Me, If I Were Radiohead's "The Bends"

Radiohead is, like, the greatest band ever. Except maybe the Beatles. I vacillate. At the very least, Radiohead took up the Beatles' banner, continuing in their spirit of musical experimentation and fearless innovation. But in lyrical content, I have to give the edge to Thom Yorke. Radiohead isn't saddled with the psuedo-stories of a Paul McCartney, and who doesn't enjoy an awesome song about alienation, isolation, techno-shock or rabbit diseases?

One of my favorite things about Radiohead is the way they marry graphic arts with their music. Stanley Donwood, Radiohead's artist friend, has created some incredible images... from the dreary collages of "Ok Computer" to the icy compu-landscapes of "Kid A" to the battered library books of "Amnesiac" to the info-overload street maps of "Hail To The Thief." Stan Donwood also worked with Yorke on the cover of "The Bends," Radiohead's second album. It was made, apparently, by morphing Thom Yorke's face onto a photograph of a medical dummy. It's not my favorite of Radiohead's album covers, but it was the easiest to make look like me.

Me, If I Were A Communist Leader Portrayed On State Propaganda

This could be considered the one that started this whole obsession for me...

As the universal health care debate rages on, I've become increasingly annoyed with people chucking the word "socialism" out there like so much confetti. It's silly. I feel like we've thrown back to the era of McCarthy when communism and socialism were these terrible evils out to destroy the world.

Since a lot of my viewpoints were being criticized as socialist, I decided to change my Facebook profile picture to reflect that. So I drew myself in the style of an old Russian state propaganda poster. I wasn't sure I could convey the look, but I was so pleased the results that I started to wonder what I would look like as other things...

So this is, in essence, the debut of the whole concept. Looking at it now, it seems a little primitive to what I've made after, but that makes me happy. It means I'm getting better.

Me, If I Were The Giant From "Twin Peaks"

Remember "Twin Peaks"? If you're a lot younger than me, probably not... because I barely remember it. But I DO remember renting the first seven episodes with my ex-girlfriend, like, ten years ago. The mix of soap opera and surrealism really appealed to me... how many prime time dramas have backwards dancing cosmic dwarfs and girl-hunting demons named "Bob"? Not enough, I tell you what.

When Bob, the demon who (spoiler alert!) killed Laura Palmer strikes a second time in the town of Twin Peaks, Special Agent Dale Cooper sees this crazy big blue-white giant (in a red bow tie) telling him that it's happening again. It's one of my favorite scenes in a series absolutely cram packed with awesomeness.



So here's me as the giant... I was tempted to draw myself as the backwards dancing cosmic space dwarf, but, as the dwarf explains, they're both the same guy anyways.

Me, If I Were Heath Ledger's Version of The Joker From "The Dark Knight"

I absolutely LOVED Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight." Aside from Christian Bale's ridiculously annoying Batman voice, it was a pretty great film. The best part, of course, was the creepshow performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker. Now, I'm not even a huge Batman fan... I'm a Marvel Comics sort of kid. But The Joker is awesome. He's all crazy and green haired and giggly... Plus, y'know, he's got the creepy make-up. (Or not make-up? I've seen it both ways... like sometimes the Joker's face was dyed white by, like falling in a playing card factory acid vat or something. But in the movie, he's this sort of scarred up freakwad who applies facepaint quite haphazardly.) And he's loony. And sinister. And murderous. He's really quite dark for someone with the word "joke" right in his name.

Anyways, he looks way cool, and I got to thinkin', "Hey! I wouldn't mind lookin' as way cool as Heath Ledger's version of The Joker from "The Dark Knight." So I drew this. Just a little bit ago.

I struggled with the goatee.

Me, If I Were One Of The Kennedy Clan

So, in memory of Senator Ted Kennedy, I present this quick sketch of me, if I were one of the Kennedy clan.