Jay Howell
- Text by Shelley Jones
To celebrate Huck 45, curated by artist, skateboarder and chronicler of teenage California Ed Templeton, we are having a Huck website summer takeover dedicated to Ed’s longtime muse, suburbia.
In this regular feature, the Suburban Youth Pop Quiz, we ask characters from our world what their suburban youth meant to them.
First up is artist, animator, tattooer of friends and owner of a street dog called Street Dog, Jay Howell.
Suburban Youth Pop Quiz #1
Where did you grow up and can you describe it in three words?
Pleasanton, California. East, east bay.
Who was your weirdest neighbour?
Violent weight-lifting white NWA-loving rich pricks.
What was the most important record you owned?
Pixies – Surfer Rosa.
Where did the bad kids hang out?
The Game Station. The kids who hung out there were called rockers and they were mean dicks.
Biggest fashion faux pas as a teenager?
Big Big pants and tees.
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Christy Brinkley.
Describe your first kiss.
Clumsy and gross.
What happened the first time you got drunk?
I felt up this girl in a closet, her bra was full of tissue.
What is the naughtiest thing you did as a suburban youth?
Sneaking out of the house to go to Gilman Street punk shows.
What was the best party of your teenage years?
The first time I smoked pot on top of my quarter pipe in my garage.
What’s your most embarrassing suburban youth memory?
Trying to make out with my older sister’s friends and failing.
What was the greatest lesson you learnt during that time?
Skate as much as possible, listen to punk, go to shows and draw cool stuff.
Who would you most like to see at a reunion?
My art teacher Mrs Moragucci.
What was your first car?
Giant Chevy station wagon. Big Blue.
What was your food of choice?
Garlex Pizza.
What was the biggest fight you ever had with your parents?
I put a condom on inside out and found out the really hard way that I am allergic to spermacide. I had to tell them I was having sex and they had to take me to the hospital because my dick felt like it was on fire!
What book/film changed your teenage life?
Fire Walk With Me and Confederacy of Dunces.
What posters did you have on your bedroom wall?
Lots of Natas, H street, New Deal, World Industries, Blind and Planet Earth.
Any hobbies you didn’t give up?
Jerking off and drawing.
What smell reminds you most of the suburbs?
Manure and dirt weed.
Huck 45 launches at Arcana Books, LA, this Saturday August 2, 4-6pm.
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