Jon Lovitz

When I'm not painting and drawing, I have this thing called a 9-5 job. It's hard to say what exactly I do. The title is a hodgepodge of positions thrown together with a slew of backslashes that looks something like this: Social media guru/graphic designer/entertainment editor/interviewer-columnist. I work at a small magazine called The OC Gazette, so we wear many hats.

A part of wearing many hats and having a small office is that everyone has to solve their own problems. No one's got time to help me with my problems because they're busy solving a slew of their own as they try to fulfil their job title with 5 positions and 5 backslashes. My interview column in the magazine is a one page Q&A called Off The Record where I chit chat and shoot the breeze with some of the most interesting people from or passing through Orange County. Interviewees range from The Fonz to Cold War Kids, and Ron Artest to Buzz Aldrin. We've known for some time that Jon Lovtiz went to college in Irvine at UCI, and seeing as he was coming back to Irvine for his stand-up comedy act this September I set out to track his agent or manager down to set something up. Still not sure how it happened, but God smiled down on me that day and caused his people to agree to an interview. The interview came and went without a hitch. {Author's Note: I don't think I've interviewed anyone yet who was so grateful or still so surprised he'd made it after 25 years in the biz. Such a cool guy!} Here's where it got hairy. After days of phonecalls (I was pretty sure Jon's manager's assistant was going to get a harrassment case filed against me), Jon's management just could not provide me with a headshot to use with the story. They tried and tried to find one and get it approved, but for some reason it never came through. I find this out on the day we are uploading the magazine to go to press. Who wants to read a story with no visual aid? It's like the difference between the monotonous, monotone highschool history teacher, and the cool one who doubled as the basketball coach and showed movies and sweet slide shows. World of difference.

How did we get out of this pickle? My very bright partner in crime, Sara Wilkins, reminded me that I know how to draw and how about doing an illustration. Magazine saved! I started on the drawing around 10am and by noon was popping it into the layout. It didn't turn out exactly spot on. His face is a little long, but for a two hour rush job, it ain't too shabby. I wish I took more scans of the piece througout, but here are two photos of the illustration.

[Mid-sketch]

[Finissimo]

You can find it and the interview in the September issue of The OC Gazette, hitting mailboxes and rack locations at the end of this month! There will also be an interview in there that I did with the handsome psychobilly crooner, Nick 13 of Tiger Army. If I ever need a date to a cocktail party, I'm asking him. Talk about a fountain of knowledge. He should be a professor. I'd sit in the front row and hum "Don't Stand So Close To Me" while he lectured if he did.

Alright, this post is fast becoming a delusional, incoherent rambling, so I'll sign off. Enjoy the Lovitz clip. It's got to be one of my favorite moments of his on film. So short, but so sweet.

- Amy

Listening to: Anders Osborne's "My Old Heart"