James Jean and big brother
I’m the oldest 33-year-old I know. Far from being like the young-at-heart, I feel old — not wise, mind you — but jaded, pissed off, recalcitrant and with a fixed expression that’s a mix of “What next?” and “Can I get refund?” Can’t deny that I’ve been luckier than most but it seems that my mindset’s always been wired to dwell on the downside. (Even generous helpings of Lithium and Paroxetine haven’t helped much, though I’d be wary of not having them at arm’s length.) I could say more but you get the general idea.
Right after Ondoy happened, we had Jiggy and Jonty Cruz as guests on our radio program, RockEd Radio. These two brothers — the grandchildren of Ninoy and Cory Aquino, nephews of Liberal Party presidential bet Noynoy — immediately charmed all of us — RockEd executive director Gang Badoy, legendary DJ Myrene Academia, soon-to-be-legendary DJ Patti Malay and RH mama-san Earnest Zabala. It wasn’t their famous lineage that impressed us but really rather the character of the brothers themselves. Unassuming and with no airs, they also talked straight and candid about their enthusiasms. In short, they were nice guys (even if it seems so banal to point out but it isn’t as common as people think.) Added to that, they’re smart and have taste too, which is even a rarer these days than being “nice.” Fancying myself as an inspiration to the youth, I liked them enough to put them to work.
Acclaimed comics artist James Jean recently visited the country to do book signings and give talks. Sponsored by Fully Booked (who’ve brought in other luminaries in the comics field like Neil Gaiman and Ben Templesmith) he had a meet-and-greet with his local fans last weekend. The kind folks from Fully Booked scheduled me a slot for an interview with the artist himself. But comics and art are very far from my mind these days, given recent events — most especially the inaction of authorities in the investigation of the murder of RockEd member and “little brother” Alexis Tioseco and his girlfriend Nika Bohinc in his home on Times Street. But, “life — in all its disgusting glory — goes on” as ex-Smith Morrissey told a crowd during a concert this year. It was then that I remembered that the Cruz brothers (as we lovingly call them) were comics fanatics. Maybe they’d like to come along?
They sure as hell did. And they did the interview as well.
Here are some excerpts:
JONTY CRUZ: So what was the hardest comic cover you had to do?
JAMES JEAN: Probably the first Fables cover, because there was a whole committee involved with everyone having their own opinions and I was caught in the middle, trying to satisfy all the demands.
JC: Your art tends to lean toward the more surreal. Have you ever dreamed of any of your works?
Dreamed of it? No. I usually don’t recall my dreams. It’s usually when I’m awake, so maybe it’s more of a waking dream.
JIGGY CRUZ: What’s with the art with no eyes?
I think through art history. There’s this thing about the gaze of Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa’s gaze and the gaze of whatever subject you’re painting. I think it’s a way for me to engage the character because when you have a pair of eyes, you know it’s like another window into their soul. But I want the picture to be the window itself. I don’t want the person to actually become a person; I want the picture to be this evocative subconscious landscape. I don’t know if that makes sense but I think that it’s easier to engage the whole picture instead of just getting lost in the eyes of one single character and I don’t like making characters in paintings. I want the characters not to have a personality but to somehow be a metaphor or a different idea.
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In short, they did my job for me. But what’s more, they made me want to play big brother again. They were happy so I was happy as well. I guess that’s a good thing to have.
Anyway, read their full interviews on RockEd Radio’s website (rockedradio.com) as well as well as their articles in Uno magazine and the Philippines Free Press. Yup, I’ve hired them and with tight deadlines too! (We’ll see how nice those two are after that.) After all, isn’t that what love’s all about?
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Tune in to RockEd Radio every Thursday, 9-11 p.m. on NU 107.5.
