The Little Things
+Deadpool, Howard Chaykin & Jen Ferguson
It was the early 1990s and I was a freelance artist desperate for regular work (some things never change). A college mate, a working actor who waited tables, got me a bus boy job at a fancy bar/restaurant he worked at in Soho, NY. It was very close to where I lived on Thompson Street between Spring and Broome at the time. My upstairs neighbor was writer David Sedaris.
The bus boy job felt menial and bereft but quickly turned into an unexpected challenge of creating order while navigating chaos every shift. When I was a kid, some people used to say, "Everyone should be forced to join the army for a year and serve their country." After busing tables and becoming a waiter and, eventually an expediter (the critical nexus between kitchen, wait staff and customers), my feeling was "Everyone should be forced to serve people their food for a year." You learn a lot about humanity when dealing with their stomachs.
As a bus boy, it was my job to set up approximately twenty tables. That meant cutting sheets of paper to lay over the tables. Arrange candles, Ketchup, salt and pepper. Fold and place cloth napkins. Place forks to the left. Knives to the right. Position water glasses and plates with the business logo emblazoned in the middle. Cut butter cubes and plop them into ceramic ramekins so they warm up in time for the proposed lunch deluge. Sweep the floor.
The co-owner, an enigmatic man with long, curly black hair and dark, John Lennon eyeglasses (he had dreams of becoming a rock star), would show up a few minutes before we opened the door to the public and slowly walk around the dining room to inspect my work. He didn't wear a monocle and white glove to check for dust but he might as well have. I didn't take it personally. It was his restaurant. His baby. It had to be right. I get it.
I'd watch him lurk around and occasionally wipe his finger around plates and glasses. Everything seemed up to snuff until he came upon one Ketchup bottle, leaned in close, lowered his dark, John Lennon eyeglasses and discovered an infraction. He looked at me and pointed to come closer. I walked over as he picked up the Ketchup bottle, turned it around and revealed a tiny dollop of old Ketchup resin on the side of the bottle cap. He whispered into my ear, "It's the little things."
On my next shift, I made sure to double check all my work with time to spare. As a joke, I decided to rig a coffee cup to the strings of a window blind hanging near one of tables. Something to show that I understood and respected my bosses concerns but also had a sense of humor. He showed up, walked slowly around the dining room with his invisible white glove and penetrating monocle, inspecting my arrangement like a crime detective. When he was satisfied, he looked at me and gave a thumbs up.
Relieved, I smiled and asked him to accompany me to the table by the window. I pointed at the coffee cup dangling from the window blinds, a proverbial elephant in the room that he had somehow missed and, with a twinkle in my eye, I whispered...
"It's the little things."
I've gotten great responses to my comix mentoring offer. Big Ups to all the people who kindly shared my siren. I have a few more slots open for personal consultation. And once I get a solid group for my Comix Fundamentals class, we can figure out the dates. Don't be shy to hit me up and discuss.
Here’s a LINK to all the info (and a bunch of incredible endorsements).
Meanwhile, have y’all seen the new DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE movie trailer? Looks like a lot of fun. Here’s a peek at the creative process for a comic I did for Deadpool 1000.
I’m super excited for Howard Chaykin's glorious TIME (Squared) Omnibus. I was 17 going on 18 when Howard hired me in 1985 to be an assistant for his magnum opus, American Flagg! (which is still ahead of its time). Most of what I know about making comix I learned that year in the now legendary Upstart Studios. Decades in the making, I have faith that this gorgeous collection of Chaykin's extraordinary brand of comix be bop will harmonize your soul at the crossroads of memory and imagination.
My girlfriend/painter, Jen Ferguson is exhibiting new work in a group show called “Forgotten Spaces” at the Walter Meade Gallery/Roxbury Arts Group Community Center in Roxbury, NY, February 17 - April 13th.
The opening is THIS SATURDAY, Feb. 17th, from 3-5pm. If you're around and interested, please swing by! We will be there.
See you in the gutters!
—Dean
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