For Urban Light Studios MAD Magazine Tribute show I devised a contemporary Fold-In of my own to pay homage to the satirically creative virtuoso, and creator of the MAD Fold-In Al Jaffe.

A Mad Fold-In consists of a single drawing, with a paragraph of text underneath, and a panel across the top with a question. Each Fold-In also features instructions on how to manipulate the Fold-In, as well as a picture illustrating the procedure. Under the instructions are two arrows labeled “A” and “B”. When the paper is folded so that points “A” and “B” are touching, the remaining unobscured text underneath the picture becomes the answer to the question, and the picture itself changes into a fresh image reflecting the new text, as the middle 50% of the drawing vanishes. The Fold-In reveals a hidden picture and answer to the question at the top of the page. Each Fold-In is wrapped in visual trickery and typographical genius leading to a sort of double entendre of ironic witticism.

The headlining question is: “What exclusive academy accepts young musicians who lead fast lives only to further heighten their star status?”. The main image appears to be a red-carpet event set at a stage adorned with a large Grammy surrounded by a crowd and several standing musicians . The headline continues with “Year in and year out the awarding of young star-status achievers occurs just before a new rash of the hot-n-new step up. The music industry will always exploit famous talent. And yet, one group of brilliant miserables rise high without a drop of aid from anyone and pay a price. Fold in page as shown to see just what group makes legends of the world’s most popular and addictive icons”.  The next line of deceptive clues appears at the bottom to say “Twelve nominees a year for rock is plenty. Several artists talent can only be proven with a euphoric ceremony. Clues about who flys next is the hubbub.”

It would appear that the forward answer would be the Grammy’s. The stage is set and the red carpet is rolled out to the five artists in the foreground. However, hidden in the composition are other clues and paraphernalia to hint at the underlying answer to the decoy query. More evidence is laid out right in front with the five musicians who face the stage. Here stands Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Amy Winehouse. The Fold-In reveals a new image that turns the stage into a skull, the columns into a syringe, pills stacking, and a hidden bong. My favorite element of the folded image is perhaps the locking arms of Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain, the more recent of the pictured musicians to die from drug related addictions. The true ironic answer at the bottom unveils: Twenty-Seven Club.

For the exhibition there will be a large display canvas of 27 Club for the masses to enjoy. Along with the exhibit piece I have created post card renditions that will accompany the show for patrons to fold-in and enjoy as they view the original display piece. There is a collector’s edition of prints that will be sold exclusively through the gallery opening night and online. Only 27 of these primo 11×17 prints will be offered, all hand signed and numbered. It is going to be an amazing show with an extensive group of talent and not one to be missed. If you can’t make it to the show, enjoy the interactive display above and feel free to contact me directly to buy your very own limited edition print of the 27 Club. Al Jaffe would be proud!

His latest release, The Late-Nite Walrus, is no exception for our insanely syncopated symbiosis. What began as a few liner notes from K Sos turned into a deeply exciting cover to work on when it came around to the BeeryMethod Studio. His notes consisted of “a walrus (with sunglasses, a tuxedo on, tusks, and whiskers) walking forward in a desert. In the desert, he is surrounded by stacks of CDs (which appear like castles) and tons of random book shelves filled with books.” I decided to take this concept a bit further and ‘class’ it up a bit. Rather than stacks of compact discs I decided that the old vinyl was more proper. The walrus character was a depiction of a burnt-out Vegas act who had done his dues and is now out of his element yet surrounded by what he loves best, his words and music. This was a clever hint on the personality and desires of K Sos as well. We even hid a few book titles on the foreground shelf that are a few of Sos’s favorites.

The Late-Nite Walrus ©2010 BeeryMethod

Aside from the vinyl I thought the perfect compliment to this lounge-act-walrus was to add in a few other antiqued elements such as the old record player, radios, violin, and vinyl records stuck in the ground with K Sos’s other cd titles. Taking a reference from the Marvin Gaye album I Want You, I divided the top half of the cover with a simple white line and black rectangle. This also conveys the old record covers of the era and seemed like the perfect touch for the theme of this album. Along with the Vegas references I created lettering based upon the famous ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign on the strip and even borrowed those neon star elements which really made the cover ‘pop’. Using our neon color trifecta which consisted of purple, green, and blue it was an easy task of strategically placing these colors and elements to keep the viewers I moving around the cover.

Last but not least I chose to utilize the crow element. The crows represent the vehicle of bringing knowledge, shape-shifting, eloquence, prophecy, boldness, skill, knowledge, cunning, and trickery as symbolism. The flock of crows is the unleashing of lyrical mayhem and fortitude K Sos brings to the mic and were worthy elements to bring intricacy to the sky and atmosphere. They float nicely in front of the moon.

When I finished the cover, after a few small revisions, K Sos sent me this message: “Do you have a portal into my brain?…is that a component of the BeeryMethod?…shit is fucking ridic!”

No strangers to stirring the pot of political roughness and kicking raw flavor that amplifies the generation XYZ, it was a duo blast of urban rawness and shotgun imagery from both sides. K Sos and Rams are on the pinnacle of exploiting their freedom of expression and Murphy’s Killer is no exception. In an attempt to squash Murphy’s Law, the facetious proposition that if something can go wrong, it will, these two members of The N.O.C put the clutch down on excelling into a new era of keeping it genuine and representing the buzz of the American street aficionados.

To do justice and reflect the messages broadcast on MK the cover had to be montaged in a seamlessly compact way. Depicted on the cover are members K Sos and Rams who have drug Murphy to his last rights. Murphy is satirized as the obese, greedy, white-bred politician who has been captured and brutalized by the N.O.C crew. A shotgun to his head, stab wounds, and all his dirty money on the pavement, Murphy (Murphy’s Law) is over with.

Murphy's Killer 2010

To complete the full effect of the chaos to ensue I broke into my bank of imagery to montage a masterpiece of mayhem. Surrounded by police squads, cops with guns drawn, tattooed chicks, screaming fans, and flames bursting in the air the focus of the cover (the slaughtering of Murphy) is pushed into the foreground. Photos used in the background came from my trips across the continental USA. The graffiti building on the left originates in the Mission District of San Francisco, the city skyline of Chicago, a water tower from Alcatraz, parking lot in Seattle, deco building and club from Italy, and characters who have been digitally painted and enhanced all come together to form a surreal environment that is reminiscent of a frame from Grand Theft Auto.

Every detail from the ghetto birds (police helicopters) blasting spotlights all the way down to the cracks in the concrete all spin from the depths of my inner beast that roars “make this solid…down to the core”. The effect is an insane composition that keeps the viewer coming back and finding more pieces of gooey visual elements that rock the soul. Here’s to putting the kibosh on Murphy’s Law and the giants of the Southeast…N.O.C. 4 Life!