My web site now has VIDEO! Some of you might remember this, but I've had a few new readers join my flist recently, so some of you may not. A couple years ago, I got my art featured on MTV's car improvement reality show, Pimp My Ride!

Sadly, Xibit was off doing something else, so my episode was hosted by Chamillionaire instead. Not that I have anthing against Chamillionaire, it's just that he's not Xibit. As for the gig itself, it's definitely one of the highlights of my career thus far. Not for the money (no, definitely NOT for the money), but more for the novelty that I got to see my stuff on TV. On MTV, in fact! That's like 2 dreams rolled into 1! 

I remember MTV commissioned me to draw segment openers for their Silver Surfer episode. The Marvel Comics tie-in was enough for me to blow my warp core. I guess MTV had partnered up with New Line Cinema to cross promote the Fantastic Four movie. I felt like a cog in the Hollywood wheel. And I was working for The Disco at the time, so on top of my day job, this gig had a tight deadline, which made for a fun 90 hours of straight work in one week. I think my current back problems are a repercussion of that week, actually. 

I also remember the night it premiered. It was early June, summer in Chicago, I had no idea what to expect, but I was excited as hell. I think I told everyone I have ever known to make sure to tune into MTV that night. I was watching it in my best friends' living room in Logan Square. It all began about 20 minutes after the show started where we started seeing the artwork and the morphing effects. My brain exploded. By the time my segment ended, I had shit my pants. Especially when I saw my name on the screen. (I refer to that as my 'money shot'.) As a thematic element, the producers told me to sign my work, since that's what comic book artists do. At first I thought it was a cheesy idea, but now that I look back on it, it was totally my rockstar moment. By the time the credits were rolling, I was a puddle of goo.

Then the fun part: My cell phone blew up with cheers from all my friends and family, people were calling me for days. It was awesome. At the end of that night, I remember standing in my parents' kitchen. It was the one of the few times I actually felt proud of myself. I don't know where this illustration career is taking me, since the market's so unpredictable right now. And I don't know how far I expect to go in this endeavor, but I'll always have this really fun highlight to remember. Plus, it's kinda hard to forget when you're in reruns. Surreal. 

WATCH THE CLIP ON MY NEW VIDEO SECTION!

Full episode on MTV.com

~