Issue 4: Interviewing A Homeboy
Today's issue is a special one! It features an interview with a powerhouse creator who's been the right kind of chubby since his inception.
In public life, he's earned widespread recognition as go-to eye candy for numerous members of the fairer sex, who've pined for his accented Bengali (from a reasonable distance).
Please give a reader's welcome to someone who tames wild animals for dessert, my old school friend, Mr. Sinha of Aditya himself! <Applause, applause>
The rationale behind this format? From time to time, I want to speak to towering figures. These are peers I manage to catch in their prime, in the hopes that this newsletter will serve to showcase their talents.
PLUS, we're very lucky, as he's agreed to answer my questions assuming both of his dual alter egos, Mr. Fatchip --1/2 of the one-time legendary Jackass Inc.-- and Awkward Senpai --self-taught artist extraordinaire of anime stills--, respectively!
For those not in the know, all shall be explained; still, to devote one line to each:
1) Jackass Inc. (currently on hiatus) is a postmodern art collective with a demonstrated history of gifting the planet with bangers using their perfect pitch and killer dance moves;
2) Awkward Senpai is a solo multimedia project responsible for lovely artwork that blossoms out of a passion for the feminine ideals in Japanese anime.
Let's get cracking!
SECTION 1| Revisiting Jackass Inc., giving us reasons to cringe since Class 10
Q1. Greetings, Mr. Fatchip! First of all, I'm sure you'd like to give us some pointers about yourself..
Ans. Great to be here! I love what you’ve done with the place. I’m Mr. (looks at the prompter, what’s my name again), yes, Mr. Fatchip, the eye candy of the dynamic duo, once upon a time hailed as Jackass Inc. 50% behind its inception, I’m responsible for the wicked dance moves which people never expected from a ball of lard.
However, while we may differ in physical attributes, Dr. Swag and I more than made up for in terms of similar mindset.
Q2. It'll be great if we provide readers with a proper introduction to the Inc., since it unfortunately isn't very well known. Can you give us a small tour of who's who in Jackass Inc.? How does the dynamic work?
Ans. Of course! Here’s a picture of us in all our glory—
As I mentioned earlier, the dynamic duo that is Jackass Inc. consists of myself (Mr. Fatchip) and Dr. Swag. According to our Facebook bio, there were dragons and kimonos involved at some point. To cut a long story short, the two personas came together to create fan music videos, that were apparently meta enough to get a copyright strike. We initially wanted to make it a beat box/acapella with vocals sort of medley, but promptly realised that we lacked both the patience and skills to pull off such a feat! Hence, the karaoke and dance cover entity of Jackass Inc. was born. Our similar taste in music such as Linkin Park was just icing on the cake at this point.
Q3. How'd you end up creating this in the first place? Who came up with the title? What does 'Jackass Inc.' even mean?
Ans. Jackass Inc. can be best described as the outcome of one of those classic “you know what would be fun?” moments between two guys, chilling 5 feet apart ‘cause sadly, they’re not gay. Jackass is pretty self-explanatory; it’s a term someone would mutter under their breath when seeing us, or vice versa. Between the two of us though, there’s nothing short of affection. As far as who came up with it, Jackass Inc. did! A singular consciousness with two satellite entities. What I do like to take credit for though, is the creation of our future band/record label named Centre of MASS (from our initials: AS and SM), and went so far as to design a logo for it during an Economics class test.
Q4. Oh, I forgot to ask the main question: what is Jackass Inc.? Aimless fooling around, accidental-brotherhood, public castration, what?
Ans. I think your question kinda describes it perfectly. We wanted to make it into one of those impromptu channels that suddenly takes off due to banger content and catapults its members into a world of stardom. That being said, we failed to account for the lack of our physical energy or the absence of the ability to converse with anything beyond a 10 foot humanoid balloon.
Click here to access our version of a classic, Gorillaz’ Feel Good Inc.
Q5. That video is so...cool. How much pre-planned choreography is involved? I can't believe you guys pull off art hovering so close to being funny, crass and uplifting at the same time, without timing the sequences purposefully.
Ans. The best part was that even though we staged the conversations, we had the very same exchange about a minute before recording and felt that it belonged. We wanted to project our sarcastic and witty side onto the videos to mimic our own personalities. We failed to account for the fact that those personalities aren’t exactly well received. Especially because most of our peers are thick headed, generic, mentally han—, I’m sorry, I lost my composure for a second there. The choreography was left impromptu, trusting our individual senses of banger moves. Hence we have EVERYTHING from the infamous belly reveal to seductive croons, air guitar on crack to jazz hands on 2x playback speed.
Q6. Give us an idea of what usually went into the making of a video. You can choose one to give us a walkthrough.
Ans. Yes, so each video started with months of planning. It usually started out with one of us yelling “we should do this one next!”; time and place ranging from after hours chatting or during a class. And then, months later, when we finally got together, we’d throw that idea right out the window, and pick a random song that showed up on the YouTube recommendations. Exhibit: The R U Mine (Arctic Monkeys) Video.
Q7. It feels like the material is performed with a lot of earnest intensity, which is why it makes you smile, reminding you of people who do crazy things to get their 15 minutes of attention. Are you satisfied with the public response to the Inc.?
Ans. To be honest, we greatly overestimated our public image, because we spent our daily lives going about undoing that very concept. A few snarky laughs, and an embarrassing reveal during my college years just about sums up the public image, on my side at least. Now that I look back on it, we weren’t really in it for the fame, as pretentious as that may sound. Chalk it down to 2 guys messing around on camera, the same way they would have done it if the camera was off.
Q8. Finally, what plans do you have for the future? Will the hiatus ever terminate?
Ans. I think it will end someday. Of course, being lazy coots doesn’t really aid that prospect; neither does the 17 kms between our respective homes (thankfully its reduced from the 1000 figure). However, I’m sure that one day we will don the crackhead glasses, lift up the moth-eaten tennis racquet and surprise the world with another performance. There have been discussions to move into a podcast arrangement, but only time will tell.
Here's a link to the Official Facebook page!—> <Jackass Inc>.
If you're having a hard time with life, a click ^ might change things.
SECTION 2| Watching classics develop in real-time-- the era of Awkward Senpai
Q1. Hi, Awkward Senpai! I hope you'll loosen up enough to give us some answers about yourself today. What are your inspirations behind becoming a creator?
Ans. Ah yes. I loved your previous guest by the way. Fantastic bloke. I have various inspirations, honestly. My intense infatuation with various anime and manga has shaped me as the person I am today. Another reason is my love for content creators such as anime youtubers, travel vloggers and draw-my-life animators. I wish to share my sheltered creativity with the world. As my peers would know, voice acting has been one of my great passions for the longest time. Couple that with the new found love for digital art, it’s a recipe for something delicious (hopefully) in the future. On a personal note, I think of my art as a bridge between my reality and my fantasy.
Q2. There are thousands in India today going gaga over stuff from Japan. Just what is this excitement all about?
Ans. A lot of kids from this generation have been imbued in anime culture through Toonami (TV), without even realising it. Pokemon, Beyblade, Dragon Ball; even non-English dubbed media such as Doraemon, Shin-Chan, Kochikame are prime examples. However, not many have actually progressed further than that. For those who have, there exists a sea of anime plots that will capture your attention and pull you down the rabbit hole with their beautiful art and complex storylines.
Anime and manga aside, Japan has a creative lifestyle which is something to be envious of, ranging from delicious culinary experiences to buying gacha toys from a vending machine in the parking lot of a train station in suburban neighbourhoods.
I chalk the uniqueness of Japanese culture as the cause of its popularity, as films/TV generally show us the Western world more than the East.
Q3. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your arousal (being an anime-fan) if you were addressed as 'senpai' in real life with the usual kawaii Japanese beauty's voice? [In Japanese, 'senpai' = 'senior', 'kawaii' = 'cute'. ‘Senpai’ is often used in a naïve, endearing way to talk to men a tad older.]
Ans. If a generic Anime bijin (beauty) voice were to greet me as such, I would quite promptly respond with a HAAAAAAIIIIIIIII (means ‘yes’, in a playful sense), only to be let down by the sight of a grubby, bearded and bespectacled beast, quite possibly housed in a mirror. What’s more, I’d probably be more than mildly upset at having the split second serenade in my mind interrupted by the false weave of reality.
Q4. Hahaha. Let’s dig a bit personal now.. It's been inspiring to see you shine with the efforts to self-tutor yourself in making art. As someone who started from scratch and picked it all up so coolly, can you outline how difficult it is to go from basic rough sketches to fully coloured panels with all the crucial detailing?
Ans. Well firstly, it starts with an (a) idea. You make a general mental note about the character, the scene, a hairstyle, a particular direction of the wind. For example:
— Couple
— happy guy
— Embarrassed girl
— dog/cat ears
— photograph theme
With these in mind, I start scouting Pinterest etc. websites for (b) reference photos, real or art.
With a few references, a rough (c) sketch for posture and anatomy is created pretty easily.
A fair sketch on top of that to give a sense of clothing and the works is also rounded up quickly. Then comes the arduous process of (d) line-art on the sketch, which can make or break the sketch. A couple of hours and furious pressing of the undo button usually results in a pretty decent representation of the initial idea. Of course, this is the point where you either commit or repeat the previous steps again!
And finally, (e) colouring is a fairly easy and quick process. The use of layers, clipping functions and various other digital tooltips are a boon in the tech sphere. It is much harder for traditional artists, as the digital form is quite malleable.
Q5. Wow, that's beautiful.. Give us a brief rundown on the tools you use, please. How much time do you take on average (compared to when you began)?
Ans. As far as digital equipment goes, there's 3 types—
1. A full feature tablet from the likes of Apple or Samsung, or the Wacom mobile studio. These are independent and generally pack a hefty price tag. Obviously, the accompanying pen accessory is a necessity.
2. A pen display which can be described as a second screen that attaches to your pc and can be drawn on. Wacom is the most premium option, while XP Pen and Huion offer cheaper options.
3. Finally, a beginner's pen tablet, which is akin to a glorified version of your laptop's trackpad, with pen pressure sensitivity and shortcut keys. It uses the default display of your pc/phone and generally depends on the development of good hand-eye coordination.
On my part, I own examples of the 1st and 3rd categories. Wacom and Samsung came together to create the Tab S6 Lite, at a very economical price with some acceptable compromises. It serves the purpose pretty well and being independent, can be used anywhere from a cafe to the early morning pot. The pen tablet I own is from Veikk, a Chinese company from among many that use the same hardware under the guises of different model numbers. I was lucky enough to pick it up at an introductory price from a dodgy website before the prices skyrocketed due to international conflicts.
The duration is something which I really have to work on! (nervous laughter). Generally, I have a very small attention span, akin to that of a dust mite. My sketching sessions usually span 30 minutes. Putting the various sessions together, it takes me about 3-4 hours to put a piece together. Professionals take about an hour or two to put out a detailed piece, in hindsight. That is my end goal. However, having upgraded from an average 7.5 hours of work, I am quite happy with my progress. Hopefully I’ll have a smaller number for you the next time I’m on!
Q6. Imagine I only have a passing interest in what you do. Describe your process in a way that sparks my attention.
Ans. I would probably first show you an anime character matched to your taste and then ask you if you would like to have yourself represented in a similar fashion.
I’ve felt that this is the best way to capture the attention of people who have no idea what the greater anime industry is. A general mindset is that any art with a pencil stroke on it is catered towards kids, and thus is brushed aside, much to the chagrin of those who would actually like to share the experience with their less-than-experienced clique.
Q7. A casually racist reader would wonder and ask: “How can this guy like Japanese faces” (equated to Chinese 'chinky'ness)? To them, can you be a bit decently abusive on behalf of yourself and this newsletter?
Ans. I would point out that the so called “chinky” slits-eyes is definitely help with vision, which is already more useful than the only slit on their faces, which is a sorry excuse of a mouth. I’d also like to point out that a hefty disdain towards the anime culture exists, which is brought about by a lack of exposure or pure self-loathing malice. It’s something I’ve faced myself on various platforms, often disguised as “art advice” or promptly denoted as “cringey weeb shit”, to which I always wish to respond with a “chill the f**k out”. In the end, ignoring the ignorant is probably the best play.
Q8. We're coming to the end. To ask you a question that stuns many a 21st century boy: will 3D women ever beat 2D girls?
Ans. Choosing a 2D girl publicly over a 3D girl would get a rather adverse reaction from many. It is understandable, owing to the fact that drooling over a drawing is rather odd. However, I personally feel that we imbue a similar status to these walking talking drawings as we would to a celebrity. You have a version of them that is most compatible with yourself built up in your mind, and thus feel generally happy in their presence. This varies from person to person. Since we never get to meet these characters, the image remains untarnished. Whereas reality is much more unforgiving in terms of experiences. You would generally not click with most people you meet; I’m lucky to have two or three in my life, irrespective of sex. For those like myself, who are rather introverted, finding solace within the lives and personalities of these characters is a nice escape from reality. Unhealthy in the long run? Probably, until you meet someone who is actually willing to be with you 3 dimensionally.
Peep links to Awkward Senpai's social media below. Support him TODAY by commissioning art and paying within your means.
ALERT ALERT: He's also starting a series that's structured as a beginner's course into creating anime art, explaining each step with unbelievable patience. Join him on this journey!
YouTube— https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmCiiGBMli4gC7VHa9_VGaw
Instagram— https://instagram.com/awkward.senpai96
Twitter— https://twitter.com/AwkwardSenpai96
Facebook— https://www.facebook.com/AwkwardSenpai96
DeviantArt— https://www.deviantart.com/awkwardsenpai96
This wonderful interview is posted here even though no one's gonna read it.. You spent your advertisement budget on the wrong person, Fatchip-san/Senpai. Thank you for sharing your time with me!