When did your website first
begin?
July 1998 was when it debuted online as "A Total Waste Of
Time." It began as a very, very lo-tech site with a few scans
of my artwork and some random bits. It was highly influenced by
Radiohead's website at the time, but that confused me as well
as my guests, so I changed the format a bit. As the years have
progressed, I've revamped my page several times. This last time,
however, I really made an effort to make a very personal website,
meaning it would be a very blunt, straightforward representation
of who I am, yet at the same time still remaining a mystery to
those who visit the site who may not know me. This is also the
first time my site has been on it's very own domain.
Where are all the random phrases
from that appear throughout your website?
Song lyrics, basically. Most of them are from a band called the
Manic Street Preachers. You don't even have to like their music
to really enjoy their lyrics. Some are very very political, but
many -- especially taken out of context -- are mini works of art
in themselves.
What's "Couplandesque"?
At first, I thought I made it up. Then I realised I didn't, and
I was quite sad. In any case, it means something is in the manner
of Coupland -- Coupland referring to Douglas Coupland, my all-time
favourite author.
Are the photographs on your site yours?
Yes. Well, most of them. Any of the smaller ones of things you
can't really identify -- those are mine. I took them with my cheap
little webcam. I thought it would be fun to take photographs of
random things that might not normally be seen as artistic. I suppose
that's sort of like taking Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol's
philosophies and blending them together. In any case, the results
were very grainy, very odd photos of things around my bedroom.
Bubble wrap, Tic Tacs, dried roses and ceiling fans have all been
photographed -- and many other things as well.
Did you do everything on your website by yourself?
Yes. Every bit of it is my work. I've had no proper training for
web design -- I'm self-taught. My websites are always a learning
experience for me.
Are you male or female?
Hmm...what do you think?
Will we ever get to see a photo
of you?
Oh, there's photos of me on my site, you just have to dig. And
some might not be as obvious...but look around. I just don't think
my appearance has anything to do with me as a person, so I don't
bother making a special section for photographs of myself.
Do you get a lot of e-mails from your visitors?
Yes, I do, actually. Especially now that I've been making those
silly quizzes. I love getting e-mails...it's nice to hear what
people think about my website. I'm really awful at writing back,
though, but I do want everyone to know I read every one I receive.
Your poetry is very dark. Are
you really that unhappy?
Not all the time, no. I just write better when I'm unhappy, so
of course all of my poems will have a bit of darkness to them.
I'm actually not constantly depressed, I do smile, and I enjoy
humour very much.
Your music collection is massive! Do you get a lot of comments about your music tastes?
Yes. Mostly I get comments about the size of my collection, but working in record shops for years has helped that grow a bit. I get both positive and negative feedback about my music tastes, but it doesn't matter to me because I listen to what sounds good to me -- I don't care if people don't agree with my tastes!
Is it difficult to keep a journal
on the internet? Isn't it weird to have complete strangers read
about your personal life?
Not really. My main reason for keeping my journal online is that
it's easier that way. I type much faster than I write, so I've
kept my journal online for years now. As for people reading personal
things about me...I'm fine with it. If I want to write anything
really personal, I'll keep it private.
How do you make the quizzes?
It's sort of difficult to explain. Perhaps I'll post some sort
of tutorial on my website in the future.
Do you have a lot of spare time or something?
Yes. Yes I do.