Billy performing with Steven Tyler, photo by Mike D

Billy Morrison has performed with legendary musicians….. Slash, Ronnie Wood, Steven Tyler, Lou Reed…. to name drop just a few. He is a principle member of the supergroup Camp Freddy who keep appearing on US television shows including Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno, Sharon Osbourne and Carson Daly. But being in one band is not enough for Billy. He is also red hot band Circus Diablo. And some background info. He was a former member of the internationally successful rock band The Cult.

He currently writes, produces and records music for various television shows. And if that isn’t enough he also hosts a weekly radio show, as well as being an artist and an actor. And did we mention he produces video blogs and runs and manages three websites. This was one successful person we wanted to talk to….if he stood still long enough.

He’s a busy guy but we tracked Billy down to talk to him about his career, over coming fear, and getting his work out to the world. His candid response and advice make inspiring reading for anyone with ambition.

Photo by Wendy Bird

Billy your career seemed to really take off when you made the decision to move to LA and join the notorious rock band The Cult, what was the most challenging thing about this move?

The absolute 100% not knowing how its all gonna pan out. That was the hardest thing to cope with on a daily basis. I didn’t move to the States with a Green Card (legal requirement to live and work in the USA) or really any place to stay. But I had had enough of trying to pretend I was happy in England.

Rock music was not really getting much play at that time (this is before the Killers/Darkness etc) and I had been asked to audition for The Cult. So I just took the proverbial bull by the balls and sold everything. Jumped on a plane with a few bits and pieces in a shipping container and took a leap of faith.

Obviously I got the job, got the work permits and everything took off from there. The most challenging aspects of the whole process were the ones of my own making. The ones in my head, telling me it would never work out, and why should anything good happen to me. It takes courage and faith to ignore all that shit and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Were you encouraged by the people around you initially to follow a career in music?

Absolutely not. I was not encouraged at any step of the way!. Now, my folks kinda get that playing music and the entertainment business can earn someone a living. I think they are just so happy that I’m not shooting smack into my neck that they accept anything. But back then, I was told by everyone to stop dreaming and start thinking about a career.

How did you find it starting out as a musician, did you always feel like you could do it?

My path as a musician was colored for many years by drugs. Actually, colored is the wrong word. Let me think……FUCKED UP is a more apt phrase to use here.

Although I held guitars and was in and out of bands, some pretty cool, some just rubbish. I was oblivious to the hard work and dedication necessary to actually pay the bills in this job. In fact I didn’t have any bills because I wasn’t that responsible yet.

Photo by Hugh Hamilton

Did you experience any barriers or situations that held you back from your goals?

In the UK especially, society was previously set up to create many barriers that would hold creative types from achieving their goals. In school I was told “how dare you dream; get a job, get married, have kids, have a pension, then die”.

Anyone that liked a loud guitar or a tattoo was subversive. Anyone who enjoyed a different kind of sex (not the fucking missionary position) was considered deviant.

Everywhere I turned in my formative years, I was presented with reasons why I would never amount to much. I was told, I really should become an electrical engineer, or consider a career with the Post Office. “Great benefits there, you know, luv”.

Did you set any specific goals when you were setting out?

Oh the whole thing has been on a wing and a prayer. I have realized that I am not in control at all. When I make plans, God laughs. Honestly, these days I just put the footwork in and stay away from the results. And how would I know when I was 22, that I would move to Los Angeles, join The Cult, tour the world, get happily married and form a huge covers band.

I was winging it from day one, with only one goal in mind. Don’t give up on the dream. As long as I smile, as long as I’m happy, I’m gonna enjoy the ride, no matter where it takes me.

Billy Morrison and Slash, photo by Wendy Bird

So you were winging it from day one, tell me about how you initially got into music?

Probably when I was around nine years old. I was really into Glam Rock; Gary Glitter, Slade, Sweet, and my parents bought me a cheap electric guitar from Woolworths. That soon got upgraded to my first Gibson guitar when I was about 11.

You started at an early age, what were you like at school were you one of the popular kids or a bit of a nerd?

Well I definitely wouldn’t have thought of myself as one of the ‘cool’ kids!. Most of the other kids stayed away from me cos I was always in trouble. Smoking, exploring the school (in places I wasn’t meant to be), playing truant a lot, I was more one of the ‘weirdos’ than one of the cool kids.

Billy Morrison and Billy Idol photo by Wendy Bird

Sometimes there isn’t always a clear path and it can be very confusing, did you have anyone offer advice and guidance?

I have a few people that hold an important role in my life, although they might not know it. Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols (who is now a close friend) is the reason I play guitar. The Pistols changed my life and showed me that anyone could do it.

Nick Marsh and Rocco Barker from Flesh For Lulu, put up with me following their band around, hanging out, asking questions, giving me bits of work, letting me soak up the ‘music business’ atmosphere. And Billy Duffy from The Cult actually gave me my job in The Cult and encouraged me to move properly to LA. These people have definitely played big roles in my musical life.

Talking about established musicians who are your inspirations, what have you learned from them?

Well, my inspirations have been The Sex Pistols, William Burroughs, David Bowie, The Wildhearts, Wasted Youth (look em up kids – middle 80’s UK band), The Velvet Underground, Jamie Reid, Vivienne Westwood and a whole load more. These are some of the artists that have inspired and informed, what have I learned from them? Just do it yourself and stay true. Have fun.

Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Morrison

Did you have any obstacles that you had to overcome to get where you are today?

I had every single obstacle. Of course, I have a few of them now. But how much do you want it?. If it was easy, they’d all be doing it!.
The common misconception is that you form a band, shag birds, get drunk, sell a million records. HAHAHA, some of that happens. But usually after a 7.00am start with emails, phone calls, a midday photo shoot, more emails, more phone calls, an interview or 7, sound check, gig, more interviews, bed at 2.00am. Oh yeah, and first you’ve got to learn to play an instrument, get good, practice, write a decent song and dodge all the daily lunatics who will tell you, it’ll never happen. Like I said, you gotta be prepared to overcome all that shit.

Have you learned to come up with great ideas at will or do you have any special methods you use?

For me, creativity just comes. Sometimes I’m playing a video game and I have to stop cos I need to play guitar. Or a great example is that right now, I am in the middle of writing a screenplay and I just stopped answering these questions about three questions ago and wrote a scene for the script. Then I came back to this interview. I find that I am creative in so many areas that each day avails me something for that part of my spirit. Its a great life.

How do you keep your energy levels up with such a hectic schedule?

I do an hour of cardio every day and three hours on top of that of Pilates every week. But its pure vanity, I gave up smoking after they cut a chunk outta my vocal chords a couple of years back, and ever since then I’ve been battling.

One of these days I’m gonna stop caring and open an ice cream shop on the beach in Maui. Energy levels just seem to be there for me. And when I eventually run out (about three or four times a year) I jet off on vacation, go scuba diving with my gorgeous wife, and turn the phone off.

Click here for Part 2 Of This Interview where Billy reveals his opinion on fear and the things which really scare him. Also how he puts himself in life threatening situations. We discover the mistakes he’s made and the trouble it caused him, and how he turned his life around to become the sort of person successful people are now keen to work with.

Check out Part 2 Now…

Photo by Timmy Hwang

Artist, animator and master of the weird and wonderful. Chet has designed and created prosthetic effects for top movies like, The Grinch, X Men 3, Fantastic 4, The Ring, Hellboy, Men In Black II, Planet Of The Apes and Batman An Robin. Often working intense schedules, he knows what it takes to come up with world class work on demand.

We pinned down the LA artist who not only taught us his visualization technique, but told us how to obtain advice from the top person within your industry and if you want to be successful you need a good plan, he had one from the age of 12.

“Addicted To The Good News”

Chet has also collaborated with good friends rock band “Tool” on their critically acclaimed video ‘Stinkfist’ and every consecutive video since. Mr Zar’s is also a highly esteemed painter whose disturbingly dark and arresting paintings have been exhibited in every hip gallery across California and attracted an extensive online international fan base.

Your paintings are very dark and sinister and pretty scary, but what are your thoughts on fear. Does it help or hinder you?

I feel that fear is an obsolete emotion left over from our primitive past. I can’t think of one time where I thought, “I sure am glad I didn’t do that thing I was afraid of doing”. At this point in human development, it seems like we should be using our own judgment and intuition to guide us through life rather than fear.

How often do you find yourself doing things that you’re afraid of?

I mostly do things that I am afraid of out of necessity. Everybody has the natural tendency to avoid the things that they are afraid of. I did a live painting show with Alex Grey and some other artists and that was pretty scary. But I have always had that kind of ‘what the hell’ attitude when it comes to things like that. I just agree to them and dive in when the time comes.

“I Want You”

Did you always feel like this career choice was the natural path for you and was the transition easy?

I always felt like it was my destiny, really. When I was in the first grade I remember having visions of what my art studio would look like, so I knew all the way back then, that I was an artist. But that still did not make it easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is.

So you knew what you wanted to do, did you make a plan of how you were going to achieve it?

I had a plan since I was about 12 years old that I was going to create monsters for the movies. So I spent my teenage years studying and learning that, on my own, with the intention of building a portfolio of my work and getting a job that way. I got work right out of High School in that field (make up effects). After many years in that field, I decided I wanted to be a painter and focus on my own fine art. So I taught myself how to paint and learned as much as I could about that industry and started showing my work around in any underground art shows that would have me in Los Angeles.

“Cancer Face”

You mention teaching yourself, but did you ever go out and actively look for help and advice from people in the industry?

Sure. It all started when I was getting into makeup effects as a kid. I used to write letters to Dick Smith who is the Godfather of makeup effects and is known in the industry for being very open and helpful to people starting out. He gave me all kinds of great advice and that stuck with me. I try to do the same for other younger artists who write me. But people should not be afraid to ask for advice. You will get ignored sometimes, but there are plenty of cool artists out there who are willing to share.

Debi Jacobson (owner of L’Imagerie gallery), Chet Zar, artist Robert Williams, Suzanne Williams, James Zar.

When people first start out they often come to a standstill when faced with a lack of money, time, confidence and resources. Did you experience any of these problems?

I had all of those problems, with the exception of the confidence part. I had and still do have moments where I lack confidence, but overall I think I am confident in my ability and confident that if I am not good at something, I can learn how to do it.

I think the best way to overcome all of these pitfalls is to work around them. This is where naturally resourceful people should really have an edge. It’s all about coming up with creative solutions to problems, working hard and being tenacious. Somebody said “90% of success is just showing up” and it’s true. A lot of people complain about a lack of success but never even tried. You can’t expect anything to be given to you.

Artwork by Chets father, James Zar

You do have to be very proactive and get out there and do it, but as you said, there are people willing to help, did you have any particular people mentor you?

My father, artist James Zar, was a big influence on me. I grew up watching him paint and work hard at perfecting his craft. My mother as well. She taught me that I could do anything I set my mind on. I also worked with an amazing sculptor in the film industry named Mitch Devane who really encouraged me and taught me a lot when I was considering going in to fine art.

Chet Zar his Father James Zar, LC (L. Croskey – Artist plus founder and creator of Cannibal Flower) and artist Delphia, Photo by Valentine Reitblat

Lots of people helped me out with advice and support while I was coming up such as L.C. from the Cannibal Flower group shows, Gary Pressman from CoprNason gallery. My friend Adam Jones from the rock band Tool also has given me a lot of support by collecting my work and giving me plenty of encouragement.

Click here for Part 2 Of This Interview where Chet teaches us a great visualization technique for being more productive more often and how it can help you realize your goals. Plus he talks to us about the lessons he’s learned from his heroes and why he doesn’t mix drugs and business.

Check out Part 2 Now…

Finally the waiting is over, here is the second part of the Furilla interview, where we find out more about this mischievous fellow from his creator Tory Orzeck.

Greeny trashes the party by throwing a cream scone in the teapot!

Tory explain the history of the Furilla?

The less interesting truth…I was chasing this girl and I did have this dream of the Furilla exactly as he is. So I made one and gave it to her. I also made a few more and gave those to friends. Then in 2002 I entered a bunch of client based Industrial design projects and Furilla into the IDSA/ Business week design competition. We had done a line of furniture for Herman Miller that was very well received and several other good projects. We entered Furilla as sort of a joke to wake up the judges. It turns out Furilla won. I launched the website and Furilla kind of virally spread on the web. Then a few magazines then a few stores,etc.

For people who have not come across Furilla describe his personality and what he likes to get up to?

Furillas are for the most very humble and fearless creatures. They are also humans with just a slight mutation.

Things are gonna get ugly

Leopard Furilla defends his cream donuts

Things start getting messy