The editor of this blog, Matt, is a visionary but couldn't figure out how to draw art for his favourite trio of solo piano albums, Chilly Gonzales' Solo Piano series.
So he hired me.
I wasn’t familiar with the albums — solo piano music isn’t usually my thing.
“Give them a listen,” Matt said. “They’re wonderful. A little Satie, a little Chopin, but also very much Chilly. Playful, beautiful, sometimes surprisingly emotional. I saw him live in London back in 2013. It was just like the records — but better.”
So I listened. And he was right. Then I sat down to sketch.
I figured I’d do something that was in line with the rest of the site. Kind of funny, poorly drawn, with a joke that felt like an unpopped popcorn kernel -- it could still explode into a delightful bon mot but was still blunt, undeveloped and could cause dental damage. Also, I think maybe one person reads each of his posts. So I focused on the idea of funny but not too funny solo-ness.
For Solo Piano I, I drew Han Solo playing a piano.
For Solo Piano II, I added Hope Solo — the former U.S. women’s football team goalkeeper — also playing a piano.
For Solo Piano III, I added Kylo Ren, Han Solo’s son, bringing the total to three Solos at three pianos.
I stopped by Matt's office, which is what he liked to call his table at Starbucks.
“I like the idea,” he said. “But it kind of falls apart once there’s more than one person. I mean, it’s Solo Piano and 'solo' means 'alone'. Also... I don’t think people will know who they are without captions. It’s clever, but it’s not quite the thing.”
Fair enough. I wasn't about to question his expertise in being alone.
So I went back to the sketchpad and drew something simpler right there on the spot: a single piano, stranded on a desert island.
“How’s this?” I asked.
“Perfect,” he said. “What about Solo Piano III?”
It surprised me that he'd skipped Solo Piano II -- I liked his non-consecutive approach to ideation. I thought for a moment, then drew three tiny islands. One marooned piano per island.
Matt nodded. “Even better. What about Solo Piano II? I totally forgot that two comes before three earlier.”
"Maybe two islands?" I said.
"Let's try to top that," he said. "I don't want to repeat myself more than once."
That was five years ago. We’ve been thinking about it ever since. I formally submitted my resignation to him today. If you have ideas, please stop by Starbucks and ask for Matt. Remember: Funny, not too funny.
