Introducing... Biff! Bang! Pow!

by Alexander Lenz

Darren Grealish has been designing posters since 2001. He currently works out of his Biff! Bang! Pow! Studios in Portland, Oregon. He is currently on the road in Europe and this interview is being updated as it happens. Darren is also writing a tour journal of his art adventures whilst gallivanting about.

Lenz: Why posters? Why/when did you decide to pursue this as a career? Surely there are more lucrative ways to create art for a living?

Grealish: When I was in High School 1981 to 1985 I was introduced to 1960's music as well as Punk Rock by an English kid who had just moved to the States. He was a Mod. That fascinated me. He turned me onto like some of the best music of all time. I became a student of Rock and Roll history literally and naturally the posters, graphics and album art from those early stages of rock and roll blew my mind. I used to just stare at like Led Zeppelin covers and wonder who the hell the cat was who got paid to do this weird wonderful shit. I'd love to do that! So I always had this deep seated love for graphics and art. Especially music related. So as I got a bit older I started seeing all the Kozik, Coop and Robert Williams stuff and I distinctly remember laughing and chuckling when I would see some posters they did. I mean the art was so fantastic and it hit a nerve with me. It was like "I get it". Finally some weird ass art that seemed to be designed through the same distorted lens that I was looking through to see the world. I was sold. I still remember like it was yesterday the times where I would be in a record store and see some Kozik piece and chuckle out loud. The folks in the store would look at me like I was some weirdo laughing and mumbling to myself . The seed had been watered some more. All my life as a kid I was the guy who everyone went to for flyers for their band. I also got so fed up with working for other people that it just seemed logical to start banging out some real posters and see what happened. I had an amazing response from the public. I'll never forget the first poster I sold. A light went on in my head. I started making the same amount of money doing posters as what I was making doing graphic design at a design shop. Then I up and quit my job and that allowed me all that extra time to get 100% into it. It paid off. I'm making better cash now than I ever made working for someone else and it's consistent. Posters also bring in the bigger cash gigs like album covers and merchandise/logos etc. Posters are like a big ass business card. They make the phone ring.

Lenz: The bedroom shrine to Led Zeppelin... Must be a prerequisite for a lot of teenage boys. You remember the first band flyer/poster that you created that set you on your path?

Grealish: I would have to say a poster for a band in LA called the Flash Express. I was working at a graphics shop and I was creating it while me boss would leave the room. Anyway, a graphic designer named Mark London saw what I had up on my monitor and said "who did that?" I told him it was me and he told me I should quit my job and do this full time. That was a moment of clarity for me. Two weeks later I split my job and never looked back. I no longer have the image but it was black and white but very psychedelic. It was a jumbo jet coming out at you all bubbly with stripes and little people falling out of the plane. I really would have loved to do that up in full color but they had a zero budget.

Lenz: You are headed to Europe, why?

Grealish: I've been invited over to Utrecht/Amsterdam ARC Record convention as their "Special guest". I'll be having a massive booth and I just hope I brought enough stuff to sell. They're going to eat it up due their heavy appetite for this type of American Rock Art. I also have several meetings in London that should turn out to be very interesting. I also have never been over so I'll be absorbing the entire experience. It's a childhood dream of mine to make it over to Europe but never had the means. This trip is 100% due to my poster art and that makes me feel good. Like the hard work is paying off.

Lenz: You mentioned Kozik, Coop and Williams as Artists that really turned you on when you were younger. Where do you draw your inspirations and influences from these days? Also, if you wouldn't mind, what is the process you go through as an artist when designing a poster for a Musician or Band?

Grealish: There are so many extremely talented people out there right now. I really get that laughter effect when I see the Print Mafia's stuff. The things they do always get a reaction from me. I love their Donny and Marie White Stripes poster. This is a trick question. I love so many peoples art. Way too many to mention. I study the hell out of 'em. I get more inspiration these days from books.

I either get contacted by the venue or the management. We agree on the amount of the size of the edition, I ship the band their posters, they send me an art fee and we all become a happy little family. It's pretty easy stuff but a lot of emailing and phone conversations.

Lenz: I think you misunderstood me, what is your design process for when you get hired to do a print? You study the make up of the band, the history, their music, etc? I know that some managers send piles of stuff to artist's when they hire them to do poster work.

Grealish: I always do research on the band if I don't know them very well. The band usually sends me their CD and website info. You'll get t-shirts, several records/CD's, stickers etc. I just try and find the bands vibe and maybe some key things about the band and incorporate that into the design somehow.

Tour Journal Entry #1

April 12, 2004: Had a great time in Los Angeles. More business and more pleasure. I depart in 3 hours and have never been more ready. I'll drop in when I get to London and keep you all posted on the daily activities and mayhem.

Tour Journal Entry #2

April 19, 2004:The convention is over finally! It was such a success and I've been invited back for the next one in December. The Dutch were extremely receptive to Rock Poster art. The people went nuts over the whole thing. I purchased some goodies at other peoples booths like the original paper Rolling Stone when Jimi Hendrix died and some rare vinyl. We then dropped in to the Red Light District for some night action and we got it! That place is a den of sin. I took so many amazing photos. Oh, Holland has the largest concentration of mullets I have ever had the pleasure to see. Mullets everywhere! I leave back to London in a few hours. We're going to Camden and doing some more sightseeing. I am getting interviewed by the NME Music paper in London as well. BEST QUOTE AT THE CONVENTION:"Do you have any Uriah Heap posters?" - Customer at the ARC convention.

Check out more of Darren's work!

Written on April 12th, 2004