Johnny Depp – Analog Artist Digital World

I went to the Welcome Party at the Sunburst Convention For Professional Celebrity Impersonators, Tribute Artists and Look Alikes at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center (1500 Sand Lake Rd, Orlando, FL). The hotel was right in the Florida Mall so it took me some time to locate the place. I asked the concierge where I could find the Celebrity Convention and he said, “All the celebrities are down the hall to the right. There was a large empty room and I was about to look around some more to search other rooms. Paula Dean walked in and asked where everyone was. Just then we both heard laughter from behind a door. Inside people were watching a documentary titled “Just About Famous” about celebrity look alikes. “When fans cannot get close to the real thing, these professionals step
in to fill the void. As the old adage goes, ‘imitation is the sincerest
form of flattery.’ From a celebrity impersonator convention to their
lives across the country, JUST ABOUT FAMOUS chronicles the few who have
had the fortune, or curse, of looking like the most recognizable people
on the planet.”

This wasn’t a great sketch opportunity, but I began to realize that I as surrounded by celebrity look alikes. Right next to me was Gene Simmons, a band member from Kiss. What do you do when you discover you are sitting next to Gene Simmons? You sketch him of course. Also in the room was Johnny Depp, Barack Obama, and George Bush. Only a few were in full costume, but it was fun trying to figure out which celebrities I might be sketching. The film turned out to be much longer than expected so I had plenty of time to sketch. I was pleased to see that a local pink haired actress who I only know as Barbie Rhinestone, had a prominent role in the film which is now on Netflix. It turns out she can become Marilyn Monroe and Katy Perry. She probably had the funniest moment in the film when she demonstrated a voice warm up exercise in which she screeched and flexed her fingers like cat talons. She made a cupcake bra for her Katie Perry persona that is hilarious. In the film she pointed out that she sort of hoped people would be impersonating her, but this was the next best thing.

Celebrity impersonators discussed how people react when they think they are in the presence of a celebrity. For some reason people feel the need to reach out and touch. One celebrity Look alike at the conference had a stalker. The guy drove four hours to cause trouble. Greg, one of the organizers of the event asked the trouble maker to step outside and the guy was escorted out of the hotel for trespassing. This is a community of people who look after each other. It also became clear from the documentary that this was a fun group of people to be around. The convention runs through Sunday September 27th.

Johnny Depp produced and Directed the documentary “For No Good Reason” about the artist Ralph Steadman which was screened at the Florida Film Festival. The iconic work of Ralph Steadman is some of the most instantly
recognizable in the world of modern cartooning. In 1969 he was paired on
a magazine assignment with a writer named Hunter S. Thompson to cover
the Kentucky Derby. Nothing could have prepared Steadman, the sober
Brit, for the havoc-stirring Thompson, but their blend of sensibilities
gave birth to what became known as “Gonzo” journalism. The film delves beneath the obvious (albeit incredibly evocative) work
Steadman did with Thompson. While the give and take of their friendship
certainly helped form his style, it was Steadman’s willingness to go
further that truly makes his art stand out. This is most likely what led
him to work so closely with William S. Burroughs towards the end of his
life. A kaleidoscopic journey with Steadman
through the ups and downs of his expansive career, including traveling
with Thompson to Africa for the Rumble in the Jungle, his outrage during
the Richard Nixon years, or going shooting with Burroughs, this crowd-pleasing
documentary is touching, angry, and weird—all in equal measure. Fifteen
years in the making, it’s sure to give insight into a man who has used
his talents to challenge the status quot in ways most illustrators are
never able to touch.

I went into this screening with no idea that the film would be about one of my all time idols. Steadman truly believed that his work could help change the world. His edgy and evocative images show the darker side of just about every public official while showcasing man’s inhumanity to his fellow man. Steadman views authority as the mask of violence.He found his voice and used it as a weapon.

The whole idea of Gonzo Journalism was new to me but it has so much appeal. Basically the artist would be sent to an event to document the proceedings. Then the artist and writer would become the story. This is how “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” was developed. Author Hunter Thompson went to Las Vegas with a lawyer and the trip became a kaleidoscopic binge of drug abuse that warped their perceptions resulting in very twisted imagery and verse. Only Ralph Steadman could illustrate this warped world view. It felt entirely appropriate that I was documenting my joy at discovering this film as I threw down lines and splashes of color.