Those of us who normally run the shipping department here at Justseeds will all be in Europe for the next 3-5 weeks for a number of events and a little bit of exploring. We’ve hired our friend Artnoose to keep the whole dirigible in the air in our absence, so if you order something from our store in September/October, she’ll be packing it (wholesale customers should be the only people who may have to wait longer than usual)! Artnoose is a Pittsburgh-based printer known mostly for her bi-monthly letterpress zine Ker-Bloom!, which she’s been doing for the last 15 years. She also does custom letterpress invitations through Deep Ink Letterpress. If you’re in the Pittsburgh area on Sundays, stop in to the office (we’re open 2-6pm) and say hello! In the meantime, we sat down for a silly, Tigerbeat Magazine-inspired interview with Artnoose right before we left – read below…
What were you like in high school?
I was super quiet, especially in class. I listened to a lot of goth music and “alternative” stuff. I had three slightly overlapping friendship groups: the AP kids, the drama club kids, and the goths/punks (they kind of hung out together at my school). I had two best friends for most of high school— we once took the full spread cover to the Bauhaus album Mask and drew an exact replica across the front of three white t-shirts so that when we were together we’d have the whole image.
Where did the name Artnoose come from?
The short version is that it’s Dutch. The longer version is that a long time ago I needed a name for doing anonymous art and ended up with a take-off of Art News magazine, which happened to be nearby. Over the years people started using it in place of my legal name. I wrote a longer narrative in Ker-bloom! issue #55, which I ran out of years ago so you might never find it.
Why do you make a zine?
When you’ve been doing something for a long time, it’s hard to stop, especially when your identity gets wrapped up in it. At this point, I think it’s a two-part thing: it’s my way of communicating what’s happening in my life with the outside world, and it’s also the access point through which people communicate with me.
Why do you letterpress your zine?
Originally it was because it was the machine I had the most access to. Very quickly (and by that I mean over the course of a couple of years) it became a “letterpress zine” which meant that I couldn’t imagine changing formats without calling it something else. It’s extremely time-consuming, but at the same time if nothing else it keeps me letterpress printing on a regular basis. It would definitely be an entirely different animal if I didn’t letterpress print it.
What is the most ridiculous thing you have letterpressed…
Once just to “prove” to a friend that giant lizard monsters were Korean, I wrote an elaborate comic story about how their ethnic heritage was suppressed during the Japanese annexation, and then I produced a hardcover, accordion fold, eight-color letterpress printed edition of books. That showed him!
…done for the sake of romance?
I moved to Pittsburgh. Talk about ridiculous.
…done for your birthday?
I convinced people to ghost ride the whip with me last year and then made a sweet YouTube video. It’s hilarious.
What is your favorite music? What album can’t you put down right now?
Most of the music I listen to is generally punk-based. My musical taste has gotten harsher and more metallic over the past few years. Right now though, I can’t stop listening to The Vaselines, and I get their songs stuck in my head a lot.
What are you reading?
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Do you thrash? What, when thrashing, do you thrash?
I started skateboarding a lot this year. I skate the Polish Hill park the most, although my favorite is the one in Wheeling, West Virginia. I’ve only been there once but want to go back.
Speaking of thrashing, goofy or regular stance?
Goofy.
Who are your top 5 crushes?
The true answer would be five friends of mine who will never crush me back, so I’ll refrain from blowing their cover and instead name celebrity crushes: Matt Damon, Queen Latifah, Bjork, Mos Def, and China Mieville.
What describes your ideal date?
Vegan, straight edge, and over thirty.
What’s your favorite thing to order at Spak Brothers Pizza?
Vegan seitan melt with buffalo sauce, speaking of which, now I’m hungry.
