Kicking The Donald: LA’s Irreverent Norm Laich
BY Scott Indrisek | September 03, 2015
Norm Laich's faux-promotional poster for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
(Courtesy )
I first encountered the fierce humor of Norm Laich this summer in a group show at Team gallery curated by Amanda Ross-Ho. Laich — who cut his teeth as a professional sign painter — had an entire retail rack of custom-made T-shirts advertising gross-out video and performance artist Paul McCarthy for president. More recently, he designed the faux-promotional poster for Republican front-runner Donald Trump. I reached out to the artist via email to learn a bit more about his background, his thoughts on the current political fiasco, and whether or not he really thinks McCarthy could ever command the Oval Office.
Can you tell me a bit about the two sides of your career in the arts — the commercial side, and the fine art side? How do those two different roles occasionally bleed together?
Can you tell me a bit about the two sides of your career in the arts — the commercial side, and the fine art side? How do those two different roles occasionally bleed together?
Norm Laich
I have followed an unplanned path in my art career. I was a sign and billboard painter in Detroit in my 20s, then I moved to Los Angeles and developed a business working for artists — using my sign-painting skills to make art, instead of signs. Early on, I worked for Lawrence Weiner, John Baldessari, Alexis Smith, and Mike Kelley, mostly doing sign painter’s-style hand lettering. An early hero of mine was James Rosenquist, who was a billboard painter in New York, using those skills to make surreal Pop paintings. I compare myself to a studio musician hired to back up a star singer with my instrument — the brush. I started my business in 1985 and I’ve worked for over a hundred artists, from college students to Ed Ruscha. Sometimes people have a hard time introducing me at parties. They say, “Norm is a legendary sign painter” — a contradiction, since most of them are usually anonymous.
Since I used to paint billboards, I have developed a specialty of working for artists who do wall paintings. One artist I’ve done over 25 of these for is Arturo Herrera. I just did one for him at Gladstone Gallery for the “Hello Walls” show. (By the way, working next to Raymond Pettibon there for a few days was an experience!) Following that, I did one of my own wall paintings, titled “Wish You Were Weird,” at Team gallery as part of “Bad Boys Bail Bonds Adopt A Highway,” the show Amanda Ross-Ho curated.
You’ve made a very tongue-in-cheek poster promoting Donald Trump for president. His mouth looks like a bloody guillotine… and I think I see two Target logos in there? How do these specific elements represent The Donald to you?
We are experiencing a very extreme period of right-wing radicalism. White power nationalist types are like cornered dogs snarling in desperation. Trump is a scary clown. In my poster, the clouds form a hard-on phallic shape going up the side of his body. Trump’s mouth is like a garbage disposal that never shuts off. As for the logos: My mom lives across the street from a Target so I’m always seeing the Target
signs and the inherent violence of the symbol pollutes my brain.
Did you watch the first Republican debate on Fox? Besides Trump, which candidates delight you the most in terms of being entertainingly insane?
I saw the “lowlights” of the Fox debate. The pundits say Trump is entertainingly bat-shit crazy and I think the rest of the Dumblicans are terrifyingly bat-shit crazy. Twenty-four million watching that debate and no mention of global warming? A 30-second answer by Scott Walker about the Black Lives Matter movement and that’s it?
I’ll vote for whoever runs against the Republican nominee.
You recently unveiled another politically-themed work: A T-shirt that touted artist Paul McCarthy for president. First of all, where did you source that unbelievable photo of Paul, which looks a bit like a mug shot taken after a very long drug-binge? And what qualities do you think Mr. McCarthy has that would make him a great leader of the free world?
The photo of Paul is by the photographer Grant Mudford. The old avant-garde had an image of an artist being an eccentric, provocative, wild and crazy person and I think Paul was playing up to that stereotype all the way in this photo from the ’80s. Now, people are talking how crazy white right-wing politicians are: Are they the new avant garde? Paul is a very intelligent former UCLA professor but I can’t see him being the leader of the free world. In fact, out of character he’s probably too mellow and laid-back for the job.
Scott Indrisek wearing Norm Laich's Paul McCarthy for President t-shirt, which incorporates a photography of McCarthy by Grant Mudford.
Do you think artists can actually affect change when it comes to current events, politics, or elections? Is satire the best tool for this, in your mind?
The debate about political art is ongoing. The critics of political art say it’s simplistic propaganda. I say we are always being bombarded by simplistic right-wing propaganda so why can’t the side I’m on, the left wing, fire back? I like what the art writer Ben Davis says — to paraphrase, “The only real way to affect change is to get involved in the trenches of grass-root politics” — but I know that’s easier said than done in what seems like extra-stressful times.
Since I used to paint billboards, I have developed a specialty of working for artists who do wall paintings. One artist I’ve done over 25 of these for is Arturo Herrera. I just did one for him at Gladstone Gallery for the “Hello Walls” show. (By the way, working next to Raymond Pettibon there for a few days was an experience!) Following that, I did one of my own wall paintings, titled “Wish You Were Weird,” at Team gallery as part of “Bad Boys Bail Bonds Adopt A Highway,” the show Amanda Ross-Ho curated.
You’ve made a very tongue-in-cheek poster promoting Donald Trump for president. His mouth looks like a bloody guillotine… and I think I see two Target logos in there? How do these specific elements represent The Donald to you?
We are experiencing a very extreme period of right-wing radicalism. White power nationalist types are like cornered dogs snarling in desperation. Trump is a scary clown. In my poster, the clouds form a hard-on phallic shape going up the side of his body. Trump’s mouth is like a garbage disposal that never shuts off. As for the logos: My mom lives across the street from a Target so I’m always seeing the Target
signs and the inherent violence of the symbol pollutes my brain.
Did you watch the first Republican debate on Fox? Besides Trump, which candidates delight you the most in terms of being entertainingly insane?
I saw the “lowlights” of the Fox debate. The pundits say Trump is entertainingly bat-shit crazy and I think the rest of the Dumblicans are terrifyingly bat-shit crazy. Twenty-four million watching that debate and no mention of global warming? A 30-second answer by Scott Walker about the Black Lives Matter movement and that’s it?
I’ll vote for whoever runs against the Republican nominee.
You recently unveiled another politically-themed work: A T-shirt that touted artist Paul McCarthy for president. First of all, where did you source that unbelievable photo of Paul, which looks a bit like a mug shot taken after a very long drug-binge? And what qualities do you think Mr. McCarthy has that would make him a great leader of the free world?
The photo of Paul is by the photographer Grant Mudford. The old avant-garde had an image of an artist being an eccentric, provocative, wild and crazy person and I think Paul was playing up to that stereotype all the way in this photo from the ’80s. Now, people are talking how crazy white right-wing politicians are: Are they the new avant garde? Paul is a very intelligent former UCLA professor but I can’t see him being the leader of the free world. In fact, out of character he’s probably too mellow and laid-back for the job.
Scott Indrisek wearing Norm Laich's Paul McCarthy for President t-shirt, which incorporates a photography of McCarthy by Grant Mudford.
The debate about political art is ongoing. The critics of political art say it’s simplistic propaganda. I say we are always being bombarded by simplistic right-wing propaganda so why can’t the side I’m on, the left wing, fire back? I like what the art writer Ben Davis says — to paraphrase, “The only real way to affect change is to get involved in the trenches of grass-root politics” — but I know that’s easier said than done in what seems like extra-stressful times.
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