
The following is Part Two of my interview with Jermaine Rogers….enjoy. You can find Part One here.
E: Sooo dude, are there anymore Jermaine toys coming out? I saw you were part of the film The Vinyl Frontier, fun flick…
Jermaine Rogers: I’m fortunate, all of my figures have been successful. I think I did a few that will stand the test of time. I recently got an email from Paul Budnitz (president of KidRobot) being very kind about my toy history and saying how it was among a handful of things he really liked. That makes me feel good, because that guy sees everything. I can’t talk too much about what I’m doin’ now, though…
E: Fair enough! (Laughs)
Jermaine Rogers: (Laughs) I just submitted turnarounds for two different figures…I’m in talks with a company that everybody knows (wink). Until it goes into production, we’re keepin’ it quiet. I’ve also got a bronze figure coming out soon, and then another life-size Squire variant, it’s gonna trip people out…
E: Unreal man…
Jermaine Rogers: The life-size Squire pieces we did a few years ago sold out instantly, so did the Comic-Con edition of 10. Well, we’ve got one more Squire variation coming. I also did a large fiberglass Dero figure that’s gonna be 3.5 ft tall: you can stand it up somewhere in your house, and it’ll freak people out when they see it (laughs)….
E: (Laughs) Oh man…
Jermaine Rogers: (Laughs) Yea man, the toy thing is going good. I’ve got a lot of stuff being made, it’s all in production. So when it’s time to start releasing stuff, it’ll be like bam, bam, bam!
E: You’ve also been involved in a group project with a few other high profile names in the art of modern rock scene, Justin Hampton and Emek, called Post Neo Explosionism. I wanted to find out a bit more about the project, how’s that been?
Jermaine Rogers: It’s been cool. When PNE started, we just wanted to do something that was a celebration of each other’s art. We did a show in Seattle in 2002 and that went very well. There was never any feeling that we had to prove anything to each other. At the time we started PNE, Justin Hampton had enjoyed the most success in the field. And then later on I was able to hustle and do a lot of stuff. In the last few years, Emek has really blown up. People sometimes think that we have to outdo each other, but it was never like that. Make no mistake, when you’ve got three ego’s in the same arena, things happen. There definitely have been times when each one of us has had an ego moment…
E: You are humans after all…
Jermaine Rogers: Exactly, but ya know, it’s cool. If you’re not careful, other people can stir things up. I can’t read the internet poster forum boards anymore man. I love the people on those things, but there are always a few who voice their opinions in a weird way. Some people develop a hatred for your artwork that is puzzling to watch. It becomes personal. Every thing you do, they’ll find the flaw and point it out. When you do those really good pieces, the ones that everyone applaud…well, they’re conspicuously silent then. But, it’s all very necessary. Those people have a right to their opinions and that’s what art IS. Those forums are a good thing, but I personally don’t read them because I don’t want to be influenced. People will tell you what they want to see, what they don’t want to see, what you should be doing, what you suck at, why you’re one of the greats, why you’re overrated…you know. That’s their job, too. My job is to ignore all of it.
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