An Interview with Bix DeBaise
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Do you mind if I call you Bix?
Of course not. Go ahead.
And I’m dying to know… how did you get the name “Bix”?
Well, have you ever heard of Bix Beiderbecke?
The trumpet player from the 1920’s?
Cornet player, but yeah, that’s him. Well, I used to play cornet in a band here in
Rochester called “Light Years”
So you picked up the name yourself?
Yeah, something like that. The real story takes too long...
Do you still play?
Not much. I’ve kind of moved on to piano and guitar. I'm also learning accordion.
I noticed a reference to Tom Jobim on your Bio page. Is he your favorite composer?
Yeah, I think so. Either him or George Gershwin. I spent some time in Brazil, you
know. Tom Jobim is very big in Brazil - they named the airport in Rio after him...
Well, I could care less about Tom Jobim. Let’s talk about your artwork. How long
have you been selling your work?
Four years. Before that I was donating paintings to charity auctions. At first, only
people I knew were bidding on my paintings – I guess they felt kind of sorry for me.
But then a few strangers bought some. One thing lead to another and here I am.
You say “paintings” but you really mean pastels, right?
Well, sure, if you want to be technical about it…
What exactly are pastels?
I use hard and soft pastels. The hard pastels are kind of like color pencils; they are
based on a dark pigment. The soft pastels are more like chalk and they are based
on a white pigment. The soft pastels give me really vibrant colors.
Didn’t you used to paint in oils, like your father?
He paints with acrylics, but yeah, I used to paint in oils. I finally gave it up when I
realized I had an allergy to Linseed Oil. Plus, I find I can do a drawing in pastel
about three times faster. There’s no mixing with pastels and very little clean up.
I heard once that you don't really consider yourself an artist...
That's true. I'm really more of an illustrator.
What would make you more of an artist?
Well, if my work was less realistic and more expressive, for one. I've actually done
some stuff like that, but the trouble is, no one buys it.
What do you mean?
I mean nobody buys the damn things. You have to be dead first. People laughed
at Monet when he was alive; they said he needed glasses. Now he's the greatest
thing since sliced bread.
So what's your point?
My point is if I painted something expressive like Monet, people would say the
same stupid things to me, like I need glasses or something.
So you're a sell-out...
I'm an illustrator.
Face it, you're a sell-out!
Well, not really. I do like what I'm doing and I have developed a unique style.
People seem to like it. If I was a sell-out I'd be doing starving artist paintings of
sunlight coming through the mountains...
What artists have been inspirational to you?
Constantine Kluge, probably more than anyone else. He paints cafe scenes in
Paris. He died a few years ago - he was really active in the 1960's.
Now … I do have to ask you. Why do you have recipes on your website?
I’m always bringing stuff to parties and having people ask me what recipe I used …
So… I thought if I simply sent them to my website they might end up buying a
painting or two…
You actually think people are going to go to your recipe page, and then say, "Oh, I
think I'll buy a $150 painting? Dream on, my friend...
What the heck, I've got nothing to lose. Web pages are pretty cheap these days.
Plus, if you really took the time to look at my website you'd see that none of my
prices are that expensive...
I'll ignore that petty comment. You think your homemade recipes are that good?
They’re pretty good. Probably much better than you could do…
It seems you think quite highly of yourself…
Well, you know how it is. It’s a slippery slope. Once you actually name a website
after yourself, pretty soon one thing leads to another and you’re naming recipes
after yourself. Then one day you find yourself marketing a cologne after yourself…
You’ve got to be kidding me…
No, I’m not. It’s called “The Essence of Bix”
My goodness, you are stuck up…
I’m JOKING you moron, get with the program…
Let’s just say your jokes aren’t that funny…
Let’s just say your interviewing skills are CRAP!
You're calling my interviewing skills crap? How about your website? How about
that five step nonsense? How about your fakeness?
My fakeness?
Yes. Your fakeness. You are barely an artist. You're a teacher. You are not even
an ART teacher, you are a PHYSICS teacher! Newton and Einstein! Hawking and
Kaku! Your fakeness simply astounds me…
My fakeness! MY FAKENESS! Talk about yourself, big guy!
Don't go there...
I'll go there if I want to!
I’ve got nothing to hide…
Oh, yeah? You’re nothing but a big fake yourself! You do your interview as
BixDebaise.com like your some sort of big shot corporation, with workers, and
furniture, and tax accountants and stuff, when actually you’re just…
I’m just what?
Your just …
Go ahead and say, it. Are you afraid to say it? I’m just WHAT?
Well…
I’m just YOU?
Well, I didn’t want to spoil it for everybody…
Spoil WHAT? Do you honestly think you fooled anyone with this interview? Do
you honestly think anyone thought there was another person in the room, actually
sitting there interviewing you?
Well, some people might have been fooled if you didn’t have to be such a jerk
about it…
I’m a jerk? Who’s the one carrying on the fake interview with himself?
Ugh, HELLO? I’m you. You’re me. We can cut the charade now. The joke’s
over. Everyone knows now this was just a gimmick to sell more paintings.
Like your recipes? What a joke.
Shut up! Just SHUT UP!
Okay, I’ll shut up … or at least I’ll try to. It’s hard to shut up, you know, when you
don’t really exist…
Are you the one who doesn’t exist or am I the one who doesn’t exist?
Does it matter? I mean everything’s just kind of blending together. It’s really just a
bunch of typing, isn’t it?
Yeah, at this point it’s kind of a joke.
Well, you know, this interview may be a joke but people DO seem to like your
paintings…
Thanks, that’s the first thing you’ve said nice to me this whole time.
Don’t mention it.
Hey, can you do me a favor? Could you end with a legitimate sounding
paragraph? I’d love to fool those clever people who always try to jump to the end
and read the last paragraph first…
Sure! Thank you very much for your time, Mr. DeBaise. Your paintings continue to
be an inspiration to artists all over Western and Central New York. The best of
luck to you in the future and thanks for your outstanding contributions to this web
site.
website. Here is the entire transcript of that interview: |
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