Interview with Nicolas Caesar.

Full Name:
Nicolas Elizabeth Caesar

Do you have a nickname or what do your friends call you?
Cap’N Scary

Birthplace:
Santa Clara, CA

Current hometown:
Fremont, CA

Favorite city and why?
Seattle, I’ve never been but I imagine it to be a rainy, damp place. I hate hot weather.

Birthday/Age:
January 8 (Same as Elvis), 40

How would you describe yourself physically?
Like a hairless gnome.

How would someone else describe you physically?
Like someone who dances at the sea shore for nickels.
I would give you all of my nickels. ALL OF THEM!
Pretty soon I’ll have enough to sink this body!

The first thing people notice about you is…
My loudness.

Hair Color/Eye Color/Race?
Chocolate Brown, Coffee Brown, Heinz 57, my ancestors fucked everybody.

Sexual orientation?
I walk the line.

Religion, if any?
I have better imaginary friends.

Are you superstitious at all? Any phobias?
I used to use a vending machine in Oakland’s Chinatown as an omen generator. I have a fear of heights, planes, and brain aneurisms.
Alright, tell us more about this “omen generator”.
Depending on the prize it’d tell me how my day would go. Skull charm – I’m going to run into some asshole. Sticker – Eh, day. Jewelry – Meet a girl (when single), Animal – I’d probably eat that later that day.
That… is AMAZING!
Projection is better than magic.

Do you smoke/drink?   If so, what?   Any bad habits?
I don’t smoke, was never any good at it. I’m a drinker but a boring drunk. I used to car surf, street fight dumpsters while singing ‘If I were a rich man’, now I just watch cheesy horror movies and get all sappy over Lost in Translation. I’d love to go to Japan if I wasn’t so goddamn afraid of planes.

Current occupation/Dream job:
Fulltime Artist / Part time Antiques Dealer / Bar Doodler.
My dream job would be a supervillain of some sorts. Nothing written down yet but my secret stripper identity is ‘The Milkman’.

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?
Watch a lot of movies, go junk shopping, flea markets, garage sales, eat sushi.

What is your zombie outbreak survival plan?
It’d all depend on if zombies are edible. Would 120 degrees do the trick? Because Twinkies only last so long. Outside of that I’d go all Road Warrior, travel with a skull covered dune buggy solving mysteries and eating Twinkies.
You are my hero.
And I’d keep my Australian accent if I had one.

Weapon of choice:
Tazer. I don’t want the quick kill unless I’m outnumbered. I’d rather do some zombie torture tinkering.

Do you have any special skills?
I can mimic heartbeat noises.

Did you go to college and, if so, what for?
I did, to pick up on punk girls.
Did you mean pick “up” punk girls? Because that’s what I tried to do in college.
Hey, it was what I was interested in the most! lol

If you went to college, did you manage to pay off your student loans?
I wasn’t there that long

Any pets?   If so, what are they and what are their names?
I have a chiweenie named Boo Boo.

What is your favorite animal?
The Spider.
Why the spider? Most people are terrified of spiders.
I have a spider totem, always connecting and networking, pulling things together. Live spiders bite my face.

Speaking of pets, any pet peeves?
I hate people who start a sentence with “You should…” and other armchair critics.
I always reply, “You can’t build a bridge out of should.” That usually shuts them up.
So does “Stop talking out of your ass” lol

Favorite/Least favorite Food:
Sushi and Gummy Frogs / Olives and Mushrooms.

What is your favorite quotation/motto/saying?
“I gotta be me.” – Sammy Davis Jr.

What is the best thing that ever happened to you?
Marrying a chick into horror movies.
They’re the best kind!
And she plays videogames! Ka-ching!

What is the worst thing that ever happened to you?
I think coming to my childhood home and finding all my things, toys, wallpaper, photo albums in trash bags.
What was that all about?
Let’s just say my pops had anger issues. lol
Fair enough.

Ever had your heart broken? Is there a story worth telling behind your answer?
The first time I was heart broken was at a junior high dance when the girl who I asked out said yes – then at the dance said “I don’t want to be seen with you”, I think that set the stage for a history of dating meatgrinders.

What is the worst thing you’ve ever done?
I set a friend up with a girl then stole her away from him.
Was it the one you ended up marrying?
No, we broke up after she said “When are you going to stop this art thing and get a real job”. lol
Like getting a real job is the fucking point. You’re living the dream, man!
She was very white picket fence and I was very Beetlejuice. Success has a myriad of definitions – mine is bringing the reality inside my head – out. Getting paid for it is just a bonus.

If you could kill one person, consequence free, who would it be and why?
I’d kill the idiots who use greed to snuff out the human race but on a smaller scale I’d like to punch Bil Keane in the dick (dead or alive). Fuck you Family Circus!

What do you do? How did you get started doing what you do?
I always drew as a kid, I just had too many ideas to contain them. But professionally it was trial and error. Every artist I asked this question was either too paranoid, an asshole or ignored me completely. So now I help artists get their work out there.

What is your advice to other people that want to get started doing what you do?
Be yourself, be good to people, be available, be tenacious, don’t let outside opinions shape you.

What are some of the projects you’ve worked on/finished in the past? Give us a little history if you will.
I think the biggest item on the list would be curating and creating art for Scream 4, but outside of that I do hundreds of shows, comics, doodles on demand, I give lectures, I’ve produced several graphic novels and horror anthologies.

What projects are you working on now?
I just opened a gallery in Niles, CA within Mantiques, an antiques store full of toys, tribal masks, taxidermy, etc. It’s Oddities, American Pickers and Pawn Stars all under one roof. Monthly I’m a regular artist at Kaleid Gallery’s Two Buck Tuesday and I do live art with DJ Cutz on Demand at The Layover bar and lounge in Oakland, CA. You can also see me now and again of TV20’s Creepy Kofy Movie Time. Outside of that I juggle shows, comics and life.
No shit! I know it’s kind of a dick move to ask in an interview, but if not now, when? If you need any art for your gallery, let me know! I’d love to finally be able to land a gallery show. You can check out my work here: https://www.etsy.com/people/arkhamscreenings
But see that’s the thing with me. I create a network. My success is only from helping people out. There are these artists that want to be rockstars by dryhumping their way to the top. Not me. I hang with real people. The best piece of advice I can give is own your career. Here’s a list of galleries I work with:
http://www.kaleidgallery.com/
http://www.psycho-donuts.com/
http://www.hyaenagallery.com/
http://funhousedetroit.com/
http://www.gallerysevven.com/
http://www.sideshowstudios.net/
But yeah I think your art and prices would do well in my gallery. Also check out Jerry Shirts, I think you’d dig him!
I am all the fuck over this. All of it.
(Metal hands!)

What are you watching?
I’m big into video mixtapes and am watching Forbidden Transmission Season 1.
Oh shit! I’ve just been getting into mixtapes recently. Downloading a lot of them off of Cinemageddon. I’m friendquaintances with the Whore Church guys. I’m also friendquaintances with Earl/Chris from King of the Witches. I watched all of the Forbidden Transmission episodes and loved them all! I just downloaded a bunch of “American Dream, American Nightmare” and “Everything Is Terrible”. I also watched “Doggie Woggiez, Poochie Woochiez” last night, an all dog clip mixtape adaptation of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “The Holy Mountain” and I seriously think it might be the best thing I’ve watched all year.
Check out Lost and Found, The Found Footage Festival, TV Carnage, Future Schlock, and Monkey LSD Suicide. That one got me into Attack of the Beast Creatures, you need to see it! An Island run by Trilogy of Terror dolls! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04cfA09wsqc
Yes I get my video recommendations from mix tapes like Retard-o-tron and The Crazy Dave Tapes.
My art will be on the new season of Forbidden Transmission. Kinda proud of that.
As well you should be, sir!
There are a handful of things on my art bucket list. I did art for horror movies, comic books, my local horror host show, underground dvd art was the next step. I wrote the Retard-O-Tron asking them if I could do art for them and they replied “Make your own video-mix-tape!” and I replied “Don’t cockblock my cartoon fantasy!” in my head. I was lucky enough to talk to Brian Unfried at Forbidden Transmission. I went hog wild on them and it shows! Look for it! Next on my wishlist is to design a beer label.

What are you listening to?
Currently I’m blasting O.H.G.R and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult.
Chris Alexander recommended that I interview Ohgr to help promote their upcoming film “Queen of Blood”. I’m still waiting on my second-pass kickback from Chris Alexander and Ohgr asked that I wait till next Monday to begin the interview so he could wrap up planning his next tour.
Groovy. Ohgr has always been a huge influence psychologically. I used to listen to Skinny Puppy with my headphones and start draw out the monsters and environments it’d create in my head. I had a chance to get a piece in for the Last Rites stage show, my pal was pals with Tim Gore the FX guy, but I wasn’t able to finish it in time. It would have looked like this: http://www.scary-art.com/ohgrsdog.jpg . I taught myself how to use latex and molds, I was really proud of it, I just had too short notice. One of those regrets that still stings you from time to time.

What are you reading?
Old horror comics.
I downloaded a huge torrent of all of the old EC comics. If you want I can put it up for file transfer for you unless you already have all that stuff in CBR.
Please do! They’re my brain food!
Actually, if you torrent, you can download them here, which is, I think where I got them all from.
http://thepiratebay.sx/torrent/7088152/Complete_EC_horror_and_suspense_comics

Favorite author/book?
I like Gahan Wilson a lot. Edward Gorey.  I’m not a reader. My wife is. I’m just a visual person.

Favorite band/song?
Diatribe / Thomas Dolby’s The Devil is an Englishman

Least favorite band/song?
Lorde Royale

Desert Island Music/Movies/Books: You know the deal. Five of each.
I’m shit with top 5s.
Music: Diatribe’s Therapy, Ohgr Sunnypsyop, Skinny Puppy Two Dark Park, John Lydon - Psycho’s Path, Johnny Cash – Best of
Movies/DVDs: Lost in Translation, Twilight Zone Box set, Ren and, Venture Brothers, Red Dwarf
Book: If I’m not there with my wife, probably porn.
If you could do anything other than what you do now, what would you do?
Probably a therapist or a sailor.
I’d go with being a sailor.
You have to go through a ton of school to get certified as a therapist. Unless you meant “the rapist” in which case you don’t have to go to school at all.
I think it’s all those Popeye cartoons or Sinbad movies. I want to fight sea serpents and giant monsters. I can’t condone rape. Unless it’s clowns. I mean why else would their noses honk, am I right?

Who would you want to meet that you haven’t met? You get three choices:
Alive. Dead. Fictional.
Elvis, Batman, The Mothman.
Good choices all.
I think it’d be a party.

What’s the best and worst job you’ve ever had?
Outside of art I was a tour guide at The Winchester Mystery House. Worst was filing medical data for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Anyone you recommend I interview that you can put me in touch with?
Matt Deterior, Justin Aerni, Anthony Barbaria, John Hageman, Bill Shafer, Balrok de Cavo, Mel Smith, Reuber Splatterbeast, Big Tasty, RT Vegas, Gus Fink, Char Hall

Got any questions for me?
Are you going to make trading cards of your interviewees? Lol!
That’s a fucking great idea! I’m going to hit up Black Mass and Loucifer Rusconi and see if they want to run the interviews in ADHD and do trading cards!

Follow-up questions and thanks:

You have a really unique style of art. I’d really be hard-pressed to think of a well-known artist to compare your work with which is rare for me as I’m a fan of art. What would you say your artistic influences were? How did you start working in the style that you’re working in?
My art kind of took a life of its own. There have been artists I’ve loved that seep through as well as everything from Sex Pistols albums to urban decay. I really wanted to do art like Ralph Steadman or Gerald Scarfe but what I produce tends to be this crazy mix of Alex Toth, Basquiat and 60’s monster stickers.
I went from drawing to sculpture to painting. I had to teach myself how to paint. All the art classes I took were fuck off classes – I was serious. My first set of paintings were really raw but that hit a nerve with people. They later because more and more closer to my illustration. I also let go of trying to be Michelangelo. I painted what I liked. Monsters. Skulls. Devils. Etc. My art is me and has a sense of humor about it. Every other artist can strive to be God. That’s just not my scene. I’m a grindhouse kind of artist.  

What would be your ultimate work of art? I mean, what would be the work of art that after finishing it you could be happy to just step back and coast?
I think I’d like to paint my idea of Hell or a circus or both. Something like the Sgt. Pepper album, full of characters. I can’t comprehend coasting. All the time I feel like I’m trying to catch up, manifest my ideas before I lose them. That’s my perpetual motion machine at its core – to keep going ‘til my hands cramp or break.

Thanks for allowing me to subject you to an interview!
Thank you sir! At first I was like is this the purity test? Then after a while I recognized how impure both of us are. Lol
I’m just plain filthy. Don’t tell my mom!
I’m sure your mom has a wonder woman costume in the closet not for trick or treating!
Geez! My step-father only wishes she does!

Pitch parade:
Give me all of your links for things you want to promote. All of them.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nicolas.caesar
Twitter: https://twitter.com/scaryart1973
Website: http://scary-art.com/
Blog: http://scary-art.tumblr.com/
http://instagram.com/captainscary#
http://www.hyaenagallery.com/scaryart.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mantiques/263353667036253?ref=hl

About the Interviewee:
Nicolas Caesar is collected worldwide by everyone ranging from celebrities to postal workers. He’s sold over 3,000 pieces and his prices remain consistent. “It’s more important to me that my art be in every home next to the TV. You don’t get into this business for the money. You get into it because it’s what you do”. His art appears in Scream 4 and his web comic Mosquito and Spider appeared in the Cartoon Museum in SF. He is one of the most prolific underground artists of this era.

About the Interviewer:
Scott Lefebvre has probably read everything you've read and can write about whatever you want him to write about.
Mostly because when he was grounded for his outlandish behavior as a hyperactive school child, the only place he was allowed to go was the public library.
His literary tastes were forged by the works of Helen Hoke, Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Stephen King, Clive Barker, Edgar Allan Poe, and H. P. Lovecraft.
He is the author of Spooky Creepy Long Island and a contributing author to Forrest J. Ackerman’s Anthology of the Living Dead, Fracas: A Collection of Short Friction, The Call of Lovecraft, and Cashiers du Cinemart.
His reviews have been published by a variety of in print and online media including Scars Magazine, Icons of Fright, Fatally Yours and Screams of Terror, and he has appeared in Fangoria, Rue Morgue and HorrorHound Magazine.
He is the Assistant Program Director for The Arkham Film Society and produces Electronic Music under the names Master Control and LOVECRAFTWORK.
He is currently working on a novel-length expansion of a short-story titled, "The End Of The World Is Nigh", a crowd-funded, crowd-sourced, post-apocalyptic, zombie epidemic project.
You can check out the blog for the book here: theendoftheworldisnighbook.blogspot.com
You can check out the Facebook Fan Page for the project here: www.facebook.com/TheEndOfTheWorldIsNighBook
You can check his author profile at: www.amazon.com/Scott-Lefebvre/e/B001TQ2W9G
You can follow him at GoodReads here:
www.goodreads.com/author/show/1617246.Scott_Lefebvre
You can check out his electronic music here: soundcloud.com/master_control
And here: master-control.bandcamp.com
You can check out his videos at: www.youtube.com/user/doctornapoleon
You can check out his IMDB profile here: www.imdb.com/name/nm3678959
You can follow his Twitter here: twitter.com/TheLefebvre or @TheLefebvre
You can follow his Tumblr here: thelefebvre.tumblr.com
You can check out his Etsy here: www.etsy.com/people/arkhamscreenings
You can join the group for The Arkham Film Society here:
www.facebook.com/groups/arkhamscreenings
You can stalk his Facebook at: www.facebook.com/TheLefebvre
You can e-mail him at: Scott_Lefebvre@hotmail.com