Lethargic Artist grew up in Lidsville, California and was raised by Bugaloos. He's got quite a knack for harvesting Wonderbugs. While attending the University of Television Arts & Sciences in the sixties, he wrote a now legendary thesis on Ted Bessell. These days Lethargic is probably more well known for his delightful window murals at Vidiots, and for publishing a coloring book that scares children. It was my great honor to enjoy a burger with him once. Let's see how he's doing, shall we?
Is Lethargic Arts your real name?
Yes!
How are you feeling?
Anxious, angry, sad, depressed, and....lethargic. But also grateful for the roof over my head and the food in the fridge.
Have you been self-quarantining? How many days? If not, why
not?
About two weeks now, except for one quick grocery run. Now I’m trying to just have everything delivered.
When did it hit you how serious this was?
About a month ago, but I think I was still a bit in denial.
Have you had cancelled shows as a result?
Well, my work is still up at Fingerprints in Long Beach, but the place is closed for the duration.
What have you been doing with the downtime?
Sleeping, watching bad movies, and sleeping some more.
Are you not finding current events inspiring?
Even though I draw and paint a lot of monsters and horror icons, there’s nothing about this scare-fest that inspires me.
What has been the most challenging part of this for
you?
Worrying about my friends and loved ones, especially those working in the medical field or having to care for older relatives. I’m an introvert and lazy. I can handle staying home. But a lot of folks don’t have the luxury of being able to do that.
What are your coping mechanisms?
Sleep, sleep, and more sleep. And also, sleep. If you’re having trouble sleeping, I recommend sleep. And sleep is also helpful. masturbation. Did I mention sleep?
Truly lethargic then? Okay. Is there a thing/place you wish you could do/go but can't
right now?
I love going to the movies, and then out to eat with friends. I’ll be really happy when that’s something I can do again.
Done any binge watching? Any recommendations (books, films.
TV, games)?
I’m watching a lot of crappy TV movies from the 70s and 80s on YouTube and Prime. Starflight One with Lee Majors and Hal Linden was pretty enjoyable. Sadly, True Grit the Further Adventures with Warren Oates as Rooster Cogburn was kind of a dud.
Favorite work of art in Los Angeles?
I really like that hideous ballerina clown in Venice. But the Watts Towers is my favorite piece of public art.
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| Clownerina |
What song is stuck in your head right now (commercial
jingles totally count)?
"I Shall Be Released", because I just watched The Last Waltz.
Favorite brand of toilet paper and where do you find
it?
I don’t use toilet paper. I used dried corn cobs like my ancestors before me. When those run out, I use sandpaper. OK, fine. Cottonelle.
If you could hoard one food item, what would it be?
Cheese. Although I have BBQ potato chips being delivered this week and I’m really stupidly excited about it.
Oh, I get it. Cheese, man, cheese.
How do you think this all ends?
Not soon enough, and not well for a lot of people. I suspect this will last a lot longer than most people think, and that we will be feeling the impact for years. I’m hoping we can learn from this to at least not take so much for granted.
Follow Lethargic Artist (aka Patrick McGilligan) on IG and buy his art. Also head over to the Vidiots site and donate to a great fucking cause!
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| McGilligan actually hates hot dogs. |
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| Even in the face of imminent death by a gamma radiated stork, McGilligan held on to his iced coffee. |
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