Difference between revisions of "David St. Albans"

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'''David St. Albans''' is the editor and publisher of [[HUH? Magazine: The Journal of Neo-Confusionism]].
 
'''David St. Albans''' is the editor and publisher of [[HUH? Magazine: The Journal of Neo-Confusionism]].
  
I began my artistic pursuits at the age of four, drawing in the end papers of my father's precious Encyclopedia Britannica. I drew monsters, dragons, tanks, planes, and lots of weird things. After he gave me a sketch pad I proceeded to fill one after another with my dreams and visions. However along the way certain authority figures turned me away from my campaign to legitimize cartoon art and bkier, surfer and hot-rodder art with Modern Art, saying that such things simply "were not right." Instead of me people like Robt. Williams in California were going to make that dream come true. When I was 13 (1969)I moved from Chicago, IL to South Pasadena, California. There I saw the the true culmination of the Hippie-Psychedelic art renaissance. (Only a part of which I was able to view in some headshops in Chicago's Old Town, where I procured my first "head comix" in the Chicago Seed and East Village Other...)
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St. Albans began his quest to get into the field of comics in 1970, after going insane for the works of R. Crumb and Robt. Williams in ''Zap Comix'' . At age 14 he quickly produced "Dick Steel...the man with the Steel Dick!" in high school. After high school he wandered the country for six months as a homeless vagabond, gaining incredible experiences. Upon returning to California to attend Pasadena City College he became involved with another artist who wanted to put out his own comic. It was called "Fantastic Comics No. 1." for which he did several J.R.R. Tolkien illustrations in pen and ink, and produced a Conan the Barbarian homage , since the character was supposed to be Conan's son, called "Drakonak: Adventurer in the Western World!" This was his first officially printed, bound and distributed piece. His fellow artist had literally sunk about $500.00 of his own money into the project. Unfortunately he didn't realize the distributors would demand much more than that, so the comic never did fly.
  
I had began my quest for getting into this field in 1970 when, after going insane for the works of R. Crumb and Robt. Williams in Zap comix which I bought at the "Free Press Bookstore" in Pasadena. At age 14 I quickly produced "Dick Steel...the man with the Steel Dick!" in high school. (South Pasadena, Senior High, So. Pas. CA.) My UG art career began in earnest as I produced reams of material, including some of the first "Scary Clown" drawings ever done. Of course being a high school kid it took me years of practice with regulation pen and ink techniques (didn't even have a Rapidograph pen then...)to become even amateurishly acceptable. After high school I wandered the country for six months as a homeless vagabond, gaining incredible experiences. When I returned to California to attend Pasadena City College I quickly became involved with another artist who wanted to put out his own comic. It was called "Fantastic Comics No. 1." I did several J.R.R. Tolkien illustrations in my hypnotically detailed pen and ink, and produced a Conan the Barbarian knock-off...well homage really, since my character was supposed to be Conan's son...called Drakonak: Adventurer in the Western World!" This was my first officially printed, bound and distributed piece. My fellow artist had literally suck about $500.00 of his own money into the project. Unfortunately he didn't realize the distributors would demand much more than that. So the comic never did fly.
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This event, however, compelled him to go searching for alternate venues to publish he work. He fell upon the Fantasy/Science Fiction and Horror world, which was doing a lot of self-published and small press magazines, some of which included the now famous Etchings and Odysseys. He began doing spot illustrations and even cover work for these magazines. He also discovered the art of Scrimshaw at this time and became a professional ivory engraver for over 13 years, perfecting his drawing talents as he went. He put out two or three poetry chapbooks which included his illustrations, as well as doing some short stories in the fantasy/horror market. His wayward life got him involved with people like Harry O. Morris ([[Nyctalops]]) (who was the first person he ever knew to do any sort of computer graphics), R. A. Everts, and Rick Baker  who got him in touch with his hero from the 60's, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. He also finally got to meet Robt. Williams and even Timothy Leary because of these connections. Eventually he wound up in Albuquerque where Harry O. Morris lived and fell in with the science fiction and fantasy crowd there.
  
This even however made me go searching for alternate venues to publish my work. I fell upon the Fantasy/Science Fiction and Horror world, which was doing a lot of self-published and small press magazines, some of which included the now famous Etchings and Odysseys. I made a great deal of headway doing spot illustrations and even cover work for these magazines. the list is too long to enter here. I also discovered the art of Scrimshaw at this time and became a professional ivory engraver for over 13 years, perfecting my drawing talents as I went. I put out two or three poetry chapbooks with my "illos" (as I called my illustrations)as well as doing some short stories in the fantasy/horror market. My wayward life got me involved with people like Harry O. Morris (who was the first person I ever knew to do any sort of computer graphics), R. A. Everts, and Rick Baker (?) who actually got me in touch with my hero from the 60's Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. I also finally got to meet Robt. Williams and even Timothy Leary because of these connections. Eventually, seeking a Western style life I wound up in Albuquerque where Harry O. Morris lived and fell in with the science fiction and fantasy crowd there.
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By 1993 St. Albans had decided to come up with his own 'zine. This was the birth of ''HUH? Magazine'', dedicated to the weirdos he had been meeting throughout my life; people who were anti-Semites who invented anti-gravity machines, crystal waving UFO nuts, alternative street artists who had already gone "over the edge" on drugs and shamanism. He decided to make it a combination of cut & paste Surreal/Dadaist text with artwork by himself and other locals, some of whom were on his "odd-ball" list.
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''HUH? The Journal of Neo-Confusionism'' started with Vol1. No.0 under the "Dead Horse Comic Publishers" Logo. This was a black and white, 7.5 X 10.0 format 'zine that included 11 pages plus cover. It is highly detailed and features a lot of ideas that were far ahead of their time. St. Albans produced five  of these 'zines from #0 - #4. The last one; The Depression Issue, came out after he had suffered a nervous breakdown 1n 1995. All these were published under the "Baked Trilobite Publishers" label. During this time, he also put out several other comics; "Coyotero: All Southwest Comics" "Comics for Aliens On Earth" "Aliens In The House" and "Illegal Aliens: JIVE." He was also putting out the SWAC newsletter as well. His work was showing up in other 'zines as well, included [[Road to Hell]] and [[Not My Small Diary]].
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====Zines====
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*[[HUH? Magazine: The Journal of Neo-Confusionism]]
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====Contributions====
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*[[Not My Small Diary]]
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*[[Road To Hell]]
  
By 1993 I had decided to come up with my own 'zine and see if I could get it in some people's hands. this was the birth of HUH? Magazine, dedicated to the weirdos I had been meeting throughout my life. People who were anti-Semites who invented anti-gravity machines, crystal waving UFO nuts, alternative street artists who had already gone "over the edge" on drugs and shamanism. I had met so many of these odd balls that I felt a 'zine dedicated to them would be very cool, following along with the trend of "Outsider Art."
 
  
 
[[Category:Zinester]]
 
[[Category:Zinester]]

Latest revision as of 03:03, 20 October 2013

David St. Albans is the editor and publisher of HUH? Magazine: The Journal of Neo-Confusionism.

St. Albans began his quest to get into the field of comics in 1970, after going insane for the works of R. Crumb and Robt. Williams in Zap Comix . At age 14 he quickly produced "Dick Steel...the man with the Steel Dick!" in high school. After high school he wandered the country for six months as a homeless vagabond, gaining incredible experiences. Upon returning to California to attend Pasadena City College he became involved with another artist who wanted to put out his own comic. It was called "Fantastic Comics No. 1." for which he did several J.R.R. Tolkien illustrations in pen and ink, and produced a Conan the Barbarian homage , since the character was supposed to be Conan's son, called "Drakonak: Adventurer in the Western World!" This was his first officially printed, bound and distributed piece. His fellow artist had literally sunk about $500.00 of his own money into the project. Unfortunately he didn't realize the distributors would demand much more than that, so the comic never did fly.

This event, however, compelled him to go searching for alternate venues to publish he work. He fell upon the Fantasy/Science Fiction and Horror world, which was doing a lot of self-published and small press magazines, some of which included the now famous Etchings and Odysseys. He began doing spot illustrations and even cover work for these magazines. He also discovered the art of Scrimshaw at this time and became a professional ivory engraver for over 13 years, perfecting his drawing talents as he went. He put out two or three poetry chapbooks which included his illustrations, as well as doing some short stories in the fantasy/horror market. His wayward life got him involved with people like Harry O. Morris (Nyctalops) (who was the first person he ever knew to do any sort of computer graphics), R. A. Everts, and Rick Baker who got him in touch with his hero from the 60's, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. He also finally got to meet Robt. Williams and even Timothy Leary because of these connections. Eventually he wound up in Albuquerque where Harry O. Morris lived and fell in with the science fiction and fantasy crowd there.

By 1993 St. Albans had decided to come up with his own 'zine. This was the birth of HUH? Magazine, dedicated to the weirdos he had been meeting throughout my life; people who were anti-Semites who invented anti-gravity machines, crystal waving UFO nuts, alternative street artists who had already gone "over the edge" on drugs and shamanism. He decided to make it a combination of cut & paste Surreal/Dadaist text with artwork by himself and other locals, some of whom were on his "odd-ball" list.

HUH? The Journal of Neo-Confusionism started with Vol1. No.0 under the "Dead Horse Comic Publishers" Logo. This was a black and white, 7.5 X 10.0 format 'zine that included 11 pages plus cover. It is highly detailed and features a lot of ideas that were far ahead of their time. St. Albans produced five of these 'zines from #0 - #4. The last one; The Depression Issue, came out after he had suffered a nervous breakdown 1n 1995. All these were published under the "Baked Trilobite Publishers" label. During this time, he also put out several other comics; "Coyotero: All Southwest Comics" "Comics for Aliens On Earth" "Aliens In The House" and "Illegal Aliens: JIVE." He was also putting out the SWAC newsletter as well. His work was showing up in other 'zines as well, included Road to Hell and Not My Small Diary.

Zines

Contributions