucking mensource I first thing I say with some num-nump behind a conrigal which way is a big and pulse section And you got this guy fuck's got a 28 inch waist.
I mean really yeah and I freak them all out and I'll just walk out But they carry our field notes. Yeah, please say hey, so 500 dollar pairs of jeans. Yeah, it's bullshit My jeans are the place in USS are for 35 bucks. Sure like farmers.
But they carry a field now They carry a field. Yeah, we fell out of holes like to say yeah between all the shit right Yeah, so when did you like I understand your dad's it was a junker and he was a pack rat and he had an appreciation for It seems like there's an astalgia to design to not to design But your interest yeah that it represents something that has integrity and that has staying power simpler simpler But like it feels to me that when you see a logo you're like this is stand this stands the test of time Yeah, even if you don't remember what it was you can take just the shell of it Well, yeah, when did that start well? I think since I was a little kid you know this idea of like you know When you get the first taste of California through BMX skateboarding you get to see things get like cool You get to see things you manufactured somewhere and then sold a bunch of pecker heads in Michigan Everyone's got ocean Pacific on the down there. You know you remember.
Oh, yes, I had the shorts I had the shorts had the shirt had to be the shoes a hat or something not a big hat guy But yeah, but I remember he was a big deal this idea that the first time you really start to recognize the power of a logo on a t-shirt You know and then you step back and you see how that's used around us in Northern Michigan Which is basically on feeding seeds a good old boys, you know represent I'm already cat some of the other shit, you know, I represent wherever they go by their feed and seed right now Those are promotional items those are things that were just giveaways to keep guys buying you know seed and shit sure But it was like it's really a it is a context of the completely completely lacking all sort of protection It was just to say here's our stuff. So okay now I see skateboarding and art and culture and all the cool stuff, but I'm I'm tempered around my dad who's you know So's industrial tooling where it is completely no bullshit I mean you talk about the tool. Yeah, here's the graphic and it works and the package is probably still my dad's garage Right all these years later now that kind of functionality That's not what existed when I finally got my shop to go learn how to be a graphic designer, right? It was about fashion.
It was about what's the latest hottest bullshit is thing, you know, right? No integrity. Well, no, no, no, no, no, it just because I wouldn't throw all those guys we call it the bus right No, it's more like I just like things that my dad could enjoy yeah, and I was into because there's always a leap from us to like your parents And they didn't understand all this high-falutin post post modern bullshit, right? Right, but there's something about their generation or something about even the idea of an industrial tool where it's sort of like You're gonna buy one of these yeah, and it's gonna last you safe for it.
Yeah, and it's you can pass that on to your kid So what you got passed down was this this this compulsive fascination and belief in in in the the the long-lasting Nature of something that that that is built to work perhaps yeah, and then you know and what you see is you just see This beauty to it because listen, okay, I have to think about it Then it's designed yeah these guys they weren't designing to be ironic right cool to sell shit to sell jeans to sell this all records And this is just meant to work that is what I try to mine from my work this beautiful quality of Undesignedness, yeah, what is some of your favorites like do you like the Levi's tag? Oh, yeah? Right goes back a hundred and twenty years love that right? I just like things that are iconic and didn't get fucked with right was the first one when you were a kid where you were like That's fucking bicentennial logo.
I can remember I was telling you that's not I can remember that all the way back because there was this You have to it on your yeah, oh you should have seen you laying there. Yeah, not good. Yeah, you attacked you guy No, I got a couple yeah, but you know it's a very bicentennial one. It's very odd.
Well, that's my favorite logo You know and I remember you know my dad explained to me you know ten rings twenty years of ring two hundred years worth The two I was I was tiny easy on the space shuttle and then it goes away. It's gone gone gone But what I think assassinated you was there was a whole code to it that had to be demystified everything had a reason that behind the Behind the news to celebrate America. Yeah, we used to celebrate a 1776. Yeah, what is it Carter?
You know they're coming off of Nixon Everyone's cynical. I was three. I don't know. I don't know but it was like here's this 200-year thing and it was a big nationwide party and One designer Bruce Blackburn with his trombone off guys in our guys.
What about New York City? They build this mark that represents America like what do we have when we go across wherever you go to Canada? They're flag credible. I love our American flag, but this will go signified for me growing up America But it was gone, you know all through the after I saw in the space shuttle the next time I saw was on the guitar I wanted the mercury rev guys, you know was I what the hell was that and you know Yeah, you know, oh, I got all the records.
Yeah, I saw there I went and started looking because that's not really getting into you know Well designed with about 91 92, you know and found it and then found Paul Rand and thought it's all bass He said fucking pillars of logo design, but like laurie salt bell telephone AT&T the classics from 1960s and shit and that thing still works in 2015 So this is what 25 years ago my first sort of inkling of this stuff was like wow These are things that you find it like garage sales. They're junk, but that logo is great still works I'm saying I did and I was being dipped in the wildness of the 90s Ray gun when you're growing up. Yeah, yeah, like you know all the cool things You know guys set in fucking Reagan magazine. Yeah, sure damage this and David Carson's and stuff this stuff.
Was that Gary Panther? No, no, he was using the rod right right. Yeah, I mean less and less Gary's now Gary's that how that name's gone to weigh out Yeah, it didn't hold up like the theories about that shit Gary Barry Larry. These names just kind of make you shudder sure Well, they're Harry.
I don't think there's a lot of Jim's around anymore. There's not a lot of Jim's Yeah, it's just like I just met a kid named Frank on my tour good Thank God. There's a 25 years old like now everyone's named cute name. Yeah Jesse Yeah, Ethan and other like Buffalo maybe Okay, so young Aaron James Draplin.
Yeah, yeah is starting to realize like these logos represent things that are bigger than us There's almost a mystical spiritual element Corporate and there's a big word because member in America though that represents spiritual mystical You know in those 90s where you know you have a nirvana coming to shake everything. Yes That's the year I got out of high school so that that's starting that fall. I'm starting college. Yeah, never mind hits So what do we have just a year before that hair metal?
Yeah, right? We didn't have that we were raised on punk rock you were you know? Yeah, I my mom raised us on Well, Johnny Mitchell's young and but but she had the MC5 record with motherfucker with no ironie to it with no She shot my mom went saw the stitches. She went saw the MC5 Bobby Seager.
This is what we come you're having Detroit I was born Detroit, but she grew up in Detroit. Yeah, mom and dad were Detroit kids mama's Livonia and dad was a Detroit You're born and I post grandmother. You know, it's just incredible people my Irish grandmother You know out in Wickslum and all this bullshit, you know away from Detroit and then my grandma who was the last holdouts in her little neighborhood this whole Polish lady and We might my dad would go down every other week so he would he would be down there for a week and work And then we would go down for summers. So we spent a lot of time for a few cookies.
Oh, yeah Come on put her in that shit post kitchen down in hand tranix sure. Yeah, that's where that's what you brought up on I'm half Polish. It's debatable what parts sure but half and you know we had that you know, I don't know I don't know. It's like I have a weird talk about mistices.
I have a weird quality about Detroit because that's where I'm from, you know We're born there. Well, yeah, you know, but it's like then four years old We go up to northern Michigan middle nowhere because mom dad couldn't take it because it was rough My mom my dad my dad tell stories about painting and looking across the city and seeing the smoke run from the riots Mm-hmm. That's what they grew up around. That's four miles or five miles down wood.
We're wherever right? Yeah, you know imagine growing up and having that shit going down just a couple miles away, right? You know these weird dividing lines they got out of there So we were four and we moved to the mission so I grew up in a town right 30 kids in my class small tiny But your mom had a new young MC 5 so the MC 5 blue your how old your five-year-old? I would have no no no I wouldn't I would have been hearing a lot of Jackson Brown shit during those years Yeah, you know, but the idea that I would you know I heard it when I was about 15 Oh, because you know I found punk rock.
Yeah, she went dug this thing out and she explained me This is motherfucker on the inside. Yeah, so, you know, I just have to say it, you know, my parents are cool Yeah, I had cool. Listen. I listen to your shit.
Yeah last summer. You know after we lost pops, you know And listen to you that we were driving home. Yeah, I lost my shit. Listen you lose your shit with your dad I know that people come up to you and tell you this stuff So I'm kind of freaking out right now because that's how I know you.
Yeah, it's weird connection Yeah, I talk about my dad. I kind of lose it But I'm not gonna be a fucking professional for this but I was raised we didn't have any beefs, you know, yeah Like maybe we used to fight used to want me to mow the fucking lawn diagonally. Yeah, you know the other way a tiger stadium We fight over that shit not horizontal. I'm gonna do it.
Not horizontal. That's that's the height of our brawls So I had this mom and dad who were liberal and cool and was never ever about don't drink and don't fight and don't whatever They told us they guys this but you know I'm a teat over yeah to this day pretty much I'm not gonna lose my shit, but I was I was raised around that They were cool, you know everything that we had we sort of you know I would find like all the molding in our house We dug that shit out of like old crack houses in Detroit and stuff That's why I was raised around seeing piece by piece because I never really knew that they didn't have a lot There's some rough winters there. Yeah, I just never really knew because we had you know love and Legos Yeah, art shit and mom and dad around what your mom do raised us? Uh-huh.
She's actually Couple years there she was doing some sort of like and she raised us. Yeah, you know it was a small town I'm you know me my sister, but no painters are no little bit of asking weaving. Oh, yeah creative People and then also You know like collectors. So all this you know all this cool stuff like that and I for these things before us That's what our house is outfitted with old stained glass and all sorts of little figurines and shit That's what 34 years later is worth a lot of cash.
Yeah, my parents That's what they did for fun before us. See they waited to have us until they were 30. Uh-huh that was I was gonna Unheard of back then. Yeah, you're supposed to be 20 when you have it right right?
But they waited and then my dad my dad used to get himself fired from a steel worker job It's gonna go skiing and veil Jim drab on yeah My dad claimed it for one quarter get his arm up in the fucking vending machine and empty the whole goddamn thing and feed all the dudes Right. Yeah until he got his arm caught one time That was one of his great stories I was raised around this like fight for the little guy. Yeah before you take the big hook. Yeah deal with all the little hooks Don't buy anything you can't afford this kind of shit.
Yeah, that's what we were raised around I had great examples of that stuff and then my dad going a shit, you know I'm just kind of going let's just get one you want it Let's buy it don't tell your mom skateboard decks records things Yeah, and then I'm you know with my mom great memories I'm making the book and I'm finding little things that I have and I found a receipt my mom taking me to this little town and Buying me pads for my BMX bike right I remember this I was like eight or nine. I'll never get rid of that So there's that nostalgic or do I even need that paper fuck it? I got room. Yeah, I'm gonna keep it You know I mean it is found it why I even have that yeah, so we were right because now when we lost dad Yeah, no my dad used to call me say air.
I'm in the garage. Yes, what I find say what's that dad and say I found a wall Oh wall. Yeah, get it. You're the guy who writes comedy.
It's fucking funny. He found a wall So we're tearing apart my dad's empire, you know and one by one of these pieces there stuff that has value There's things that he just he collected two cans. I'm gonna call me that a parrot. Yeah, you know or something Just like stuff parrots.
Yeah, 40 of the fucking things. Yeah, but he just loved a femmer and things and brick-a-bricks So you see how I you know, this is where I come from remember how some dads were like like like mmm. That a deluxe No, no, that's a new base amp a new fender bass amp. Okay.
I saw me pop its play last summer That's what he was playing. You got I can take it. So, you know, I made it man. I can buy what I want to tweet You tweet.
Yeah, so your dad so this is how you this is how this influence you like yeah Yeah, yeah, you know just this idea of like having an appreciation of all little tiny stuff now We can't get rid of it because you have this big house full of it. Yeah, you know when someone goes you know Your dad stuff. Yeah, yeah, my mom see interesting thing growing up Yeah, that's you know that which comes from the seat eventually goes back to it, right? So my dad would be smuggling shit in and my mom would just go cherry-picks it every week and go take it back And here's this idea of my dad some junk store It's a whole network in northern Michigan Did some junk store going this is pretty cool.
I'm not you already bought it and she gave it back and it's just back in the cycle That must have happened. This is what we grew up around. So, you know, so when does a design start to happen? So I mean it sounds like you're involved in the BMX thing You did pulls and stuff no no no no no that's a little bit before us.
This is out in front of our house in a little shitty, you know You weren't like that guy. No, no, no, no, no no. I did a couple out west when I was a vage when I finally got out there But you know you're in the middle of nowhere Yeah, and you've seen the magazines from all these cool, California's and that shit's on your wall Yeah, and you start thinking and saving and getting the hell out like you know right out of high school I was 17 I got a little early, you know, so I'm a senior whatever I went through the whole deal But I'm an October kid so I was a little young for it and I got out and I started college into two years to play Kate my mom decks. I'm gonna first draft was actually into school, you know I remember just them saying go to the community college just go because we couldn't get a chance to so I did All my buddies are moving out west and I had to do what snowboard.
Okay. I didn't know mountains You know so we're gonna go out there to be skateboarders and snowboarders and animals that was the that was the future Yeah, well, this is what we did grown up on really limited sort of conditions and height and vertices Whatever tiny little mohills, Michigan You know how you make a hill in Michigan You dig a hole and you put it like this and that makes a nice hill right? Yeah, so we've been watching or watching and then we get the hell out of there So I was 19 when I moved out west. Yeah, and I would have been 93 and now after college what you study at community college Just a tiny little two-year associate degree and why learned design I learned how to like open the machine open the programs play with them Make stuff drop paint just a nice overview in northern Michigan So that's a little bit out of the way and then I had their blessing and as soon as I turned 19 two years done That's when we took off we saved all our money washing dishes whose way in my buddies Yeah, Brian Derek and Chad and Johnny about six seven of us all air cable We all went out west together.
Yeah, you know my crowning achievement from my youth is leaving Sucked tears is freaky but the moment you get away from your mom and dad your life explodes You know and you go all the way out west all the way to Oregon We kind of we kind of you know jumped over leapfrog over fucking Colorado cuz all of our buddies were already there because you know This shit shifts, you know one year to Jackson hold it while the kids are going for snowboard Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I don't ski in socks, right? I know you're gonna do a little ski and there's still time for you But I tried snowboarding into it hard to come on man. We invented it. Yeah, so proud of that I didn't well We just got fuck with it What was cool at the time assholes testing each other and like getting times and metals and shit and like expensive ski gear Yeah, and suddenly see this is what skateboard And taught me like it's okay to be with your buddies and to be big or weird or a bunch of drug problems But it also got me in a rock art thinking for yourself that fucking rescued me because in my small town comes from snowboarding It just came from yeah, I just came from sort of being kind of punk rock Yeah, fuck the old paradigm well just in that small time if you're not in sports You're not nothing I tried yeah, but fuck all that It took a lot of guts to say no to it yeah guys messing with me I had a big dead candy in the back of my cut off Jean jacket Yeah, I mean I did that I got mess with for it.
Yeah, but it teaches you to be your own person So you all go thankful for that sure that's right discovered indie rock Yeah, but those and shit right 92 right red house painters. I brought my 20 best records today. I'm gonna pull them out You brought them with you. I don't know if I want you to touch them.
I won't touch me I'm not mint mint little bit of ring where in there sure this is okay kill Creek proving We're cruel don't even know what that right is okay. You know, okay. This got me through a whole summer up in Alaska This one okay. This is a very rare record.
Okay. My favorite stones record Yeah, okay, my favorite Bob Seager record brand new morning This is the one he says is always buried in people's back here So you can't fucking find it. I don't know this record. This is on Capitol This is before you explode.
It's not cool like Bob Seager where I'm from right? But then you realize your uncle's around us on the man I'm not seeing you can't find that I've never seen that right very hard to find okay paw dragline I was grunge was exploding. This was they were putting their big money on this one. This is a great I've never seen it before.
Okay, you know, don't you know how to touch this don't even fucking look at it's still sealed It's mint OOP the classic flaming lips fucking the transmissions in the satellite art. Yeah, I don't even look at it Okay, here is that okay, okay, okay, okay, let's have a motherfucker on the inside So you know listeners here my very very famous favorite favorite favorite red house painters record the Jesus lizard You didn't get into the jus. Oh, dude. I'm gonna make you a list while you're here.
I'm gonna rescue That's why your records. Sorry. I'm taking every time that you have someone I'm talking about vinyl I always want to hear what are their favorite records man. What's their favorite shit?
But you guys are talking about you know everything. I'll make note of that Aaron I'll make note of it. Thank you for the note, but all right, so okay, so you go out You got your two years of design and you're gonna snowboard and skateboard your way to freedom Yeah, yeah, and Colorado was done. So you end up in Portland, Oregon Yeah, I'm Oregon three hours from here right in that first day You're there knows the hill, but it's open up in two months We have all our cash.
Yeah, we lock down a place. Yeah, you know and then that first night We want to come here put up to Portland now listen grow up and Detroit you get your car stolen right? Right, it's like dangerous, right? Or there's this sort of like shit hanging over you from like your uncle's be careful Where you going downtown?
Yeah, right? So we go see all these you know bands growing up and that was kind of sketchy Right come to Portland. You can park you can walk you can walk across town you can hang out the first night We get here. We see this man called paw.
So a band from Kansas, right? And we'd listen to their record all the way across the nation Okay, now could have been any other record with that first night we come to Portland It was just like fucking my life is starting two months from now We're gonna be up one of the greatest mountains in the world Mount bachelor, you know being animals with my buddies were young were wild and Portland is like I don't know I was like approachable and so we start coming up here every other weekend see bands and stuff the loon on so it'd be 93 the fall 93 and this is a snow hit you know we were up there every single day being snowboarders Yeah, it was incredible and you get this orbit, you know and you're at the height of serve your physicality too You're jumping off pretty big shit because what we were doing back home was just smaller Right and you get out west night buddies who were becoming pros I was not really concerned about it that yeah I just got to hang with those guys Yeah, and we realized all of our dreams over the course of about five winners, you know But you know I worked at the snowboard camp up here, you know one summer I was the only kid it was like a t-totler so I drove the hospital van kids would fuck themselves up and drive down to Portland I dropped them off with this little urgent air I go to the record store Uh-huh because that's all you know so I started doing that I started going to Alaska to watch this You're doing for a job well for those first couple years at pizza jobs Yeah, and then I was doing freelance art so as all analog I was painting drawing stuff making logo snowboard graphics for like local Local small small change things and then but really whatever it took but then start going to Alaska saying the computer So it was a summer 96 I go up there and I watched dishes for like 100 hours a week where for five months Anchorage Yeah, I've seen a couple years in Anchorage. I spent really sure my dad was stationed up there. So small.
Yeah 69 through 71 70 71 What incredible place I don't have my my recollections are limited to tone right and a few weird moments Well, I'm not but I love it. It made my decision me I'm so compelled by the Pacific Northwest because of the expanse my first summer up there Listen, I wasn't you know this there's nothing worse than happy hikers. Okay. You don't talk about now gene bottles Like those stupid pants.
Yeah, I'm sitting on shorts and all this guy's it There was one little record store in town. That was my only splurge that summer. I saved 10 grand in English Yeah, so I got a computer right. That's like I got access to design Yeah, but you're up there and everyone's partying down and going a shit and you know I just wasn't very like I remember I spent one of the guys I'm gonna cook same I know you want to go home.
You're excited to go start your fall and get my computer right? So but just so you know Alaska's in you know, it's real poetic and I kind of freaked out on So man, this is a summer job. That's really all it was. Yeah, but I gotta tell you man I got the itch next spring just to be around that place and mainly because it didn't get hot.
It was beautiful There's a good record store and I worked a ton Yeah, so that started basically being my way to pay for college pay off credit cards get ready You know, it's overpasses wherever to come back for you know And they don't I got myself in the school in Minneapolis That's how I kind of got myself in was with that cash So you're doing some local illustrating you're making a little mind what they pay you for the art Yeah, what it goes on the sign. Yeah, I was I was lettering futon covers, you know I was painting futon covers for a local place there. I was lettering a chalkboard I'm going to give me a menu and I could you know put their shit daily once a week I'd take as much bread as I want back to the house and we'd live off this shit You know my guys, right, you know, right? I mean, I mean you don't need a lot I was there's six of us in a house or something and your share is a hundred and seventeen dollars a month So you can make that in a couple whatever, you know, and you got to pass up at the Hill So really what do you need hitchhike up to the Hill?
You know, we're all sort of eating communally, you know, whatever Five winners that were really really cool. Well, what point did you think like well, maybe I need to make a life for myself I think it was just seeing other guys do it make these leaps like I said we're allowed to go to school and get big You know degrees and stuff like who well guys That would come up and work for snowboard companies we start going to all these big trade shows right so you make this Just to see the shit well You got to see the shit and see all the pros and then you also realize how small it is, you know You know the moment that you find out, you know, how small your favorite band is with a politics Yeah, you grow up and I don't even want to know anymore because at 41 years old it hurts to hear these things We go down and we see these all the companies I was 19 20 years old talk about full skating We've got you ever heard of the new ball out in California. No, okay Well, this is one of the classics the other boys listening to this shit We understand and listen I was I got I caught one grind that day right in the new bull scared the shed This is the real deal. What does it mean caught a grind?
Just caught I just went up it was just carving right and come down right and as a man of size I was with guys that knew what the fuck they were doing. Yeah, but I caught one ground the new bull and that's where I was like I've reached my you know, sort of You know, I'm doing this stuff. Yeah, I grew up doing it But until you slam in a ditch in Las Vegas going fast these little banks and you're able still hurts to this day Yeah, that's where you sort of realize I was kind of done. It's about 97.
Okay, so it was basically it wasn't really fun It's no more anymore. Why well because it just became an orbit. Yeah, I learned the hill right and I saw buddies becoming professionals great Yeah, but I was drawing I had my computer from Alaska and I'm working but in that small town you're seeing there's like a couple guys that have it Yeah, I don't want to go and like, you know fight those guys. You know, I mean like you know get a pecking order I know I was at the very very bottom.
They let you know right so I just kind of try to go a little bit above it When a couple more summers in Alaska more winter's kept a little low I worked a ton on my own was all just for my buddies You know free you know free dance fun. It's just really just learning. Yeah, but I started looking for you get posters Just for a couple buddies. Yeah, I just didn't know bands right come up and see all the shit here in Portland Right, you know now we come up here and groups of guys will go see some goddamn fucking offspring or something Yeah, I'd be going to see the Jesus lizard, right?
I mean the good stuff. Yeah, so thankful man Because you gotta make a choice. Yeah, we're going to see copy of girls against boys We are we're going to see them at a crusty little place or we're going to see the lemonheads I kind of saw that stuff too, but we knew how to find the weird shit, right? Yeah, I'm Portland offering it So I'm told you got to go to school.
Mm-hmm So I go back to the Midwest I gotta get out of the West because you love the Midwest. I love it Yeah, I didn't I love leaving it right and you go back there You see all this shit going on and I went to little schools and said I didn't know what I had I had a portfolio It was all just from a very like organic Shipmate I made sure for my buddies. Yeah, so I show all this work and I'm thinking they're gonna say get the hell out of here And the first school said we can't have here because we want you to go up the food chain a little bit So I just was like whoo So then I went to some other school and I made my way up to this incredible school in Minneapolis And they were the nicest people and Minneapolis was the home of the replacements right in those good news Yeah, and then Chuck Anderson's you know Charles Spencer my favorite graphic designer of all time from the CSA Empire Charles Spencer Anderson What's his thing? Big archive incredible detail my dad could enjoy their work, you know What was like what was my paper company was one of this?
Miles Michigan six generations of paper French paper company incredible people now's Michigan What was their logos? It's so I mean so much I can show you books about it But what Chuck did was he would go find all that dead like sort of like advertising art and stuff and clean that stuff up Yeah, and rescue it and you know then you could go buy it from archive So somebody could buy that old stock stuff because some old guy would die and then you know his work would die with it What do you how do you use it? What do you mean? What do you mean?
So you rest you sort of like something you might find on like a match book cover So then Chuck would go hunt down the old illustrator and find a wealth of the stuff by the collection clean it all up clean it up how Computers and scan it clean it put it into a nice little book. I can show you the books. I got the whole message as a resource Yeah, right so I'm seeing this guy now. What was cool in 1995 67 it was all that skittery, scradery bullshit sort of sorry about the train.
It's okay, man Okay, you know all that you know post post post modern very high-falutin graph design Yeah, I was trying to emulate it too until I found these guys in Minneapolis that were like I don't know it was sort of like like I said my dad could enjoy it I could look at it Yeah, because it looked like sometimes it looked just like something that you found out of an old popular mechanic Sure like your poster love the poster because that was just meant to be just sort of an homage to shit that you find in a dumpster That's it. There's no design. It's just meant to be stupid and make funny cop before yeah So that's what these guys did and I discovered these guys at a Delaware House Industries that you might be familiar with those guys You should be housing But they did all sorts of tight faces, but what they did house industries and Chuck did for me they made design look fun Yeah, right, right somehow those guys made a living all these 20 years later I've been able to meet them and shit chucks a bit of a mentor I know the guys at house with fuck each other on Twitter and things I send them so they send me stuff and You know, I went and knocked on the door because I was doing fall tours just by myself You know driving around because I'd go home I was in a minivan road trip and back in college after many hours Just every couple times a year and I drive back and forth and I go junk But then when I leave the West I went and hit like I went to Delaware I've been to Delaware and I knock in the doors of house industries and I have them built up in my mind is this big fucking thing sure And the guy answers the door and he's kind of surprised and we're still by used to this day They let me in but see what was it like was it disappointing? We're just like six or seven guys, but it was the best work in the world It was the power of design right when I knew of it as a fan Attracted me all the way to this little place in Delaware, right?
And then they were cool on top of that okay? Yeah, because listen I'm not gonna name you fucking names I did that with other guys I was into and they weren't cool right? Yeah, so when you start to stack up the dicks from the good guys There was a certain design sense to the good guys Yeah, that's what really changed me. Yeah, and because it wasn't about who was the most fashionable It was about the guys that were I wasn't necessarily just about being fun.
It was just there was a certain charm Uh-huh, and he still did the job. Uh-huh, you know, so you like the work I gotta assume there's not a lot of kids that show up going like other than well They freaked out because it's somewhere in there fucking you know some of the materials that said show up so I did you know And that's what happens to me now man. Oh, yeah, yeah, I make sure that I'm sure it happens to you know, yeah I'm gonna make sure my house axe murders or whatever you heard it's hard to tell sometimes, but we're okay I got a couple guys coming here that were a little off Yeah, I was real gentle inside to kind of say he got to go man Yeah, that scared me to yeah cuz those guys let me in and I try to make the same thing now when there's a You know the world you thought that they were dangerous or just a little too much Those guys came my shop here. There's a little off.
Yeah, you know, you can tell it's time to go What are they looking for why they're coming well? They're fans from my website or whatever or the way I write it the way I talk or the way that I would write them back I've written all the kids back. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it happens I don't know people always says no time for that shit, right?
I made the time all these years, you know, so okay, so you go to the college in Minneapolis Yeah, and now you know, you know, you got more confidence. You find a maybe you got a little style happening of your own Yeah, and also a reaction against what was what was cool at the time to yeah, see I go back to Minneapolis And it was a lot of talk about style man kids were getting jobs with I mean dripping whatever the latest bullshit was Yeah, I wasn't really into that skittery Scratters. Remember the movie seven. Yeah, and the start of the movie That's what was in our fashion right right right right?
Not you know they were learning how to do it. I could have a hard to do it. I like the grid I liked logos I liked Old maps. Yeah, it still worked.
I like things that worked 40 years ago and still worked Yeah, that might be the role of toilet paper. So see you gotta put it like you know I tell you what diameter it is and how many more rolls are left. That's called being a tradesman, right? Right, so I wasn't trying to go be the hot shit in town I want to get a job I got made fun of by a teacher because when you're doing what you're using it was like What do you want to do with this with what you got going?
You know, and I said I want to make a living now wasn't a big enough answer. It was total bullshit I had I was scared I had loans I had things I'd stuff I paid for myself to go I got a big scholarship somehow from these guys which was incredible, but it was very pragmatic right? I'm learning a skill set and I'm gonna get a job and wherever I land I'm gonna be good with it because it beats fucking wash Conditions in Alaska, right? That's not what they train you for they train you to go to the Everyone's you know measuring decks trying to get to the coolest place in town Which is called the Walker Arts Center, which is incredible I got to do my talk at the Walker Arts Center, right?
That's the coolest thing in all Minnesota But one or two kids got to go there and work and get the big job 98 or 99 of the hundred They went and had jobs at 3m, Gabellas and just regular things, but whatever you want. Yeah, just regular jobs I was okay with that. You like the 3m logo. Oh, yeah, it's classic I mean I got made fun of that I made fun of that you know Because it wasn't you're supposed to go work in LA or New York.
Be part of the what's happening now I was just I was excited to stay in Minneapolis and then threw it all away with the fucking Southern California Well, how'd that go that you're going for a job? Yeah, it's nobody magazine. You got hired to do what a bunch of guys I met from camp. Yeah, yeah, it's about 2,000 right getting done with school Mm-hmm, and I got courted to go have a real job and then and then and then I get this little hook Oh, I could say in Clemente orange County's yeah, but sure but it was the maggot red growing up I couldn't say no so I got I took this job I go all the way down to California throw my life away in the Midwest and I'm Mursed back in snowboard, right?
What are you doing? What's your job? Art director for a snowboard magazine laying out magazine? Yeah, so I got a stack over there about 25 mags from that two years I was there and I got to work with all my buddies at snowboard and you get there and it's supposed to be a professional job But you realize just seven or eight of us like a group like a little like a little game because in that hierarchy of work They're even the building.
We're in yeah surfants the hot shit right? I don't step in the ocean I'm from Lake Michigan right there very well in a beach. Yeah, I can barely cool guys and wear the scumbags snowboard So there's a chip on your shoulder, and you know you get to come in and you learn how to make a magazine Which is about a month long did you learn how to do that? You didn't have any idea Well, I had a little bit of idea about just for publication design But then you get there and it's page by page So I learned how to turn out a lot of stuff and fast and be efficient work well with all my buddies still be the dark cloud That I was and you know constantly challenging myself for freaking out or not like in living California I try to go to LA and go see that shit.
I'm what saw well some record every one time I'm seeing a masques all these years in a dinosaur Yeah, yeah, I'm in one time leaving fucking Orange County and you know five and you try to get to what? Chocolataro or something? Yeah, I tried to do it on something true door on something four hours. Yeah of bullshit four hours Get up there.
Hey, I was an accident. There's a second you gotta get rerouted. That's where I just knew this isn't I don't care What this what what what riches are here? No, that's what I'll do it here.
It's the same with me It's like this is never gonna end broke my heart the traffic I could I just didn't get to see my band, you know Mascos whatever, you know whatever it was because of bullshit because it was just like fast and faster and fastest and everyone's like There's a hierarchy who's a good looking ones here? I'm with a bunch of surfers man I get that but you didn't get to see your band because there was a I know what I'm getting at is you're just you get this awesome job Yeah, great group of guys right and then you're in a place where it's 90 fucking degrees every day And I'm like I'm near tears pulling up to my job every morning, you know because it was just like I want to be back in Minneapolis where it was gritty Yeah, and but I did the mag but you get down there as a mid-westerner I didn't I didn't quit the job. I offer a job within two weeks at another place didn't take it Did my two years stint, you know with my guys and then I rest me back to Portland But see that's my first like job job, you know, and it was like I was an art director for snowboard mad, you know And we got to see the mag and supermarkets in my hometown. You know, I did it right great a story That's my home for the summer.
Yeah a couple weeks I got picked on as a kid who'd write. Yeah, I remember one of the guys that got one on me No, he's good looking and hearing his back. I remember that yeah, I was young I was 12 when I started high school Yeah, 13 and he got a couple on me. Yeah, I mean one time I went back for my 10 year anniversary Yeah, you know, yeah, you know, yeah, and you know, you're I got to bring back a whole pile of magazines So I go to uh, you know somewhere I went to some sport and then started get something and I'm going through the line and he's the guy ringing up I'm not think it's guys and sporting goods stores were living right but I look at it going.
Hey, what's going on? He's gonna look at you. You know something to me now fine and I he goes What are you doing? I go there's my my man.
I go I'm the director of snowman just walk out anyway Fuck that guy, but I got to say that yeah, and that was just like pointing because um I had that was only it lived out West as snowboarded with my buddies, you know, and then I did it pretty gross along the way, you know got my school done It was that moment. I realized I kind of did it. Yeah, I was making 37,000 bucks a year and I haven't I sent left over Yeah, but still could make it down to California. Yeah, my friendship That's a good feeling to pursue something that you love and you believe in and then you nail it and then you got something to show for yourself You just don't really know.
Yeah, if you're ever even gonna make it and you're okay with that You know, I'm gonna ask a watch and it's like always go back that sure you go back now probably I would love to go through just a quit and his fantasies about it Just a fucking high-end rack on a quick every day mark every day man the middle of a run Yeah, he fucking stopped the train and you're like, oh, we're like the guy died I'm can't let's guy died on the woods. You know, it's in the wild or whatever. Yeah, we should drive by that It's like two or three miles. I was at these fantasies like just like a stop the train They need to stop let trains pass and I'd be like grab my walk I'm just gonna fucking hike out to the Fairbanks highway or whatever, you know, that was every meal shift because it just hard to be this Washing train I was on train washing dishes we pick up all these old people and they would be on these big boats Princess tours on the big cruise ships love boat.
Yeah, we get my love train We pick them up five in the fucking morning We feed them a couple meals and we work away up to Fairbanks. Yeah, I work what 16 hours that day anything past eight hours is over time Right, so you're making good money and then I don't want stealing and shit It was real fun, you know, and you come back the next day such two days 32 hours or something and man You know whole work, you know four days worth in those two days take a day off do it again I would work extra shifts. I'd work six of eight days, you know seven of eight days I did that for five or four summers So you come up here in Portland after you go back home victoriously and and teach that guy at the sporting group or a lesson And what brought you back up here? He was a dick.
I got a job now. I was telling everybody John over here was he goes I actually goes by Google but Google called me and said hey, we're called sync of design. We're looking for guys You're in the industry of snowboarding. Do you know someone?
Come up to Portland. You know a young kid. I said yeah, man fucking me get me out of here They flew me up. Yeah, I got to see Portland.
Yeah, I don't care. I didn't care How much money it was just like I got back to Portland. Yeah, and they were it was called sync of his eyes To this day there's about 16 when I went there. Yeah, there's probably 70 people there now It's an incredible place in town, but you know you get there.
I'm instantly I get in this place I'm instantly have to get on the plane to go back to California You know a couple weeks later now. No, we work for Nixon watches. So, you know, you're Nixon watches. No, okay, let's just find them Yeah, I'm a nice.
Yeah, it's a little brain count. Yeah, so you got the single design Mm-hmm, and you go in and they're inventing these little brands grab of shoes Nixon watches these guys are coming up with these great ideas and saying go they make the logo They make the whole look we're making shoe boxes. We're making watches So I got to work in the Nixon account right away. I mean this is one of the cool today It took you know still it's one of the greatest action sport brands.
They're way bigger than that now Yeah, back then they they were the pinnacle and I get to work for the place that makes the stuff It was incredible, you know, but you know I did that two years and I also got to see you know Like meetings about meetings and emails about emails and you know, just play we play ping on all day and shit It freaked me out. You know, you did some work. You're proud of work. My ass off there.
I'd stayed late Recognizing work. I really wasn't ever really but no, we were just I was making a good living. Yeah, I was making great money there I think I made 65 grand man. Yeah, that was a lot for I was 30, you know And I had my school out of the way and I already snowboard said some credibility to that shit I'd lived it You know cuz you meet some rat fuck kid and you're like he's gonna size me up for being big or being out of it And I'll say I lived in the mountains for five years I did that shit and they'll be like well, you know, whatever what's the alliance between like what you do in the advertising industry?
It's a little bit a little bit different deal because they come to you with I wouldn't know man I've been so lucky my gross little path. We worked on small brands, but we make advertisements But that's a little bit different but so that means that sometimes you're working for a company and you might have to deal with the advertising company I mean all kinds of right for the most part. Here's this job. Yeah, good living right working for cool with your friends But you know that kid gives you the job from you know Burton snowboards or whatever how we're working sure it's still cool stuff Now, okay, so you hit the wall after two years two years and what do you do I quit to do what get free?
Yeah, that's right. I've free that was 2004 and what'd you do then? I went out my own I saved a bunch of cash. I bought a little house.
I Tricked out my basement. I had two little clients that were starting cold headwear and union binding companies This is two little snowboard bindings and then headwear like hats and beanies and jub These are friends that are starting these things I see out right now. I'm gonna do the graphics So here I am at the single design where I'm watching these guys invent these nicks and stuff and I get to do this very small scale Right, so that's enough for me to put my month in over there jump out my mom and then freaked out because I bought a house You know why you quit your job? Right, yeah, because that's just what you do in the Midwest you work forever until you break so I jump out You know it's 2004 yeah, and you know start this Draplin design company right whenever that man I got a business like some three years ago It's a little secret for everybody's listening But I even know you had to have one right I just started working on my own and that first year that started to make money I saved the fuck out of that little house I bought took me five and a half years paid off with graphic fucking design and working There's been some big ones, but there were a lot of crusty ones because see that little union binding company little cold Headwear you get a nice little retainer next to you a little more.
Yeah, like 5% How long is it? What's the longest you've been with one client 10 years and 10 years union and coal? These are my brothers Yeah, yeah, yeah now if you've been like a like I imagine in your industry that like in the other industry there They're like recognition and like you know, you have these mentors yours if they sort of like have you been like Aaron Draplin's a made guy. He said well I think because the tour you know I'm a entertainer these days mark.
I've gone fucking everywhere How many shows did you do last year? Oh, I I did 41. That's great. Well, what do you do out there?
What do you do? Listen? I worked on clients for these five or six years, right? I told you how I moved in here.
Yeah, that's when we we kind of we started You know I brought all my clients in here and I mean I go back and look at those folders There's 50 folders here. I mean there's 50 different jobs a year, right? Yeah of which to our big Mccrittainer right snowboard mag called snowboard mag that my buddies and I started yeah And what you know started like compete with the old man as we worked for we started that thing here in my fucking basement Yeah, sold it and shit when we were done with it I mean just basically just to pay everyone back but these are small crusty little brands These are indie bands if you will yeah that that started to become real You know so I did that for a number of years and then I got my first invite to go and talk so I'm coasting along I'm saving money. I'm working on stuff I can't blur the line between why I even like it because they're my friends and it's making logos and it's making good work And you're getting paid well everything was incredible and this guy David Carson is a big big fucking name and graphic design Like his books written about him.
Yeah, he dropped out of a gig and he said come and tell your story I was 2009 so I did and I went to Savannah and I told my story scared shit Let's get up and hold the mic and all weird and sweaty in the whole bit right? That's where it started And they like to talk then and we're five years in now so it's been 192 shows great on everywhere and you're talking to design students Design students conferences nerd conferences coders going to big agencies and just kind of round them up You know and I got you know I've got some stories. I've got some paltails, you know, that's what I call it I'll tell some a large man because I mean they look at me as this big animal and then and I am but then there's a couple Stories that really freak them out, you know, and I can't talk about him out here because you got to go see the live show It's just kind of like they're expecting you know action sports things and stuff And I'll bullshit about for years and I hit him with these things and they flip out so it's meant to be fun But I've gone everywhere talking tell me about you know your dad before he passed and your mom is she around? Yeah, I'm sorry.
Okay, I just start two weeks ago So was he able to enjoy all this stuff he put he put inside your head? Yeah, okay, I would take some ideas funny. Yeah, so when we stopped our toe when we were kids first thing It says I call it tow truck. I listen.
Yeah, I mean bad jokes Yeah, but also he was known for putting his hands on some lady and saying how many more months do the babies do it? And she wasn't pregnant 48 years old. I don't get up this Oh, but he played Santa Claus for like poor kids. So he was Gregarious and funny as shit and you know, I got to open up a couple of my shows What'd you call Dean last days like the week all like today's opener with other primes?
Okay, my dad was my feature I told jokes when he was one of his jokes ready to say what's the difference is he goes This is a joke for you guys are into color theory and graphic design. He says what's the difference between pink and purple what the grip? You're the guy who writes jokes. I think it's in front of 200 people How did you like I gassed but my dad was telling jokes?
Yeah, he wrote his stuff out because we grew up. Oh, man We have so many jokes. I mean, you know, that's that's what I remember from my dad is like all the bad jokes growing up Yeah, it's just the idea that my this is what we grew up around and my dad entertaining our whole family us very quiet In our house, no because my dad, you know, he just you know I don't know anytime you're working on math. He'd say if you learned your gazintas Mm-hmm.
I'd say gazintas. He said yeah to gazinta four two times Where does he get the shit? You know, I mean these are old they're like because he's a salesman And he went to tool shops with tough Harley looking guys. Yeah in town here the kids play that kind of thing Right, I'm a fuckers make websites during the day to look my dad You were raised around those guys and you go into a tool shop you break the ice and he knew all the jokes I remember like when the shuttle went blew up and shit my dad knew all the Christmas off You know this just it's a currency these guys would know sure and he would be on kind of stage with these guys So, you know, that's like, you know, that's what I remember, you know, I've got his last joke He told me the best one you know, yeah, go ahead.
Fuck it. Let's do it. Okay. He says Aaron you hear about the two mountain And walking the woods.
Yeah, this is Walkie says hey, man. How you been a guy's all I've been hunting fishing trapping he says uh, he says uh, hey I'm having a party at my cabin night. Yeah, I go see hey, I'm a party here cabin. What's going on guys is oh, it's gonna be great There's gonna be dancing isn't he fighting fucking sucking eating playing cars guy goes shit sounds like good time Who's all going goes?
Oh, it's just me and you Told me that the day to where he died I never heard that joke so to bring him in here Yeah, he would dig it. He would see all my dead shit go through my drawers and just say did you steal this from me? Yeah, you know and we have this full circle. Yeah, he taught me that He taught me how to clean things up when you're done with it That's the animal you know pound out all the metal pieces Yeah, you know all these other time I had to change breaks and change my oil and you know stuff that dads teach kids, you know I need to go over now.
It's beautiful You know, I don't even do that shit anymore, but it's like that's what he was from but more importantly It's not a laugh. You know, I know it sounds a little kind of almost kind of corny, but it's like I'm so fucking thankful that My dad when buddies would come over my dad would like pull him aside and like how you doing like hug him You want a beer? You want a sandwich? You know whatever my dad had a friend a fridge with a hundred beers in it Cuz you never knew a Wisconsin was gonna invade Yeah, you never know a hundred beers and it wasn't a big drinker, but it's like those little things funny Yeah, you know and like some of the dads I go meet and I'd be like pissed off that you parked in the driveway Yeah, so you're dad just that good spirit I had him for 40 years, so you know, I was all afraid that you'd be like go look at my shit And say what about your dad?
But man, I had him for 40 years and we are saving so much on groceries, so things are good No, I mean what do you do after someone dies? Where does he go? This he is he is he just on the other plane or you know, or just another what planetary, you know like cosmic I after my dad died I don't really care when the superstitions are I started to go read about the cosmos because if you go in one direction forever That's real and I liked how crazy you go on the thing you talk about what you're into and how weird you are and all the erotic This shit. I've had no time for that because I've just been out 14 grigga miles away You know wondering where's my dad?
You know did he go to a higher plane when you died as he go cuz we were on a plane when he died We were there on a plane and he died I got to say goodbye to him for 350 fucking people You know, it was like a Viking kind of thing or something We didn't in front of the end of the plane you're flying back from Minneapolis and we get taken off and my dad kind of started So just you know you're fucking with my Delta down and flyer these days. Yeah, so you know you're dealt to diamond No American platinum somebody get there, but I got these first class upgrades up because I'm going on the gigs and that day I got to upgrade the first class so Lee and my mom and my dad are in the back seats and I get upgraded So I said dad I feel good go take the front seat and he does you know and the plane takes off And he just got you know before took off since I'm feeling good. I'm a little queasy I just want to get back to Portland cuz what it was we were back I was doing my biggest show ever done for this AIGH on Minneapolis 2500 people like a fucking symphony hall man, and I did my talk I had 30 minutes at it 45 minutes went over I guess it called kill I got a standing O and my mom and dad They were in the crowd I got to see it so all right because they tell you like the month They say you know when you see the light we're gonna take your picture for the DVD all right So you're supposed to do this put your hands together like the girl from Facebook did you know he's smart From my moment I just went damn I told you right because I was fuck with my dad drove a tempo afford tempo station wagon I showed a picture of him with this piece of shit station wagon making fun of him He loved it in the next day he fucking buys right on this plane So we're coming back from Minneapolis to Portland cuz they were out here visiting us here in Portland I bring him out every three four months yeah And the plane takes off and he just kind of slumped and my mom was there and he slumped and then they're checking pulses and what he called Stuirises and the whole deal you know these women freaked out kind of and they're all medical whatever but it's like He died on the plane they were doing the whole deal and you know I was ready to help and get off things a big man help and get off the seat under the ground There's all the people behind us praying and shit. I don't really remember all of it, but they're doctor on the plane Some kind of veterinarian something but she knew the basics of the vitals and they were like counting and you know Here's the worst moment of your whole life with your dad But it's oddly okay because I haven't you know I mean it sucks cuz wish my sisters would have been there That's the way it's gotta go We had to call them when we got it to land the plane and somewhere in Montana Because it's an emergency and I'm thinking You know there's gonna be like a fucking ambulance that comes and picks them up He said life support or something because they're doing that stuff you press on his chest and they got him sort of stable I'm like die in the air and they do that so we don't flip out.
I guess right they land the plane I fireman came up to me to say I'm sorry son. We lost your dad and I went and I just you know I didn't lose it I just went late with him and kind of say I got to be with my dad when he fucking died. I think I'm gonna fucking amiens and you guard him Yeah, he was my dad He was so fucking cool to it northern Michigan and there were five people at his fucking Yeah, and Carol from the fucking UPS was there and she'd say your dad would come in every Friday and say he'd make sure there was a line You feel the paper can you say Carol other two Jason marijuana? That's a joke, right?
Crying so they had a good sound send off. You had that moment Yeah, I talked every day people send photos and paintings and things of my dad because I celebrate him on my website Yeah, I celebrate on my fucking arm. That's my dad. Yeah, you know he was incredible My mom Lauren Draplin is just as incredible in a different quiet way.
You know my dad He hogged the fucking limelight sure, but you know when your mom when your dad goes like that It really made me think just how wonderful my mom sure no, you know, you know, it's just weird we go home now and it's just real quiet Sure, my dad. I was at a Tiger game going making soup. He would cut each beam twice for two farts for each beam Yeah, yeah, yeah, so now that my comedy podcast. I'm trying to talk because he was fucking funny Yeah, well, it's beautiful man I mean it sounds like you fully integrated the spirit of your old man and with respect and and reverent I got to show him, you know, I saw me as a hell of a night that last night I saw them in these things, you know, he would freak out my mom would print things off of the other websites and see so For those years, I miss it.
It's been a year and a half But I'm not counting days, but I got to share this show with them and on top of that I go home I've done well I've saved it all so like if he was watching this higher game on a small television I go to Best Buy by my big fucking 58 inch whatever yeah and freak him out because you know it flipped my dad took care of us So well and now that's fucking beautiful. I took care of that beautiful beautiful beautiful Why I think that's it's beautiful the whole thing just really fucking amazing. You're doing amazing stuff. Thanks, man I appreciate you come in here.
I think Lee McColli. Okay. Yes. I think sister Leah and Jake Ben-Hollibre I think my mom Lauren Drapplin.
Yeah, I think David and goo everybody else in my life. Thank you guys Lee McColli everybody big fan of WTF Lee McColli she's a good nuts. Okay, the show is done. Good talking to you.
Thanks man Compelling guy that Aaron James Drapplin cool stuff to a leather notebook, but like it was a This fucking touching man. He's a good dude self-made dude and interesting guy. I hope you dug it What do we got here at the end? I don't know maybe go do WTF pod.com get some get some just copy that co-op What else get on the mailing list get the hell premium check out the shit huh do what you got to do guitar Maybe you want to do a guitar by the pick I've been playing with going straight into these amps This is the the black beauty into the little beast the 65-chan.
That's what that is. That's what you're gonna hear