Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle

Voice Over (00:00:02):
This show is sponsored by the ComX Shop. We hope you enjoy the show

Leigh Chalker (00:00:26):
And welcome to Tuesday Chinwag, episode eight. I’m Lee Chalker, creator of Battle for Bustle. Thank you for the Colmex network for hosting us and this evening is a good mate of mine Rob sp ly. And how are you my man?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:00:44):
I’m good mate. My toilet walls are covered in P, my son is still learning the ways of the stream and he is like a young, inexperienced fireman with the fire hose. So yeah, just before I came on, I did what we used to call in the music biz, the nervous pee, which was just before you go on stage you go for a last minute pee, even if you don’t need to. Yeah, yeah. And I just noticed the walls were dripping

Leigh Chalker (00:01:20):
And will’s. Yeah. And I’ll exit the toilet, close the door and I’m off to do Chinwag and whoever discuss that’s on you, <laugh>. Yeah yeah. No, that’s sounds like dreams could come true, mate. With that. What a great way before the show, just ducking and see the walls just dripping and I’m out. So that’s the way to go. I like it. I like it. Now mate, you and I got some stuff to talk about cause Cool. In case anyone doesn’t know, get a Danny in case anyone doesn’t know Spy and I, similar ages, went through a lot of stuff in life and probably about 2020 within what Mate month I guess of each other put out Devil’s Toilet issue one and battle bustle issue one through Reary Publications. So it’s been a bit of a journey my friend, so hopefully we’ll be able to have yarn about that and cover all that. But absolutely mate, for anyone that’s not listening and for yourself, just generally it’s six prompting questions just to get the yarn happening. So it’s who, where, how. And we just talk about anything else in between that tickles our fancy. So Rob Mate who?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:02:46):
Yeah, so we spoke before the show, so I’ve just now ticked the who. So I want to

Leigh Chalker (00:02:53):
<laugh>

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:02:54):
Get all six done even if we have to rapid fire them at the end. Mainly cuz I wanna answer things when, cuz I don’t know what the answer to when is. So who so my name is Rob. Years ago when the internet was invented my dad said, do not put your real name on the internet and my fake wrestling name I was never a wrestler, but me and my brother pretended we were was S Spy. So I put S Spy in as my username and then people that I met in real life having chatter on message boards started calling me by my internet pseudonym. So I am Rob Lyle, aka Spy.

Leigh Chalker (00:03:43):
Yes,

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:03:43):
Yes. Yeah. I create books such as The Devil’s Toilet Toilet that came to life and escaped Hell only to inadvertently Bring the Apocalypse with him to Earth. And then this Moose, which is an anthology series with each issue based around a theme. And then the Sluggish which is depression, anxiety, and slugs. Those three classic tropes. And yeah, that’s about, that’s the quick version.

Leigh Chalker (00:04:19):
Yeah, yeah. Right. So okay, now the first time I came across you was I got Battle for Bustle issue one, like your Home Package printed and stuff. And that was busting through the boxes and things. And on the very back cover of Battle for Bustle issue one and stuff was the Devil’s Toilet. And at the time I was wondering to myself, who is this person that writes a comic book called The Devil’s Toilet and <laugh> Os I was a bit of a deal bit back then and didn’t realize it was such a giant community of people out there, man, stuck in your little treehouse and stuff and let’s go. Now I know some of the story, but there’s other people out there that don’t. What brought you to the Devil’s Toilet issue one?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:05:28):
Yeah, so I’ll skip a bunch of stuff for sake of keeping it succinct and whatnot, but basically I was a musician and that was my life until I sort hit a bit of a mental roadblock which saw me, or I got, what’s the easy way to put it? I wanted to just create by myself. I had been in a band for so long, which involved me being the driving force, getting people to be places, and I wanted to just do stuff on my own for a change. I had put a book out in 2013, I think called Badly Beaten Boy I’d drawn been drawing comics in different ways for a very long time since I was a kid. I would draw pages of sequential story with just people punching and whatnot. And Devil’s Toilet was a character from way back then and I’m all over the shop, but so my band had a forum, like a message board, and on that message board I would put cartoons and I did this Badly Beaten Boy.

(00:06:47):
And then I turned that into a comic book and I printed a hundred copies, got ’em home and I had no idea what to do with them. I posted on Twitter, Hey, I’ve got a comic book, Steve McEwen and Darren Close both followed me on Twitter and I thought, all right, here we go. And then it just stopped there. I had no idea what I was doing but my drawing had gotten a lot better from Panel one to Panel six on page 22. So years later I had written two novels but my drawing had kind of stagnated and so I thought maybe I should try my hand at Sequential again. And I did the Devil’s Toilet with no real intent to put it out, just to improve my drawing. And yeah, it sat on my computer for I think two years until Hayden Sparrow brought Rick McClune number one into the comic shop I was working at.

(00:07:52):
And it had Reary written on it. And funnily enough, through alternate worlds, I had spoken to Gary to put Alternate Worlds ads in his comic books. And so I was like, I actually know that guy. I should just message him. And I said, Hey, I’ve got this book, the Devil’s Toilet, I sent it to him, I said, it probably needs a new cover, it’s not very snazzy but otherwise what do you think? And he said, new cover, fix this on this page and we’re ready to go. And I was like alright. And and I was off to the races, he put it out and there we go. And funnily enough just about a month prior to that my dad had a stroke and he was in hospital for I think three months and I spent eight hours a day at his bedside because for some reason so he lost a lot of his sort mental faculties which most of which he got back.

(00:09:01):
But at the start there, no one doctors or nurses could communicate with him. Whereas I could work out what he was saying and trying to say. And so I quickly realized I should be there all the time to get his message across. But that meant a lot of downtime. So I started drawing the Devil’s Toilet two even though number one wasn’t out and I had no intention of it coming out. And so when Gary put number one out and it got a little bit of attention I was like, well I’m 10 pages into issue two, I guess I’ll keep going. So I kept going.

Leigh Chalker (00:09:41):
So you got obviously Issue twos special for you, that’s one out of your comics so far. Obviously I’ve read an awful lot of them and I’m assuming that they’re all special, but that one sounds like it’s got a little star above it mate sitting there with your old man drawing away and just being with someone and stuff, man. So I mean that’s cool cuz I, that’s a shared experience really. Mmm. <affirmative> bonded mate. I reckon that’s a great story man with Devil’s Toilet came out and you were doing your sequentials and things like that. I’m gonna go backwards a little in time.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:10:33):
No please.

Leigh Chalker (00:10:34):
What struck you with the novels first off, cuz you’ve got two that are out and one that is still, it’s in the work in progress pile I’m assuming. So what brought you to the writing? Was it tied back into, did you write lyrics for your band and stuff so you’d always been panning away thoughts on paper and stuff like that, stem from that?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:11:01):
Yeah, so when I was in high school and they ask you what you want to do for a job or for a career, I wanted to be a writer or an illustrator I had no idea how to do either. And so I applied for a, what? So what’s called Year 13 art or something where you go straight from year 12 into an art program. Now the only thing is I failed art in year 12, I <laugh>, which is just what the but I’m just like,

Leigh Chalker (00:11:42):
It is

Both (00:11:44):
<laugh>.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:11:48):
Exactly right.

(00:11:53):
I mean it’s hard to draw things that you don’t wanna draw and you just, so the bit I failed was art theory. It was sit down and look at this painting and what was the person on the log thinking and that sort of stuff I had fun with. But then when it came to, and now let’s analyze the brush strokes and whatever, and I didn’t have whatever that thing was, I remember the art teacher said to me, she’s like, what’s going on? I look at your stuff and you can draw just, and I was like, I don’t know, I don’t wanna draw these weird sculpture things. I just wanna draw cartoons, man. So I failed art, I passed graphics which was what I needed as well, but I failed art theory so I didn’t get in. So I was going to, I had just gotten into reading fantasy novels and had done a bit of writing and I thought I had a bit of a relationship with words that not everyone had a few friends I would have to help beef up their essays cuz I could s h i t talk, I could make things, I could take one little bit of information and blah I dunno, I felt like I had a relationship with words.

(00:13:20):
So I applied for this creative writing course and they bring in your portfolio and I was like I’ve got two stories that I’ve written. Needless to say, I didn’t get into that either. So I fell back on, well when I say fell back on, I had just gotten into grunge music, playing guitar so I dedicated my life to music <affirmative>.

(00:13:46):
So later on as the band folded and stuff, I took a few screenwriting courses. I thought well that’s what I wanna do then I’ll be a screenwriter. I get to just sit at home and write. And then, I don’t know, things get made I guess, I don’t know, I didn’t how it worked. I did a few courses, I got very encouraging critique and all this sort of stuff. But at the end of the day, you’re still, the end product is 30 pages of script that you’ve then gotta beg someone to read. So I decided to turn my attention to a novel because then at the end of that I, I’m totally in charge, I’ve got a thing, here’s that thing. I still find myself begging people to read it, but it’s not to try and get the thing to exist. Does that make sense? It already exists. So I didn’t have to beg someone, please make this TV show or whatever. So what I loved about it was just creating, not having to depend on anyone.

Leigh Chalker (00:14:51):
Was it an idea you had for a long time your first novel? Or was it something that you sat down and you went, bugger it, I’m writing a novel, all of those reasons, bang, I’m doing it and you just notepad and you went at it and learned as you worked or did you have with your screenwriting background theory that was there yet had it all laid out? What was the story there then?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:15:15):
Well, yeah, so they say, I would learn later on that there’s like, there’s the gardener and the architect. The architect maps out the story from start to finish whereas the gardener likes to get in and just explore as they go. And I’m very much the gardener and so I had this vision in my head of, I really like abandoned buildings and stuff like post apocalyptic where the foliage is taking back the building or whatever. So roads covered in grass and all that sort of stuff. And I was just like, oh imagine a big huge castle that is overrun by all kinds of nature and alone female warrior walking through and that that visual. And I was like, all right, now I need the story of that castle, how it became its rise and fall and then how it leads to this lady walking through. I never got there. <laugh>, I spent so long on the backstory, two novels work and I was pretty happy. I had so much fun writing these things. So many things like that’s the joy of the gardener format of writing where you just, things just sort of happen. You see a plan and you’re writing towards it. But then Holly, Holly, Molly, what’s that? And you’re just like, blah. And you go and suddenly someone’s dead and you did not plan it. But it’s just like, but that’s how it, anyway, so I never got to my end goal, but there’s an end <laugh>.

Leigh Chalker (00:17:02):
So was it a planned trilogy? Oh is that what you got to start off with one book and then it just, it’s got so organic you just were like, oh there’s an idea if you book two then book three.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:17:15):
Yeah. Now this is another thing with me. So did screenwriting. Now screenwriting is writing in the present tense. Lee reached for the pen and he wrote on his notepad where as opposed to on that fateful day, Lee sat down and he wrote on, so I’d done screenwriting, that’s in the present tense. And so when I started writing novels, I wrote them in the present tense as though it was happening. Now one of the continuous feedback was books aren’t written, this books are written in the past tense. And I was like, mean this is all just rules that people made up. It’s like are movies in the present tense, isn’t it? Cause you’re watching it and the, anyway, so as the way it goes, I learn by doing and book two is a lot better than book one. I think they’re both fairly pretty strong, but I’m biased.

(00:18:22):
But to get someone to read book two of like, look how good this one is, they have to have read number one and if number one is a hurdle, they’re not gonna get to number two, <affirmative>. So when it came time to write number three, I was like, well maybe I should take what I’ve learn from these two and start something else completely different. And so that’s what I did. I wrote a tangential prequel but completely a prequel so that some of my buddies who had read the first two books went, oh there’s a little Easter egg. But for anybody else it’s written in the past tense. It’s very traditional prose, fantasy novel with the spy spin on it. But it’s more taking the lessons I learned and apply them to get past that hurdle. And that’s the same with comics. That’s why I’m scared the Devil’s Toilet. You have to get past issue one to get to issue three hence sluggish comes in anyway, we’ll get there.

Leigh Chalker (00:19:30):
Yeah. Oh mate. I think as long as you’re proud of the work, one thing, I don’t know, I guess what I’m discovering and learning, talking to people you may beg to differ is the first primary person of the audience cuz you are creating it. So therefore I guess you have to keep that in a fan happy and proud of what you’re doing. So if you can get to that last page and go, yes, that represents me, I’m proud. Then you put it out into the world and anything you learn from that, you take it forward from there. But are these books available mate? And if anyone wants to check ’em out, what are their names and stuff and where are

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:20:22):
They? The first book is called, I’m just trying to see if I’ve got it handy. Aade show my track pants.

Leigh Chalker (00:20:28):
Oh no, it’s all true. The Rumors of Pants <laugh>.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:20:36):
Yeah, so this is called, there Are Only Moments Now this is a thing in itself. So Robert J La that sounds like a real

Leigh Chalker (00:20:45):
Oh

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:20:45):
Yeah, writer, doesn’t it do

Leigh Chalker (00:20:47):
Robert Jay <laugh>.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:20:50):
And then so when Devil’s Toilet came out, Gary was like, right, so what are we do? Gary der at Rey, he was like, what are we doing Rob Lyle? And I was like, oh I don’t know, go with just right by Spy because I’m Robert j Lyle and I’ll keep the tooth separate. And now this whole debacle Rob SPS ly, it’s it’s all over the shop. Oh yeah, thanks

Leigh Chalker (00:21:13):
Ben Sullivan has that book Ben Good. Anyone that’s watching too, you just gotta be caught up into

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:21:18):
Yeah and then the follow up all will fall. So it’s the fate of Fallen Brier is the sort of overarching title and it’s a medieval zombie novel cuz my theory is just own up to what it actually is. And it, funnily enough, it came out just before the Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. But it’s essentially those two jammed together making these feel like a timely ripoff

Leigh Chalker (00:21:50):
<laugh> as long as the date says before then I won it’s copyright and all that. Which

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:22:03):
Funnily enough, when I did the screenwriting course and whatever, I wrote a sitcom and the classic and so I went to TAFE for two years after I didn’t get into creative things, I went into information technology, learning computers and whatnot. And the class was made up of people my age 18 at the time through to 50 year olds. And so while I thought well oh and those 50 year olds would take us 18 year olds to the pub for lunch, get us drunk and then they’d be fine cuz their livers had been there, done that we would be absolutely off our faces trying to learn for the rest of the day. And I was like, that’s the show. It’s, it’s based in a community college, there’s adults, there’s the older age people through to this age and whatever, it’s quirky dialogue and all this sort of stuff. And I was like, and then community came out and I was like, ah sweet <laugh>.

Leigh Chalker (00:23:05):
Just when you were describing the show I was thinking and he’s gonna say the community popped out here. Yeah, you’re just having a bloody awful run. <laugh> saying,

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:23:17):
I’m not saying it was any good but I’m just try pitching a show that is basically, so it’s an inferior community. So basically just imagine community but with guys going yeah, Goodday Mate in that sort of voice

Leigh Chalker (00:23:31):
<laugh>

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:23:33):
And that’s it.

Leigh Chalker (00:23:34):
Yeah, I’ve watched that show. I was surprised you, I was surprised you’re not telling us a story that you just brought out Be’s Toilet and someone pops out like God, God’s ual or something like that. No, that would’ve been devastating. It’s like, well can I get a break here man? Yeah,

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:23:54):
I did find out there is a Devil’s Toilet in Dragon Ball. I think there’s some sort of in a video game. This was well after I’d well committed to <laugh>, it was too late. But when Googling myself, cuz what else is there to look for? <laugh> and I came up in Dragon Ball Wiki and I was like, oh no, but still own it.

Leigh Chalker (00:24:19):
Yeah, well that’s the main thing and it’s going strong too cause Head of the Devil’s Toilet so far three issues have come out. Hey so yeah, what are your plans for the fourth one mate? Me and Completion in the works down the track because you’re busy boy at the moment. Yeah,

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:24:41):
Well how honest are we getting? I don’t know. You

Leigh Chalker (00:24:46):
Can mate, it’s Chin Mag. It’s like you can forums open.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:24:52):
Well there’s only so many hours in the day. I wanna do everything. Basically in my mind the Devil’s Toilet was infinite amount of issues and I would use it to introduce characters and build the spy verse as I like to call it and just have all my stuff under one title. And that title is the book’s Greatest Gift. And its Curies Curse as I write in number three because <laugh>, I would find that we had, I went to Oz comic on with a shared a table with Gary Della from Rey and Hayden Spar. And so Hayden was selling his Rick McCune’s, his chimes and then Gary had all his stuff and I had the Devil’s Toilet. You would not believe how many people came to the table because of the name The Devil’s Toilet. The Devil’s Toilet. And they would come over and then they would buy anything else but the Devil’s Toilet <laugh> because it’s, it’s weird and it’s quirky and they want to come and look but they have no real interest in a book about a toilet when there’s a Rick McClune right there when somebody’s like, oh holy mo, look at that art, look at that.

(00:26:15):
It’s a western so it the Devil’s toilet gets attention. But I don’t know that, I think to a lot of people it means something that the book’s not necessarily about, it sounds like it’s paneled to panel poo jokes when there is one or two, but it’s not the thing I had big plans. It’s kind of one of those things where this is my job now as an illustrator which is awesome, but that means I have to be a little bit I have to go where I think the chances of money I That sounds gross but it’s like so well

Leigh Chalker (00:27:04):
You’re making this now your living is illustrating and stuff isn’t it mate? Yeah look that makes perfect sense. You gotta keep the roof over your head and you gotta look at where opportunities are open and stuff.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:27:17):
And my ultimate goal is to get something of mine published on a large scale and I feel like I shot my shot with the Devil’s Toilet and it didn’t like I’ve pitched it to a bunch of places now there’s two strategies there. I do another nine issues and I make it my life’s work

(00:27:40):
And it still doesn’t achieve that goal. Or I do a Octo bro comic and try him out and then I try a Fred Cholo comic and try him out. And this is, you and I have had long discussions on post drink and draws. We are very similar and very different at the same time. I want to be a pure artist. I think you are. But I have some sort of something in me that years ago I felt like this was what I was meant to do and that I don’t know how to say it, but without sounding like a douche bag, I want to my career to be my ideas. Does that sound as douche baggy?

Leigh Chalker (00:28:43):
No. You want your creations to bring you money and get your kids through school and all that. Yeah, I think that’s the ultimate creative goal for anyone in terms,

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:28:57):
Yeah, I wanna make one of my ideas be my job. I would love to just sit and build my universe and that be my job. And that’s not to say that the Devil’s Toilet, I’m just leaving it done and gone. I mean Devil’s Toilet too serves as a low-key, badly beaten boy to if those read Badly Beaten boy back in the day. And there’s one guy, I’ve gotta shout him out, Matt Violi every couple of years, I haven’t seen the guy in 15 years but every couple of years he’ll send me where’s badly beaten boy two and I’m like dude, I tie up a lot of the loophole, a lot of the loose ends in Devil’s Toilet. I bring those characters in. So if something was to an Octo bro or whatever was to become a thing, don’t think I won’t continue the Devil’s toilet story in that. And that’s not to say the Devil’s toilet’s gone, it’s definitely not. It’s just trying to do everything I want to do everything opportunities keep presenting themselves and I feel like a full to say no. Yeah, I dunno if that answered the question. It was a bit of a brain spill of

Leigh Chalker (00:30:19):
Yeah, yeah, no it gets busy. I certainly hope I can see cuz you’ve got a lot of characters mate. I’ll say one thing, I was going through the Colmex calendar from last year Changing dates and just had one of those moments where you’re just looking at people’s artwork and that person that per just remembering back to when I met this person Friday Night drink having one of those reflective moments and I came across your page of the spy verse and I was like Yep. And there’s that and and yeah they just disappeared into the horizon, these characters man. And I was like wow, spy’s like imagination has been going super over time these last couple of years so that

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:31:17):
That’s over

Leigh Chalker (00:31:18):
And that’s awesome man. That’s awesome. I love that stuff. So I can understand how you’d be having Devil’s Toilet and then you’d have an idea like, oh Okta Boy or CHONe and stuff like that and yeah that’s cool cuz I suffer a little bit the same mate from time to time so I definitely sympathize with that. Your comic books are very personable to me the ones that I’ve read. I find that maybe it’s because I know you and stuff, but yeah I find that when I’m reading a comic books I’m sort of getting who you are as well in terms of your humor and your art humor comes through and your artwork and your style and who you are and stuff man. So I think you’ve got a voice and stuff in terms of creatively and stuff which is a double thumbs up to you. I said you’re gonna bring jump a little, I have a tendency of doing this so I do it.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:32:32):
No I, I’m horrible at staying on topics so go,

Leigh Chalker (00:32:35):
Because what I wanna give a reference to so people can understand what I’m trying to say is there’s the Devil’s Toilet and there’s moose which we’ll get to. Cause essentially you did sort go back to creating a band with moose just in a comic world man <laugh>. But then I went probably at the beginning of the year I had a personal journey I had to go on two which was giving up drinking and stuff and rediscovering who I was and going through the ups and downs of that. And when I came out of it there was a little book that everyone was talking about that spy had released and it’s a book called Sluggish. So I got a copy of Sluggish and I read it and I’m not just because you’re my friend but I really do have to say man that book is awesome. I would’ve dropped a naughty word in there where a PG show and I’ve read it three times since then and I’m feel for people with mental illness and confidence and all the things that come with that. I really felt like once I’d read Sluggish Mate that you threw your heart and soul into that one. But which was a great creative work to me probably your best mate that I’ve enjoyed the most.

(00:34:23):
I had an idea that you’d suffered a few things, anxieties and different stuff we’ve spoken, but I mean it came across really nicely in that book and what brought you to Sluggish Men out of through the Devil’s Toilet for Moose and then we get to sluggish where you know thought mate I’m gonna drop all this stuff out onto these 24 pages.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:34:52):
Yeah it’s kind of a lot of things. There was just that the Devil’s Toilet and Moose pages would take me eight hours to do sometimes 10 hours and I just didn’t know how I could keep putting books out When I sat and thought about Holy, holy Molly just caught myself there, <laugh> 22 pages at 10 hours each, I don’t know if I can do another one or whatever. And I got really inspired by different, so many different things like zines and this guy friend of my brother’s, Josh Chad Zener did a anthology called Heaps and was where I borrowed the idea for Making the Moose. But that was such a varied different art styles and some of them were a lot simpler and less going on in the panels and it all still worked and looked great and the stories were personal. And my brother has told me he’s kind of been my shadow counsel, if you will, got a creative brain and will often bounce things off each other.

(00:36:32):
And when Gary approached me about Devil’s Toilet one, I took it up to my brother’s house and we just gave it a once over, he helped me just punch up some jokes and Devil’s Toilet two, he was just like, man this is like it’s going a million miles an hour. There’s so many characters And that’s part of because I thought that would Devil’s Toilet Two would be my last comic book ever. Devil’s Toilet One was not out with no really intention to put it out. So Devil’s Toilet Two was just throw everything at the wall just so that I have it so that I know they exist. That’s why Dave Dye was just spreads a lot of characters in this <laugh>. I was like yeah, I know what’s my point? So my brother was like, I went back and I added a page into the Devil’s Toilet.

(00:37:30):
Page two was not in it originally where it just takes a moment to get to know the characters a little bit cuz my brother’s line is just people over plot get to know the characters. The adventure means nothing if you don’t care for the people on the adventure. So I went all the way the other way with it and almost made a book that’s no plot and it’s just people I took that I wanted to draw something simpler something that had a zenny vibe had a low five vibe. Another analogy I use is my friend, this guy his name’s Dave Bell, I say friend but I barely see him, I see a handful of times of my life. He’s a friend of a friend but he’s this older sage and he, years ago we were both music guys and he sent me a CD and said you have to listen to this fricking awesome.

(00:38:34):
And I put it on my cast stereo and sonically as in the way it was recorded, it sounded like absolute crap. It had sounded like someone was playing it on a tape recorder and then took another tape recorder outside and press record and it was the sound from through the window. The point to this long story is he was able to see hear through the rattiness of the recording and hear the song and love the song and there’s like an analogy or something in there that I was just like, oh this, it doesn’t have to, if written well people can feel something about stick figures.

(00:39:20):
So all that is to say that I wanted to write something or put together a book that was a bit simpler and I mean you’ve heard me say this line a hundred times, but for the longest time I thought my wacky drawings required wacky stories and writing and I decided to laugh in the face of that and get serious only I couldn’t go all the way because I dare not tell people how I really feel. So I put some jokes in there to alleviate some of that, whoa, this guy’s really sad and I’m fine <laugh> this is, it’s more telling tales of how I was, my thirties was a dark time, I’m good now. And sluggish is Duncan pr. Vicious put it best when he said sluggish is not in the depths of despair, depression, it’s someone who’s just living with depression. So it’s not like the saddest I’m gonna kill myself type stuff. It’s just a guy trying to live with a handful of problems in his head that he’s talking about, I guess.

(00:40:42):
Yeah, I think that’s an answer. I am wary of the fact that I don’t wanna seem like I am trying to woe is me so by my book or write about something that to get attention or something I don’t know. But it’s just the right thing. It’s something I felt. These are things that I have felt I, there’s a scene where Herb, the slug in question is having a shower and he spends the whole time changing the water temperature to get it perfect because the shower is one of his favorite times of the day. So rather than just enjoy it, he tries to get it as perfect as he can and therefore doesn’t really enjoy the shower. Been there, done that. I sometimes still do that. So I don’t know what my point is. That’s kind of why Sluggish exists.

Leigh Chalker (00:41:44):
Well man it’s a lovely story. Yeah it was really well done and I was thinking about it today before our GWA and a lot of people too that know of Robert Sps ly intrinsically I guess see you as the host of Friday night drink and draw on the comics network and that requires you to be, you know, gotta get up buoyant, you gotta get all your faculties in order despite the fun stuff. Got buttons to press and things to do. And I think it was a really nice contrast man for of yourself and yourself image I guess that you are buoyant and four people and stuff on the Friday nights but then you’re also got this nice I talk about these things and that’s a great creativity man. Yeah, it would’ve been interest certainly. Yeah, I enjoyed it mate. So congratulations on that one. I know you put a lot of work into everything but that one particularly struck me.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:43:06):
Yeah, few people have been kind enough to say it’s my best work which has made issue to very daunting <laugh>

Leigh Chalker (00:43:17):
<laugh>. So I guess so there’s a sluggish too on the horizon. Is there, so that’s one of the things that’s kept you away from Devil’s Toilet for I’m assuming getting caught up.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:43:29):
Yeah, well cause I also want to cause as you can see I love shelving books <laugh> so I bet you that’s Gary der. This is the best episode Rob since the thaw drink and draw Facebook user, I’m assuming that’s Gary der because Gary rang me up one day to say, ah, drink and draw that episode, the Thor episode, beautiful episode. And I was like, oh I can’t remember it being particularly special. I have to go back and listen. And he is like, oh that joke didn’t work. It was the one episode that you weren’t on <laugh>. And I was like ah, son of a beat.

(00:44:09):
Yeah, I love shelving trades. I would love to have, that’s another dream I would like to have. So yeah, I would love to put a trade together of sluggish and I just, there’s other aspects of life I want to see Herb deal with and the garden architect of it all. You and I have spoken about how, and this is a Nick May thing too, but sometimes you just draw panels with, there’s no script, you just sort of have a vibe in your head. And I had gotten far away from that. Devil’s taught it two and three very scripted so sluggish, no script until I’d drawn it all which was so much fun. And so the fact that people have said that it’s my best work and I’m just sort of like what? But that’s the one that I <laugh> where I just kind of made it up. Yeah, it’s very interesting.

Leigh Chalker (00:45:15):
Yeah, it’s all an experiment though man, isn’t it? Creating comic books and stuff cuz there’s no right or wrong, you just enjoy the process and every process means something for what it was and what it is I guess. Cuz I can definitely get the whole no script thing. Sometimes I can sit down here and draw for a week and honestly the amount of pages that aren’t in battle for Bustle as opposed to what are, I mean yeah editing can be difficult and sad cause you think oh but it is what it is. But yeah the stream of conscious stuff is good cuz I mean obviously when you had the artwork there, did you go back and try and script it or did you think bugger it, I’m gonna chuck a letter lettering circle on there and I’ll write what I think should be in there. Did you go to letter?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:46:09):
No, so I did. Yeah, so I did then. So once I drew it all, I then went and wrote the crap out of it. Yeah probably I did it back to front. But I did spend a lot of time trying to get those words as succinct but as bantry as possible which is funny. So issue too. We went my I’m lucky enough to that my folks in-laws, they live in Rosebud and they have a cottage at the back of their house. So we get to go down there and my wife and kids will play with my in-laws and I get to just hide in the back cottage and make stuff And I was like, devil’s toilet sorry, sluggish too. I’m thumbnail on the whole thing today And I did all 22 pages of this little story just like this character’s facing this character and because in my head I know what’s happening and then I was lucky enough to get this opportunity to work on a web tune called The Hero Complex with writer Tony Hudy.

(00:47:21):
But it took all my attention and then when I found a moment to go back and dip into SLU Sluggish, I was looking at the thumbnails and I had no idea what it was about. I was looking at it, I go, cuz I had two pages of just two characters facing each other. And I was like, what did I intend for them to say? I have no idea. Which was then a fun weird challenge to then I ended up ditching some bits but keeping most of it and writing something to fit these, a past version of the story, it was quite a fun, weird challenge.

Leigh Chalker (00:48:03):
Yeah. Yeah. I think you gotta challenge yourself and try things. So where I’m gonna, let’s go backwards in time but it’s also going to involve ver moose, right? Okay. Because Moose is well your cohort then the Moose says a gentleman that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many times and he’s a good mate of yours, Mr. Nick May. Yeah. And you two grow up together through with Nick’s brother Dan. So where did you grow up and what was it like hanging out with those two? Cause they’re both artists and their own right mate, you know what I mean? And do their thing. Dan can bloody draw and Nick are beasts. So yeah, where did it start mate?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:49:00):
Yeah, well I mean it Moose it, I’ll have it on the tables and I was next to Quick Nick the other day at a table and he is like, vamoose does that sell as well as Devil’s Toilet and Sluggish. And I was like, not really, I guess what do you think about that? And I was like, I don’t really care. I’m so proud of Vamoose for one reason and yeah, I’ll get to that. But yeah, so there was a guy by the name of Adrian Williams lived across the road from me. He was my best friend and he was cool and we both liked basketball and rap music. Yeah. So when he said he was going to particular high school, I said to my mum and dad, I wanna go there too. And so we went to the same high school, we’re in the same class. He was very good looking. Now I think those at home make up your own minds but wasn’t

Leigh Chalker (00:50:06):
Leaning towards this could have been youthful stalking Rob <laugh>.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:50:11):
No. So

(00:50:15):
He was cool and good looking and I was nerdy and funny and so I liked making people laugh and that’s how I, there was the cool kids, the docks who got beaten up and then there was the kids that managed to just skate by kind of friends with the docks and got the occasionally beat up. Anyway, that was me. I managed to stave off beatings by making people laugh. And so in year seven we were voted, Adrian and myself were voted captain and vice captain of our class. I was just scraping it in because we had to give a speech about why should we be elected. So I took that as an opportunity to try out my standup skills, <laugh>. And he got in for being cool. I got in anyway, so in that class was a fellow dork by the name of Dan May. And this weird, there’s this weird, I don’t know what happened but so Adrian became, Adrian sort of got these friends and I was friends with Dan and one day I walked into school and Adrian and some of his mates are up on this balcony and they’re yelling down at me, Rob, you’re exploitive removed, Rob, you’re exploitive removed.

(00:51:39):
And I was like, Adrian, what’s happening? And I was unceremoniously or ceremonially cause it was like this weird parade dumped, I don’t know what

Both (00:51:50):
<laugh>.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (00:51:54):
And so at the same time, me and Dan may were just clicking and I didn’t have too long to be heartbroken about Adrian Williams because I had found my new best buddy in Dan May. And he, he’s the one that introduced me to comics. I loved the Ninja Turtles. And so Dan went on a family vacation to America. He came back with two Ninja Turtle comics and my dad had bought me three comics when I was about eight years old or so. And I, I’d read them and then put ’em in the cupboard and that was it. But something about this moment looking at these comics and looking at the artwork and the cut, they were based on the TV show on the cartoon. So it was very much in keeping with how I like to draw.

(00:52:45):
So I was immediately enamored with comics and then Dan took me over to his house to, well you think you comics check this out. And Nick May’s collection wall to wall boxes of just everything you can imagine. And with that came Nick May’s drawing board. And so Nick May had this big an architect’s drawing board and it had reams of paper with just, I mean you’ve seen Nick on Instagram the way he’ll show his final piece, but then if you scroll he’ll show you all the noodles he did to get there. There’d be pages and pages of one guy’s head with a big ear, small ear just working out characters. And I learned so much about how to draw from that. Just he would use a thick fine liner for the outline and then thin fineliners for the details. And I’d never thought that I used a four for everything. <laugh> just, I’d never thought different strokes for different folks different.

(00:53:57):
And as the years went on, and Dan too, Dan’s a natural and we all have this and my dad had it and I have it a little bit, but Dan had it big time. It was self doubt. Just maybe it’s the product of being Nick May’s brother, like Nick being a cartooning genius. But then Nick doubts himself too and it’s just like, how can you look at your stuff? So yeah, me and Dan would draw, create characters together. I remember one time I said Dan, we were drawing comics separately and stuff. I was like, let’s do a comic book together. I’ll draw a character, you draw a character and then we’ll tell the tale of how they became.

(00:54:44):
So I draw this, it’s basically the Punisher, it looks exactly like the Punisher guy in a long trench go big machine gun and he’s called The Assassin. And I thought, yeah, this is badass. I slide it across the den, all right, pass me yours. There’s this guy with a scrotum for a head and he’s called Bollocks Brains <laugh>. And I was like the assassin and bollocks brains. I don’t know if this was yeah. So I ended up changing my guy. Mine guy was called Nasal Fluff. But anyway moving forward, how does it go? So I hung out with Dan, not so much. Nick was kind of like, well he was Dan’s older brother and by extension kind of my older brother, I’m the oldest in my family. I was so jealous of Danny had two older sisters so we would get messed with on the playground or whatever and then Dan’s older sister would come and all the bullies would just, and she was quite good looking too. So she would come up and be like, oh wait. And all the guys would be like, oh we’re sorry, we’re sorry.

(00:55:46):
Yeah. So anyway, so I saw less and less of Nick, but I kept in touch with his drawings cuz his drawings were always there. And then at one point Dan, I hadn’t seen Nick for a little while and quite a few years and badly beaten boy I put out and I gave a copy to Dan and I said, can you give a copy to Nick because I don’t know where he is, what he’s doing these days, but obviously he’s a big inspiration for me and I would just like him to have a copy. Then when I saw Nick a couple of months later, he was very complimentary and not badly beaten boys, very flawed. But it was more I think the Moxi that he was complimentary of that I had made a book and this is a lowkey regret of mine and this is something I have done a few times in the past, but he was sort of saying how he doesn’t really draw anymore, this was 10 years ago or something.

(00:56:53):
And that my a badly big boy was served as a bit of inspiration or something. And so I was like, dude, if I like you inspired me and so if I could somehow inspire you to pick up a pencil again, that’s like full circle for me. Brother and his wife had to step in and she was like, he does still draw. You’re not <laugh> saving this man’s life or anything over here. Settle down drama queen. She didn’t say that the impression was and I was like, oh the classic me, I pushed too hard. But yeah, cut. Two years later when the Devil’s Toilet came out and this guy Churno Bill started following me on Instagram and I hadn’t seen Nick in years. I still kept in touch with Dan, but Dan lived in Canberra now. So we didn’t hang out, we just would chat messages here and there.

(00:57:45):
And so this Churno Bill, he I’m spy on Instagram and Churno Bill commented on something and he called me Rob and I, it threw me a little bit cuz Drink and Draw didn’t exist. I wasn’t like Rob Spy all in people’s faces. Yeah. So I thought, oh that’s weird. And I went to the profile and the ears were the same, the guy’s drawings, the ears were the same as the ears he used to draw 15 years ago. And I was like, it can’t be. And I was scrolling through scrolling and I found just a signature May on one of them and I was like, is this Nick May? And then yeah, he sort of said, I got Devil’s toilet off Dan. And about the same time I had done something with Heaps with Josh Chad Zza and I was eager to do another, I was like, devil’s Toilet three or whatever was gonna be a while, I wanted something else to have on my table.

(00:58:42):
And I thought, well who better to try? And Josh had his team on heaps and I was like, well what if I assembled my own team? And it all relied on if Nick would do it. And yeah, he Ed Anar, but he was down and that’s a huge source of pride for me that if nothing else, I got Nick May’s artwork printed on a page for people to see. I then forced him on to drink and draw and he poo-pooed me a few times. But then he finally came on and once he met yourself and quick and Dave Dye and Alex Major the rest is now he’s off on his own. We were at a convention last week and I was like, how’s it going? And he is like, oh yeah, just got a gig offer. And I was like, did. And he’s laying it out for me and I’m like mate, my dad has said to me a few times like, oh it’s just good to, I’m glad people are finally recognizing, you know, can do this stuff and whatever. And I feel the same when I see Nick. Finally people are recognizing that Nick’s a genius and people are finally getting it. And I liked that. I played a small part in of introducing him to the world or whatever the right word is for not taking credit but just got a slither of

(01:00:18):
An assist in there to get him in front of people. Yeah.

Leigh Chalker (01:00:21):
Well I would say Nick has since gone on to become a very integral and important part of the comics Friday night drinking draws in the community and stuff like that. Absolutely. He’s a very welcome member. He’s always very proactive and stuff and very supportive of everyone involved and the community in general. So I’m glad sometimes you do make handout not a handout like bad as give someone a bit of cake, get ’em through the day. I mean a hand down, I pull ’em up with you mate. You know what I mean? Yeah. Do those little things. Cause that would be would’ve been awesome mate. Especially this, you’re right about the circle there, man completing, coming in a moose and hey there’s this dude that influenced me so much to suddenly now we’re doing the moose together and stuff, man. Yeah, because yeah, a Nick Mayra, when you see it, I’ll tell you, I’ll give him that too. It’s like he’s definitely got his own style and flavor man. And I’m not joking when I think he’s a beast. He’s one of my favorite.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:01:45):
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

Leigh Chalker (01:01:48):
I still remember that funny story where he tried telling us one night, I don’t know how you do this, Nick, I’m still befuddled by it, but I do all most of my drawing laying down <laugh>.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:02:01):
Yeah. And he then he goes on to say that he writes all his scripts, writes all his stories while he’s asleep.

Leigh Chalker (01:02:08):
<laugh>. Right. Oh mate. Good times. Good

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:02:13):
Story. Yeah. And that’s not to discount Dan may either. As I say, he’s a natural and this is not me so much as drink and Draw has, Dan has gone from having just not drawing at all to drawing. He is out drawing, I feel like I’m drawing every moment I’m awake. And then you see Dan’s output and he was like, and dude works full-time as well. And I’m like, what the, this is not, that’s the <laugh>. So he went like, he’s gotten as good as me. So we were in year 10 together at the same level. He then stopped drawing, I kept drawing for 20 years, he decided to pick the pen back up and immediately caught back up to me. <laugh> like, I’m just like, how does they know I’ve been working on this. And you immediately caught up. Yeah. Anyway, he’s awesome. They’re both awesome. The whole May family. Yeah. The more of them we can get my dog’s scratching to get out.

Leigh Chalker (01:03:17):
Oh that’s alright. Mine are actually asleep if I can. You can believe that they haven’t moved the muscle mate. So it’s like they’re all good but no good on the maze and keep going. Keep being good members of the community. It’s awesome. So you, so working at the comic shop and you meet Gary, you got Devil’s Toilet ready to go, you’re working on issue two, your dad’s not well at the time issue one’s about ready to roll out. When did you actually think to yourself, and this is a, is a question cuz I think everyone has this mind. Yeah,

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:04:04):
Tick off the when. Yeah,

Leigh Chalker (01:04:06):
Yeah. When did you realize, hey, this is a thing, this is something that, I’m not kidding. I’ve got a book, it’s printed, it’s in my hands, you know what I mean? <affirmative>, when was that moment, not long after that where you thought help, I’m just gonna have a damn good red hot crack at this.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:04:28):
Yeah, so Gary sort of put out a thing that said if anyone wants to play in the Rick McClune universe, let me know have a crack or whatever. And I was like, Hey, I know I do this silly toilet book, but send him some links. I’m like, Hey, read the first chapter of this. I like to think I can write, I would love to have a crack at writing a real comic book which is, and Dave died tells me off for self-deprecating. I don’t mean real comic book, a serious one or something, I don’t know.

(01:05:08):
And it’s finally, so I ended up running five issues and Gary was very, he passed it on to an artist. And unfortunately that artist has gone through some life troubles of his own and it’s kind of remained in sort of limbo but the first bunch of thumbnails and pages that came through. Yeah, I was mind blowing. So I had a record come out on a record label. It was in shops, it was on the radio, it was a big moment. And I said to my wife, I was on the couch in the living room when I got this text with the thumbnails and I said, this is bigger than Sucker Punch. That was the name of the single that came out. I said, this is bigger than Sucker punch this one. I never foresaw, I dreamt about it the same way I would dream about being a famous wrestler. Something that will never happen. <laugh>. You never know though. <laugh>,

Leigh Chalker (01:06:12):
You

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:06:17):
<laugh> Vince McMahon if you’re watching Holler at Your Boy

Leigh Chalker (01:06:23):
<laugh>.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:06:24):
Yeah. So that was a big deal. And then Gary was just this simple phone call of, alright, I want you to jump onto Torn I’ll send you the books and I want you to come up with a new villain and something. And I was just like, oh wow. He trusts me with this. And so I wrote this and that was tricky because only two books of torn existed and there wasn’t, the character hadn’t been explored. It wasn’t years of Bible to, so there was a lot of making stuff up as I went, which was a lot of fun. But then the big moment was when Gary said gonna do a crossover with the Southern Squadrant and I want you to write it with Dave Dre. Now I

Leigh Chalker (01:07:19):
Now had you heard of Dave Dre by, at this time? You knew who Dave Dre was?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:07:25):
Yeah, so I worked at Alternate Worlds, so a comic books shop for 11 years. I didn’t know of Southern Squadron so much. So when I was would’ve come out when I was 16 or 17, I was a bug and stump guy <affirmative>. That’s kind of as far as I got with Australian comics. But I would get schooled nonstop at alternate worlds of just, so when I applied for the job there, I had a paragraph resume and a copy of Badly Beaten Boy just to say, Hey, I like comics so much. So I made one. And so the boss would, I’d spend so much time with the boss, like cataloging comics and whatever, and he’d be like so Dark Nebula. And I’d be like, yeah, you don’t know the Dark Nebula. And I’d be like he would rake me over the Coles and then he would tell me all about it. And same with Southern Squadron. And so all these names I knew, and they were these larger than life untouchable legends.

(01:08:29):
I mean, they were being told to me in stories. You know what I mean? This guy was literally telling me stories of you wanna make comics and you don’t know the veterans. So then years later when I was, Gary’s like the Sun Squadron and Dave Dure, and I’m like by reputation and well, I’ll send you all the books and cut to, yeah, I don’t know what the PG version is, but I was scared with an extra word at the front with an S on it because this is a guy who has worked for Marvel in dc. He teaches writing, not only is he a screenplay guy, but he’s had a movie, made all the things I want to do. He’s done. And Dave was awesome but I doubted myself being able to keep up with him. And the first phone call was so cool and he was awesome, but he made me feel like it was two guys writing.

(01:09:45):
It wasn’t Dave Dure and his apprentice, it was both of us. We were both, that book is 50% him and 50% me and somehow, a hundred percent Ben Sullivan. It, it’s all done. It’s very close to coming out. And when it does, I hope people embrace it cuz it’s like we put, especially Ben and Dave cuz Dave colored it, edit it as well. But we agonized over every word together for hours on the phone. And I got to learn from him, but I also got to hold my own a little bit and I’d get off the phone and I’d tell my wife and she goes, I’ve been telling you you can do this. Stop worrying, stop doubting yourself. And I, we <laugh> share small wins with each other. And since then there’s been a lot of small wins and it’s mind boggling really. Some of ’em I want to tell you something <affirmative> it tags onto last week’s episode. But I, I’ve kept it to myself because it’s about Gary Chalen and what he’s going through at the moment.

(01:11:10):
So it’s the biggest compliment I’ve ever been paid. But I felt, it’s not my place to talk about it because Gary and his challenges hasn’t been out there. But after last week I was like, oh maybe I can mention, and this is just me big upping myself, but Gary reached out to me about a year ago and said what would you think about a Morton Stone Devil’s toilet crossover? And at the time I was swamped with drawing and I was like, oh my goodness, that sounds amazing, but who’s gonna draw it because I, I’m drawing every moment I’m awake, I don’t know. And he was like, oh, I’ll draw it. And I was like, what <laugh>? So I was like, Gary Cha is going to draw the Devil’s Toilet that is the most iconic artist in Australia and the weirdest bottom of the barrel character you could think of in Australian comics.

(01:12:08):
And so that was a compliment in itself. And then I shared that with you at the time. But then when he made public his diagnosis about having Parkinson’s, I just reached out and I was like, Hey man, obviously with everything going on, don’t feel that you owe me anything regarding the devil’s toilet crossover thing. That’s just whatever. And you just wrote back don’t keep it on the list. Don’t think you’re getting out of it that easily. And I was just like, and look, the book will, who knows? But that is the biggest compliment I could receive. And if it never happens, that’s fine too. It’s like I got what I needed, <laugh> good and I’m speaking to someone who holds Gary Challenor in high regard and when he was on drink and draw straight away, you’re just like there, there’s the guy and he’s really nice and I don’t know, he doesn’t make it in wrestling. The top guy holds down the smaller guys so that he can stay the top guy and you almost get the impression that Gary’s like it’s the pulling people up with him thing. So that’s my Gary Teller story. Yeah, amazing.

Leigh Chalker (01:13:45):
Yeah, the little things cuz we’ll segue into that cuz he’s a champion. There’s no doubt about that with coming into the Australian comics community and when I use the word community in this regard, I’m not just the comics community cuz I mean Comex, we try and have everyone as a big community, publishers, artists, editors, creators, the whole lot, everyone is welcome but there are still people in the community that are out there that aren’t aware and do their own things and stuff. Are you, as you were once one of those people I am that didn’t know any of this was going on. So I guess a step back in time what are your thoughts from the Devil’s Toilet one through to the story that you just shared? What is your time? What is it, two and a half years, not quite three? Is it from when you kicked off, how do you feel, did you think that you would suddenly have these comics out then a host of a Friday night drink and draw that’s successful? Because I mean mate you’re into the 67th episode I believe next week and you’ve been there for <laugh> like 95% of them and then you share those stories. Does it blow you away to think that there’s this thing’s happening?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:15:38):
Yeah, <laugh> it does. Yeah. Yeah. Music it felt like was very dog eat dog you know would meet other bands and you would be buddies and some you would click with but it seemed was very competitive. When I’ve came into indie comics in the Australian comics I came in ready to be competitive cuz I thought that’s what it was gonna be. And so I thought well who, and this is funny cuz it’s like who were the guys? So I just joined Reverie and there was you and there was Haydens Spar and I knew nothing about either of you but I figured well these are the guys. And weirdly enough I didn’t sort of realize, well I’m actually on their team on Rey and so am mine

Leigh Chalker (01:16:43):
<laugh>. So I had a on man

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:16:52):
<laugh> and I didn’t even know my thought process because, so I watched the video of you unboxing your comics I got to see your kitchen

Leigh Chalker (01:17:02):
<laugh>

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:17:06):
And I don’t even know what my agenda was, but I thought well these are the guys that I’m competing with. And it wasn’t until I spoke to Hayden more than a few sentences and he was really cool and I was just like, oh maybe this isn’t a thing. And then especially once drink and draw started or maybe even just meeting Shane and going on the calendar chat and stuff and everybody bar a few whatevers. But for the most part everyone was really encouraging and really nice and I was like, oh this thing’s not like that thing. Since then, it hasn’t been as rosy as I, well pun not intended, but it hasn’t been as, there’s been some whatevers on the road. But very quickly I realized it’s better to be working with these people than competing or whatever because there’s just so many people who are like-minded and me have been looking for like-minded people to chat with and the drink and draw thing. I mean that happened really organically from my perspective.

(01:18:31):
Shane said that we’re doing the presents, he asked me to join presents, he was like, if we’re doing a book we need SPS on it. And I was like Oh alright, okay. And we’re doing this drink and draw thing And I was like okay. And so first episode I had done podcasts myself back in the day same quick and very quickly I learned that yourself, me and Dave Dye were the talkers. And I sort of thought I didn’t understand the purpose of the drink and draw if we weren’t talking. So you and Dave and myself and then Alex when he came on were good at some talking but I thought what this needs is a little momentum, a little push someone to keep it rolling.

(01:19:25):
And at the same time I thought, you know you’ve got me as a guest, a guy who’s been in it for two seconds. You’ve got Ed as a guest, amazing talent et cetera. But then I was like, but what if we got the Gary Tallers and Dean Rankins and all those sorts of guys? And so I put it to Sizzle and said, what if I became the guy who asks questions and tries to keep the ball rolling and we try and get some bigger guests on and it just snowballed to what it is. And it’s because of people like yourself, Alex, major, Dave Dye, Nick May quick that I think that the come on drink and draw for the post show. Even if you don’t being in front of people, you can stay dead silent for the show. The after show is where we learn that there’s this awesome moment two or three weeks ago quick Nick is showing, we’ll often work in the post show, a few of us will be drawing and we’ll talk about comics, upcoming projects, whatever and quick puts some of his work on the screen and there’s a speech bubble and I can’t remember if it’s called tracking or leading, but there’s a gap between the lines and I’m really anal about that and I was like quick, I don’t wanna sound like a douche bag, but could you fix it so that the lines are a bit closer together?

(01:20:58):
And he is like, oh yeah I could, I can see that. And the only example, and this does sound douche bag, the only example I had was what I was working on right here. So I’m like, so a little bit like this and pointed to my own work, which is gross but that’s the beauty of it is we’re all, it’s like a safe space for no one’s. Egos are checked at the door or whatever. But it was awesome cuz then Dave Dye goes Spy, I don’t wanna be a douche bag, but those balloons are a little tight and I looked at it and son of a gun, they’re really, they are tight <laugh>. And then I had a moment to sit at a convention there was no customers or whatever and I thought I’ll flick through Devil’s Toilet too. I haven’t looked at it in forever. And damn those balloons are tight as hell. The balloons are, yeah. So my point, there’s lots of advice to be had from,

Leigh Chalker (01:21:57):
Oh man, I think the

(01:22:01):
Best times that I’ve had are the learning processes too because you get artwork and writing and stuff. It’s very introverted stuff and it’s being by yourself and thinking what you, what’s right for you at the time and that. But then from talking to other like-minded people and learning and stuff, there’s fragrances of theirs that start filtering into your way of doing it. Absolutely little tidbits here and there that and it builds better and better. So I love the whole learning process man I’m so net deep in it that mate, I’m reading anything, talking to anyone that I can, trying to learn, studying lines, those sorts of things. Cause like yourself Rob, I used to ink with one size pen and stuff. I can only use the bigger tip or a paint to fill in the big black areas and stuff. Then someone else says, Hey think about this.

(01:23:12):
And you go, I’ll just take myself off camera and I’ll scream into a pillow cause that would’ve saved me 10,000 hours. And that’s the advantage of it. And that’s the great thing about the community man. And as you said with the stories with Dave <inaudible> and Gary and stuff like that, always willing to help and it’s a great art form man. It’s a great creative process when you fully get into it with what you believe in and stuff and the pride that you get when you finish your thing that you’re working on the end. I think for me the drug is getting those boxes turn up with your comics in it and then it’s like I sit down and I have a moment and then it’s like right and then back out into the granny flat and I’m onto the next one. But it’s funny, it gets you motivated to work more man and it’s awesome.

(01:24:11):
And you’re right about the Friday night drinking drawers. So many people have come through people make contact with even I love recognizing names of people that haven’t for whatever purposes come onto the show, but every week the artwork is sent in with the character you’re drawing and stuff and somewhere out there people are just doodling and trying to get their thing happening. And you can even see the improvement in people’s stuff that just do each week. So I love the drink and draws, man they’re an awesome thing and I think they hope keep on going man for as long as everyone’s got energy. Cuz that’s the other thing out there. If anyone watches this show and does want to be on a drink and draw and stuff like that, reach out to Rob or Shane or the network and stuff like that and have a yarn and things because everyone’s welcome drawing and talk and comic books and I guess just and showing your stuff in all work together.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:25:21):
And big thing is we all experience levels welcome and we’re only positive you’re never in danger of something being shown and everyone’s ragging on it could be the worst thing ever. We will find something to love about it because there’s something to love about it, all of it. So don’t be shy. It’s a very positivity, first friendly space. Yeah, so please don’t be shy cuz plenty of us have been but then it turns out to be one of the best things you could ask for. So

Leigh Chalker (01:26:01):
Yeah, I agreed. I agreed. So yes, positivity is what it’s all about. So feel free and do reach out mate. I’m gonna get to why

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:26:20):
When you first asked me to be on the show, that was the one that I was dreading out of all of them because I don’t know why. The easy answer is because I to was trying to think today what I do for fun and because I don’t know if fun is the word for drawing and putting books together. I don’t know if it’s fun for me gonna go see Avengers, infinity War at the movies is fun or having beers with my mates is fun. I don’t know what it is. I’ve said this a bit, but somewhere in my head when I was younger I got it in my head that this was what I was meant to do. Not saying I’m good just saying I think I’m meant to do it, but at the same time I’ve got too much of my dad. Sorry, pause man. I used to go to a

Leigh Chalker (01:27:23):
IRL drink and draws when I was still in high school. The community was welcoming and some of the best friends I’ve ever made. It’s rad. You’re bringing that inclusive energy. Thank you Tom McGee. That’s exactly what we’re all trying to do mate. So yeah, feel free mate to drop us a line and if you draw man, please come forward and join the crew.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:27:46):
And we’ve still got work to do because this whole sections of comic books that we haven’t got on the show yet, I go to a theme fair and I’m just like, these people should be on the show or part of the, or at least be on the Comex website and stuff like that. So we have work to do so much. So actually I’m a horrible, I’ve been a horrible networker since forever. We had a convention a couple weeks ago myself, quick Nick and thanks man and Angie Spice, we heard someone say, everyone here drinks down at the whatever. So Angie, myself, Angie and Angie’s friend and Nick and myself, we went down there and we’re like, oh there they are. And we didn’t know anyone but we just went up to the table, there were no seats or anything left and we went up and we said, oh hi, we make comics as well. And the guy looked and he goes, yeah, so we, and then turned back and I was just all like alright <laugh>, we went and sat somewhere else. So there’s still work to do. Oh that’s good.

Both (01:29:03):
<laugh>

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:29:05):
Clicks and Communities together or something. I don’t know. Yeah

(01:29:09):
What were we talking about? Oh yeah, why? It’s a very daunting question. Yeah, I dare not repeat myself too much. But yeah, I don’t know. I’ve always had to create something. It’s what I create has changed but here and there, but I, I’ll always come back to things like I hadn’t done music for a while. I put out a record a year and a half ago just quietly on my website just cause I wanted to make some music. It’s just home demos, it sounds like home demos. But that’s what I wanted to make. So I don’t know I always envision going really deep on these sorts of questions and giving a really poetic answer, but I don’t know what the answer is. I mean, do you know why you do it?

Leigh Chalker (01:30:16):
Compulsion? It’s just something I need to do so I understand exactly. It’s something I’ve always done. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. And my backstory mate with making my decision when I was about 20, that this was a story I had to tell and much like yourself man, through fear and self-doubt and stuff like that held me back an awful long time. And these are all the trials and tribulations I guess that go into creativity. Yeah, but I don’t necessarily have a definitive answer either, man. Other than yeah, it’s a compulsion, it makes me feel good. I love to draw, I love to write. I’m very lucky that Tamara is Mrs is a huge part of it too. And hugely I guess propulsive in terms of she pushes me because battle for Bustle issue one may not have ever found reverie if it wasn’t for Tam.

(01:31:29):
Like saying, mate, you’re sitting in here, you’re not even watching movies, you’re drawing, you’ve got all the, there’s boxes and boxes of pages come on. What are we doing from her support that has led me to this last two and a half years, which I’ve enjoyed immensely and had great pleasures of meeting people when I was a 15 year old kid. I look back now and I think to myself, man, I’m friends with people when I was 15, I had no idea how I’d ever get to, why would they wanna talk to me and stuff like that.

(01:32:16):
So I guess from that feeling is how I would other people to think when they’re talking to us and that, you know what I mean? Just we’re all people. We’ve all had our ups and downs and we’re going through stuff, but we just creating and telling stories and things man. And we’re right or wrong to the process. It’s just what the process brings the individual I guess. And pride it can at the finished product <laugh>. So that would be how I’d answer that. Rob, I hadn’t really spent, here I am asking the questions and I hadn’t even had the answer to ’em.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:32:57):
I’ve been very lucky my wife too, she couldn’t be more, very different and coming to terms with my brain has been an ongoing adventure. But from the gig, I mean she met me at a gig of my band and knew that she kind of knew what she was getting into, but not long after that I quit my job and she basically paid for me for two years to chase my dream. And then I went back to work when we wanted to get married and buy a house and whatever. And then we were trying for kids and it wasn’t happening for us. And that was of a big trigger that got us herself and particularly me to fall down this hole sort of thing. And that’s when I, so I went real deep into making writing my books and stuff like that because I just wanted to make, that’s how I felt better. So there’s music and there’s scripts and stuff that no one will see that it’s just like that I just had to make and I still have to make <laugh> much. My two year old said when the first started training to his nappy off, daddy, I need to make

Leigh Chalker (01:34:25):
<laugh>.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:34:26):
I look over there Bud

Leigh Chalker (01:34:29):
<laugh>, I just laugh and that then I’m just laughing at that right at the start of the show, the finding in the Lou. So at least things are improving that. So it’s all forward from here. <laugh>. It’s

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:34:48):
Funny, a lot of you can see why the Devil’s toilet exists because, well it’s in the toilet that you get a lot of time to think. And so I often think toilet type things, <laugh> like that’s your time away from the screen or whatever the case may be. I had a character between the Devil’s Toilet, so the Devil’s Toilet existed, but it was sort on the back burner. I had this guy called the toy porting man. So instead of the teleporting man, he was the toilet porting man. And so he could only teleport for bit from toilet to toilet <laugh> so there would be a crime and he would have to teleport to the nearest toilet of the crime. Kind of like the matrix where they have to get to the phone but this guy had to get to the toilet. But anyway, that’s just stick to the one toilet book.

Leigh Chalker (01:35:40):
Yeah, you never know these ideas may Gest date somewhere else, you know, might have triggered something here and oh it might be onto something there cuz yeah, it’s strange where your ideas come from man. No, it’s unusual cuz before I move on to the last question I, I’ll say that Rob, Rob and I, for anyone that doesn’t know you can get a copy of this story in comics presents Noah available through the comics shop. We were talking one evening I was doing a couple of his characters drawings and stuff and we were talking about hey, we should mess around with a character one night. So my recollection is of it is how organically things can happen in the space of 24 hours. As Rob just quickly bangs out this synopsis I was drinking at the time and I decided with ta, we thought it was a great idea to record this reenactment of reading the synopsis and stuff with voices and talking in accents and all that sort of stuff.

(01:36:49):
And then as the light the night went on, we’ve like, ah, bugger it, let’s send it to him. <laugh>, we sent it to him and hopefully that never reaches anyone else’s ears and stuff. But from that ring around, the Rosy came about and from just an example of what the community can do through that then Rob had the great opportunity to meet and work with people at Ryan Baller and Ben Sullivan and stuff and created really great bonding friendships through those experiences as well. So anyone that’s out there that they really are people out there that think like us that love creativity and helping and being part of stuff, man. So from my experience is give it a go, put a smile on your face, there’s no doubt about that. But I guess the one thing that I like to ask everyone as we start winding down and we start getting into the chilled out period, what’s the one piece of advice in your time mate that doing this stuff that someone’s given you or you’ve learnt yourself or that you would pass on to anyone listening with your experience?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:38:27):
So I’ve been scared of this question, I’m a fan of the show and I thought you might ask this question. It’s the one that I actually wrote down an answer I’ve written down three, you just said the one thing, but I’m gonna give you

Leigh Chalker (01:38:39):
Three, you can mate borrow away.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:38:41):
Now some could argue I’m in no place to be giving advice. So in a way this is advice to myself as well. So this is not me on my high horse trying to tell people how they should do things. It’s something that I’ve learned and I’m trying to tell myself. But before that, so that, that’s two of them. But then this next one, this is me on my high horse, you ready? This are my highest of horses as the host of Drink and Draw and as a guy who puts out comics one based on a toilet, one based on a slug with depression is spoil your books. Now what I mean by that is what’s your book about and then saying it’s a snake that goes on an adventure and then you, well tell us about him. Well you gotta read the book or whatever.

(01:39:45):
No one cares <laugh> right now. No one cares. So you have to be a little bit more when I, I sell the Devil’s Toilet at conventions, I give away the last page because I, if I don’t have them yet, I’ve gotta, you want to give the person a reason to want to read it. And sometimes that’s the twist. And I’m not saying give the twist that appears in issue nine that reveals the whole series has been a dream the whole time or whatever. I’m just saying the first is every movie at the 15 minute mark has the call to action the bit where you a sort of told what the movie’s gonna be. And so I would say you need to give people that call to action. So if you are in an interview or at a table telling people about your book don’t Keep Secrets be because to me it’s like I’d rather someone I’d rather spoil it and someone go, oh that sounds kind of cool, I wanna read it. Versus oh well it’s about a toilet and it comes to life. I can’t tell anymore than that without spoiling it. And that sounds like a stupid book. You could argue when I tell you the rest of it, it still sounds like a stupid book. But the short version is spoil your books at least a little bit cuz you need to make people care. You need to make people want to read it. That’s my high horse, I’ll get off it now.

(01:41:33):
This is my advice to myself that people can listen to. The most perfect lines in the world mean nothing without vibe. And by that I mean if you look at some of your favorite artists, and this is something I’ve learned from Ryan Vela, from Dave Dye in particular and from Nick May Dave Dye sent me three, two of his pieces. Now when Dave Dye holds them up, you look at them and you go, holy moly, look at that. It’s beautiful. When you hold it right up to your face, you can see the imperfections of just like, and I don’t mean imperfections other than just a line might not stop perfectly, it might have that little bit sticking over, but the vibe, the picture that it beautiful, it’s amazing. I spend a lot of time worrying about that little bit and I’ll go in and I rub it out and I make sure all my lines are neat and perfect, but my characters will be standing there looking stiff as a board.

(01:42:48):
And then I look at Nick Mays, for instance, the most dynamic poses you’ve ever seen. And it looks like he’s not worried about that. The line comes over and it crosses a little bit because that doesn’t matter to the vibe, to the overall that’s a weird, that’s me talking to myself, but I just like, I’ll zoom in and try and make it look tight as possible, which kind of means nothing because it doesn’t help the overall. I mean you look at Jason Paul his coloring and shading absolutely beautiful. And when you zoom in it, you can see that he’s almost vibing when he’s doing it. It it’s like it’s loose s but it works. I don’t know how to explain it. If you’ve ever seen a Marvel or a Marvel board game that’s not drawn by the comic book artist, but by some sort of ad agency or something where everything is so perfect, there’s no personality in it.

(01:43:59):
Yeah, I dunno how to explain it. Hopefully someone found some sort of something in that. And then the other one is something that I’ve been taught is don’t be so precious with let people play with your characters. Let people pull your books apart. There is Dave Dye called me up said, can I chat to you about Larry? And he expressed the things that didn’t work for him and it was the most invaluable advice I, I thought I had gotten away with a few things in that. And even yourself speaking to you said a few things that made me go, we were talking about an extra page or two could have fleshed that out a little bit more.

(01:44:50):
Whereas if you’re precious and guarded and I think you miss out on some words of wisdom and if you’re precious with your characters, like Dave Dave Dre said that when he’s dead and gone, he hopes people play around with the southern squadron that he wants his characters to live on. If he was precious about it, he’d want no one to touch him. That’s my legacy. Leave it alone. But in his mind he’s like, no, please tell hundreds of stories with him. Go nuts that way the characters live on, they go on adventures that he would never have thought of. So those are my three bits. High horse gotten off of.

Leigh Chalker (01:45:35):
No, no, that’s mate beautiful. I actually, I love hearing everyone’s thoughts to that mate because honest and that’s what Chinwag is about, really is honesty mate and giving people the opportunity to tell their stories and their backgrounds and things like that because that all it helps. It’s seeing the story behind the creation, what I mean gives a sense of structure to how that person came to it, the bits of advice that they found the most important to them to continue on improving and stuff like that, man. And I think that’s a great answer and can’t go wrong with that. I like the SPS in mind. Good. It’s good. Yeah. But now I know you got your little list there. Have how are we looking for

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:46:43):
So we did why where? So I grew up 28 years in Bayswater, Melbourne, Victoria. And then I moved five minutes down the road to Basewater North still repping 31 53. What’s up? All my basewater gangsters. There we go. So that’s, so I used to draw on paper <laugh> but I struggled with it. I could never achieve the results that I saw in my head. I owe a big fat kiss on the lips to a guy. Oh, for a while I draw an Wacom where you’re looking down here and you’re looking up there, devil’s Toilet One was done that way. It was a huge learning curve, but a jump in my quality I think. But then a guy at the Apple Store suggested an iPad and I fully recognize that it’s not for everyone but I’m a kid <laugh> who grew up drawing on smooth things. That sounds weird, but my dad used to take me to his work during the school holidays. He’d put me in the conference room and he’d say, there’s the whiteboard. Go nuts. I love drawing on whiteboards. I worked at a plan printing company. We wrapped the finished plans in laminate cutoffs from the laminating machine. I love drawing on it the way a text are just glides across it. <laugh>

(01:48:31):
It is in there. Yeah, it’s surprisingly small. That’s why I keep this

Spedsy (01:48:38):
<laugh>. Yeah. So the, that’s the

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:48:42):
How and then the what would be I do a web tune at the moment with a man named Tony Hudy that is called the Hero Complex. And it’s about fake superheroes and real conspiracies. That’s the job that’s keeping me the most busy these days. It’s been a learning curve. Tony is verbose, that’s the word. He’s all about the words. And that has made for a fun challenge to bring visuals to those words. And he’s set up some situations that I would never have written for myself. And another bit of advice. Reference is not a dirty word. You’re not expected as an artist to remember how every single thing in the world looks. If you need to draw a boat, don’t be scared to look up a boat. You’re allowed to. So yeah, and bags of tricks. Every artist has a bag of tricks. Deadlines can be a real thing. Don’t be scared to dip into your bag of tricks. If you need to repeat a panel but change the facial expression, it’ll often work for the story because my face looks the same <laugh>. So why draw all this again if you can just move this bit. So don’t be scared to dip into your bag of tricks. The did I do what? I think we did ’em all. How, what, where, why, who, when. Now <laugh>

Leigh Chalker (01:50:31):
<laugh>

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:50:34):
Always, I don’t know. I’ve always been making stuff and I don’t really foresee stopping.

Leigh Chalker (01:50:42):
Very good. I would say that from where you’ve started to where you are now, mate, you’re, you’ve come through the ranks, you’ve done your drawings, you’ve got your books out there, you’re in a position now where you can create and draw get paid for it and provide living for yourself and your family and stuff like that. So I would think that’s a great success man. And I’m very happy that I’ve, I guess been able to be a little fly on the wall and seeing the path travel with sps learning. One thing today mate, is I reckon there was a comment from Neil Blandon way earlier in the piece too that mentioned that from now. He said, from now on I’m going to call you the Jer <laugh>. So the Robert j Lyle might have stuck in some people’s minds. So fun

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:51:46):
Enough. My brothers name is Jay. So that’s that’s actually led to a Few Awkward my brother is just he’s an actor, an improv comedian and a writer and stuff. He’s on Woodstock and Cola the Bourbon, he’s on their ads at the moment. He’s done like 12 ads or something. It’s all over the cricket and the footy and stuff. So people I haven’t seen for 10. So I’m all gray in the beard and whatever. My brother looks much the same as me, but a nice thick brown beard and the amount of texts I’ve gotten, holy crap, I just saw you on an ad during the footy. I’m like, I know mate. I’m old now that that’s my younger brother. You haven’t seen me for 10 years. I have aged

Leigh Chalker (01:52:31):
<laugh>. Claim it Rob, claim it <laugh>. I still look this good man <laugh>. Sure he won’t mind. But yeah man thank you very much for this evening and coming on Chinwag and stuff. No,

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:52:51):
Thank you man. Thank you.

Leigh Chalker (01:52:52):
No, that’s cool man. It’s always a pleasure mate. Catching up with you. I had a funny story that as we wind down, I do want to give a shout out to a gentleman called Alfonso. Now Alfon Alfonzo. It was a man that <laugh>, I was in Bunnings with Tim the other day and we were walking down an aisle and a gentleman said, Hey, I’m Alfonzo. I really liked the Tuesday show on the Friday show. Keep him up. That’s good viewing. And I went, no worries mate. And he just went see you and off down another aisle. So that’s not happened to me before. So I just really felt like I wanted to give a shout out to Alfonso. Thank you very much for watching and supporting the Conex community. Cuz yeah, little stories like that go a long way to keeping the community alive and stuff, Matt. So thank you Alfonso for those kind words.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:53:54):
Yeah, shout out to my local Bunnings for completely dropping the ball. I’ve been on all episodes except for one of them. I haven’t been recognized.

Leigh Chalker (01:54:04):
I dunno how often Alfonso’s at Bunnings may or which Bunnings he frequents. So I can’t help you with that but yeah, but good on him.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:54:15):
Yeah, good on you, man. That’s awesome. That

Leigh Chalker (01:54:17):
Is really, I’d also to get in early and with Shane and Carrie with comics. A very happy third birthday that’s coming up for Friday. This Friday. The drink and draw guest is Shane and otherwise known to the world as sizzle and third birthday for comics. So congratulations. And it’s great to have been part of it and being part of it certainly makes me happy and well done guys. And hopefully there’s many more meat years in the future. Plenty of rose to travel spy, bloody sluggish. Excellent read. Please Anyone go out and get sluggish. I do recommend it as well as any of other Rob’s books. Now Rob, quickly, where can you get your books from Bud? Other than the job?

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:55:09):
Yeah, if you go to psycho janitor.com I just, in my mind, should I explain where that name came from? I don’t know if people wanna know about it, but psycho janitor.com is my website. All right. I’ll give you the quick version. So when I was a kid, I would make characters all the time. I was sitting in a shopping mall with my dad. He saw a person, a janitor, going with one of those scissor brooms, those old school brooms that you move like this and it makes the two brooms come together. And he said, Rob, imagine a character called the psycho janitor and the things are full of blades and he cuts people’s heads off. And I was like, well that’s something. And I’m eight. I was like, that’s pretty violent. Dunno if it

Leigh Chalker (01:55:58):
Man. And that’s still vibing with me right now. I’m taking notes <laugh>.

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:56:05):
And so I drew, and it was part of my cavalcade of characters back from then. But Kasu, my band we were signed to a distribution deal. We were gonna be on a record label, but then it got downgraded to a distribution deal. So we needed to have a fake record company. So you have two logos, it’s the record company, the distribution company, whatever. So my man band manager said, well, what do you think? We’ll just put a generic logo that says Mighty Boy music. My band was called Mighty Boy. And I said, no, I don’t wanna do that. I wanna do Nirvana had pop, I wanna do a black and white logo and I want it to have a cool name. I want it to be something that means something. And I was like, I had this character my dad created called Psycho Janitor, what if Psycho Janitor Records? He was like, I don’t care, we just need to put a name on the thing. So Psycho Janitor Records was a thing. psycho.com was where my band stuff was and then when I did my novels, that’s so psycho.com has been my thing forever. So Psychogenetic comics now, I guess. But psycho.com. So you can find all my books if not from publications.com au and from the comics shop. Yeah.

Leigh Chalker (01:57:23):
Excellent. All right, well I’m also gonna have a shout out that next week’s show is with Esk, so he’ll be the guest next week, so he’ll get to sit through the six questions and we’ll see what makes the esk tick. Cuz he’s a busy man. Yeah,

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:57:41):
You’ll get one question out, you’ll get.

Leigh Chalker (01:57:44):
Oh right, he loves the Don’t we All Love

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:57:47):
And then see you next week. Those are the two things you’ll get to say

Leigh Chalker (01:57:51):
<laugh>. <laugh>, that’s okay with me. It’s all about the guest here, right? It’s just the bobble and head. I love

Rob ‘Spedsy’ Lisle (01:58:00):
Good Guy, a guy being there, done that. Open to sharing everything he’s learned.

Leigh Chalker (01:58:06):
Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah. The greatest guests ever met. Now on, I believe it’s October 11, I’m just gonna have a shout out. I do wanna do something a little bit different with the show I wanna provide if anyone’s interested, you can be, just contact Shane, myself comics I’m gonna throw it open to absolutely anyone out there in the Australian comic book community, whether you are established want to get started wanna show off your artwork for the same time, your questions just wanna get a foot in the door. If that’s you and you want to be on the show, chin Wagon with me, then reach out to, as I said, myself or Shane Comics Network or even sps. SPS will get the message through if you can’t get one of us. But sure, I just want to just give someone in the community an opportunity that they may not have otherwise gotten. And if we can be a help and introduce someone new, that would make my day. So it’s out there. So feel free to contact us. I’d like to thank Comics Network for having us and thank you guys for hanging in there with us on a Tuesday night Chin Wagon and we’ll be back next week with sk. And always remember community is Unity, so good luck and look after your friends. See ya, see you later.

Voice Over (01:59:35):
This show is sponsored by the Comics shop. Check out comx.cx for all things comics and find out what comics is all about. Then head over to comx.shop to pick up a variety of Australian comics from multiple creators and publishers. All for one flat postage rate. And don’t forget to check out the comics channel on YouTube. We hope you enjoyed the show.