My first poster for the Pebbles series: Original psychedelic and garage punk from the 60ies.

Way way back at Rhino Records on Westbeach Blvd. – my first display design.

Mega Flashback!

Got this sweet dedication from Suzy Shaw of Bomp Records in the mail today: “For Cornel – Bomp’s Best Art Director! … Thanks for everything!” In between she mentions something about cute & smart, OK, … I’ll take that and return the compliment!
Bomp Records was my very first Job in art direction at the beginning of my career in Los Angeles and that wouldn’t have happened without Suzy’s support, for which I owe her a lot. The Pebbles Poster was my very first original commercial illustration and poster (it’s still available at the Bomp store as part of the Pebbles box set). Bomp Records was more than a job; it was family in the truest sense: we lived and worked together in a community. The label was home to bands that really meant a lot to me and still do:  Iggy Pop, Stiv Bators, Devo, The Weirdos, The Warlocks, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spacemen 3 and many others. Greg Shaw was a subculture giant and instrumental in the early days of garage punk, counter-culture and neo-psychedelia, and he opened a lot of doors for me. Looking back, I was a youngster searching for something I could believe in and Bomp provided that. I learned so much in those years, it’s crazy, not only about art production, underground comics, music, recording and psychedelic art, but also about running a small independent business. It’s almost a miracle that Bomp as a label still exists. So, if you can, please go support them. They’re the last of their kind!

More Than Mentorship…

Greg (R.I.P.) and Susy Shaw, and Bomp Records were the ground zero for my creative life. Greg was not only a neo-psychedelic underground publishing legend, music historian and influential label owner, but also a fascinating and inspiring character, well read and always up for an intellectual discussion may it be about art history or retro-futurism. He was full of brilliant ideas, energetic and able to make things happen no matter how crazy the project was. Suzy, on the other hand, was down to earth, a natural skeptic, smart, business savvy and ready to run a tight ship through rough waters, as an independent label requires you to. It really was the balance of these two forces that kept Bomp in business for decades. The two components, the yin and yang, the creative maniac and the one who does the math, to keep things rolling.
During those years, first in a shared loft in downtown L.A., then later in a shared house in Hollywood on 1207 N. Detroit St., I learned the skills and rules of what makes album and indie label art stick and what the fans expected. The roadmap for the label group was pretty clear: Bomp was the label of bright neon colors, while Voxx and A.I.P. Records were for the most part restricted to a ’60s retro look. Greg told me what worked and what didn’t. He stopped me if something was too slick, too polished or too boring. In the beginning, I learned from the exceptional illustrators that contributed to the label, such as Lucija Kordic, R.K. Sloane and Coop. Typically, an artist would bring a front-cover illustration, then I would come up with ideas to continue the visual idea to the back cover and the inserts and liner notes. That was a very efficient way of learning the trade.
Through Greg, I earned my first audio engineering credits on a Stiv Bators album next to Brett Gurewtiz of Bad Religion and Epitaph, and I ended up spending a lot of time at Westbeach Recorders, where a lot of bands were recorded, learning that side of the bizz. During my time at Bomp, I ran into a lot of interesting characters, such as Iggy Pop, Jello Biafra, Stiv Bators, Henry Rollins and Mark Mothersbaugh. Legends of a generation that started a lot of things. California subculture has always been a huge inspiration for me with its special mix of talent and nutty ideas. Much later I learned that a generation earlier, a person that I’ve always admired, had my art director position at Bomp long before me: Jay Kinney, founder of Anarchy Comics, an influential figure in the first wave of the underground comics movement. My mind was blown.
In the end, what does it all mean? To me, the value of mentorship, especially in the long run, comes down to fully understanding a mindset and having that voice on call when you need it. For example: Evaluating an idea, I would find myself asking: What would Greg say? Would he say: This is cool? If yes, we’d be safe.

Bomp! Wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomp!_Records
Greg Shaw obituary in The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/oct/29/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries
The Guardian on Greg Shaw’s and Bomp’s legacy
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/nov/30/popandrock4