A Quick, Little Interview with Ben SnakePit!

What’s been your history with drawing, leading up to the creation of Snakepit?

In high school I was president of the art club and crap like that, and I went to art school for a few years after that, but I hated it and I dropped out.  Going to art school made me hate art altogether and I didn't draw for a few years, maybe four or five years.  It wasn't until after I got divorced that I really started drawing again, and keeping a journal as well.   A few months before I started doing Snakepit I kept a comic diary, but it wasn't very good and I had no intention of publishing it.  I was a big fan of Jim's Journal by Scott Dikkers and when I found out it was fictional, I figured I'd just kinda rip his idea off and do it for real.

Why do you think people like Snakepit so much, and how has its popularity affected you?

I don't really understand why people like it so much, to tell you the truth.  I guess maybe because people see that everyone's lives are pretty much the same.  We all have routines that we follow every day, and spend most of our lives trying to break those routines, but they usually turn out to be new routines altogether.  Kinda like the lyrics to the song "Corners" by Assuck.  This popularity is pretty awesome, I must admit.  For one thing, I can usually trade the comic to friends around town in exchange for food hookups, xerox hookups, record hookups, getting into shows for free, and getting free drinks.  It's great, and I admit, I think it's cool when people come up to me at parties or shows and say hi or give me a copy of their zine or whatever.

How do you choose what parts of your day to include in each strip?

It depends.  Sometimes I try to think of the three coolest things that happened to me in a day, or the three most important.  Other days I feel lazy and just vaguely write what I did whether it's interesting or not.  It's always a fun challenge to have to either break the day down into three parts or have to stretch out nothing into three parts.  It really helps me keep my shit together and keep a levelheaded attitude about my life.

In general, how do people feel about being characters in your comic?  Are there situations where you ask people before drawing them in?

Most everyone likes it.  People are always asking me to put them in there, and I usually tell them yes whether I actually do draw them or not.  No one has ever asked me to take them out or not put them in there.  There have been a few times (usually with ladies) where I've drawn a panel that was kinda risqué or whatever, and I had to run it by them before I published it, but I think only one or two times have I had to draw alternate panels.

What are some ways in which publishing such a personal comic has affected your life?

Mostly it's all been positive stuff—people go to see bands I've drawn, it's pretty easy for me to find a place to crash in just about any town in America—that's really awesome.  My mom is a big fan and I think that's really cool.  There hasn't really been any negative backlash.  I've never lost a friend over it or anything.  Sometimes I get weirded out when I give someone a new issue and they stand there and read it right in front of me.  That can be pretty awkward sometimes.  When my girlfriend cheated on me, I put it in there very bluntly and that got me some extra sympathy in the Austin gossip circles, but I don't really give a shit about that kinda stuff.  I dunno.

I’ve noticed that you do a lot of splits with other comics and zines.  What do you like about doing those?

Well, the splits really got out of control, and I don't really want to do them anymore.  I asked Clutch to do the split with me cuz I really like the one he'd done with Nicole (Invincible Summer) and I was hoping our split would turn out like that, but it didn't really.  Mainly because we don't live in the same town, and what made the Clutch/Invincible Summer split so good was that they both live in the same town and hang out with each other on a somewhat regular basis.  Then I met Maddy and she suggested the Tight Pants split, and I couldn't really resist, cuz she's so cool and her zine is so good, it was a total honor to do the split with her.  Then I did the Amazing Adult Fantasy split because it was the best way I could think of to acknowledge Tim's comic without actually expressing an opinion one way or the other.  Now that he's quit doing his comic I'll come out and say that I didn't think it was very cool and I think he was kinda ripping me off, but I guess since I ripped off Jim's Journal I don't have much room to talk.  I did two more splits after that just out of previous obligations but I wasn't really into them.  I don't think I'll ever do another one unless it’s a really special circumstance.

You were on a big U.S. tour with J Church recently, right?  What were some effects that being on tour had on Snakepit and/or vice versa?

Well, the best thing that happened was that I hooked up with Sean and Megan from Razorcake/Gorsky Press.  We hung out and got drunk for a night and by the next day they'd offered me a book deal and a regular column in Razorcake!  It was totally fucking awesome.  I also got to meet a lot of other zine writers that I like and respect, and I actually made a decent sized chunk of money selling comics on tour. (The Gorsky Press book should be out in March).

What’s the hardest part of publishing Snakepit?

Finding copy hookups.  Since I give the monthlies away for free and I charge so little for the anthologies, I have to make all my copies for free.  I have one solid hookup, but lately the demand has been so great that it can't keep up with the supply, and I hate to keep asking this one friend of mine to risk his job and steal so much from his work.  So I always try to have alternate sources, but it's really tough.  Everything else about self-publishing, the mail, the stapling and collating, everything else, I totally love.

What are some of your current favorite DIY comix?

I really like Clutch, Missy Kulik's stuff, King Cat, Abby Denson's stuff, Janelle Blarg's stuff.  There are a few others but I can't think of them right now.

Any last comments?

Thanks to you guys for the interview, thanks to everyone who reads my comics, and thanks to everyone who does diy publishing or distro of any sort.  We have an awesome scene going and I hope it stays that way for a very long time. 

Besides the Snake Pit Anthologies ($3), Ben has also published two one-shot comics, Pills (about getting married) and Going to California (about...um..going to California) ($1 each). Write to Ben at PO Box 49447, Austin, TX 78765. Email him at threeinverted9s@hotmail.com or visit his website at wwww.youngamericancomics.com/snakepit or be his "friendster."

Home    Weblog    News    Order    Writings    Booklist    Zines    Links