AmRusTic

By Paul G. Davis AKA Boston Paul

Greetings! We hope to provide you with enough art and music information that you’re able to keep your summer relaxed, fun and enlightening.See you at the festivals!

Information:

Spring Scream: (April 5, 6, 7) UrLuAnPi National Park www.springscream.com

May Jam: (May 5, 6) Anping, Tainan. www.therealtaiwan.com

PeaceFest: (June 1, 2, 3) Kunlun Gardens, Longtan www.hopingforhoping.com

BASIC HUMAN NEEDS BENEFIT (May 19) Moonshine Hill. Six bands! Camping! Stay tuned!

Theater Arts Production: If you’d like to be part of a production, contact us.

MUSIC SHOWS: Militant Hippi Rocking GrooveCity on the very auspicious 4/20. Wear something green.

The Dakeng Refuge:

For updates/music and when the next jam is: www.myspace.com/DakengRefugeMusic Be a part of Taichung’s growing art community. Bands: If you need a practice/warm-up space before your show in Taichung, contact us.

Chatting With Roman:
This month, our chat is with Roman McNamara; artist extraordinaire and a prominent figure on the scene. We met at a gathering on top of a keg shaped beerhouse and became roommates shortly after. That was the beginning of a decade long rollercoaster ride and flurry of exciting times that describe our friendship. Though tempting to chat about the Good ol' Days, we’ll save that for another time..
Boston Paul(BP) :When did you get to Taiwan?
Roman McNamara(RM): Spring 1997. I thought I’d been here for 7 years, but it’s 2007. Wow ten years. I've always been pretty bad at math.
BP: What did you do when you first got here?
RM: What most people do… I looked for a teaching job.
BP: When did you start getting your art out there?
RM: My first few jobs were mural paintings. The 99 Music House still has them up but the rest of the places I did are closed down.
BP: Did the art survive?
RM: Not on a wall. That’s the difference between painting a mural and a canvas.Canvases sell for more even if they're smaller.You can always take them with you.When you paint on a wall often times it gets lost, like music shows. Lost in the air.But not the way you do things Paul, you record everything.
BP: Not to blow too much sunshine up your mancrevice, but I like the diverse ways you express yourself.You perform with a variety of bands at different venues around the Island.You've sculpted your body. Many have seen your artwork around Town.People love to sport the unique clothes and outfits you've made.It's amazing.
RM: The response to visual art recently has been fantastic.I think artists to thank would be Shawn Reid. A real go getter. Jau-Ruey, Martin and Brent Nadin also work hard. This has paved the way for many visual artists here, making it a viable thing. Now photographers, sculptors,painters and the like, have all found places to exhibit. The commercial success at some of these shows has been fantastic,which is a good incentive for many with those interests. Because teaching can be so exhausting, some put it on the back burner or let that talent fizzle out.
BP: Are you planning more shows now?
RM: In the near future, Caitlin, Brent, I will have a show at Stock 20.The theme of the show is stitch.Brent and Caitlin like to use a lot of materials and stitch them together. I like working with textiles and combining them in creative ways. We'd like to do this show in a sense that though we all have our own exhibition space, we would also like to stitch it together in unison so it's a group project as well.
BP: Lots going on, eh?
RM: Tons.
BP: What do you think about the music scene?
RM: The scene in Taichung has always been good. There have always been good bands and the support has always been there even though venues were lacking. Lots going on like the Peace Fest, music festival wise..
BP: It's difficult to say music festival these days. The musicians and artists are involved with so many of each other's projects.
RM: Yes, the two are intertwined very nicely.
BP: That’s great, because traditionally people usually did their own thing. In the last couple years however, the communities have really come together.
RM: Well, we have a few people like you to thank for that. This recording studio and workspace you set up Paul, keep going with that. Wade too. He’s always had his studio, which is inexpensive to rent out.Can't go without mentioning Roger and Patrick.Nunos in Donghai has been doing his place for years.
BP: What obstacles might an artist encounter here?
RM: In Taiwan as a whole, it’s difficult for an artist to find a space to exhibit. It’s easier now with the opening of the old wine factory.Perhaps the main obstacle foreign artists have is not wanting to do things illegally.
BP: How can we circumvent that?
RM: You can apply for an artist visa. I’m looking into it. There are people that have been shut down for not having the proper visa. You’ve got to watch out for that. Everyone is trying to do the right thing here but many things that we have done in regard to exhibiting would be considered illegal under current government laws, which is too bad.
BP: Taichung is the culture city right? The mayor wants to be considered the culture mayor. Didn't he try to get the Guggenheim here? Perhaps that’s why it's easier to get your work 'out there' in Taichung… unlike Taidong.... if you’re caught performing there, you could be arrested and deported. I hear they're like Nazi's down there.
RM: We're lucky that mayor Hu is very supportive of the arts and has attended events like ones at TigerCity that have had a prominent foreign contingency.
BP: Name some venues you’ve exhibited at.
RM: A big show for me was exhibiting and performing with your band at the Mask Festival in Miao Li. I’d like to do that again. I’ve also exhibited at Warner Village and a couple of little exhibitions in Taipei.
BP: Are you still making masks?
RM: Yes, but I’m focusing on textiles more.Creating clothing and bag designs. I like making practical stuff.
BP: You're a practical guy. What sort of training have you had?
RM: I graduated with a fine arts degree, which gave me a good basis in print making, photography, painting and drawing. But I’ve always been inclined to create something that in some way, shape or form had some kind of use.
BP: I’ve seen a lot of your handiwork with many of the bands, too.
RM: I've always tried to keep Milk outfitted as much as they'd let me, but some of the guys were like "not too crazy Roman." Stuff I wear myself other people might not..."
BP: Milk boys prudish?
RM: Some of them gave me the green light... but I think that also has to do with me getting better at what I'm doing. I'm into tailor making stuff. People give me their ideas and then I have a little bit to go with. I’m looking forward to creating something for Militant Hippi.
BP: Thanks bro!
RM: I'm also looking to have a clothing exhibition at Spring Scream.Not sure if it will happen on the same scale as last year when we had models and stuff prepared.I may display in one of the cabins or have people wear it around.It’s nice to display at festivals after running my shop for three years in Donghai.
BP: Who are some of your influences?
RM: My dad Charlie McNamara is a major influence.A professional carpenter and musician. When a kid wants to go to art school, most parents ask, "why?" But he was supportive.
BP: I've met your mom and see a lot of her in you.
RM: She’s my heart and soul and the person that I’d love most to be like. Just because of her purity, great attitude and outlook on life. She’s always backed me up and told me to follow my dream. Don't do things for financial sake or social status if you're not comfortable doing it.Take your time when you're making career decisions. You don't want to look back and feel you wasted precious years. So she supports me being here. She knows that I’m genuinely happy here, though I still feel that my birth place is the place I want to die.Going back to the orchard and taking care of it when I’m old sounds good.But for now, Taiwan is the place where things are happening.
BP: We're Hemingways in Cuba or Paris.It's romantic.
RM: It's like a revolving door and if you just keep inside that revolving door you'll......
BP: …get dizzy!
RM: And you may fall down from dizziness but lots of cool stuff happening.
BP: Everyone seems to be sticking and moving here. I love it.
RM: Me too.
BP: Any other influences?
RM: Earlier influences would be Canadian Native art. It’s a style that I painted in for years before I came here. Norval Morisseau is an artist who was my earliest painting influence. I can't name another person in particular that really did anything for me. Lots of little influences.
BP: What are you reading?
RM: I am a very visual person. I don't read very much.I flip through and look at the pictures. I hang around super intelligent, educated people to keep me posted on current events in the world. Like when we were talking about Chomsky. That was enlightening.
BP: You learn from watching and listening, thus your love for music and art.What advice might you give a young artist?
RM: Set aside a room, even if it’s a tiny one,  for work. One you don't have to worry about cleaning up.It helps immensely in the creative process.
BP: What kind of space do you have?
RM: I live in a house out of the movie Fight Club.Gigantic.Lots of workspace. I live with a Taiwanese master carpenter and sculptor named Huang Shi Yi. He's a bit of a recluse but I’ve observed him working and he’s really good.
BP: Those who have been relatively successful, all seem to have that work space.
RM: Definitely.And it is one of those things that if you just keep doing it, success will come eventually.
BP: If you don't suck or people feel really sorry for you.
RM: Yeah maybe people may feel sorry for you because you've been doing it long enough. That might be the case with me sometimes, I don't know.
BP: But if you're marketed right, people are going to buy it. Look at some of the pop stars out there.
RM: Absolutely. I'm still working on marketing. I’m lucky to have my girlfriend Emily helping me with all those details. She's invaluable.She’s like Sandra is to you. She keeps your t's crossed and your i's dotted.
BP: Before Sandra, I would always lose my dots. I'd put them in my pocket and never see them again. What does the future hold for you, bro?
RM: Not sure.I’d like to work in as many diverse ways as possible.
BP: Will you be in Taiwan for a while?
RM: Yes.I consider it more of a home than my own country at this point.Especially when I think about those long Canadian winters.
BP: You visit Canada almost every summer.
RM: I need that home fresh air and to reconnect with my roots. If I don't get back, I start losing my mind. I begin thinking and being preoccupied about the wrong things. When I go back, I reconnect with Native art and then come back to Taiwan more focused and tuned into why I'm really doing it. Which isn’t necessarily for commercial success, though any kind of financial success is nice, but more along the lines of keeping my integrity in the art. Like anything in life, you can lose focus. That's happened to me before.
BP: What do you do artistically when you're in Canada?
RM: Lots of sketching. I get back to basics. That’s one thing they teach you in art school; make sure you bring your pencil and sketch book and just draw. It's the basic foundation for art. Going back to Canada allows me to re-assess values.
BP: Do you still keep in touch with artists in Canada?
RM: Yes.The reason I came to Taiwan is because of a guy I went to art school with named Patrick Vincentine. I lived with him and his girlfriend GiGi when I first got here.
BP: Have you done any shows back in Canada?
RM: No.But I'd like to.That's the one thing about getting caught up in the life here. It’s a small pond where usually everyone knows what everyone else is doing within the creative community. But back home, people I lost touch with saw me as potentially having a career as an artist.They have no idea what I'm up to.So it’s something I’d like to do.
BP: Any final comments?
RM: I'd like to thank Lance and Deshea for keeping The Voice going and making it accessible to both the Taiwanese and the foreign community. It’s a tough business making sure deadlines are met and soliciting advertising.So kudos to anyone who provides this kind of medium for an interview like this.Also thanks to everyone for the tremendous support out there for events like Unspoken Understanding.It just shows that people in this community are interested in seeing alternative things like that.Also, I found a pair of sunglasses at my Pillow Sperm exhibit.Tell me what kind they are and I will give them back to you.
BP: Thanks bro! Peace out.

NEXT MONTH: A chat with singer/song writer Faye Blais (Faye and The Slacks)