Mark Grotjahn: So this is a picture of a dog and a t-bone steak and the dog is drooling but the dog is kinda a robotJonas Wood: Robot dog, and he’s drooling, Pavlov, ring a bell
MG: No the reason he did it like this is is cuz your dog is named robot so he drew it as a robot
JW: Oh, like I didn’t even get that it was about me. I’m really thick headed. so my dog’s name’s Robot, it’s a robot dog, that’s it. robot bit me in the face cuz I was fucking with him when he was sleeping.
MG: So this one is a picture of, it’s a drawing of the poster for Twins with Arnold and Danny Devito and it says, “only their mother can tell them apart” soooo, we don’t look anything alike…we’re both over 6 ft tall.JW: over 6 ft tall
MG: and over 200 pounds
JW: Over 200 pounds
MG: OK
JW: This one says “yay yo” it’s Lil Jon holdin a crunk cup and it says it’s raining, bonus, your numbers went up to 15 times. scratcher.MG: Sooo why do you say it’s a scratcher?
JW: I think it’s a scratcher, like you’d scratch those off, it’s like a scratch card with Lil Jon and a crunk cup
MG: so what’s that about?
JW: I don’t know what this one is about.
MG: Is it about gambling or is it about…
JW: I feel like it’s about gambling because we play a lot of poker. but it also feels like it’s about, like, rap
MG: Cuz you draw, cuz you like black people?
JW: Nooooo. cuz it’s a picture of lil jon. he’s got his dreadlocks and his bling’d out teeth. I think it’s probably referencing gambling
MG: Playing for money?
JW: Playing for money Monies.
JW: So now there’s a….you wanna describe this one Mark? This one really talks about you alotMG; This one is a picture of a little guy making a painting, and it says “hold still,” and up above him is, to me, it looks like there’s a plant. to me that looks like it’s probably a marijuana plant cuz it looks kinda like it’s a five leafer, and there’s a flag, and I don’t know what flag its from brazil
JW: Jamaica
MG: Oh, that’s Jamaica. so this is about, smoking pot and painting. and I don’t smoke pot, cuz it makes me very paranoid. but I like the smell. so what do you think this is about jonas?
JW: it feels like a portrait of a man in his studio smoking weed and painting. which is--
MG: Do you think somebody had a little insider information?
JW: I think somebody might have some insider information about my studio practice.
MG: Hmmmmm
JW: Ummm right now im cultivating some marijuana in my backyard actually. It’s in my garden. Got two large plants of marijuana.
MG: That’s good
JW For medicinal purposes
MG: You definitely want to put that on tape
JW: I really want that to be on tape. for like everybody to hear
MG: Thats good. that’s good
JW: iI’s legal!
MG: Its legal; because its medical Do you wanna? --You do this one
JW: This is uh, looks like Spiderman diunking a basketball over Yao Ming. uh and that’s reference to basketball I guessMG: Cuz spiders can jump
JW: Spiders can jump
MG: Or is it a kid in a Spiderman suit?
JW: Kinda looks like a kid in a Spiderman suit. he has a very small body. it’s like a midget, Spiderman, dunking on Yao Ming
MG: It’s like a dwarf cuz he’s chunky
JW: Yeah hes so small and Spiderman, the guy, in real life, is also a really small man
MG: But hes not chunky
JW He’s not chunky at all tho
MG: He’s quite fit
JW: He seems to work out a little but. but uh, Yao Ming has some really big hands. It looks like Spiderman is probably gonna dunk it on him.
MG:
Spiderman is - bottom line—dunnkin-it on Yao Ming
JW: Yup. Bottom line Spiderman’s dunkin’ on Yao Ming
MG: So we have nothing to say about that other than that right?
JW: Yep that’s it.
MG: That’s it.
JW: Pretty good movie, pretty good actor.
MG Yeah. so this one is a picture of Lucy and she’s at her stand and it says “psychiatric help 5 cents, the doctor is in,” and I always loved this and I loved it when Lucy did this for a few reasons. One, I loved that she sat behind this thing and was charging 5 cents so she was making money based on her uh advice. And, uh, my dad’s a shrink and his dad was a shrink and so I think it’s in reference to thatJW: And I’ve been to a shrink a bunch of times sooo
MG: And I go to a shrink
JW: Yeah so, I studied psychology in college but that’s about it, that’s about as much as I know. I’ve never had psychiatric help tho, have you had psychiatric help? Like
MG: Yeah, extensive
JW: Yeah but I mean like an emergency, have you ever had a psychotic episode?
MG: I’ve had some panic attacks, that are not fun, I mean a few.
JW: I had a panic attack when I first moved to LA, it was like the night I arrived in LA, 203, july 4th weekend
MG: How long did it take you to like Los Angeles after you moved here?
JW: Well I liked it, 2003 I moved here, so I’ve been livin’ here for 6 times, and I liked it aright,. I liked that everybody’s sort of laid back attitude was a lot different than on the east coast. but I think I really started liking it about three years ago when I moved into a nice place- the west side? is awesome. so I would say I liked it right away. to answer your question. but I think I appreciate it…it’s the most fun place to fly back to that I’ve ever lived. whenever I’m coming back form somewhere back to la its always so amazing to come back to la. I love it, I wanna marry it.
MG: So yeah, you wanna marry it. you said something about people in la being laid back and one thing ive always heard is that people in California have an easier time sharing their feelings theres a stereotype I don’t know if you’ve found it true, that people on the east coast definitely have a few walls up before you get to
JW: Yeah
MG: Is that true?
JW: I think its true, specifically living in Los Angeles, near, or on the Westside of Los Angeles, or all of los angeles, just the new age new age philosophy. yea, theres a more openness it seems like about being in touch with your feelings and like, I don’t know, I definitely noticed the difference. it seems to be also more relaxed which seems to have something to do with being more in touch with yourself as opposed to—
MG: Touching yourself
JW: Touching yourself in general
MG: Right. which is more
JW: Happened a lot more on the east coast
MG: There’s a lot more masturbation. But wait. you’re very sensitive and you’re good about talking about your feelings, or it seems to come easy for you, is that true or do you just feel particularly comfortable with me?
JW: No its true. I am particularly comfortable with you also, but, uh, I don’t have a problem telling people how I feel about certain things. people tell me a lot of things too, it’s kinda cool. like, Mark just told me that uh, that he doesn’t like dandelions.
MG: That’s not true
JW: He loves dandelions.
JW: OK, this one is interesting. what do you think that is?MG: Well its uh,
JW: It looks like a Buddhist monk in a Celtics uniform
MG: Yeah with his hand up to his ear and he’s listening
JW: He’s listening to…I dunno…he totally looks like a Buddhist monk to me tho. I don’t know if you get that. do you get that?
MG: He’s got a bald head
JW He’s gotta bald head
MG But you kinda have a bald head.. maybe that’s like you, but he hasn’t looked at you, so he doesn’t know
JW: It kinda looks like me but it should be fatter probably. but yeah it’s a guy
MG: It’s a guy playing basketball
JW: Well I hope he’s playing basketball
MG: Well he’s playing basketball
JW: He’s kinda like posing. kinda looks like a play version, like if you were in a play where you played a basketball player. I was in a play where i played a basketball player when I moved to Los Angeles.
MG: Right. yeah. and when you play basketball it’s kinda faking it too. yeah?
JW: Yeah I’m terrible. when I run up and down my man boobs flop up and down.
MG: Oh yeah
JW The one time that I played basketball, I don’t even think mark watched me play basketball one time
MG: I did, one time
JW: And I started off real slow, I wasn’t playing very good and Mark just told me my big man boobies were bouncing up and down, but then I really turned my a game on for the rest of the game and showed him I had some skills. , actually uh, I can’t wait to show uh, you’re uh, I can’t wait to show poe my game on the court.
MG: Oh yeah Jonas has a standing bet with Jeff Poe, my Los Angeles gallery, uh gallery-est, for a thousand dollars, they’re betting. that uh, one on one and Jeff Poe is even fatter than jonas so he has no fucking prayer, and he also, the bet was made I think,
JW: A year ago
MG: Yeah a year ago
JW: Jeff Poe challenged me a year ago to play one on one basketball to ten for a thousand bucks
MG: In front of people, for a thousand dollars
JW: And he told me this last weekend in New York when he went to his doctor that he shrank a half inch, so he’s even shorter than he was before
MG: And he started off short
Ok so a bunch of the work we’re showing is basketball related right, and I’m not particularly a basketball guy, I never was a basketball guy, I mean I watched football with my dad, and I played baseball, and I played soccer, but I never really played basketball, even tho I think it’s a beautiful game I just, I don’t get off watching it. but I never liked the Celtics
JW He hates the Celtics
MG: I never like the Celtics
JW: The Celtics are my team
MG; Right. I’m not a big Lakers fan either
JW: He’s a Lakers fan when they’re playing the Celtics so he can rub it in when they lose
MG: But didn’t I lose? How much did I lose to you last year in the play offs?
JW: You lost a substantial amount of money.
MG: Did I lose a thousand dollars?
JW: I think you lost a thousand dollars to me
MG: Cuz I bet the lakers would beat you guys
JW: Yeah and you were wrong
MG: I was wrong, I lost
JW: But I played a lot of sports growing up too and im a huge sports fan
MG: I can vouch for that
JW: He can vouch for that. I watch and or listen to way too many hours of sports.
MG: And I don’t watch or listen to sports pretty much at all. but last year in January one of my resolutions was to watch more football, and –it was! and I did not succeed
JW: That was 2008. when it turned from 2007 to 2008 one of your resolutions was to watch more football
MG: So in the year 2008 I was supposed to get more in touch with football but I didn’t. but I;m carrying that over that over ot this year.
JW: He didn’t have enough time because he was watching gossip girl. Constantly. what other tv shows do you like watching?
MG: I like lost. and I really like heroes.
JW: Heroes
MG: For some reason I never like super heroes or science fiction and now I really like it a lot
JW: My two favorite shows that I watch pretty religiously every week on tv are little people big world on tlc and also im a big fan of the real housewives of orange county. which is quite possibly the worst tv show ever and also the worst people, but I love it
MG: But you love the hills too
JW: I also like the hills
MG: And we should probably give a shout out to Howard Stern because I probably do easily 60% of my art making happens listening to Howard Stern. easily 62%
JW: I’m close behind at 42% maybe.. but I like howard stern a lot so um yeah.
MG: That’s it
JW: Sounds good
