I have been a fan of Edward Colver’s photography for decades including several of his iconic album covers for bands like Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Bad Religion, T.S.O.L., and CH3. I’ve been looking for an opportunity to collaborate with Ed and the occasion arrived for the “Punk Lives” art show at Subliminal Projects. I made an illustration based on Ed’s self-portrait with a pistol pointed ominously at his face which is out of the frame. The photo was originally used as CH3’s “Fear of Life” album cover and has been a long-time favorite of mine for its visual power and latitude for interpretation about violence, self-destructive behavior, hopelessness, etc. I asked Ed if he was OK with me doing my interpretation of the image as a commentary on the current self-destructive path of the U.S. away from democracy and toward fascism. Ed has made several great art pieces over the years critiquing fascism, nazism, racism, police brutality, and other relevant topics, so he was cool with my idea. The print is titled “Democracidal Tendencies” and the title is pretty self-explanatory. Punk rock generally shaped my political outlook with its "question authority” message, but bands like the Dead Kennedys and the Clash refined my views on justice and humanism with a concern for the voices of the least powerful.
-Shepard