‘Please God Save Us’ book signing at CPop

Derek Hess and Kent Smith are neither pessimists nor defeatists. They are realists casting an unwavering, unblinking and precise gaze on the way things are today. What they've seen and what they've felt has prompted one to draw, the other to pick up the pen.
 
The fruit of their collaborative vision is now a book entitled “Please God Save Us.” Based on works that were originally viewed in 2006, the current volume is an eclectic j'accuse -- a compendium of challenges to a dismayed and (perhaps) disaffected public that seems all too blind to the myriad number of calamities that have occurred in the last decade. Indeed, it seems to address everything -- the war in Iraq, the rise of fundamentalism (here as well as in the Middle East), the rape of the environment. Even the issue of stem cell research gets a nod.
 
A work such as this should not come as a surprise to anyone familiar with either Smith or Hess. The former is a Democratic activist and currently an elected official in Euclid, Ohio. He has written for the alternative press (Cleveland Free Times), is an avid community organizer, and has been friends with Derek Hess for many years.
 
Hess is also a native Ohioan, but he has some impressive credentials and links with the Detroit art community. Three years at the College for Creative Studies for starters, followed by a strong interest in the rock scene that prompted him to create poster art -- a calling that prompted more than one critic to compare his style to that of Renaissance masters. He continues to explore new avenues of expression today and his past shows are legendary.
 
Hess and Smith will both be at CPop Gallery on Friday, August 1 for a release party and book signing. The event will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. You will have an opportunity to purchase the book and to ask questions of both men.
 
Derek Hess was good enough to answer several questions pertaining to both book and upcoming show.

As book titles go “Please God Save Us” certainly has a note of desperation to it. Are things that bad?
Yes. The problem is that a "bad" thing will come up, the media will cover it for a day or two and then another bad thing happens and the media is off and running after that so they don't get scooped by a rival paper, network, or whatever. So, this reinforces America's short attention span (which is due to many things -- I could go on about conspiracy theories, maybe "they" want us like that), many tend not to keep in mind yesterday's bad thing, they're on to today's, waiting for tomorrow's. People need to sit back and put them all together because they are coming fast and furious. Add them all up and they will see the big picture -- which is bad, really bad.

Is art or the written word more powerful as a means of protest?
I'm sure you as a writer would agree with me that they are both powerful in their own rights. They tend to hit two demographics, with cross-over of course with many others. For the people who are literate and have survived the experience of the American public school system, words have impact, and if the words are broken down to their core, it hits a larger audience. This works for each side that wants control -- blue, red, left, right, good, evil, Black Sabbath, Hannah Montana, etc.

Images have a huge impact as well. They "speak" to an audience that may not take the time to read an editorial about Halliburton, polar bears, or creationism in public schools (May i just say this -- don't teach your creationism in our schools, and we won't teach evolution in your churches). With an America suffering from a short attention span, images tend to get the message across quickly, or plant the seed. Hopefully the viewer will feel the need to explore these ideas, and seek the truth, which is laid out in the written word. So, they both are powerful tools when employed together, and that's why I think this book is effective.

Did 9/11 start all this or did it merely accelerate an ongoing process?
No. Two things started my art work towards these subjects -- the first was a flyer I  kept coming across around my hood. It's three inches by two I'm guessing, a small yellow piece of paper. On the one side it says "Smile - God loves you" with this big smiley face. BUT (and it has a "but" in capital letters) when you flip it over it says "BUT, if you reject his love, given at a great sacrifice at Calvary, it would be better for you not to have been born.”

This just freaked me out, that there was a lunatic roaming around my hood passing this stuff out without any resistance.

The second thing was "W" maintaining his occupation of the White House in 2004. I really was considering moving out of my beloved country, but after looking at the logistics and money involved with that, my lazy American heritage set in and I decided that the only realistic thing I could do was resist with my art.

Rock art -- covers, flyers, etc. -- is now coming belatedly into its own. Who were your influences when you were a CCS student?
At CCS -- I was there from half of 1987 to the first half of 1989 -- there were two people who come to mind. Henry Rollins - his “Hot Animal Machine" and "Life Time" both came out when I lived there, and he just was on point for that time and place. Those early books of his and his records after Black Flag really shaped some core ideals I carry with me today (Rollins will make you a man, son!). As far as school goes, Russell Keeter was the man. He was an instructor at CCS and he was amazing! I feel very fortunate that I was able to study under him for however briefly it was. He definitely helped shape the way I look at the human figure.

You presently live in Cleveland. How does Detroit look now through the prism of the past years?
I love Detroit, it's my second favorite city -- Cleveland is first, of course. Detroit, and then Omaha. Anyway, living in Detroit was a great experience. I travel a lot with my art shows, all across this country, overseas, and I get a taste of all those places. Detroit stands out with its own unique dirty, rotten, hardcore, strong, enduring, "bring it on!" charm. If I was to relocate, the "D" would be at the top of my list.

Who would you like to see read "Please God Save Us"?
I wish Tim Russert had had a chance to read it. He was amazing, I had so much respect for the man. My dog Jose on Sunday mornings would just have to wait till I finished my coffee and watched "Meet the Press" before he could go for his morning constitutional. I don't really get hyped by public figures, rock stars, or movie stars, but with Tim, he was just so right on it all. I would have loved to known his thoughts on the book.

Who do you think will win the White House this year?
Obama.

Thoughts on the controversial New Yorker cover?
Well, when I first saw it, I'm like, damn, that's gonna leave a mark! Then after hearing their reasons why they (the New Yorker magazine) printed it, I understood. But, it really took them to make a statement about what it was all about for me to get it. Now, I follow this shit, and don't claim to be some "elitist," but if I didn't "get it" right away, I wonder how the short attention spanned “American Idol” masses received it?

The culture this country is emerged in revolves around images fed to them without questioning the ingredients. So bottom line is I think it was a bad thing. I question the motives of The New Yorker. If they are so high-brow to "get it" as soon as they see it, they should be in tuned with average folk who have been dummied down by our public school system, who will eat this up as truth. One would think a magazine like that would use its profile to educate, not reinforce.