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Gunning For Hits #1
Jeff Rougvie has been in the music business for decades as well as has worked in diverse capabilities for artists including David Bowie, huge Star, Elvis Costello, Devo, Bob Mould as well as Sugar, The Replacements, They may Be Giants, as well as many others. He brings his know-how in the world of music to comics with Gunning For Hits, a new series from picture with artist Moritat. Rougvie tells Westfield’s Roger Ash more about this interesting new series.
Westfield: exactly how did Gunning For Hits come about?
Jeff Rougvie: I’ve been in the music business all my life, as well as I still run a label. The concept for the story we’re telling in the very first six problems came about when I started working with David Bowie. He was a brilliant artist as well as I got to understand him as a wonderful person, however he was at a low-point, career-wise as well as artistically. I started thinking; what will occur if he doesn’t turn his career around? When you have an artist of his magnitude in that situation, exactly how would he as well as the record business offer with it?
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Westfield: exactly how much did you draw on your own experiences for the book?
Rougvie: music fiction has a tendency to autumn into the exact same old clichés. It’s one of the reasons I set the book in the ‘80s – most writers run to the ‘60s or ‘70s, however the ‘80s was when things truly got crazy in the business. This book isn’t going to be yuppies hoovering up vast quantities of nose candy or taking advantage of groupies. We’re trying to turn tiring conventions sideways. There’s rather a bit of my experience in there, as well as stories I heard from others, however those are springboards for totally fictional scenarios. So while my character Brian Slade may seem Bowie-esque, he’s evil, as well as David was not. That’s what makes it fun!
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Westfield: What can you tell us about Martin Mills?
Rougvie: He’s a skill scout (A&R person) in the ‘80s nyc music business with a string of hits as well as a mysterious background. He’s a narcissist, however in service of music. He believes in the power of the perfect pop song, as well as bit else – with great reason. When I started to compose the book, I plotted out Martin’s entire life – even his death – as well as I have about a hundred Martin Mills stories to tell. We join his story a couple of years into his music business career, however there are hints throughout about his past as well as visitors can comply with a twitter account of Martin’s Journal excerpts @MartinMillsHits to fill in more blanks. He’s the primary character, as well as perhaps the guy you’re rooting for, however Martin’s no hero.
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Westfield: who are a few of the other characters visitors will meet?
Rougvie: Brian Slade, Martin’s preferred traditional rock artist, who is thought about washed-up. Martin is persuaded he can make Brian a big star again. then there’s Billy, the primary innovative force of Stunted Growth, a band Martin is aggressively trying to indication in the very first issue, as well as Billy’s manager / sweetheart Diane, who both get entangled with Slade. And, of course, Melch who is one of my favorites to write. He’s Martin’s only friend, as well as cuts off a co-worker’s finger.
Westfield: will there be any type of genuine venues as well as people in the comic or is it strictly fiction?
Rougvie: We’ll refer to lots of genuine people, locations as well as events in the story. For instance, we talk about Iggy Pop in the very first issue, however he’s not doing a walk-on! There’s likewise a Gunning For Hits Spotify playlist that of program features genuine musicians, all of whom exist in Martin’s world. I look at the world of the comic the exact same method Tarantino sees his films; every story he tells occurs in his world, however a few of them are genuine events as well as others are really movies shown in the Tarantino-verse.
Westfield: What can visitors look ahead to in the story?
Rougvie: I pitched the book as a revenge fantasy for each tune that should’ve been number one. It’s called Gunning For Hits for a reason, so in the very first problem visitors will discover a great deal about exactly how the music business works, which I believe we’ve dealt with in an entertaining way. We likewise see exactly how Martin uniquely beats the odds. later on, you’ll satisfy Brian Slade, who ensnares many characters in his web, producing all kind of issues for quite much everybody – except Melch, who is happy if the bar is well-stocked. as well as it is.
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Westfield: You’re working with the artist Moritat on Gunning For Hits. What can you state about your collaboration?
Rougvie: I’m truly lucky tohave him on the book – we’ve been having a blast! His art as well as designs are ingenious, as well as he’s truly caught the character of 1980s new York. Comics have been an obsession all my life, however I’m a very first time comic writer, so Moritat’s been super-helpful in navigating the world of comics. I was a fan of his before Eric Stephenson introduced us – his work at DC on The Spirit as well as Jonah Hex blew me away, as well as he’s truly pushing himself right here – people who’ve seen the book are loving his art. as well as Casey Silver is important too, coloring as well as doing letters.
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Westfield: any type of closing comments?
Rougvie: TV shows like Madmen, The Sopranos, The cable as well as The Newsroom have taken deep dives into the inner workings of different markets (yes, I think about criminal offense an industry), so it’s surprising to me that comics haven’t complied with suit, since people are clearly interested. a few of the most prominent TV shows ever are about music, as well as Bohemian Rhapsody was just the number one movie, so clearly music as well as the music market stay a source of fascination. I believe comic visitors have been underserved in this arena as well as I hope they discover new as well as compelling comic / music stories in Gunning For Hits. I have to say thanks to picture for their interest for Gunning For Hits. It’s a testament to their commitment to trying new things, which is why they’re the most fascinating publisher in comics.