Taken from the title of a Weird Al Yankovic song that was written in the style of Devo, Dare to Be Stupid is a collection of poster art created by Chicago artist Ryan Duggan that has just been published by Hozac Records.
Created by Duggan in his Drug Factory Press studio between 2006 and 2014, the book features posters from some of the most interesting bands of the time, including Thee Oh Sees, the Black Lips, Ty Segall, Vivian Girls, and Guided By Voices.
Videos by VICE
We sent Ryan some questions to find out more about his posters and studio.
Noisey: You say that ‘ugly arts’ such as wood shop, metal shop are more fun than fine art. Would you say the same thing about music? There’s nothing pretty about Pissed Jeans or the Melvins.
Ryan Duggan: I would certainly agree that being in any band is a lesson in humility. Like most artistic endeavors, it’s hard work, and you don’t make enough money for it to make sense, but you just keep doing it anyway. A number of the posters in the book are from shows I played in one of my past bands. Being in a band and being surrounded by musicians is what pushed me into this medium ten years ago.
Your studio was named Drug Factory Press as the setup was more akin to a meth lab than an art studio. But things have changed right?
My studio has certainly evolved over the years. My practice is way more efficient and legitimate than it used to be, but I’m still very much DIY in how I work. My studio is in my home, I print all my work by hand, I make most of my films by hand, and I even trim the paper by hand. Doing things DIY has made me able to call art a full-time job. I don’t have a lot of overhead, and I’m very self-sustaining. A lot of people think you have to have a big, beautiful studio to take on a lot of projects, but for me it’s all about making it work with what I have.
Did you attend all the gigs/tours that you did posters for. Do you have a favorite show?
Certainly not, haha. As is the case with any poster artist, I do plenty of work for bands I don’t listen to. Of course I cherish working with bands I like and love to see the actual show, but it doesn’t happen as often as you’d think. Getting to see Henry Rollins at Fun Fun Fun Fest back in 2011 was cool. I have a signed copy of the poster I made for him hanging in my office.
‘Dare to Be Stupid: The Poster Art of Ryan Duggan and Drug Factory Press 2006 -2014’ is avaialble now from HoZac Records.
