Fergadelic Exclusive Interview

The text below is the full uncut version of the interview i did with Fergus Purcell aka Fergadelic. It has been published in the issue #30 of Clark Magazine, here in France, April 2008. Sorry, too lazy to translate in english the intro i wrote but here is the interview.



Hi man. Let's step back in time. When and how did Fergus Purcell became Fergadelic ?

* I came up with that name in, I think, 1998. It actually made me laugh out loud! It's cool, but it's totally absurd, too. I'm always playing word games & making patterns with letters & reversing & re-combining words to create new meaning (or un-meaning). When I thought of the name Fergadelic, I didn't immediately realize that it would become my working name. I thought it was too audacious...Obviously, to so blatantly invoke the awesome power of Funkadelic is an audacious thing. I actually had to make a leap to become Fergadelic - the name was beyond what I was at that time. I think that was the point of it: to be a spur that would force an evolution (or a mutation) in me.


Is there a kind of bipolarity like for super heroes ? Do Fergadelic have powers that Fergus don't have?

* My Alter-Ego exists to give me more possibilities. This other persona just represents pure POTENTIAL. It's specific capabilities are undefined. I don't know what Fergadelic is capable of...that's my Super Power: the what's-gonna-happen-next factor.



Your work is loaded with references to visual pop culture : comics, sci-fi, heavy metal, skate.... Today, lots of artists use this creative process, not always with success. In your opinion, what defines Fergadelic's style ? What makes your Art so unique ? Sense of humor ?

*Maybe I've just been doing it longer?!..I'm going grey, you know! Perhaps what seperates my work is what I'm saying with it. I'm communicating a Cosmic message of oneness & integrating ideas of Romantic Art, Anarchy & Paganism to speak to people's Spirituality. These are ideas that are normally left to High Art (or perhaps to Philosophy) to discuss, but to me it's logical that I use the voice of the People, of the "Street", to talk about this stuff & to spread my message.


Let me extend the previous question : what makes, in your opininion, a good design ?

* It should be Sexy, Tuff & Fun.

Both Will Sweeney and you have mentioned the weekly comics 2000 AD as a reference. Could you tell us more about it ? And about the influence of comics in general in your life & art ?

*2,000 AD was key to my artistic awakening. It had great characters, stories & wonderful artists, but it's greatest quality was a little more intangible - it had this subversive humour & wit & it was influenced by the Punk spirit . I have great affection for 2,000 AD, my mum got me a subscription to it in 1981 & it would arrive each Monday morning. It got me through school, which I hated! My education came from it's pages. I used to copy the drawings in it a lot & my favourite was Judge Dredd. It really influenced me hugely & in turn it got me into the sophisticated European comix like Metal Hurlant, which blew my mind when I first discovered it. I vividly remember it: the first time I went to Paris with my mum. We went to FNAC, it was about 6 0'clock in the evening & the book department was full of GROWN MEN reading comics...business men sat on the floor (this would have never happened in England), everything, it was like Paradise! I love that scene; that second wave of Underground Comix, as influenced by Punk & mis-Translated by Europeans. Again, this was a big influence on me...I still love those artists: Moebius, Richard Corben, Liberatore, Crepax, Gillon, Montellier, etc. I was a proper comics fan in the 80s, I also loved Elektra as drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz, Love & Rockets, Watchmen, Akira, anything by Jack Kirby, etc, etc. Comics are part of modern Mythology. Their epic themes are reflected in a powerful,muscular, psychically resonant visual style. The Super Men are depicted in Super Art - this art communicates in a very direct, primal way & I have taken on it's influence & use that Super Art Power in my own work.


In your drawings, i have noticed a strong taste for whips, leather suit, "tiend and bound" chairs....

*...perhaps we can blame my early exposure to Metal Hurlant for that!



You have payed tribute to heavy metal logotypes. It's true that design have played a key role in the succes of metal. Artworks were sometimes as much important as music itself. Is this the idea behind The Changes, your imaginary multimedia band ?

* There was no initial concept behind forming The Changes beyond that adolescent "let's form a band" impulse. It was Misha's (from P.A.M.) idea. We were in Tokyo at the time & he also invited Shin to join. Shin (A.K.A. sk8thng) is the Grafix Mastermind behind Bape, BBC & Ice Cream. That was the first time I met him. We all went out for a meal, I arrived with Misha & Shauna in a car & as we were parking the headlights caught a gangly figure strolling out of the darkness. He had the MetalWalk (you know, a little bouncy), track pants, a chequered shirt on & WAY long black hair emerging from under a bandana. It was Shin. We had a great meal & got on really well. Afterwards Misha said to me "What did you think of Shin's wig?"...I just thought "Wow! He's GOT to join our new band!" It was inevitable that we would then make art together & the really interesting thing is that we make this visual art in the same way that a band makes music. Misha is very much the Lead Singer. We collaborate, often working thematically, but the work takes on a life of it's own. Our styles merge & we make some genuinely strange new things.


Do you think graphic designers are like... rockstars, in a way ? I mean because they express a lifestyle through their art ?

*Ooh...interesting idea. But I think the key thing with rock stars is the act of PERFORMANCE. They have that special charisma. Graphic designers are perhaps more like Techno guys, who quietly tinker away in their studios.

Now, let's talk about Tonite, your clothing label. I've read that this season's inspiration comes from the place where you got married... Could you tell us more about that ?

* I got married in Byron Bay on Australia's East Coast. We were married by a Local Witch on a special secluded beach. It was Magick ! We had a handful of friends present to share the occasion, including Misha & Shauna. Also there were the Beach's residents, two beach bums. We'd scouted-out the place the day before, I'd met one of these guys & invited him to join in (it was his home, afterall). During the ceremony they stood at the far edge of the beach, respectfully distant but enjoying the happening. One of them spun cart wheels along the shore. Their welcoming spirit was a joyful thing & their presence stayed with me. I just thought how clever they were: what a beautiful place they'd taken to be their home. That spirit influenced my designs & in putting that into the collection I am trying to bring a bit of the Beach to the City in the Winter.


Your friends Perks & Mini are also featured in this Clark Issue. How do you analyse their huge success ? And do you have a strange / funny anecdote to tell about them ?

* I am very glad that they are having success & that their message is spreading. They offer something so unique: their clothes are really unlike anyone else's. They work in Streetwear, using it's energy & language, but have ideas that normally belong in Fashion - infact they bridge the two things in a way that is new & belongs in neither place. They are constantly able to re-invent themselves, to make ever fresher, more challenging work & keep themselves & the rest of us guessing. They make work with such passion & imagination, which are two qualities that are often very lacking from big streetwear companies.They also have their own imprint: Pam Books & within that they have worked with some amazing Artists, including the Total Master: Eye, from The Boredoms. They have made a toy with Mike Kelley...I mean that's deep, that's amazing! Their success shows that there are lots of curious, interested, interesting people out there. I've been lucky enough to spend a lot of time with them. They have been SO generous to me. Helping me through hard times, giving me inspiration, sharing wonderful music...& food! I can't sum that up with one funny anecdote, but...we have dressed up as Cavemen (& a Cavewoman) & run round Melbourne making a film. We have been down the Drains at night in search of the Clans. We have jammed in the Bape studio in Tokyo. We have got way stoned & driven at night through the rainforest with no lights. We've eaten a lot of great food, been to some great Discos, done some good parties, done some good graffiti, made a lot of art & had a lot of FUN.


You have worked with several japanese brands. What could you tell us about the way they live / think / create, in comparison with our european way ?

*That the cultural difference makes for very fruitful creative conversation, but that the gap is always there & doesn't diminish. Just as I think I've understood something, I instead find out that I've misunderstood TWO other things! It's like a Zen parable. I think the aspect of their culture that I love the most is their deep appreciation of aesthetics. This seems to permeate everything there & whilst in England aesthetics are supposed to be the concern of a specially informed elite, in Japan it's something that belongs to everybody & something that is very important in making life better - making it more beautiful - for all. I think there's a Western misconception that their preoccupation with surface image is a shallow thing; I consider it the converse: their appreciation of a surface is so PROFOUND that they can read it in deep, emotional, spiritual ways. I also love what happens in that dialogue between cultures; the mutual fascination & appreciation, but particullarly the mis-translation & MUTATION that occurs. I LOVE Japan. I first went there when I was 5. It's been a big influence on me & I'm very glad to play my small part in what happens there.


We're not going to mention all the collabs you did, because we'll need an entire mag for that ! But please give us a clue about Trilogy, the new label from Will Bankhead !

You'll have to check with the WillMaster what the true story is, but my take on it is that it's going to be the closest reflection yet of his obsession with Esoteric art & music. There's this beautiful mystery that exists in Music, in the world of bands & band names & weird electronic instruments & obscure records & cool logos & lost music & weird performances & crazy costumes. It's common practice with bands that they self-mythologize, that they are deliberately obscurist & mysterious & in a state of flux. As a visual artist, these are qualities that I aspire to - there is true Magick in this path. I think Will is invoking these qualities, too, with The Trilogy Tapes & will use it as a platform to get sincerely deep - part of this will be to make weird T-Shirts. )




Two last questions : amongst all the tshirts you've created, what is your number 1 all-time favorite ?

My current favourite is Home Made, done with a fabric pen & says "Caroline", which is my wife's name, in big letters.


What does a Fergadelic day looks like ?

* It starts with a Coffee, that's for sure! As the Coffee pot is on the stove, I start the record player & music is a consant backdrop to the day. I'll start up my computer & then have to spend quite a while answering eMails...for the purposes of this ideal day, we'll pretend that that only takes 5 minutes. I'll be pottering around, looking at the various books that are always strewn around my workspace (the Kitchen Table) & I'll draw something in my Sketchbook. I'll look at Youtube for 15 minutes, there are always great music videos to be seen on there - recent watches include Rondo Veneziano's La Serenissima & Dead Can Dance's Yolunga. Then I'll get into making some Grafix for a couple of hours, if I'm really in the zone I'll do this all day - it's one of my favourite ways of spending time. I find the creative process so enjoyable & I love seeing new work emerging. I used to work long into the night, but I'm married now, so I keep more sociable hours. Anyway, to keep this sample day a bit more interesting, I'll only do a couple of hours work before I go out for a walk. I love to walk down the hill from my house & then onto the canal, which runs more-or-less directly East to West. As I walk along I'll smoke a (pre-rolled) joint as I watch the ducks swim past. I'll head East & go & visit my friend Ben in his Studio. He'll show me the latest Amazing art he's been making & we'll have an inspiring Art Chat, we'll then go & get Turkish food for lunch. I'll leave him to get on with his work & then I'll go to a second hand record shop, where I will find awesome bargain records & then to a second hand book shop, where I'll find amazing bargain books. I'll return home - listening to my iPod all the way, almost always a DJ mix - where i will do some more Grafix as I session those new tunes on the record player - they're great, £3 well spent. My wife then returns & lights up our flat. I'm so pleased to see her. I will cook dinner & we'll then watch a DVD on our projector. It's often very hard to peel us off the couch after this, but for this imaginary great day, we'll head out into the night, going to a club to see Henry, my brother in law, DJ.












Check www.tonitesite.com !

Drawings portfolio at www.showstudio.com

Interview by Miami3000