Journal Pages: Self Control
Editors Note: I’ve known Andy Vernor aka ‘Vern’ since the early days of going to school in Athens, Georgia. Like all good Athens kids we were into music–I was exploring primitive recording / sampling techniques for making beats; he was playing ‘nitro-rock’ in a kickass band called Land Speeder. Seeing them open up for Suicidal Tendencies is still one of my all time show highlights.
Over the years I’ve always been a bit jealous of Vern’s journals. On one page he’ll have random thoughts or song lyrics. The next will be some crazy sketch for a superhero or a tattoo idea or a diagram of some new structure he wants to build.
I’ve been messing around with new blogging technologies lately, checking out posterous, tumblr, and others, and while it’s all really cool and enables you to share links and media really fast, there’s just something about real journals like these that seems so creative and free.
–David Miller
1.‘Alt easter island head and gladiator… fun with lines and geometric shapes’
2.‘Protuberance Man- a quasi-hero who exudes energized protuberances when drawn into conflict; he contributes positively despite his conflicted existence which straddles his pizza flinging reality and the realm of the imagined. Also some song lyrics (later used)’
3.”Autumn leaves in Wisconsin and tatt #3 early design.’
4.Brick= ‘cover songs that would be cool; lyrics ripped from R. Kipling poem used in Land Speeder song + random line sketch.’
5.‘Outdoor ed brainstorm and sketch of wife with care package label… early love.’
6.‘Dog Soldier Society was a proposed name for a prog metal band that never really got off the ground. if you like it you can have it, but please rock righteously. Also fun with collage.’
7.”Song lyrics, plans for upright bass stand, idea for yard statue using discarded televisions + quotes from…Fight Club and other(?)’
8.Self control: mantra and tattoo design–inner right bicep (but red did not make final design).
9.‘Building the eye;’ mantra and self portrait as graphic.
Community Connection
Have journal pages you’d like to share? Please email scans or photos to david [at] matadornetwork.com.
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21 Comments... join the discussion!
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‘manic’ is a good descriptor… ADD also comes to mind.
thanks tho for real
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The beauty of both the drawings and the writing is what really sticks out for me.
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‘ ppreciate all the positivity
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My favorite: ‘Think like a mountain,’ from # 9 ‘Building the Eye.’
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dahveed, thanks again for encouraging me and walking me through the process. very intriguing to share and get peoples’ thoughts!
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No kidding…this just makes me want to shut the laptop and grab a notebook.
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For the record, my journal looks NOTHING like this. *sigh* Some people are just so talented!
I would like to hear that 2 Minutes 2 Midnight cover…
Great work Vern!
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word to the wise… Maiden covers are very demanding… hard work and stamina required… but sooo worth it. thanks
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by the way, in the spirit of full disclosure, these pages are but highlights; there are many pages in between which are not nearly so… ummmmm… ‘designed’
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Funny…I have been making metal lists too. I’m not sure about all of your Crue decisions! No “On With The Show”? Good Slayer picks…you’re forgiven. Also, really cool journal
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hey tom thanks for the stoke. the potential metal covers list was a personal brainstorm before taking it to the full band where democratically the list would be whittled down significantly. only a few of those actually wound up being covers in that band, the idea was another metal project playing purely covers for the hillarity of some of the songs but also the metal cred… you know a wink wink along with the righteous headbang! joking and serious at the same time. thanks for the feedback, bro.
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Rock on brother!
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JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHBBBB!!! How was your trip to ATL?
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Well, there was no Vernonbacher, but it was all good. One of those bizarre social experiments you find yourself in every now and then, running the streets of town you don’t really recognize with a bunch of dudes you don’t really know. Booze fueled. Chaos. Heat. Meat markets. Exhaustion. A glimpse of a baseball game somewhere in the mix. Life just gets stranger.
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was the social/ professional make-up of the crowd (you know what I mean) a significant driver of the energies and pathways of the weekend?
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It was a good-hearted crew actually.
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Very nice illustrations. I’m fascinated with looking at others’ journals, yet it often leaves me feeling like I am lacking in the talent department. “Just text? Zzzzzzzz.”
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Love the lines of the ‘wife sketch’!
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Hello hello!
Firstly, Vern mate, cracking journal pages. Really great stream of consciousness combinations of notes, sketches, doodles, illustration and musings. Looks like the inside of somebody’s head and I love it!
Secondly, I’m in the process of setting up a website featuring paintings, illustration, art and poetry inspired by travel. The Matador ‘Journal pages’ features always appeal to me as a very direct way of learning about people’s experiences and inspired by this I want to create an online community where people can showcase travel-related artwork; there doesn’t seem to be an eqivalent in existence at the moment.
I was wondering if anybody had any thoughts about this. As a community with a definite interest in travel is this something that you’d like to see on the web?
Cheers!
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Vernor, great to see some of those crazy thoughts on paper, great mix of visuals and lyrics
still have to catch up on our trips
I’ve wrote a decent amount since I got back from mine,
i’ll have to bring some of it over,
hope the school year has started alright, i’m still subbing for now↵
