Bio
I’m a graphic designer, cartoonist, and the guitarist in the rock duo Mecca Normal. We have released 13 albums on labels including K Records, Matador and Kill Rock Stars. As a graphic designer I created the poster series “Inspired Agitators,” now archived at The Center for the Study of Political Graphics in Los Angeles, and I designed the t-shirt “Actually, I like crap.” I do a weekly illustration, with text by my Mecca Normal bandmate Jean Smith, for Magnet Magazine. I live in Vancouver, Canada.
My first book was called The Gruesome Acts of Capitalism, (Arbeiter Ring Publishing, 2006, Winnipeg). It’s a book of statistics that are, on their own, disconnected facts and figures. I made some rather abstract associations and calculations to give readers an emotional impression of poverty, capitalist greed and the violation of human rights. For example: a child dies of hunger every seven seconds, meanwhile there are 400,000 liposuction operations every year in the USA. I got the idea for my second book, the graphic novel The Listener (Arbeiter Ring Publishing, 2011) after stumbling on a brief account of the Lippe election in a history book about Hitler. After more research, I realized the story of the Lippe election had never been fully explored in English. I thought it would make an incredibly exciting project to bring to life as a graphic novel. This led to my first draft. I researched, wrote and illustrated the novel over a period of seven years. Of course during that time, Mecca Normal wrote, recorded and toured an album called The Observer and we gave lectures and had art exhibits. If anything, I had too much information and I had to cut out quotes and details that didn’t have a place in the story. At that time, the inability of political parties to work together, particularly the Communist Party and the Socialists, contributed heavily to Hitler seizing power. Those relationships would require entire books to describe. And I had a lot of scary quotes from other Nazi party officials that didn’t make it into the book.
The drawings are a combination of pencil, pen, watercolour and acrylics. For some of the images I ripped or cut the drawings and reassembled them to achieve a sense of movement. The Listener is influenced by film techniques such as German expressionism and film noir, and the work of Hitchcock and Orson Welles. I also took great inspiration from paintings and drawings by Jean Smith, my partner in Mecca Normal. I admire her fluidity and I applied that to my work for this book. The Listener has two main story threads. One is the true story of the last democratic election to take place in Germany (Lippe) before Hitler seized power. And the other is a fictional story of an artist who makes a piece of art that inspires political action that ends in tragedy. The connection between the two stories is art and politics. Aesthetics were an important part of Nazi ideology, while in my fictional story, the artist believes the blending of art with politics is a valuable part of progressive social change. My protagonist Louise is searching for reasons to continue making art; she isn’t at her most confident and her attitude and body language intend to reflect that. She is a complex character. She’s a bit pretentious, very talented and intelligent, but not always likeable. She isn’t another souped-up, unrealistic version of a woman. I drew her without exaggerated features or smoothed out imperfections. I’m challenging how women tend to be portrayed in the overwhelming majority of mainstream media including advertising, movies, and graphic novels. I wanted Louise to resonate with readers as a realistic character, like someone they might know. She’s not there to say being a political artist is easy so get on with it. I’ve shown her in times of quandary and distress, how individuals might in fact respond to being wrongly blamed for something. She is, by nature, introverted and she is searching within the history of Europe for reasons to return to her art-making, which, like most artists, is conducted in solitude. There is something symbolic about showing a female character realistically operating within a story about spin-doctoring and manipulation. Women have obviously been consistently misrepresented within the media since there was media to misrepresent them with. Louise is a kind of metaphor for truth against the backdrop of Hitler’s lies and manipulation in general.
I wanted Louise to reflect the reality of how many creative people speak. They do in fact quote other artists. They do in fact struggle with concepts and try to articulate them, often awkwardly.
Art has a long history in progressive social change. We saw the significance of songs, posters, and street art during the recent uprising in Egypt. In Israel, Palestinian graffiti artists have led the fight against the “wall” with their bold and defiant art. In the U.S., several books of collected political graphics have been put out by Josh McPhee of Justseeds, and Jean Smith and I are slowly working on The Black Dot Museum of Political Art as a viable way to exhibit art by cultural activists.
I’ve primarily been a visual artist and a musician, but I am also very influenced by film, I’ve studied film. While I was writing The Listener, I was thinking that it would also make a great film, perhaps with some animated segments. Regardless, it’s an important story, but at its core, it’s a small story. Three people are facing the past and the future, assessing their actions in terms of regret. One important theme from The Listener is that clearly, how we act as individuals really matters. And that is something Jean and I have been saying for years in interviews, with Mecca Normal and in our classroom presentation How Art and Music Can Change the World. Even though I don’t speak during Mecca Normal performances, Jean and I have always had amazing conversations about events in the world over our 25 year history and we have always sought out interview situations, not essentially to talk about our band and the new record, but to make an opportunity to try and inspire people towards creative self-expression that intends to create progressive social change. Creating the lecture brings that interview content into our presentation.
I have ideas for other graphic novels. I’d like to utilize what I’ve learned about creating the structure of the book and the story, but as with any big project, you have to balance how it fits into other parts of life. Because I used my wife as the model for Louise, she was involved in the project in that way. Drawing her was a good balance to doing all those drawings of Hitler.
I have two other book projects in mind. One is a book about political art in general and the other is a collection of my poster series “Inspired Agitators” which was the inspiration for the lecture that Jean and I have been presenting. Ideally Jean’s third novel will be published and the focus of how we tour next will be decided by what comes out next. A book, a CD or another art exhibit. We recently did a tour in Canada to support The Listener and Jean created an adaptation that included Mecca Normal. We had a power point presentation and Jean cleverly brought the two female characters to life and she coached me into being Rudolf. So Louise arrived to talk about her role in the story and then Marie dropped by to talk about regretting that she and Rudolf had at not taken action to stop Hitler, and Rudolf chimes in about how important history is. Hitler also makes an appearance. After we do all that, Mecca Normal plays some songs that correlate to that material. We have a song called Malachi (K Records, 2010) about a political activist whose life ended tragically. Jean introduces that song, making that connection, and we also use Mecca Normal’s history as an example of what the book brings up in terms of cultural activism and political art. Mecca Normal is preparing to record and no doubt, the work we’ve been doing recently, art and activism, will make its way into the remaining songs to be written. It seems there are usually common threads through the work we create together and independently.
The Listener was a finalist for a ForeWord Reviews‘ book of the year award in 2012. Mecca Normal, in 2012, recorded an album in Miami, Florida with Kramer as producer and Rat Bastard as engineer. In 2013, I started work on a graphic novel about Emma Goldman.
David Lester Selected Chronology:
1958: Born in Vancouver.
1969: Organizes a protest for student rights at his elementary school.
1973-75: Illustrates/writes a monthly comic for FPS: A Youth Liberation Magazine (Ann Arbor, Michigan).
1977: A member of the collective that produced Open Road, an international anarchist newspaper out of Vancouver, which featured his poster of Emma Goldman.
1978: Plays guitar in the rock band The Explosions who release a 7″ featuring a prison protest song, which they play opening for The Talking Heads.
1979: Squats in Hackney, London, England for a year.
1984: Designs album cover for punk band D.O.A.’s ep to benefit striking British miners.
1984: Forms punk duo Mecca Normal with Jean Smith and play first show opening for D.O.A. at the Smilin’ Buddha in Vancouver.
1986: Mecca Normal self-release their first album, which includes the song “I Walk Alone.”
1986: Mecca Normal go on west coast Black Wedge Tour of mostly anarchist poets and musicians.
1987: Mecca Normal releases first 7″ ep on K Records (Olympia, WA), which includes “Strong White Male.” Part of the International Pop Underground series.
1987: Designs “Artists Against Apartheid” poster for Oxfam benefit concert.
1989: Designs literary newspaper BC BookWorld, which he has now been doing for over 25 years.
1991: Mecca Normal plays the International Pop Underground festival (Olympia, WA).
1991: Designs a series of theatre posters.
1992: Mecca Normal’s “Dovetail” (K) album features “Throw Silver”.
1992: Mecca Normal 7″ as part of the SupPop Singles Club, shared with 10-piece all-women band Kreviss, okay there was one guy in it.
1992: Mecca Normal’s first of five European tours.
1992: Mecca Normal cited as an influence to the founders of the social movement known as Riot Grrrl.
1993: Publishes Jean Smith’s first novel “I Can Hear Me Fine”.
1993: Rolling Stone features Mecca Normal, along with Liz Phair and Radiohead in New Faces: A guide to the coolest new music this summer.
1993: Mecca Normal opens for Fugazi in front of 4,000 people in Vancouver and again with Fugazi at Roseland Ballroom in New York.
1993: Book cover design of “Hard Core Logo” by Michael Turner. He will go on to design over 60 book covers and numerous interiors.
1993: Mecca Normal opens for Sonic Youth in Seattle.
1994: Mecca Normal signs to Matador Records (New York) and releases “Sitting On Snaps”.
1994: Four star review of “Sitting On Snaps” in Rolling Stone.
1997: Mecca Normal open for The Ex in New York at the Knitting Factory.
1998: Publishes a series of chapbooks, including “Keys To Kingdoms” by Bud Osborn which wins the City of Vancouver Book Award in 1999.
1999: Releases “Hundred Block Rock” album as guitarist in the Bud Osborn Band, featuring bassist Wendy Atkinson. The band tours Canada.
1999: Starts designing “Inspired Agitators” poster series.
2002: Begins ongoing lecture series with Jean Smith called “How Art & Music Can Change the World.”
2003: Paints “The politics are not obvious” (12″x 12″ acrylic on canvas).
2003: Creates “Actually, I like crap” t-shirt, featured on national television (CBC).
2005: Writes the book, “The Gruesome Acts of Capitalism” (Arbeiter Ring Publishing, Winnipeg, MB).
2006: Mecca Normal’s “The Observer” album released on Kill Rock Stars (Olympia, WA), featuring “Attraction is Ephemeral.”
2007: Releases “Guitar & Bass Actions” with his guitar/bass duo Horde of Two.
2011: Writes and illustrates the graphic novel, The Listener (Arbeiter Ring Publishing, Winnipeg, MB).
2012: Awarded a BC Arts Council Grant to write his next graphic novel.
2012: The Listener is a finalist for Foreword Reviews’ Graphic Novel of The Year Award.
2012: Records Mecca Normal album in Miami with Kramer as producer.
2013: Begins graphic novel on the life of Emma Goldman.
Author biography in images:
Inspired Agitators poster of Howard Zinn by David Lester, 2010. Part of an on-going poster series that includes includes John Heartfield, Lucy Parsons, Emily Wilding Davison, Phil Ochs, Red Cloud, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Nellie McClung, Tommy Douglas, and Paul Robeson.
“Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love” poster design by David Lester, 1991. A production by Touchstone Theatre and written by Brad Fraser. The play was controversial for its violence, nudity, frank dialogue, and sexual explicitness. But it was quickly acclaimed by critics and audiences and was named one of the 10 best plays of the year by Time Magazine.
“Actually I like crap.” t-shirt design by David Lester, 2002.
David Lester (arms folded), Art Director, Georgia Straight newspaper, 1977. With Rand Holmes, Paul Watson, Terry Glavin, Alan Twigg, Bob Mercer, Joyce Woods, Dan McLeod, Bob Cummings, Tom Harrison
Anarchy In Canada? poster by David Lester, 1978
Artists Against Apartheid poster by David Lester, 1987. The event raised enough money to buy a mobile health unit to assist those injured during demonstrations in South Africa. The concert was sponsored by Oxfam Canada.
BC BookWorld cover design by David Lester, 2009. David has designed the newspaper for over 20 years and continues to do so. BC BookWorld is the largest circulation literary publication in Canada.
David Lester, 2009
Don’t Turn Yer Back On Desperate Times, D.O.A. album cover design by David Lester, 1984. The record was a live recording from a John Peel Session by D.O.A. Part of the proceeds from record sales went to benefit striking coal miners in the United Kingdom.
David Lester (centre), playing kazoo, Pigeon Park, Vancouver, 1969. This was part of a weekly event organized by Vancouver’s official Town Fool in Canada’s poorest neighbourhood.
Emma Goldman poster by David Lester, 1977. This poster of the anarchist / feminist Emma Goldman was part of a series of centrespreads in the Open Road newsjournal.
David Lester, Hyde Park anti-nuclear weapons march, London, 1979. There were about 80,000 people taking part. A memorable moment was marching into Trafalgar Square just as the Gang of Four (on a flat bed truck) played ArmaLite Rifles.
Free The Five poster by David Lester, 1983. A benefit concert featuring the Dead Kennedys.
David Lester, Mecca Normal, 2010
The Gruesome Acts of Capitalism, book by David Lester, 2005/2006. All author royalties are donated to The Canadian Centre for the Victims of Torture. The book has been re-printed in a revised second edition. It has also been used as a course text at Capilano University (English: Studies in Contemporary Literature). The excellent cover design is by Mike Carroll.
David Lester, Mecca Normal, 2010
Hard Core Logo book cover design by David Lester, 1993. David re-designed the logo for a mounting of the book as a stage play in 2011.
“How Art & Music Can Change the World” lecture/multi media presentation by Mecca Normal, Evergreen State College, Olympia, 2009. This event has been presented at colleges, universities, bookstores, festivals, and art galleries. Contact David if you would like us to present it in your area.
Mecca Normal, Black Dot Museum of Political Art opening, Olympia, 2010. Mecca Normal (Jean Smith, David Lester) began in 1984. We have released 13 albums (K Records, Matador, Kill Rock Stars). Mecca Normal has played shows with Fugazi, Sonic Youth, Mirah, The Ex, Bikini Kill, The Fall, Sleater Kinney, Corin Tucker Band and Kimya Dawson to name a few. A 7″ single on K Records came out in late 2010. The single features a song called “Malachi”, about the late Chicago anti-war activist.
Magnet Magazine series, painting by David Lester, 2009. Jean Smith and David began this weekly series in 2009. Jean’s prose covers a wide selection of topics, and includes sections from her upcoming novel. The series is ongoing.
This is a page from David’s 312-page graphic novel THE LISTENER (Arbeiter Ring Publishing, 2011). The book is now into a second printing. THE LISTENER reveals one of the world’s most tragic acts of spin doctoring while weaving a compelling tale of complacency, art, power, and murder. It is a startling little-known story that changed the course of history. In THE LISTENER, two stories collide: the rise of Hitler and a woman artist searching for meaning in the great art of Europe. THE LISTENER was a finalist for a ForeWord Reviews’ book of the year in 2011.
Mecca Normal performance at the Vancouver Art Gallery, 2009. Surrounded by Jack Shadbolt paintings we performed at an event called FUSE which attracts thousands of people to a variety of performances all over the gallery.
The Politics Are Not Obvious, painting by David Lester, 2003. I really like this description of the painting by Michael Kramer, a Lecturer in History and American Studies at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois): “Here, politics are ‘not obvious.’ Instead, they are something at once more humble and more profound: they are all about self-expression, the heavens, and the individual in relation to the rest of the world. They are about one person ‘getting’ another person and conveying that communication on paper. They are about a clawhammer style half-mastered, a shadow of blue or gray sketched just right, a hopeful clang of strings, a person sitting in front of another person, the brushing of a banjo, a painting acknowledging the passage of sound. Politics become about instruments passed across the generations through mass production and consumption, yet reclaimed; instruments turned anti-instrumental. They are about things and sounds and images translated back and forth from bodies to feelings to representations — a circle broken and fixed again, a circle unbroken. They are all very quiet and hushed — ‘not obvious’ — and then you look and the brushed hand begins to roll into a pulsation.”
“The Number 14″ theatre poster design by David Lester, 1992. This is one of Touchstone Theatre / Axis Mime”s most successful plays, winning numerous awards and presented internationally. In 2012, the poster was re-published (with changes) for the 20th anniversary production by Centaur Theatre in Montreal.
“Big Bill Haywood” by David Lester (18 x 24” acrylic on canvas). In September, 2012, The Black Dot Museum of Political Art exhibited at Northern in Olympia, Washington for the second time since 2010, featuring art by members of the rock duo Mecca Normal. Guitar player David Lester exhibited new paintings, and panels from his graphic novel The Listener and illustrations from his weekly Magnet Magazine online column “The Art of Normal” with text by Jean Smith, whose new paintings included a series by a character from her recently completed novel by the same name, The Black Dot Museum of Political Art, bout a narcissist who attempts to prevent an environmentally destructive coal mine from opening off British Columbia’s coast.
Aside from MECCA NORMAL, David plays in HORDE OF TWO, an experimental guitar/bass duo with Wendy Atkinson. Horde of Two have released one album, “Guitar & Bass Actions” and performed at the Olympia Experimental Music Festival, 2010. Their 10-minute instrumental song called “IWW: The Lynching of Wesley Everest” came out on a comp CD called “In The Orchard Of Osiris” ( Takes A Village To Make Records) in 2010.
Pink Noise, CD cover (2007) by David Lester
The Number 14, Touchstone Theatre, poster (1992) by David Lester
A Comix Tale, Axis Mime Theatre, poster (1990) by David Lester
BC Book Prizes, banner (1995) by David Lester
Unidentified Human Remains & The True Nature of Love, Touchstone Theatre, poster (1991) by David Lester
Alpha Yaya Diallo, CD cover (2010) by David Lester
Anarchy In Canada? poster (1978) by David Lester
Artists Against Apartheid, benefit poster (1987) by David Lester
Augustine (Big Hysteria), Pink Ink Theatre, poster (1999) by David Lester
Mikhail Bakunin, poster (1976). Drawing by David Lester; design by Bob Mercer
BC BookWorld, newspaper cover (2008) by David Lester
BC BlackOut, zine cover (1978) by David Lester
D.O.A. True North Strong & Free, poster (1987) by David Lester
Crisis Management, logo (1986) by David Lester
Firehall Arts Centre, dance brochure (1992) by David Lester
Firehall Arts Centre, dance brochure (1991) by David Lester
Firehall Arts Centre, dance poster (1992) by David Lester
Free The Five / Dead Kennedys, benefit poster (1983) by David Lester
The Dishrags, poster, Public Enemy (1979) by David Lester
D.O.A.: Don’t Turn Yer Back on Desperate Times, album cover (1984) by David Lester
Ronald Reagan in El Salvador, poster (1981) by David Lester
Emma Goldman, poster (1977) by David Lester
The Erotic Show, Touchstone Theatre, poster (1995) by David Lester
Federation of BC Writers, logo (2006)
by David Lester
Hard Core Logo Live, November Theatre, logo (2011) by David Lester
Iceberg Lettuce, Touchstone Theatre, poster (1992) by David Lester
Locarno, CD cover (2011) by David Lester
Matchgirls Strike, poster (1989) by David Lester
MOSAIC Immigrant Services, business card (1997) by David Lester
Mayworks Festival, poster (1992) by David Lester
No More Censorship, poster (1987) by David Lester
Pointed Sticks, poster, Public Enemy (1979) by David Lester
Open Road, newspaper (1977) by David Lester
Super 8 Film Festival, poster (1988) by David Lester
Tanya Tagaq, flyer (2009) by David Lester
Terminal City Ricochet, film poster (1990) by David Lester
D.O.A. True North Strong & Free, album cover (1987) by David Lester
John Heartfield by David Lester 2010
Mikis Theodorakis by David Lester 2007
Phil Ochs by David Lester 2002
Paul Robeson by David Lester 2002
Meredith Monk by David Lester 2006
