When James Kochalka was a kid, he enjoyed drawing comic strips so much that he filled over 2000 pages by the time he finished high school. Since then, Kochalka has continued to put those of us with writer's block to shame. In the past two decades, Kochalka has released dozens of books, including graphic novels and children's books. He even writes a daily comic strip, American Elf. His work has attracted fans as diverse as Frank Miller and Moby and ganered him a Harvey Award (the industry equivalent of an Oscar). In short, he's indie famous.As if one successful career wasn't enough, Kochalka is also a prolific musician, with nine full-length albums under his belt. The song "Hockey Monkey" was featured as the open for the Fox show "The Loop."
He's so prolific that there's no quick way to write an introduction (I've just realized). When I approached Kochalka for an interview, he had no problem rising to the challenge of answering eleven hard-hitting questions about his humble beginnings and his meteoric rise to fame. He even recorded an awesome theme song just for us! This man is unstoppable.
What are you working on right now?
American Elf is my most important ongoing project. It's a daily diary comic strip that I've been drawing for the past ten years. You can read it online at americanelf.com, and it's also available in book collections. I've got several books coming out this year, including 2 new books in my Johnny Boo series, about the best ghost in the world and his pet ghost squiggle, and also a book collection of my teen superhero series.
A lot of your work appeals both to adults and kids. Why do you think your comics and your songs transcend age?
Melody transcends age. Any song with a good melody should be able to transcend age, at least theoretically. If it's catchy, it's catchy. Right? Also... kids like it cause it's goofy. Adults like it, because it's sung with soul. I sing like I mean it.
Why did you decide to have a career in both music and in comics?
I didn't exactly decide on these careers. I've drawn comics and written songs since childhood. They were hobbies... I just got lucky that I've been able to make a living at it. More than lucky! I mean, my brain is such a wreck this is the only thing I'm capable of doing, if I weren't able to make a living doing this I would be absolutely doomed. I used to be a waiter, but I wasn't good at it. It's a horrible job, for me at least, way too stressful. I still have nightmares about being a waiter.
How did you get your start? Was it particularly hard to launch an indie career?
It was really really easy, once I got motivated. I was making mini-comics, which are homemade little photocopied comic books. And I was trading these with other cartoonists through the mail. Really, the comics world is so small you can go from zero to being a recognized name in the field in a very, very short time.
Would you ever consider working with a major publisher like Marvel?
I have done work for Marvel and DC. In fact, I've done one of the awesomest, most famous HULK comics ever. Hulk vs. The Rain. It was kinda ripped off in a scene in that recent Hulk movie.
What was the worst day job you've ever had? A member of Frightened Rabbit put metal on dental floss. I had to measure cinnamon rolls with the mentally challenged. And you?
I haven't had any jobs that were particularly strange, but telemarketing sucked well enough. I was selling newspaper subscriptions for the local daily paper. We were horribly paid, I think I was making $107 a week before taxes. And if you managed to sell a tremendous amount of papers you could maybe make a small commission on top of that, but it was almost impossible. One thing the supervisor would do is like put up a dollar bill and set a timer. If you made a sale, he'd hang the dollar on your cubicle, but it someone else made a sale it would go to them, and on and on until when the timer went off whoever had that dollar in their cubicle got to keep it. Oh, how we would all kill ourselves trying to "win" that measly horrible little dollar. They had little signs in our cubicles that said "Smile and Dial!" I was pretty good at the job for a while. I was even able to talk old blind ladies into buying subscriptions. But it's really really easy to burn out on. Most people quit or were fired after the first day. Some people lasted a few weeks, hardly anyone stayed more than a few months. I stayed in that job for three years!
Did you experience a quarter life crisis when you were first getting your career off the ground?
Gosh, I don't know if I've ever reevaluated my life. Reevaluate implies you were on one path, and then decided to take a different path, right? I mean, I've been on this path of being an artist and a musician ever since I was a child. On the other hand, much of my work is autobiographical and involves a constant ongoing evaluation of my life. Not a reevaluation, but constant evaluation... if that makes any sense.
Who would play you in a movie about yourself (a la American Splendor)?
I'd kind of like to play myself! I've acted in a feature film before, so maybe I could handle it. The movie I acted in is still in production. It's sort of a romantic comedy about the first manned trip to mars. It's called MARS. I play a sort of Access Hollywood type news anchor with an exclusive deal to interview the astronauts during their trip. http://www.swervepictures.com/mars.htm
Which superhero movie would have been better if you had written it?The Hulk. Actually, I'm pretty sure I could write a better version of ANY superhero movie. Or at least a crazier version.
You got an m.f.a in painting. Do you feel like your degree helped you in your career? I just needed more time to postpone adulthood. That's what graduate school did for me. Really, that's what college is best for.
How hard is it for you to write a song?
It's easy to write songs. I just open my mouth and start singing. The songs just come right out! However, I don't know how to play any instrument, so building music around it can be tough. But that's why I have a band.
What is your advice for young aspiring comic makers?
Draw like mad! Don't wait to find someone willing to publish you. Make a website for your comics or something.
Be sure to check out his daily comic strip American Elf, or if you have children, check out his latest books for the Johnny Boo series.
