The PCU 5 with Enrica Jang
This week, we talk to the founder and editor in chief of Red Stylo Media, Enrica Jang. She is the writer and creator of Azteca and has a bunch of anthologies under her belt including Killer Queen, The Poe Twisted Anthology, Shakespeare Shaken and more. Her newest creation, 27 is coming soon and we ask her about this latest project!
1. Enrica, what is 27 all about?
27, A Comic Anthology is a collection of original comics inspired by music’s infamous “27 Club.” Members of the “27 Club” reached musical stardom early in life and died under various circumstances, all at the age of 27. Some of the club’s more famous members include Jim Morrison (The Doors), Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), and Amy Winehouse. Fifty-four comic artists and writers will contribute original comic stories inspired by their favorite song or member of the 27 Club. Our kickstarter link is here: http://kck.st/1MsRMaH
2. What was it like trying to wrangle in all of the creative talent to put this book together?
This is our fifth year doing an annual anthology, and I’m kind of proud that we have the system down at this point (though there are always some wildcards.) We do an open call in January for artists and writers, announcing the theme for the book and asking for pitches. We’ve selected stories by March and assign artists. We work like crazy for six months and then the book is ready for release in October. We had a great crop of people pitch stories this year, and the artists are just…well, see for yourself!
3. Who would you say are the 3 biggest musical influences for this project?
Only 3???? The entire list for the 27 Club was fair game, and we got a great array. There was a period of time when only the six most famous club members were getting love–Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Brian Jones–but we ended up with quite a collection. Robert Johnson, Richey Edwards, Basquiat, some other greats. Even Alexander Levy, a composer!
4. Ever had a chance to go to any of their shows? If so what was the experience like?
I missed out on seeing all of them. In my dreams, I get to go to an Amy Winehouse concert, but that will have to wait for the great beyond.
5. Is there any young musical artist alive right now that compares to any that are in the book and if so how?
I don’t know. The best of the “27 Club” stars are cultural icons just as much as celebrated talents, and so to make a fair comparison, you would have to find an artist who is changing our culture just as much as they are creating great music. Some of the younger stars are exciting, sexy, talented, but are they changing us? Are they iconic? Thankfully, most of the artists I consider iconic lived past 27. Truthfully, I don’t know of any up-and-comers right now that are transformative of a generation. Maybe I’m too old to see it now. But that’s a great question–I’d love to turn the tables and see who your readers would pick!But, not all the 27 Club people were iconic–some were tragic accidents, or just damaged and died too soon. If I had to pick an out of control music artist that people spend a lot of time looking at and who looks on the verge of losing it? Miley Cyrus. Just not sure if her passing would have the same impact. That gut-check of lost talent that the others have had.If you want to see more of Jang’s work as well as offerings from Red Stylo Media, click here.
Pop Culture Uncovered 
You must be logged in to post a comment.