Contributor Confab: Timothy McCown Reynolds
"No wonder her music keeps the forces of Evil at bay."
The infectious little ditty about Aubrey Beardsley on page 7 of slips slips, illustrated with a bit of Beardsley filigree, is the work of Timothy McCown Reynolds. His take on the iconic 19th-century illustrator is a perfect fit for its subject - as deceptively simple as a nursery rhyme, straddling the antique and the avant in equal measure. It’s no surprise coming from a multitalented creator whose interests span the histories of worlds both fictional and non-.
ss: Name three writers or artists, and tell us why you named them.
TMR:
Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe was the first Elizabethan verse dramatist, and, I argue, the most innovative and transgressive, writing of conquerors (Tamburlaine the Great), black magicians (Doctor Faustus), and subversive, doomed monarchs (Edward II), before staging his own death with the assistance of some of his cohorts in Queen Elizabeth’s spy service (oh yeah, he spied for England whilst he was getting his education - Elizabeth herself wrote a letter excusing his absence from university) and reinventing himself as William Shakespeare, using the actor in his company by that name as his literary beard for his subsequent works. Read The Reckoning by Charles Nicholl for more details.
Kate Bush. Kate is wild and wondrous! She has been writing, playing, and singing (with a three and a half octave range of B2 -F6) her own music since age 16. Her subject matter includes the protagonists of gothic romance (Wuthering Heights, The Infant Kiss), divine love affairs (The Kick Inside), nuclear annihilation (Breathing), the cost of war (Army Dreamers), aboriginal land rights and the Dreamtime (The Dreaming), love (Oh to be in Love; Feel It; The Man with the Child in his Eyes), learning (Sat in your Lap; Them Heavy People), insanity (Get Out of my House; Mother Stands for Comfort), attempted suicide (The Ninth Wave -side 2 of Hounds of Love), speculative science fiction (Cloudbusting; Experiment IV), motherhood (Bertie, Room for the Life), fantasy (Hammer Horror), revenge (The Wedding List), the relativity of human experience (Running Up That Hill), what happens after death (Blow Away; again, The Ninth Wave), music (Eat the Music; Saxophone Song; Violin), dance (The Red Shoes), flying (Kite), clouds (The Big Sky), snow (50 Words for Snow), birds (Aerial), et cetera, ad infinitum. No wonder her music keeps the forces of Evil at bay (see Stranger Things, Season 4).
David A. Trampier. Tramp was the most skilled and imaginative of the illustrators of early Dungeons & Dragons. His illustrations and paintings fuel the imagination necessary for the game’s immersive rewards. He walked away from the RPG business abruptly, and never looked back, choosing anonymity and ending his days as a cab driver in Carbondale, Illinois. His work remains inspirational to artists and players to this day.
ss: Ghost, vampire, werewolf, or zombie? Why?
TMR: Vampire. Why? Discover here.
ss: What geography has had the biggest impact on your life and work?
TMR: Forest. Forests are my cathedrals. They soothe and inspire
with calm, stately presence, and thrill with whispers of wind stirring both branches and souls.
ss: What has been one of your most satisfying/gratifying creative moments?
TMR: Staging and portraying Hamlet with my theatre company Loup Garou Internationale in 2016 at the Brick’s “Shakespeare in the Theatre” festival, after working on the play and the role for 30 years. I credited Christopher Marlowe with its authorship.
See more of Timothy’s work at timothymccownreynolds.com
Learn more about slips slips at slipsslips.net
"reinventing himself as William Shakespeare"
A bold stance from TMR! Here for it!