Virtual Memories Show 389:
Woodrow Phoenix
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Who’s driving whom? With Crash Course (Street Noise Books), British cartoonist, artist and designer Woodrow Phoenix examines what cars do to us: physically, mentally, and environmentally. We talk about the evolution of Crash Course, the stint in LA that inspired it, the visual and design choices that make it a haunting piece of art, and how he reconciles driving his Mini Cooper One. We also get into growing up in South London, what being Black means in the UK and US, his compulsion to experiment with styles, why he sticks with pencils and inks, and his typography and design background and how they inform the semiotics of Crash Course. Plus, he nerds out HARD for Carmine Infantino, we nerd out together for Al Hirschfeld, and we try to figure out why his recurring themes are duplication, language, perception and the shifting nature of reality. Oh, and I try to get him to spend a lot of money on bookshelves. Give it a listen! And go read Crash Course!
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About our Guest
Woodrow Phoenix is a writer, an artist, and a designer whose work has appeared in publications across Europe, Japan and the US. His previous books include Plastic Culture: How Japanese Toys Conquered the World, Felt Mistress: Creature Couture, and the giant graphic novel She Lives. Woodrow grew up in South London after his parents emigrated to the UK from Guyana. He lived for some time in the US in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. He currently lives and works in both London and Cambridge, and spends a lot of time driving between them in his Mini Cooper One. His new book is Crash Course.
Follow Woodrow on Twitter.
Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded remotely via Zencastr. I used a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone
