LOBH EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JOSHUA LEVY

The Oh! Gravity cover...it's a curious, gripping piece of art.
It tells many stories.
Stories that only the creator could tell.
I was intrigued by the unusual and I decided to contact Joshua Levy, the artist, to get his stories, thoughts and ideas on his creation.
In an odd paradox (since I was barely involved in this interview...it was all Josh) this is probably the most personal interview I have ever done.
Enjoy.



Land of Broken Hearts (LOBH): Can you tell us a bit about the album cover history and art?
Joshua: I am currently an In-House Art Director and Illustrator for Columbia and Epic Records in New York City. I also work freelance if the project is right.

I've been making this style of ink drawings since around 1998. They are drawn up quite large on Acid Free Strathmore- most are 19x24". The trick to these drawings is that they are not made with a pen or brush, but the ink droppers that come on small bottles of Higgins Ink.

For "Oh Gravity" they were scanned in and then collaged together in Photoshop along with portraits of the band that they oversaw. Album art is a lost art that I really believe needs to get back...so I worked late night hours to give the fans what they deserve. I can't tell you how many albums I pick up and I'm like, "That's it? Where's all the art???" You know the story.

The whole cover gets unfolded as a poster...
The cover collage keeps going and it's an overwhelmingly intense 6 cd panels.
A giant maze, it'll give you something to look at throughout the entire album.
Unfortunately I can't show you, you'll have to wait for the album to come out - it's just around the corner now! I can say it's their best album to date.
The band really wanted a hand drawn natural feel to this cover but also wanted themselves to be on the cover.
I flew out to San Diego to meet the band in person and there we went through a number of styles and directions for the cover. Really nice out there in San Diego. We also discussed the upcoming photoshoot I directed with Jeremy Cowart, which was a blast. He's a great photographer. I heard some early cuts in the studio and it just blew me away. It took about a month for us to decide to use the ink drawings and then I had to get it right. A lot of the imagery on the album are objects and symbols that I have used for sometime now... boats, birds, skulls, water, etc. These can sometimes be interpreted in a number of ways- such as the skulls may really be rocks on the beach getting kicked up by waves. A lot of objects, characters and creatures make up other objects and symbols when you start to really look at the big picture. It means that we are all one- the world is one together...How making a big mistake in life can trigger an instant-karmic avalanche, so keep it cool.
Life is a giant network, a coaster, and sometimes you just have to hang on and pray that it's all going to be alright.

I usually do these drawings when confused or down & out.
The ink allows me to get out my frustrations, everyday pressures and the weight of the world. When starting these drawings, I'm not specifically saying to myself, "Now I'm going to draw this specifically"...it just comes out of me, naturally.
Kind of like Keith Richards and a guitar.
Not all the drawings are gold, I take a lot of chances... and I'd say more then half get thrown out. But, please don't raid my garbage.


(There wasn't much I could say after that. He pretty much answered everything I wanted to know. I did want to dig a bit deeper into the art, so I asked him the following questions:

LOBH: What was it like working with the guys?
Joshua: The guys were an absolute pleasure to work with. Really some of the best clients I've had. It's nice when the work and people involved all click. Also, they have a good eye for changes - which helps a lot! They really helped make the piece better with their suggestions (most clients kill a nice piece of art).


LOBH: Where do you get your influences for your drawings?
Joshua: Good Music and Life


LOBH: What is the old man in the top right hand corner doing? We've all been discussing it and the general consensus seems to be that he is...um..."relieving himself". Is that correct?
Joshua: Oh boy, glad we had this talk!!! Nope - the Doo-Dah Man takes a wrong turn!!!
He's the guy who sings "the camptown races" song... on the way home from the track he steps into the wrong neighborhood, sort of a Candyland gone bad.
He's actually jumping over the river, or a dam...the dam has sort of a carnival face painted on it.
There's a dinosaur with a tambourine next to him shakin away...kind of like running through the evil forest in the wizard of oz. [In fact] the original drawing actually has a Tin Man on the bottom right corner.


LOBH: Why is the drawing of Jon crying?
Joshuah: Everyone is crying- letting out any pain or happiness. Crying is not necessarily a bad thing- also if no one was crying, what would that giant body of water be made out of?
There's water throughout pouring down to the Ocean.


LOBH: There has been some confusion with the different faces on the album. I can tell who Jon and Tim are but I have a difficult time with the rest. Could you clear that up for me?
Joshua: Yes, the face confusion!
This will all clear up with the special glasses that come with the first printing of the disc...put on the glasses at the start of the album and the whole picture changes, clearing up who's who- Just Kidding!
Jerome is up at the top getting hit by a wave next to the title.
Chad is between Jon (middle) and Tim who's under the "Dirty Second Hands" and to the right of the hand trying to catch a serpent.
Drew is under the left wing of the giant bird and/or eye, just above Jon.



Things to look for: The bottom left "boy" with the Switchfoot bolt tattoo, represents the child, the dreamer- the whole cover is coming out of his mind.
This is no one specific.

Then there's the big person on the right bottom- almost like when the ship hits the coast/cliff in "King Kong" and its kind of like a face carved in the cliff holding back the land and trees from the over-powering ocean- Maybe Mother Earth.

There's a Magician, Windmills, a dinosaur playing the tamborine, and also... an appearance by the floating cloud-like "Spirit of Picasso" (made that up), who seems frightened by the Bird.
Jon is a big Picasso fan and requested this face be recreated for the cover.

The hand holding the boat up is a reference that everything will be safe and calm- everything is cool even though things might seem like a disaster. I have used these boats- up and down- depending on how my life is going at the time.
Right now things couldn't be better so the boat is upright.
Sometimes I'll have boats in every direction- means I'm confused and have no clue whether things are all good or not.
At the time of drawing up the cover, I had just got back from the shoot with the band, and honestly it's a really good time for Switchfoot - they are in good spirits.
This is their time.



To learn more about Joshua or his art, please click joshualevy.com