This CNN profile of singer Aimee Mann reveals yet another celebrity comics fan, but the source is an unlikely one!
Mann was approached about a year ago about doing a graphic novel, an idea she at first dismissed out of hand. “And then I ran into this guy named Joe Matt, who’s one of my favorite graphic novelists,” she recalls.
Matt, the “Peepshow” cartoonist, lives nearby and encouraged Mann to maintain a sketchbook and practice, practice, practice. So Mann has diligently worked toward that end.
“I take a sketchbook and I bring it out at dinner … and I’ve got this one friend who always says something ridiculous, so I’ll try to write it down and put it in [graphic] form, and it kind of amuses everyone at the dinner table,” she says, while saying it’s “kind of a long-term project.”
We’d like to hear Matt’s side of this story, except that it probably involves a lot of jerking off.
Aimee Mann’s comics roots go back a ways, at least — she used to work at Newbury Comics in Boston, back when they actually focused primarily on comics.
Not that you have to be a comics fan to work in a comics store, but still.
kdb
“You don’t have to be crazy to work here, but it helps”?
I almost destroyed a company monitor with that last line, Heidi. Nice one.
Aimee Mann is love!!!
Sounds like Joe Matt is really pulling for Aimee!
“We’d like to hear Matt’s side of this story, except that it probably involves a lot of jerking off.”
Stone. Cold.
It’s not a surprise that Mann likes comics. I recall seeing her at the San Diego Comic Con about 6 years ago. She was escorted into the Ballroom to see Midnight Masquerade with her son and husband, Michael Penn.
Somewhere Erik Larsen is doing a little dance.
I don’t know if this is common knowledge or not, but Jenna Fischer of “The Office” is also a Matt fan. She’s got a picture of herself and Matt on her MySpace page:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=27753303
Jesus … I get no respect!! Anyway, Aimee’s great. Her cartooning is top-notch. She does these great 4-panel strips in her sketchbook, very slice-of-life stuff, that I’ve been encouraging her to collect in a book someday. Also, I’ve been pushing her to try to make more “finished, camera-ready art” and I’ve even inked a few of her sketchbook strips, all in the name of instruction. And we’ve recently showed these strips to D&Q publisher, Chris Oliveros, who said he preferred her own inking, and I agree with him. My inking, while slicker, does sort of kill her unique personality and style, so I’m really not vying for the position of her inker. I’m just doing my best to encourage her.
And to those who don’t know her and wonder what she’s really like, I can only say she’s lovely in every way. Kind, caring, generous, funny, vulnerable … *sigh* … and numerous are the occasions where I’ve thanked her for not sucking as a singer/songwriter. It would just kill me to like her so much and then be trading in her cd’s behind her back!! Haha … it’s true! I’m not above that sort of thing!! But I do LOVE her music and her cd’s are such beautiful objects on their own that I’m happy to keep them. Alright, am I done here? GIRLS — I’m still SIIIIIIIIINGLE!! MySpace me!! Thank you!! ~Joe
Lol, Joe! Thanks for checking in here. Hope all is well.
Joe, In all seriousness, I’m a huge fan of your work starting with your little tiny comics and “The Poor Bastard”. Great stuff!
“Stone. Cold.”
What?
3:16
I was lucky enough to have a peek at Joe Matt’s latest jam book last week and i saw a drawing I really liked and asked “who’s that?!” It was Aimee Mann. Her drawings are great. I hope she find a little time to tell some stories in comics, or Joe publishes the jams so we can read them. I’m sure she has something interesting to say. Her next CD should be a mini-comic….
I have to remind people that Joe Matt is used to the celebrity lady love: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=27753303
Joe, you rock.