Brazen Marketing Overkill

Dick Nixon Experience Redux

More Dick Nixon Experience from the El Vocho party last July at the Mercury Cafe in San Francisco. Bean Song, Six Days on the Road, and You Got That Hair. Our drummer Jeff reports that his mom helped Dave Dudley write Six Days on the Road, no kidding!



Video by Norm Rosenberger

El Vocho Party, July 2010, with The Dick Nixon Experience

I held a publishing event last July 22 in San Francisco at the Mercury Cafe for my El Vocho graphic novel. My pal Scotty Hoover helped put together a pick up band, the Dick Nixon Experience, for the party. Another friend, Norm Rosenberger, shot this video of us playing the blue grass standard John Hardy. Thanks for the video clip, Norm!



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My new graphic novel El Vocho is currently in the Diamond Comics catalog: Page 290 of October Previews, order code OCT101061 EL VOCHO GN (MR). Diamond has listed El Vocho as “Certified Cool”.

Queens of the Underground

Here are a few more pics from the San Diego Comics Con of old. The spirit of the original Underground comics played forward and blossomed in some great indie/alt comics in the 80s and 90s. Other rich veins of comics history dove tailed with them as new forms and styles emerged.
As mentioned before, the parties were pretty good too. No, they were spectacular!


The Queens of the Underground, Dori Seda and Krystine Kryttre, 1987.


Bad Boy J.R. Williams laying it down on Dan O'Neill's banjo, 1987.


The brilliant original, J. Bradley Johnson in '95. I know it looks like he's about to shop for art supplies, but actually he is on his way to the Comic Con wedding of Rebecka Wright and Mario Hernandez!


Mary Fleener, the other Queen of the Underground, and Dave Scroggy. Look out Scroggy, she's about to play that old Beer/Portfolio trick on you! 1991?


Steve Lafler and J.R. Williams in 1989. Based on our poses, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I'm two beers ahead of J.R.



Reed Waller and writer Ricard Von Busack, either '89 or '91.

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I'm reposting this at my FB page in May, 2020. It's great to look at these old photos again. Needless to say, back in the late 80s, early 90s, us Alt/UG types went to San Diego looking for a VERY GOOD TIME! Yes, we'd be on the con floor by day hawking our books and making deals, but the NIGHT TIME WAS THE RIGHT TIME! Ha ha.

San Diego Comic Con '91

Here's a few pics from San Diego in '91

Jamie Alder, Dennis Worden, Mary Fleener and Wayno. Mary posted stacks of great con photos a couple years back, at this link.


Leslie Sternberg ready to party


J.R. Williams and his friend the Liquor Store man


Kate Worley exhorts Gary Groth: With that pony tail, you can move mountains!


Reed Waller and Kate Worley

Hmmmm... I realize I left out a lot of over the top party shots. Probably for the best! I don't want to piss anyone off, or in my case, make a fool of myself!

Return of the Son of San Diego

More pics from the San Diego of old.


J.R. Williams, Carol Lay, Stephen Beaupre, David Wilson in '91


Steve Lafler and Stephen Beaupre in 1990, somehow alive on Sunday


Kate Kane and Jackie Estrada, maybe '89


Jim Valentino, Lisa, Steve Lafler, Larry Mardur in '89.


Carol Lay and Dan O'Neill in '87

I think I have a few more to post kickin around...

Son of San Diego

Back in the dawn of pre-history (in this case, 1987), the San Diego Comic Con was different. First of all, the long-gone Hotel San Diego was haunted, thus providing a perfect setting for late late night parties. I rooted through a few old photos and came up with these gems.



J.R. Williams, Dan O'Neill and Larry Welz jammin' late.



Ron Turner and Gary Groth on the floor of the old Convention Center



Art Spiegelman and Don Donahue signing stuff



Dori Seda all dolled up



Paul Mavrides and Bob Crabb are still awake!

I'm gonna post more, this is fun. A little bit of comix history.

Comics Journal Steve Lafler interview parts 2 & 3

Part two of the Comics Journal interview with me.

Part three of the Comics Journal interview with me.

El Vocho, my new graphic novel, is in the next Diamond Comics Previews (their monthly catalog). The order code is OCT101061  EL VOCHO GN (MR)
The listing is on page 290 of Previews.

So there you go!

Here we are, fine with me.

Comics Journal Interview

The Comics Journal has posted a career retrospective interview with me at this link.

I was interviewed by Robert Clough.

It's part one of three.

Ripe Pineapple Drunk video

Just posted a Ripe Pineapple Drunk video to You Tube. The song is country punk. It's about the biodiversity of corn. And in an oblique way, it's about mezcal.

Don't Forget Dori Seda

Dori Seda was a really funny, unique cartoonist.




You can buy the wonderful collection of her work here from Last Gasp.

I should probably mention that much of her work was joyfully filthy.

Much of her early work was published in Robert Crumb's infamous anthology Weirdo. I loved it when I saw it, and wanted to meet the artist who created this meticulous, madcap stuff!

I did get to meet Dori, and became her friend. This was an instance where it was great to meet a hero of mine, who lived up to my expectations. She was hilarious, genuine, intense, mischievous, preposterous, witty and had talent to burn.

Dori passed away in 1988. Here's to the one and only Dori Seda.

Ballad of the Bug - The Video

I've posted a homemade video for Ballad of the Bug on you tube. Written by myself and Todd Spiehler, the tune is the official theme song for my new graphic novel El Vocho. The video captures the flavor of Oaxaca just enough to whet your appetite for a visit.

I'm not expecting to make it on to MTV, but I will say it's a lot of fun to put a little video together.



The one and only Mr. Todd Spiehler, with Bill Stair, another local musical genius, lurking in the background. Photo by Jeff Charles.

Enemies List

Hi, how's it going tonight? Me, I'm fine! I was just about to get busy composing my enemies list. But then something funny happened--I realized I don't aspire to have enemies. So no list.



As an undergraduate in the 70s, I read the books of Carlos Castaneda (along with everyone else that decade). Great stories they were, and by the way I always sidestepped the issue of whether they were true; I figured that was totally besides the point he was making with his extended narrative on Mexican Indian shamanism.

One of Castaneda's ideas that really stuck with me was the idea that a sorcerer needed a "worthy opponent" to boost his power. It still resonates with me. If someone cares to lock horns with me, it challenges me to figure out a solution to the problem at hand. Usually, a good starting point is to think like my opponent, look at the situation from their point of view. This enables me to understand the problem from a broader perspective. It also allows me a view to their potential moves in the conflict, and possible solutions.

The fact is, however, I really feel it is a waste of my time and energy to cultivate enemies. I prefer to solve problems and move on. Or, better yet, avoid creating problems out of situations that are really none too monumental to begin with.

This year, I was embroiled in a conflict with the committee that ran my daughter's preschool in Oaxaca. The solution was quite simple: A group of families, including mine, broke away to start our own preschool. We hired the wonderful teacher from the old one, and therein lies the root of the conflict. I am keenly aware that the members of the committee from the old preschool consider me an enemy. Honestly, I just don't have any energy to give them for their enemy project!

Note that I do not name these people or their school. That would be to cultivate them as enemies.

Finally, business conflicts such as this, with the hiring of the teacher, are just that: business. Nothing more, nothing less, certainly not cause for invective, name calling, insults and poison pen emails, along with outright lying and thieving, all of which I have been subject to at the hands of the old preschool committee.

Time to end this post, that last paragraph has me ready to start my enemies list!

Interview with Inkstuds

I did an interview with Robin McConnell / Inkstuds -- Robin is a broadcaster who specializes in interviewing indie and underground cartoonists.

Here is a link to the interview.

It is an honor to do an interviewer with a broadcaster of Robin's stature, and boy it's well timed too, as my new book El Vocho will be in the Diamond Comics catalog next month.

Ladies & Gentlemen, the Dick Nixon Experience

Here is the audio of the Dick Nixon Experience from the El Vocho publishing party at San Francisco's Mercury Cafe last night. Recording compliments of Sir Dave Soule. Scotty on bass, Jeff on Drums, Jon on electric guitar, Jeff 2 on fiddle and alto sax, Steve on acoustic guitar and vocals.

This Thurs Night!

I'll be at the Mercury Cafe in San Francisco this Thurs night with my new book El Vocho. We made two posters for the event!



Scott Hoover, our bass player, made this one and dubbed our band "The Dick Nixon Experience".

Here is my JACK BLACK SONG

Today, the great web zine This Zine Will Change Your Life debuted my new tune, Jack Black Song.
I did a comic for the zine too, click here to hear JACK BLACK SONG and read the comic.

This version of Jack Black Song was produced and arranged by my friend Bill Stair, one of the guys I play with on Thursday nights in Oaxaca. Bill has worked professionally as a bass player and recording engineer -- this guy has actually stood on stage at the legendary CBGB's in New York and laid down the law in thundering tones with his bass guitar. Many thanks go to Bill for making me sound competent!

Thanks also to publisher Ben Tanzer for including me in TZWCYL, a maverick literary zine that I'm very proud to appear in.

New Waldorf Inspired School in Oaxaca

My wife Serena and I are on to a new adventure (as usual!). We are part of a group that is opening a Waldorf inspired school here in Oaxaca, starting in late August. Serena has posted a description of the school and curriculum on her blog, Have You Seen the Dog Lately.

We are looking to give our kids a crack at a fine education, without a lot of the toxic programming inherent in traditional models.

El Vocho is Here

Finally, my new graphic novel El Vocho is available! You can order it from my lulu page via this link for $12.00 + postage.

It is not in stores yet, but I'll be hawking it on my summer tour, and Top Shelf Productions (publisher of my BugHouse trilogy of graphic novels) will have it available at their booth at comic conventions this summer.

I'm developing the whole publishing picture for this book on a DIY/grass roots basis, working with my contacts in the indy/alt comics world, and will be posting details as I put them together.

Improved Ballad of the Bug & west coast tour dates

I've been working with producer/arranger Bill Stair and we put together a tight, bright version of Ballad of the Bug. This is the theme song for my upcoming graphic novel El Vocho, written by myself and my pal Todd Spiehler.

Have a listen:



(My music posting program considers the file a video, thus the big blank box.)

I've confirmed publishing events for my graphic novel El Vocho as follows:

Reading Frenzy, Portland Oregon, July 15th (time TBA)

Mercury Cafe, San Francisco, July 22nd, 7:30 p.m.

I'll have copies of El Vocho for sale, and will be rocking with my guitar on both occasions. David Perkin will play percussion in Portland, and I'll be joined on bass by Scotty Hoover in San Francisco, along with a drummer and lead guitarist.

I think my four year old just woke up!!! Better post now...