About this episode
In an extraordinarily rare interview, artist Raymond Pettibon discusses his journey, from early punk rock works to present day artistic themes, technique and rhythms, the Getty archives and more. Topics Include: Raymond Pettibon has been drawing constantly since childhood, "always with a pen in hand" Started with crayons, pastels, pencil - India ink came later as too messy Early influences included Albrecht Dürer, etchings, and comic book art equally Self-taught artist who learned through trial and error, never attended art school Studied economics in college, bringing analytical thinking to his art practice Approaches work as fine art, not commercial art, values creative freedom Rarely takes commissions - the more constraints, the less he likes it Band artwork usually selected from existing drawings rather than commissioned pieces Black Flag's "Nervous Breakdown" images came from his "Captive Chains" book Artwork inspired by "Blackboard Jungle" film - students destroying teacher's jazz records Has experience teaching, can identify with teacher-student conflicts from that period Left SST Records in 1985-86 due to oppressive environment Describes certain subjects he returns to repeatedly over the decades Works on multiple drawings simultaneously, some remaining unfinished for years Enters a meditative "fugue state" when drawing or writing Never experiences artist's block - blank paper doesn't intimidate him Believes he can write about any subject with natural fluency Doesn't plan series - they develop organically through returning to themes Sometimes works directly on gallery walls during exhibitions for coherence Used to work all day and night when deeply engaged Dislikes deadlines - they make work harder, not easier for him Sees deadlines as triggering psychological rebellion despite wanting to please collectors Hates when people s
