That's been my main interest for the last 15 years, is to really make sure the story and the characters take precedence over everything else, and that I give them everything I can to make them exist as actual people. Daniel Clowes More Quotes by Daniel Clowes More Quotes From Daniel Clowes I must have been 3 years old or less, and I remember paging through these comics, trying to figure out the stories. I couldn't read the words, so I made up my own stories. Daniel Clowes stories trying years I think that's what we're all most terrified about: that we'll just die and disappear and we'll leave no trace. Daniel Clowes terrified disappear thinking I'm a fan of parchment and wood pulp. Daniel Clowes pulp woods fans I believe in the transformative power of cinema. It is only through this shared dream-experience that we can transcend the oppressive minutiae of daily existence and find some spiritual connection in the deeper reality of our mutual desire. Daniel Clowes spiritual dream believe It's much more liberating as a artist to feel like you can approach each page and each panel with the way that inspires you the most. I think the thing that bogs down a lot of artists is that you're kind of stuck drawing in a style you've developed. Daniel Clowes drawing artist thinking Something I always wanted to do, to capture that later half of the '70s. It's like the early half of the '70s is still the '60s, in that there's still kind of a playfulness and inventiveness in terms of design and the things that were going on in the culture. The second half, it got much more commodified. It's possibly the ugliest era of architecture and clothes and design in the entire 20th century, from 1975 to '81 or '82. Daniel Clowes clothes design culture I was a very fearful little kid, and I would always see the worst in everything. The glass was half-empty. I would see people kissing, and I would think one was trying to bite the other. Daniel Clowes kissing kids thinking I try personally not to be nostalgic. Daniel Clowes nostalgic trying All I can say on the Guilford story - and this comes more from my perspective as a father than an artist - is for parents and administrators to give so little value to the career of a public-school teacher - to allow him to be cast aside without exhausting every avenue to resolve the issue - is an obscenity worse than anything I've ever drawn in my comics. Daniel Clowes artist teacher father I love the medium and I love individual comics, but the business is nothing I would be proud of. Daniel Clowes individual proud would-be I originally just wanted to be an artist. Daniel Clowes artist wanted I really want people to read the book, and bookstores never sold an issue of Eightball because nobody knew what it was. Daniel Clowes issues book people I try to employ a different strategy for each story. Often, I'll have a specific look in mind before I even have the story to go with it. I'm not so much interested in forcing the issue of reader identification through various graphic tricks. I'm more interested in creating specific characters that resonate with my own particular inner struggles. Daniel Clowes struggle mind character It's embarrassing to be involved in the same business as the mainstream comic thing. It's still very embarrassing to tell other adults that I draw comic books - their instant, preconceived notions of what that means. Daniel Clowes adults mean book In an art school it's very hard to tell who is the best. Daniel Clowes art-school art school Face it, you hate every single boy on the face of the Earth!" "That's not TRUE, I just hate all these obnoxious, extroverted, pseudo-bohemian art-school losers Daniel Clowes hate art school I'm always hiding the books in my closet, and my art's always turned upside down in my drawer. Daniel Clowes upside-down book art The trouble is the kind of guy I want to go out with doesn't even exist... Like a rugged, chain-smoking, intellectual, adventurer guy who's really serious, but also really funny and mean. Daniel Clowes guy smoking mean But they always just laugh off everything I say, when really I want absolutely nothing more than to destroy the world they live in and to watch them suffer, alone and miserable, trying to live in my world for a change! Daniel Clowes suffering trying laughing But I enjoy the opportunity to use swear symbols. Daniel Clowes enjoy use opportunity