Zach Hazard Vaupen was this wirey little Jewish guy with a huge nose and glasses that I used to see at punk shows. I would take him by one leg and armpit and hoist him into the air to carrying around the pit. Later I saw his comics and realized that he is hilarious. Now he lives in Baltimore and draws all the time. He also has the all-time greatest set of regrettable teenage tattoos. Read em and weep…

Some native-looking eagle with the anarchy sign.

Some sort of half-finished Saves the Day business involving pants.

Crass in cursive.

And a mutherfuckin’ peace sign and one of those diamond Ss you draw on your binder in 6th grade. (Click it to really get in there).

Amazing. Anyways, the reason we bring all this up is because Zach is today’s featured cartoonist and also because he’s part of a new Baltimorean art collective called Closed Caption Comics. It’s kinda like Fort Thunder but mostly its own thing. They’ve got a show right now at Cinders gallery you really ought to go to sometime after reading this interview with Zach.

Vice: Tell me about being on the Ed Schrader Show.
Zach Hazard: When I was on the Ed Schrader Show it was Thursday, December something, 2007. The only people who showed up were my and Ed Schrader’s friends. I had to go second after this poet who had a tattoo of a ring around his finger and told some poems about, I don’t know, gothic stuff. I went on and I don’t really remember too much cause I was kind of drunk, but I remember badmouthing lesbians and Joe Matt the entire time.  Everyone was laughing so it seemed OK.

I’d like to hear that interview.
Me too, I’d love to hear that interview. I’ve been trying to get a hold of it but no one will give me a copy.

Don’t you live in the old Wham City building?
I do live in old Wham City space, which is a huge loft in the Copy Cat building in Baltimore.

Do people ever come looking for Wham City and find you instead?
No, we get their mail every once in a while and they left a bunch of wall-sized comics behind. Everybody knows where Wham City is now.

Are you a Wham City guy?
No.

Would you like to be?
No. I think Wham City is more for people who are more into theater than I am.  I’d rather sit around and draw than stage plays about Hanna Barbara. 

Where do you get your inspiration from?
Some would say I only get inspiration from CF and Sammy Harkham but the real truth is that I get inspiration from anime and that’s all I care about.

What’s your favorite anime?
Either 3 X 3 Eyes or Akira.

Did you read the entire Akira manga?
Yeah.  It’s epic.  It’s so much better than the movie.

Wigger Haircut numbers two and three were awesome. Was there ever a Wigger Haircut one?
There was but I only made 70 copies. It was the first thing I ever screenprinted and I screenprinted it throughout and it’s really messy. I managed to finish it all before I went to Spring break last year to Florida—it took me 60 hours and it’s the worst screenprinting ever.

What are you going to do next?  Wigger Haircut four or something else?
I don’t know. I always want to change the name of Wigger Haircut—I got sick of it pretty much the second I came up with it—I probably won’t though. I’m tempted to change it to “Cat Shirt In the Rye.” Anything grotesque would be good like Booger Shit or Tit Hair.  Actually I went to high school with someone that Tit Hair would have been a good name for.

What? As in “I’m having a bad tithair day, can I borrow your tit comb?”
That’s what she did.  That was her name and her game.

Whose comics do you like right now?
I’m really digging everyone in Close Caption Comics especially Noel Frieburg and both Mollys—Mollie Goldstrom and Molly O’Connell. 

Who are you sick of?
Shit, I don’t know.

Austin English?
No, I’m not sick of Austin English.  I really like Austin English’s comics.

I’m just going to say that you’re sick of Austin English.
Don’t! He’s a nice kid.

What do you think of Andy Folk’s comics?
I like them I think they’re really funny.

Me too!  In spite of or because of the poor drawings, they’re hilarious.  Interview’s done.

NICK GAZIN