Collage emcee Weirdo Dave (born Dave Sandey, but also known as Fuck This Life) is one of my favorite contemporary poets. His playground is magazines, and the everyday words and images they contain. His art is about wrath and pain––there are flashes of despair and hope, and instant truths that strike you––and it's all done with just scissors, glue, and paper. When flipping through his collage zines or books, you'll find yourself experiencing fireworks of sensations. I had the pleasure of paying him a visit, along with the photographer and artist Peter Sutherland.
Alexandre Stipanovich: When did you arrive in New York?
Dave Sandey: In 2001, from Sacto––Sacremento. I dated a girl who lived with her band in a punk rock house in Sac, and they decided to move to New York. I wasn't psyched on New York, but I thought, "All right, let's just move to New York, and that's that." And then obviously you break up. And the next step is like, oh, get in where you fit in.
AS: So what did you do next?
DS: I took over the apartment that I really couldn't afford but I didn't know how to get another one. I had definitely had no money so I would just go out, by myself, and steal drinks. Like leftover drinks. Taking trains 'cause you can't afford car services. Mad late-night subway rides and stuff.
AS : Were you doing collages back then?
DS: Nah, I was just kind of kicking it. I'd look at The Post when my friend was done with it––at the time it was cheap, like 25 cents. And then, you know, I would just cut out pictures and images. Just images I'd think were cool.
Then one night I went to this party at Passerby, and Aaron [Bondaroff] and downtown people were there. Saturdays was the Rub'n'Tug party, with the lit-up floors––it was dope! Like you'd see mad weird stuff. And it was cool to me. It was like, Saturday night in New York, what are you gonna do? Sometimes it'd be like 3:30am in Brooklyn, and you'd be like, I’m gonna get on the subway and go to 15th Street.
Today when you're reading a book 'bout New York in the 80s, everybody's like, "Max’s Kansas City, CBGB, Studio 54, Roxy, Limelight, blah blah blah." Meeting people through parties was the thing they had in common. That was real shit. When people try to meet through e-mail, it’s not real. What would be right now? "I saw you at Beatrice"? That was cool. Or like, what’s the party now, where people come together? Maybe Ghetto Gothik? I don't know. Running into people late at night is more real than in the daytime.
Sometimes the last thing I wanna hear about is New York in the 80s. Like, no offense, but I’m over it. People said what they had to say. But what about the 90s, what about 2000? There’s already history to be discussed. If you don’t know about the 80s by now, all you gotta do is Google it. Like when you watch the Ramones documentary all these people say things like "Oh, I'm from New York––old New York, real New York." You're like, "Yo, I'm over it. Shut the f--k up!" It's like, dude, we're the future.
Peter Sutherland: [Laughs] I agree with you because we are all a similar age––we’re lucky to have lived through something like hip-hop almost from beginning to end. Or skateboarding, from its beginnings to where it's at now. But if one looks at the work for which you’re best known–&nda
Alexandre Stipanovich: When did you arrive in New York?
Dave Sandey: In 2001, from Sacto––Sacremento. I dated a girl who lived with her band in a punk rock house in Sac, and they decided to move to New York. I wasn't psyched on New York, but I thought, "All right, let's just move to New York, and that's that." And then obviously you break up. And the next step is like, oh, get in where you fit in.
AS: So what did you do next?
DS: I took over the apartment that I really couldn't afford but I didn't know how to get another one. I had definitely had no money so I would just go out, by myself, and steal drinks. Like leftover drinks. Taking trains 'cause you can't afford car services. Mad late-night subway rides and stuff.
AS : Were you doing collages back then?
DS: Nah, I was just kind of kicking it. I'd look at The Post when my friend was done with it––at the time it was cheap, like 25 cents. And then, you know, I would just cut out pictures and images. Just images I'd think were cool.
Then one night I went to this party at Passerby, and Aaron [Bondaroff] and downtown people were there. Saturdays was the Rub'n'Tug party, with the lit-up floors––it was dope! Like you'd see mad weird stuff. And it was cool to me. It was like, Saturday night in New York, what are you gonna do? Sometimes it'd be like 3:30am in Brooklyn, and you'd be like, I’m gonna get on the subway and go to 15th Street.
Today when you're reading a book 'bout New York in the 80s, everybody's like, "Max’s Kansas City, CBGB, Studio 54, Roxy, Limelight, blah blah blah." Meeting people through parties was the thing they had in common. That was real shit. When people try to meet through e-mail, it’s not real. What would be right now? "I saw you at Beatrice"? That was cool. Or like, what’s the party now, where people come together? Maybe Ghetto Gothik? I don't know. Running into people late at night is more real than in the daytime.
Sometimes the last thing I wanna hear about is New York in the 80s. Like, no offense, but I’m over it. People said what they had to say. But what about the 90s, what about 2000? There’s already history to be discussed. If you don’t know about the 80s by now, all you gotta do is Google it. Like when you watch the Ramones documentary all these people say things like "Oh, I'm from New York––old New York, real New York." You're like, "Yo, I'm over it. Shut the f--k up!" It's like, dude, we're the future.
Peter Sutherland: [Laughs] I agree with you because we are all a similar age––we’re lucky to have lived through something like hip-hop almost from beginning to end. Or skateboarding, from its beginnings to where it's at now. But if one looks at the work for which you’re best known–&nda