Devoted Comment-Maker Tom Hendricks
Tom Hendricks is Art&Seek’s most frequent poster of comments. Ever wonder about the person behind the opinions? Tom not only works in the box office at the Inwood Theatre, he uses that peculiar space as a venue for his very own arts extravaganza, featuring the one-man band Hunkasaurus and His Pet Dog Guitar. Tom and I had a chat through the box office window; here’s a sample from the Night I Finally Met Tom Hendricks:
You talk a lot about innovation. How would you describe the innovations in your work?
This music is called post-bands music. I’m leading the indie movement not only in music, but painting, writing, all the arts, into kind of a separate group. And I do Musea, which is a zine. It’s like reading somebody’s journal. One night while I was inside of a Taco Bueno, I imagined a conceptual art event where a gallery was in my head and I turned out the lights, and I wrote that up. I’ve programmed a TV network on there and did all the shows.
Did you try to pitch that to anyone?
No that was on my zine. I actually wrote out a fall season of my own and made up all the shows. I’ve done some innovations in music and writing, too. I’ve invented a couple poetry forms; I started rock operas. I was working on my first rock opera when Tommy came out. I was scooped. So some of the frustration of being an independent artist is that corporate art has passed me by, and that gets me mad because I think I’m pretty good.
Do you ever review other art forms?
I started the world’s first and only zine art review service. I can’t get reviewed in Spin or Rolling Stone. Neither can about 99% of the other artists. So I started a review service for all the arts. Each artist has to pay a processing fee for his review. Then I put them on the internet.
When people are paying you to do the review, do you feel a sense of – since they’ve given you money for it – that you should…
Give them a good review? No. Everybody’s paying the same amount, so if you don’t pay me ten bucks, then the next person will. I do the hardest reviews there are. If ABC had a brand new TV show, and they wanted me to review it, it would be ten dollars just like the person walking down the street with a guitar. See how fair that is?
For a one-minute video of Tom’s box office concert, visit the Art&Seek page on Facebook or Art&Seekon YouTube.
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This post has 3 comments
First I’d like to thank Betsy for the article. I enjoyed meeting and talking with you and I LOVED the photo – It’s great!!!
But the text comes off as strange even to me, and I said it. I think we were both confused. And I tried to say too much too quickly which is my habit when talking about the arts.
BUT
Because I’m a writer, editor, and a reviewer myself. I took my own interview and fleshed it out to make more sense to me and hopefully to the reader.
Tom Hendricks is Art&Seek’s most frequent poster of comments. Ever wonder about the person behind the opinions? Tom not only works in the box office at the Inwood Theatre, he uses that peculiar space as a venue for his very own arts extravaganza, featuring the one-man band Hunkasaurus and His Pet Dog Guitar, a 1964 Silvertone Standard guitar. Tom and I had a chat through the box office window; here’s a sample from the Night I Finally Met Tom Hendricks:
You talk a lot about innovation. How would you describe the innovations in your work?
This music is called post-bands music. And these are the worlds first and only box office concerts.
I’m also leading the art revolution, not only in music, but painting, writing, all the arts.
I also write Musea, a 16 year old zine.
Zines are noted for being more personal more honest than mainstream writing, like reading somebody’s journal. They are the bulk of the best writing since the late 80’s. I’ve also started the Zine Hall Of Fame.
In art I have initiated some art events that challenge the abuses of modern art.
To give you an example of what I’ve done through the zine Musea, I had a special issue that actually programmed a TV network. I thought up the premises for all the shows just for fun and to protest how boring mainstream tv can be.
I’ve invented a couple poetry forms, the most notable is the four word form called Quatro
I am a composer and have been for over 40 years. Though I didn’t event rock operas, I was working on my first rock opera when Tommy came out. I felt scooped.
I’m opposed to corporate art because art and media consolidation into a handful of conglomerates has ruined the arts, and kept talented indies from fair opportunities.
Do you ever review other art forms?
I started the world’s first and only zine art review service that guarantees reviews for all artists. I can’t get reviewed in Spin or Rolling Stone. Neither can about 99% of the other artists. So I started a review service for all the arts. Each artist has to pay a processing fee for his review. Then I put them on the internet.
For a one-minute video of Tom’s box office concert, visit the Art&Seek page on Facebook.
Neat to see an interview with Tom! I’ve known of Tom and his zine Musea for more than a decade now, maybe almost two decades, and I don’t think I ever knew what he did in terms of a day job. He’s one of the most dedicated and prolific people I know in the zine scene, and I look forward to many more years of music, zines, art, reviews… and comments online.
Gee Tom, glad to know you’re still changing the world….