Chicon 2000: Artist Guest of Honor: Bob Eggleton
Chicon 2000
Artist Guest of Honor: Bob Eggleton
Rev. 28-Apr-2000
Previous: Ben Bova
(Table of Contents) Next: Jim Baen
_________________________________________________________________
Infobot: info@chicon.org
Bob Eggleton began his career as a science fiction artist in 1984 with
covers for Baen Books. He has since illustrated countless (well, not
literally countless, but lots and lots) of books and has done work for
such magazines as Astronomy and Sky and Telescope. His technique uses
dramatic angles and dazzling colors to create scenes both dreamlike
and starkly realistic.
He has been nominated for the Best Professional Artist Hugo in every
year but one since 1988, and he received the Award in 1994, 1996 and
1997. He also also was nominated twice in the now-defunct Best
Original Artwork category (1992 and 1996) and has been the recipient
of numerous Chesley Awards (sponsored by the Association of Science
Fiction and Fantasy Artists). His other interests include Godzilla
movies and craters. We will soon post a series of photographs of Bob
at some of the most famous craters in the world.
For Bob's latest work, take a look at Who's Afraid of Godzilla? and
Godzilla Likes to Roar, two children's books just published by Random
House .
Bob Eggleton's website is now online.
_________________________________________________________________
interview with Jeremy Bloom
Q: If Godzilla fought Marilyn Manson, who would win? (and, of course,
the inevitable "why"?)
A: Now there's an image. Well, both are male and female at the same
time, Godzilla has a son/Godzilla Jr. from an egg that came from no
one knows where. In the New Godzilla movie, he/it lays a bunch of
eggs. Marilyn Manson supposedly has better legs than Godzilla... the
breath though, that's Godzilla's advantage. Sure both are loud... but
Godzilla could fry Manson in a second.
Q: What's all this 'Zilla shit, man? Why the fascination with the big
bad lizard? Why not Gamera? Or Elvis?
A: Godzilla was my main hero. When I was young, I was picked on by a
lot of older kids, bullies, etc... so Godzilla in a sense, told me how
to defend myself. I once drop kicked this kid, right in the cohonies,
and then I pounced on him and did a Godzilla roar. He thought (as did
school administrators) I was psychotic. He didn't bother me again. But
I credit Godzilla with my early interest in SF and Fantasy. He was
just a Stranger in a Strange Land. Trapped in a world he never made.
So here I am, 33 years later, painting Godzilla paperback covers,
children's books and even, are you ready... a coloring book! So much
for "How will you ever make a living from monster shit??"
Q: It is a well known fact that, just as one cannot make a living as a
writer (as everyone always told me), it is impossible to make a living
as an artist. What made you decide to brush aside all the warnings and
dire predictions and go ahead and make a living as an artist anyway?
A: I had A LOT of people tell me that. They wanted me to... conform,
be normal, be a "team player" (don't you just love that), we are Borg,
all that crap designed to sap your imagination. So the more people
said it, the more my reaction built up and I said, "to Hell with you!"
I was determined to be a SUCCESSFUL artist no matter what it took.
People close to me, a few (I stress FEW) teachers were encouraging and
my Mom and Dad were really encouraging, but cautious as parents are.
One of my faults is that I don't listen well (I'm working on it!) and
back then I just did not listen to those saying "Don't waste your time
on art... it's not a real job". To all the people who get "downsized"
by these insidious mega corporations... tell me what a "real job" is.
They get let go, after putting their soul into a company and they end
up in debt, worried and just feeling out of control of their lives. I
tried that once. Once.
Q: How did you end up in Rhode Island? Do you think that shaped the
artist you became, the career you have had? Would Bob Eggleton have
ended up differently if he had gone to some other school?
A: Rhode Island. I was born in Massachusetts actually, from a somewhat
historic family originally known as Fairbanks/Fayerbanks (before they
invented the "i" letter). My thirteenth generation grandfather
constructed the first "A" frame house in America in Dedham, Mass. It's
still there to this day as an historic site. But my Dad moved us (I
was an only child) down to Rhode Island for job reasons. Here he
invented the patent for the Teflon Non-Stick pan (the process by which
teflon is bonded to metal) for a company which said out of the
textbook "it could not be done." So then, we moved to California
during the height of Flower Power, etc... and after about a year
there, he had a job offer in Pennsylvania (Lancaster) so we lived
there for awhile and then, moved back to R.I. Schools. College proved
to me, like my father's ingenuity, one did not need a college degree
to be good at art. One needed desire, talent... and luck. But you make
your own luck in the long run. So I left college (my year and a half
only cost me $1800... I talk to grads that can't get jobs who owe
houses to banks. My mother instilled in me the idea of never getting
in too much debt.) Bob Eggleton would've gone to some other school and
come to the same conclusion. I briefly (and I mean for 15 minutes)
considered the Air Force at one point, 'cause I love planes... but I
was told one did not just join and jump right into an F-15. That was
that. So Art it had to be.
Q: Airbrushing. I understand you had to back off from that technique
for health reasons. Was it really that bad? How did losing that option
change you, and your artwork? Do you miss it?
A: Airbrushing. When I started, I thought this thing was the cat's
ass. It was just perfect. But, really I never did THAT much
airbrushing at all. Most artists don't. Michael Whelan uses it
sparingly and many people view his work as "airbrushed" when he's just
this great painter with a regular brush. I started getting a cough,
"chronic bronchitis" as my doctor put it, so I was susceptible to all
kinds of colds and flu, etc... it was like a "smokers cough". I
realized the misted paint (airbrushes aerosolize paint particles) was
into everything - my clothes, hair, books, food, etc... and I just
started feeling the work done with airbrushing was just... fake
looking. I looked at Jim Gurney's rich impastoed textures and I longed
for a less mechanical means. I do not miss fiddling with the needle
and parts to make it work... but my paintings now have a certain
something I like a lot. I like more of what I turn out than before, so
something changed for the good. The best moments occur when someone
will walk right in front of my new stuff and say "Hey Bob, where's
your stuff?" Some, a few clients have complained the newer work is
"too sketchy and loose". There is a tendency of late in cover work to
do over-rendered pieces. A lot of companies like it. But then, a lot
of OTHER companies like my new stuff. They are just paintings with
more life in them. Danny Flynn, an Irish SF artist who's a hell of a
nice guy, looked at my stuff at the World Fantasy Con and said "Makes
me wanta throw out me airbrush!". There's a vote of confidence.
Q: What was your first experience of Science Fiction? Who were your
favorite authors/books growing up?
A: I loved the space program... I grew up in the heady days of Gemini
and Apollo, it grabbed me. Then, I found Star Trek. And 2001: A SPACE
ODYSSEY which, as a 9 year old, floored me. I was a complete geek
then. Reading: Classic stuff. H.G. Wells, Verne (Captain Nemo was a
hero of mine), Clarke... watching Ray Harryhausen and Godzilla films.
And drawing all those images. And I was a child of Forry's FAMOUS
MONSTERS OF FILMLAND (thanks Forry, if I never said so).
Q: What was your first experience of cons/fandom?
A: Well, I never knew SF had cons until about... 1978. I went to a
couple of Star Trek cons and Boskone in Boston. At Boskone, I learned
about a Worldcon - Noreascon II, in fact, and I said, "I am going to
go to this and find other people like me" That was 1980. So I figured
I would enter some drawings in the art show. I actually sold them and
made a fortune (back then $200 was a lot of money) and won Best
Amateur Monochrome Artist. It was a gas.
Q: How did your SF experience warp your artistic career? Had you
thought about other career tracks than the one you have followed?
A: It made me realize I could have my cake AND eat it WITH ice cream
too... I said to myself "WOW! I can have fun... and I can make a
living... having fun". And people liked me. In high school most people
respected my ability, but they thought I sucked in general
(particularly girls), cause I wasn't a jock or something.
Q: Worldcon, 1994: Winnipeg. Hugo nominee Bob Eggleton decides "I'm
not even bloody going." Why not?
A: Well, okay, let me get this straight. Once and for all. As we all
knew that was a strange year. It was for me... I was having gall
bladder attacks (pain.Pain.PAIN!) and I had done a summer of being
"Gohonered" going to all corners of American. Then, like halfway
through the summer I was like "OH shit! I never made my plans for
Winnipeg". I had been to Keycon, a great convention in Winnipeg, and
jeezus... did Canadian Customs give me the going over. All my artwork
had "display" on letters and paperwork and all, but the Goods and
Services Tax was just something he wouldn't let me around. He told me
"Paperwork is meaningless... you could sell it anyway, so you have to
pay something." He let $10,000 worth of art come through for $117.00
which I threw on the Now Famous Credit Card (interestingly, the same
one I used to pay for the flight to the Worldcon) and Keycon paid me
back, fortunately. Another time, the RCMP pulled me into a Little
White Room, hot lights, etc because I matched a "profile". They were
nice about it, Canadians usually are, which is why it was always a
weird experience. So, then I hear "hotels and flights are full... so
is the program" and then the idea of shipping my art to Fargo N.D. to
be brokered in... everything stacked against me. That's mainly the
reason - organization or, on my part, lack thereof.
Q: Is winning a Hugo really such a big deal? How about winning two
Hugos? Three?
A: Well, yep. It's a lot of fun. There will always be That First
One... and seeing Jim Burns win it the following year, I could not
have been happier for him because he deserved it profusely. But when I
flew up to Winnipeg to get it... it was hysterical. Kevin Standlee
said "We'll send it UPS". Okay. I pictured this broken rocket
arriving. I said "No, screw that, I'm coming up to get it. Now." It
was two things: I just was dying to hold it, for real, and second, I
wanted to somehow THANK everyone. And, when I get there, John
Mansfield shows me the award then says "We're taking it back! And
giving it to you at the Masquerade". And there I am, with George Barr
and Barry Longyear and the stage manager for the masquerade was saying
"Can you kill 10 minutes!?" So we did. In L.A., I had this gut
feeling... then I saw Mike Glyer grinning at me and several people who
produced the newsletter who could not look straight at me. I figured I
should be there. And in Texas... it was when Mitch Bentley said "WAIT!
This is the BEST HAIR award..." I was in hysterics and had to recover
time so I ran.
Q: Another Godzilla question: Are some people the Godzillas of the
Hugo awards? Do you think that fogies who have won scads of 'em should
drop off the ballot for a few years and let the young turks have a
chance? Or will the young turks get theirs anyway, once they've paid
the dues?
A: You realize this is a tough question. And often asked... The award
is an award by the fans. It is just about the only major award in the
field (except for Comic's Eisner Awards) that is still left up to a
popular vote. Other awards, such as The WFC Award, are juried. No one
should live for them, but they are a way of making you feel you've
made a mark. I do not view Science Fiction as a business (more on that
later!) but as a field as a whole - something you give to and get
something out of. And I make a living within that context, in one way
or another. I believe the "young turks" get in there - I was a young
turk - because everything evolves and changes: Science fiction cons
and fans are evolving and changing. Writers and artists evolve and
change... and you take your glories as they come, or as they go by,
but you move on. And always believe the "next one" is the best one.
While I look at my Three Rockets every day, each one with their own
special memory the fans helped make, I look forward to all the great
pictures still to paint.
Q: What's happening with 'Zilla now? How is the forthcoming movie
("Size Does Matter") affecting you career?
A: Okay. I have to be careful here. I am privy to things I can't
discuss. Classic Godzilla - the one we know and love since the 1954
movie - is dead. He died in 1995 battling the monster Destroyer, and
his inner nuclear furnace melted down. His son, Godzilla Jr. absorbed
most of the radiation... but he's another story waiting to be told.
The New Godzilla, from director Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin (of
ID4), is a different creature... He's part lizard, part dinosaur...
and can change his skin color to match his surroundings. He's 22
stories high and is very fast on his feet. No more thunder thighs.
He's also realized via CGI and some model work. The Classic Godzilla
was a "man in a suit". This New Godzilla takes getting used to -
people will say "THAT'S Godzilla?" But... he grows on you, like he did
me. So I am doing a lot of merchandising work. The best of both worlds
- classic Godzilla books, etc and New Godzilla coloring books (don't
laugh, the money is actually good).
Q: Fandom. Many writers and artists seem to have a love/hate
relationship with the community. But everybody I know seems to think
you're just this great, bouncy, funfunfunfunfun Tigger of a guy. How
do you do it?
A: Okay, hee, hee... this goes to what I said about SF not being a
business as much as something I'm "in" and "part of". Whatever I do:
painting pictures or doing panels or judging masquerades... I'm part
of this mind set. A whole bunch of Strangers In Stranger Lands... I am
very careful not to let my life get infiltrated by negative people, or
negative experiences. I walk around in a dream... but I turn it into a
living. Dave Kyle came up to me at Lonestarcon II and, I'll never
forget this, he put his arm around me, shook my hand and said
something like "You're doing what it's all about. I can say thanks
from First Fandom". It was something like that anyway... I was really
misty eyed. At MagiCon, they did a slideshow at the Hugos with the Dr
Who theme and it had photos of all the program book covers, the Hugo
designs and photos of the Best Novel award from 1953 onward... I knew
this was really something I was part of that was pretty special and
would always go on. Sometimes though, I see "politics" both on fan and
pro levels. That pisses me off... for instance I had the "wonderful"
experience of being lectured by a couple of people, at the last
Worldcon, in regard to me being "Too young for all this success...
especially a Worldcon GoH invite". These people need major lessons in
thinking of others' feelings. Success is an abstract thing, not
linear. It can take time or it comes all at once. And you have to
enjoy it and thank the stars you are healthy enough to enjoy it...
We've all been affected by death and tragedy of late, so it's like
Shakespeare said "Seize the Day... now will never come again... make
now the most precious moment". I live that. And still others (some
pros) accuse me of "not having a life". Well, if having a life is not
having any FUN... I feel sorry for them. I always donate little
sketches and give some of me back to the SF community because it's fun
to do. Some won't because they'll be "seen as giving themselves away
in front of paying publishers". I just don't worry about it, and hope
the sketch brings joy to someone. That's money enough.
Q: The hair. What are you, some kinda goddam hippy or what?
A: I am actually a very conservative guy. I am a "logical
contradiction in terms." It's very hard to figure me out. That is why,
generally, I stopped. But then I read Heinlein was also a walking
contradiction... and if I get compared to the Master... what the Hell?
My half brother, who died at 41 (I'm 37 - like I said, Seize the Day)
had hair much like mine, in fact my Aunt has a hard time seeing me
because at first glance... and she knew him best I think. The hair
suits my character right now. I'm related to Douglas Fairbanks Jr.,
too; it looks good when I swing from chandeliers. Really, I'm pretty
down to Earth most of the time. No artificial flavors... or
substances. No drugs, intensely opposed in fact. Science Fiction
colors my dreams far more than chemicals would or could.
_________________________________________________________________
20 Years
by Bob Eggleton
This past November, I attended my 20th year High School reunion. I had
a lot of misgivings about High School. I wasn't into sports and my
grades were okay but I wasn't in any honors clubs. My main goal in
High School was to simply graduate and go out and work, which I did
more or less. Twenty years gives anyone a bit of a history, enough to
be nostalgic. I went expecting nothing, and ended up having a terrific
time and staying quite late! I caught up with a lot of people. The
best questions I got all night were:
"Bob, did you ever do anything with that art of yours???"
"Bob, are you still into all that sci-fi stuff???"
"Bob, how many years did it take to get your hair that long???"
I managed to talk with as many people as I could see, a lot of 70's
music was played, and it was more or less like a wonderful soak in the
warm waters of nostalgic memories of what was for me, given the recent
High School incident at Columbine, a simpler carefree time when all
one worried about was making enough pocket money for comic books. (All
I could think about were the words to column written by Chicago
Tribune journalist Mary Schmich entitled "Wear Sunscreen" and made
into a terrific "talk- song" by Australian Baz Lurhmann I suggest you
go and buy that CD - it's really well done)
It got me thinking that science fiction is much the same way. At
Chicon 2000 I will be able to celebrate 20 years in Science Fiction
Fandom. I have attended 15 Worldcons in that time (as well as
countless regionals) and have seen each one as a reunion. Not everyone
goes to every Worldcon. I have known people who don't attend many for
years at a stretch. When they come back, it's as if they never left
because often a conversation picks up where it's left off. It's nice
to see and hear about what people have done, whether it's from one
year to the next, or ten years. The World SF Con is a reunion for SF
fans - because pros or not - we are all fans. Science Fiction has a
wonderful past, and a past which is also the future in the same
breath. Recently, I was given the commissions of doing covers for
re-issues of books by E.E. "Doc" Smith, James Schmitz and Fredric
Brown. I feel quite honored to be doing covers for books by three
legends in the field. It's hopefully my part in a larger one of
keeping these writer's works available for all to enjoy. And while
when one thinks of SF as often cold and technical, it's that warm and
fuzzy feeling that The Worldcon is all about.
WHILE I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION - I can heartily recommend a couple of
books just out that pay a lot of tribute in words and, especially
pictures and art to science fiction. The first book is Science Fiction
Of The 20th Century by Frank M. Robinson (Collectors Press). This is a
terrific look back at science fiction literature, art and media, full
of great magazine and book covers from the 20th century. Time machines
don't exist, but this is pretty darn close. The second book is The
Frank Collection by Jane and Howard Frank (Paper Tiger Books) which is
a published testament to the largest private collection of F&SF art in
the world. While much attention is paid to modern works it's the
viewing of past masters works: J Allen St.John, Virgil Finlay, Hannes
Bok and others that makes the book so absorbing. The text, written by
Howard and Jane, is Pure Frank all the way.
_________________________________________________________________
* Godzilla - web site for the 1998 motion
picture release.
* Bob Eggleton - bio
at novaspace.com (where you can also find samples of his art and
purchase prints, cards, and screen savers)
* Event Horizons and
Alien Myths - screen
saver/wallpaper collections, sold by Second Nature
_________________________________________________________________
Previous: Ben Bova
(Table of Contents) Next: Jim Baen
Top | Table of Contents | What's New | Register | Help
info@chicon.org