Interview With David NeSmith

How old were you when you drew your first cartoon?

Not sure on this one. But my friend T.W. and I used to draw cartoons for our band when we were in Elementary School. Our hit single was “Hell Hole” all about demons coming up from Hell through… guess what… a HOLE!

That’s what I was going to guess, totally. Did the TW stand for Christopher Guest? You guys weren’t in Spinal Tap, were you?

Actually we were called “The Rebels” because we loved Star Wars so much. We adopted the Civil War Southern Rebel Flag as our icon because we just heard it was called the “Rebel Flag.” We had no clue what it meant. T.W. was African-American and I wonder what the hell his parents must have thought when he put a Rebel flag sticker on the new guitar they bought him. I doubt even Christopher Guest could pull that off in a faux documentary. But Chris Morris could.

How old were you when you drew your last cartoon?

18,447,840 minutes old. I drew one on March 17^th, 2007 at a strange bar in Virginia Beach on St. Patrick’s Day while being entertained by a young lad dressed in green sparkles named “Dr. Sparkles” playing a ukulele. He was playing a medley of TV show themes and if we guess all 10 of them we could win one of his CDs. My wife and I danced in front with her in a sari and I in a 3 piece suit. (We had just come from her brother’s wedding reception. Anyways, at the table I drew on a napkin a cartoon of a bird talking to a balloon. The bird says, “Hey baby, what are you doing later?” My good friend Stacey took the cartoon and put it in her purse for safe keeping.

Did you get a CD? If you missed any of the songs, did he get your firstborn?

I didn’t! But my brother-in-law’s Bollywood-DJ-friend that mixed songs at the reception snagged it. I hope he can add Dr. Sparkles to his set.

Do you think Stacey liked the comic? Do you have any stories about when someone told you that El Greed made them happy or cheered them up?

She definitely did. Stacey makes for a good audience since I did draw her a whole series of cartoons/notes once all about how she was in trouble and I was going to call the cops. She kept those as well. When I put out my first Xeroxed zine of them, I gave them out for free at one of my band’s shows. It seemed like everyone was reading it and laughing at one point. I really loved that moment. It reminds me what that Improv Everywhere group does these days. They give out such great experiences; I just want to, like them, take folks out of the ordinary for a bit.

I think of you, both as a drummer and as a humorist, like that chained Muppet, Animal. Do you see any links between El Greed and the music you make?

Well, I don’t know why but I can’t walk more than 15 feet without some made up song coming up bubbling in my head. My wife calls it my “garbage brain” in the most loving way possible. I think the songs that are more ridiculous become the cartoons. The cartoon I drew about the “Amazing Adventure” of shit going through the sewer started out that way. I guess you can imagine what room that started in.

The bathroom?

As we call it around base camp… the room with funny furniture.

“Garbage brain” as in, “Garbage in/garbage out,” or more like “Garbage Pail Kids”-type humor?

GIGO: as a shout out to my old computer club posse.

Why does Jeepsups Crisp mess with toothbrushes?

If he so desired he could mess with much more. So far he seems satisfied with making mornings annoying.

Where can I get an Owl Can?

At the Mexican Baby Store. Right next to the whale cans.

Your music, even your silly songs about boxing dolphins, are based on an ability to play instruments well. Are you happy with the way you draw? Who would win in a fight between your keytar and your stationery?

I often think I have no drawing ability at all. And I am right. But that doesn’t stop me. That only adds to the stupidity I think. It’s the opposite with my music. I like to take that I have some ability with music and sing out about boxing dolphins, et al. I often think that the most unexplored new genre of music is singing songs that make absolutely no sense over completely understandable music.

Are any of your cartoons autobiographical?

No.

Then who is Jamley? And how do you explain the warped fascination with hands?

Jamley is on the shirt that Stanley is wearing. I guess you would have to ask him. Hands are definitely my life. Computer keyboards, guitars, drawings … would be hard to do without them.

Talk about "I'm a pile of shit.”

Oh, you are totally not a pile of shit! Don’t even say that! I think you’re awesome!

Is there a psychological framework for El Greed?

Mostly it is obsession with things you shouldn’t like. The first title was Eel Greed. As in, who is greedy about eels… but someone out there must be. I mean, you can find humans obsessed with all kinds of garbage.

Speaking of things I shouldn’t like, I really don’t actually like potty humor, but your poop jokes manage mostly to rise above the, um, competition. I don’t think any of them are in the book, but not specifically because they’re potty humor. I mean, “Toilet, pee, poop . . . juggled” is hilarious (especially because the boombox in the background makes it clear that the juggler is a street performer). What do you think makes them so good?

I definitely love the toilet humor but I think what makes it an “El Greed” comic for me is when one can bring up tons of other questions/comments beyond just “What, that can’t happen!” Such as in the example you gave. “Where is he performing this?” “Does he get money for this type of ‘work’?” “How do you enter the field of juggling toilets and pee and poop?” “Where does one start?” and “Where can I sign up?” Ok, the last one is not asked as much.

I think cartoons such as the Far Side which I am a fan of but find them only telling only one joke. The joke is immediate and accessible. That is great and is the modus operandi of “normal” scatological humor; however I think my best stuff is that which makes the reader have some Dr. Sparkles of imagination.

The Modern Battleground has applesauce? Is that to complement the tanks made of ham?

Nice catch, absolutely.

Do you have a favorite El Greed strip?

Probably the Legion of Food Heroes one (ed note: this one isn’t in the book), because I spent some time afterwards thinking up other great heroes. Two examples: Hot Chili, who can burn through walls with his hot chili but it takes a while and he has to carry around a big pot of Chili everywhere so he can ladle it on things that need burning through. Cheesecake Mate, who is Australian and leaves graham cracker crust everywhere he walks. “Fancy some cheesecake on the barbie, Mate?