If you’ve never been to Cookout in North Carolina, I strongly suggest you Google it and get your life. I’m with APNF on this one, 100%
Cookout
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Rahsaan
It was a brisk, Hollywood night with stars scattered above my head and throughout the club. I was on the patio talking with Rahsaan Patterson about music, touring and the guy grilling Italian sausages about 20 feet away. As much as I adore this brother’s music, our conversation was more “man-to-man” than “artist-to-fan.” I always feel in my element when surrounded by fellow creative spirits; it’s probably one of the most natural states for me.
With the muted thump of the bass drum slamming against the closed patio door, it dawned on me that this maestro of soul hadn’t been featured on my webcomic. How did this happen? How could I have failed to illustrate one of the closest friends of APNF’s obsession (i.e., Lalah Hathaway)? This had to be remedied soon. My eyes immediately transformed from my soul’s window to my muse’s 12-megapixel camera. Whenever I draw a guest on APNF, I rely on my photographic memory and a modicum of Google images. Photographs are cool, but when they’re standing a few feet in front of you, it allows you to capture the details found in their spiritual energy as well as their physical appearance.
In the last 15 minutes of chatting with Rahsaan, my mind recorded the details of the singer I’ve admired for decades. It was cold. It was dark. He was comfortable. I was cool. We were chilling…literally. Months later, I’m able to recall that conversation and the images surrounding the experience. No Google images needed. Just my mind and God’s gift to recall and create another music hero from sketch to screen.
Get ready, brother.
Guest Star Wish List
I’m in the process of creating new episodes for APNF and it’s unlike anything I’ve done so far. From reality show story arcs to interactive polls, APNF is poised to be your favorite webcomic. We’ve featured a bunch of music heroes including ?uestlove, Lalah Hathaway (hi Lalah, how y’doing?), PJ Morton, etc. but we’ve only scratched the surface.
I’ve updated my wish list of artists I’d like to draw for this next wave of episodes. Some of them I know personally while others are just artists I admire from afar. In fact, I need some good photos of them so I can capture their essence in illustration accurately (so I don’t look crazy).
Here’s my list so far (in no particular order):
- Avery Sunshine
- Deborah Bond
- Goapele
- Tall Black Guy
- Kendrick Lamar
- Cleveland Jones
- KING
- Choklate
- Joy Jones
- Erik Rico
- Jeanne Jolly
If you can think of someone in the indie soul and/or hip hop realm, shoot me a line at fave@apugnamedfender.com
Cheers!
The Etymology of APNF
A Pug Named Fender is a derivative of the three elements in which it embodies: the passion of soul music, the braggadocio energy of hip hop and the colorful imagery of illustration.
Fender comes from the Fender Rhodes electric piano, which is a dominant instrument in soul music compositions dating back to the late 60s. I own a Fender Rhodes Mark I – which I saved for years, spent countless hours on eBay and more hours restoring myself. It represents my commitment to soul music and is APNF’s true namesake.
A Tribe Called Quest is one of the most influential hip hop groups of my coming-of-age years (their career span is parallel to my high school and collegiate path). I once drove from Ball State University to Purdue University (approx. 111 miles) listening to nothing but “Lyrics to Go” on repeat. . . smh. They were the soundtrack to my adult discovery and, ironically, a time where I abandoned my gift of drawing for my gift of music.
A Pimp Named Slickback, while blatantly a play on ATCQ, is one of the strongest supporting characters in one of my favorite cartoons, The Boondocks. This kind of brings it all full circle as the illustration and music come together.
My goal is for APNF to be to soul music what The Boondocks has been for hip hop.
RIP Clyde aka Clyzzle
Clyde Thelonius Robinson, the last surviving member of the APNF crew, passed away unexpectedly this afternoon. He was one month shy of his 5th birthday.
Clyde was a mild-mannered, goofy dog who loved to sit on top of his doghouse in the rain. I did my best to capture his peculiar nature and goofiness in the webcomic.
He is preceded in death by his biological brother, Iggy (who died of parvo as a puppy) and A Pug Named Fender (who died of heartworms). He never had any puppies – although there was that one time he got loose in 2010 and came back home very relaxed…so who knows 
Clyde is survived by his other adoptive brother, Bucee, a chihuahua-westie mix who is also depicted in a few episodes of APNF.
I created this webcomic as a way of coping with APNF’s death and I always found peace in knowing that Clyde was still with us. Occasionally, when I would bring him food, I’d remind Clyde that he was a “superstar” on the internet.
Now he’s in doggie paradise with his brothers, his legacy will also live on as I take this webcomic to greater heights in 2013 and beyond.
RIP Clyde {22 February 2008 – 8 January 2013}
Gelaskins Does it Again
After a grueling 15-day shipping process, my new iPod touch 5th generation skin came in from Gelaskins. With APNF being a music-inspired webcomic, it’s only right that my portable tunes sport the coolest pug ever and his friends.
Tabula Rasa
You can call it a comeback.
After several technical difficulties, I had to accept the reality that APNF needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. This also meant losing all my previous posts and re-configuring more than 100 episodes. Between family and work responsibilities, this process took much longer than I anticipated.
But the worst is over.
it’s going down!
Now that we’re back up and running, the next task is to release PUG PLEASE! into the world. It’s been almost two years since the launch of the Kickstarter campaign that made its existence possible and I have some extra goodies in store for the patient backers who supported me.
I have a myriad of new episodes to release with the help of my trusty iPad and Wacom tablet. Many upgrades have been made and now it’s time for you to witness the strength of pug knowledge *lol*
Thanks for your patience and continued support.
Until next time.