Interviews w/ Tiki Chris & Chongolio about da Kamapua'a Series

Alooooooooha! Recently, an editor of the triCityNews of Asbury Park, New Jersey interviewed Braddahs Chris an' Chongo about da Kamapua'a series.

We thought we'd share dem wid the Tiki Central ohana.

Chris an' Chongo would love to know wot you think 'bout da interviews.

Mahalo,
Kamapua'a

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http://www.piggod.com

[ Edited by: Kamapua'a 2005-08-29 13:03 ]

Interview with Tiki Chris

*A lot of cool things cross our desks here at the triCityNews. CDs, artwork, etc. But one of the coolest things to land at 601 Bangs Avenue lately has been a Hawaiian Pig God ... Kamapua'a grabbed our attention from page one and left us wanting more at the cliffhanger finish ... Kamapua'a is best described as a slacker, but a very opportunistic one. He belches and farts his way to hero status by basically being a pig grifter. Will he continue to be rewarded for his misdeeds? Or is retribution on the way? Part two is out in June.

Before then, we'll have to savor Volume One and make do with a look inside the mind of creator Chris Osburn. Here's our look inside the mind that brought Kamapua'a from the shores of Hawaii to the Jersey Shore.

Where'd you write Kamapua'a - Hawaii or Jersey?*

I wrote most of the series here in the triCity area: at my home in West Long Branch, on the beach in West End, and at a secret little spot on the river in Rumson.

Are you (or anyone you know) the inspiration for Kamapua'a?

I felt an immediate affinity for Kamapua'a when I first learned about his exploits. I very much related to his appetite and to his oblivious pursuit to satiate that appetite. The entire pantheon of Hawaiian gods could be enraged by some mindless transgression of his, yet Kamapua'a's most pressing concern would still be "Where's the luau?" Admittedly, I can be a bit of a glutton myself.

And just as Kamapua'a is led by his snout from one (mis)adventure to the next, I must confess that many of the most significant episodes of my life have just sort of happened as I merrily bumbled along. However, like all mythic tricksters, Kamapua'a is a pro at thinking on his hooves. I haven't always been so clever.

On a more sublime level, I'm a big fan of Picasso's work, particularly his reoccurring theme of the Minotaur, which is analogous of humanity's struggle to reconcile our awkward position between animal and god (flesh and soul). Coming from a Spanish mindset, Picasso's half-bull, half-human Minotaur is a perfect analogy. Just as poignantly analogous is Kamapua'a: a half-boar, half-human god rutting his way through paradise, one (mis)adventure at a time.

Do you speak, as well as write, Hawaiian?

Honestly, I only know a smattering of Hawaiian words, and I'm definitely still learning. One of the fun parts of writing this series has been trying to place Hawaiian words within the text and allowing them to stand on context alone. (I hope I've succeeded but, just in case, we've included a Hawaiian word glossary in the back of all three volumes of the series).

How long did Kamapua'a gestate before you and Randy put it together?

I had been tempted to write a version of this ancient legend since a 1999 visit to Maui, where I first learned about Kamapua'a. With subsequent visits to the islands, the temptation developed more and more. However, I didn't put pen to paper until last summer.

And what was that creative process like?

It took quite a while to begin, but once I started writing, the words just flowed. Working with Randy has been a blast (or maybe tropic breeze might be more apropos). He and I "met" at Tiki Central, an online forum for folks interested in Polynesian Pop. He had posted pics of his artwork on the forum, and I liked what I saw. I contacted him via email and asked if he'd be interested in illustrating my text. Unbeknownst to me, Randy, who lives out in Santa Cruz, was well acquainted with the Kamapua'a legend and was already incorporating Kamapua'a into his art. He was stoked to have the opportunity to illustrate this legend with which he felt such a strong connection. Actually, releasing the story as a three volume series was his idea.

Of course, self-publishing our series has presented a plethora of challenges and crises, but it has allowed us to retain creative control and to hone all sorts of skills we didn't even know we had. Although we speak on the phone regularly and are constantly sending each other emails and packages, Randy and I still have not yet met in person. We've developed a great working relationship and friendship “ hopefully, one of these days we'll be able to sit down and have a couple of mai tais together and toast the success of our series.

What audience would you like to reach with the book?

Our subscribers range in age from 12 to 82. Essentially, the series is aimed at anyone who's a kid at heart. If you have an interest in Hawaiiana or Polynesian folklore, all the better.

A handful of great versions of the Kamapua'a legend already exist. However, most of these works are rather dry, academic or "old fashioned" (i.e. written 100 years ago). What I've tried to do in my version is make the story more accessible and fun to read. It's less heady than the above-mentioned versions and delves more deeply into the motives and personalities of the characters, while beefing up the action and suspense inherent to the ancient legend. I've taken some poetic license with the story but I stay true to the legend.

Randy's illustrations really add to the accessibility and fun too. The best way I know how to envisage his style is to think "Big Daddy Ed Roth goes Hawaiian."

When do you get to sell the lucrative product rights, ALA Star Wars, et al? Will "Kamapua'a" ever end up in a 'Happy Meal'....?

Ha! When Randy and I get to the our people will talk to your people stage, I'll let ya know. Until then, this is a labor of love, pure and simple. We've made a miniscule profit so far, and the feedback's been extremely encouraging.

It would be fantastic if something lucrative resulted from this project.

How is the triCity area like Hawaii?

Hmmm ... well, if you'd asked me this question a few weeks back when I was still wearing my winter coat, I might have been a bit harder pressed to answer this question. But let's see, there's certainly a strong surfer connection and, once summer hits, a rubbah slippah sensibility pervades the shore. And, if you know where to look, there's plenty of aloha around here too. Mahalo.

from "West Long Branch's Pig God," triCityNews, Asbury Park, Thursday April 21, 2005, Pages 20 and 38.

[ Edited by: Kamapua'a 2005-08-29 13:06 ]

Interview with Chongolio

*… Action and suspense are once again on display in the second book, on display being the operative phrase. Because this time around we decided to catch up with Chris’s partner, Randy Bain, the illustrator of the series.

The amazing thing about this collaboration is that it reaches far beyond the triCities. As of our interview with Chris back in April, the two hadn’t even met in person. In fact, Randy has never even been to the state of New Jersey!

Instead, he’s happy getting stoked in Santa Cruz, California, where we caught up with him for an interview … via email, of course …

So, have you met Chris in person yet?*

No not yet, just lots of emails and hours on the phone talking about all kinds of stuff. We have become really good friends and have cultivated a fantastic working relationship.

Where do you draw your artistic inspiration from?

That is a long list, but here are a few things that have been with me since I was a pup: music, monsters and strange creatures, Saturday morning cartoons, the art and culture of Polynesia and the south Pacific, Ma nature and all of her flora and fauna, jungle wildlife, science fiction and outer space, 60's and 70's surf culture, underground comics, old movies, etc ... As I said, the list could go on for days.

A cool thing about the art in Volume Two is that most of the sketches were done during my last trip to Hawaii. It was really neat to actually be in Kamapua'a's stomping grounds while creating the images for his book. There were some wild roosters and chickens that lived outside the condo that we stayed in so I had live models for the chicken drawings. It was very inspirational and I felt like Kamapua'a could of been right there drooling on me as he looked over my shoulder.

Is Kamapua’a based on a person in your life?

I did not base him on anybody in particular, but Kamapua'a reminds me of a lot of people myself included. In a way, he represents humanities ability to be noble, caring and beautiful, however, we can also be a self centered, cruel and grotesque bunch as well. I think everybody has this trait in them. To some degree, it's human nature.

What tools and media do you use when creating the artwork?

I always start with a pencil and sketchpad. I will create a rough idea on paper, then scan it into my computer. Once in my computer, I will clean it up and start fooling around with colors and textures. I use mostly Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator on a Macintosh G4.

How long does it take you to illustrate an edition?

We have been taking about 3 month between each volume. I am usually working on ideas and images during that entire time.

Does Chris send you the complete script, or a few pages at a time?

Chris will send me the whole story as one big text file. I then take it into Adobe Pagemaker to see how many pages we are going to have and how everything is going to fit. While doing this, Chris and I will start thinking about which parts of his story that would make for good illustrations. It's sometimes uncanny how we both choose the same parts of the story that we think would make for powerful imagery. Chris and I have connected on so many levels it really is amazing to me how well we work together for a couple of dudes that never met.

Have you ever been to New Jersey?

Nope not yet, I have some family out there that live fairly close to Chris, so I am pretty sure that one day him I will share a cocktail in his zip code. I have an opportunity to go to New Jersey this month, but I am really swamped with projects right now and would have to do some serious flaking to pull it off, so it will have to be another time.

from "West Long Branch's Pig God is Back," triCityNews, Asbury Park, Thursday August 18, 2005, Pages 20 and 40.

[ Edited by: Kamapua'a 2005-08-29 13:05 ]