The Morning News

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Currently: TMN wishes you a very good weekend equipped with interesting things to read. Thank you, as always, for reading us. http://tmne.ws/h
1 day ago

» Advertise on TMN via the Deck

More People We Like


Associate Editor,
People We Like,
Heather Rasley

Are you a photographer? Do you like people? If you’d like to shoot photos for our People We Like column, let us know.

People We Like

Benjamin Marra

Photographed by Wendy Whitesell

Benjamin Marra on the street wearing Nikes and a hat
—Published January 31, 2008
Hometown: Nyack, N.Y.

Occupation: Artist

How would you describe your look? Cool as Ice After Labor Day, or Hessian Headbanger (But You Probably Wouldn’t Know It).

Your Indie Rock Universe illustration recently ran alongside a Camel cigarettes ad in Rolling Stone, which ruffled some feathers. Do you get hate mail in lyrical form now? No comment.

Which prepared you more for your work as an artist: your former job as a Toys“R”Us cashier, or your former job as a park ranger’s assistant? Toys“R”Us cashier. It taught me Buddhist-monk-level patience. That in turn taught me to patiently deflect whatever doubt might creep into my mind when I’m working on making pictures.

What’s the subject of your upcoming comic book? Sex and violence exploitation, tough-guy urban street justice with a Reagan-‘80s aesthetic, hot exotic dancer girls with big hair-sprayed hair, underworld crime, narcotics abuse, fast cars, gruesome slasher horror, and general badassery. It’s called Night Business.

Three major artistic influences: Heavy Metal, ‘70s comic book artists, movie posters from Ghana.

Favorite object in your workspace: My table.

Wendy Whitesell is a Brooklyn-based fine artist and photographer, shooting street, portrait, and fashion. She also totes the camera for day-to-day snaps: food for thought, juice for art, freezing moments, and seeing beauty in the simple stuff. Occasionally, she gets to work with a local rock star.

TODAY’S FEATURE

The Game of Love

Anyone who says video games shouldn’t appeal to adults, let alone women, has never flirted with General Carth Onassi. MARIE MUTSUKI MOCKETT explores a virtual courtship.

OUR MAN IN BOSTON

More From Gore Vidal

Like the man himself, Gore Vidal's scrapbook of the past half-century is unparalleled.

SOCKING STUFFERS

If a Bird Can’t Fly It Walks

Sanguine and adhesive, our bumper sticker makes a swell gift for anyone who’s swearing off excuses in the new year.
» ORDER NOW

TMN TALKS

RoseLee Goldberg

RoseLee Goldberg is an art historian, curator, and author of Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present. In 2004, she founded PERFORMA, a non-profit arts...