School Jerks EP Cover

BEST GIRLFRIEND EVER.

That's what I am.  I did this drawing a few nights ago while in the throes of H1N1 for the cover of Ben's band's next 7".  As I drew this, I felt about as good as the girl on the top left of the drawing LOOKS. All in the name of what?  M&Ms.  Ben bought me a huge bag of M&Ms and that sealed the deal...

This drawing is based on a loose arrangement of 5 ripped fragments of photographs.  The elements are (from the top left) two of the girls from the Manson family, two British bikers from the 60s, a hippie draped in an American flag, and one of the victims of the Kent State shooting in 1970.  The rough concept is the "decline of the 60s counterculture."  

Ben said that certain aspects of the drawing sort of remind him of the cover of the Beatles' Revolver, which is a pretty huge compliment. All in all, I'm really happy with how it turned out...it's different from the last few pieces of record or poster art I've done, but in a good way.

"A photograph of Mary Vecchio, a fourteen year old runaway, screaming over the body of Jeffery Miller appeared on the front pages of newspapers and magazines throughout the country, and the photographer, John Filo, was to win a Pulitzer Prize for the picture. The photo has taken on a life and importance of its own. This analysis looks at the photo, the photographer, and the impact of the photo.

"The Mary Vecchio picture shows her on one knee screaming over Jeffrey Miller's body. Mary told one of us that she was calling for help because she felt she could do nothing (Personal Interview, 4/4/94). Miller is lying on the tarmac of the Prentice Hall parking lot. One student is standing near the Miller body closer than Vecchio. Four students are seen in the immediate background.

"John Filo, a Kent State photography major in 1970, continues to works as a professional newspaper photographer and editor. He was near the Prentice Hall parking lot when the Guard fired. He saw bullets hitting the ground, but he did not take cover because he thought the bullets were blanks. Of course, blanks cannot hit the ground."

(Source:  http://dept.kent.edu/sociology/lewis/lewihen.htm)

Original photo of Kent state shooting by photographer John Filo.