Meet Microcosm, Episode Three–Give Us Goods, The Sparky Taylor Interview!

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For this edition of the Meet Microcosm series, we talk to Sparky Taylor, who works out of Bloomington!

Q: So, since this Meet Microcosm thing is less about Microcosm than about the people who work here and the things they do outside of the job, give us the goods on your new side job…

A: Oh, well, it’s not really new, and it’s not a side job! My other job is working at a place called Rhino’s which is an all-ages club, and also an afterschool center for teenagers. I work for the afterschool programs and am in charge of a mural arts program, and a monthly zine called the Antagonist. I also assist with graphic design for the screenprinting program, and assist the youth radio program by working a five hour shift at the local radio station every Saturday. Altogether I generally work around 20 hours a week for Rhino’s, although sometimes I also work door at the shows on Friday nights. Plus I just signed on to assist the local alternative highschool’s yearbook staff. Whew!

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Q: One of the things we were really proud of you for was the art you did for the electric boxes. Please, as they say, give us the goods…

A: Oh, the city started letting local artists paint these big electrical boxes around town, so they let me do one! It has dinosaurs and a griffin on it. It was really intimidating to paint so close to busy traffic during the day, but the feedback was all positive. Oh, except one woman informed me the city didn’t allow graffiti and that I should stop.

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Q: Give us the goods about the Animal buttons that everyone loves so much…

A: I didn’t know people liked them. I sometimes make animal buttons, but not so much anymore. I could make some more if you really want me to.

The Give Us The Goods Bloomington Special Quiz
1. Favorite place to eat in Bloomington:
La Charreda… Mexican restaurant with big portions and giant sodas
2. Best show you’ve seen in Bloomington in the past year:
Ooh hard… umm… probably a tie between Built to Spill and the Mountain Goats. Oh wait and also the Elephant 6 Collective… oh and the show that was Deerhunter and No Age! Too many great shows!
3. Who’s your Bloomington Honorary Mayor?
I looked and looked and couldn’t find anything, so I appoint my cat Wade as honorary mayor.
4. Least favorite Bloomington resident? Most favorite Bloomington resident?
My least favorite resident is the random drunk guy that called me retarded the other day. My most favorite is probably my co-worker Danielle who teaches screenprinting with me at Rhino’s. She is totally my hero because she works so hard and devotes so much of her life to teaching art to kids. 5. Coolest animal in Bloomington? Uncoolest?
See #3. I am a total cat lady.

Q: Give us the goods! Give us the goods! What are your plans for nonMicrocosm art stuff and other project stuff in the next five years? Also, where can we find your stuff online? Give us the goods!

A: Maybe I should start a website! Recently I contributed a comic to Adventures in Menstruating #5, and also one to Not Your Mother’s Meatloaf #3. I got accepted into the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, but can’t afford to go. I’d still like to eventually go there though. Then I could spend two whole years drawing! I also love working with teenagers and plan to do that forever. I just have to figure out in what capacity. And, most importantly I just got a Stay Positive chest tattoo!

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Q: Finally, give us the goods on what you do daily for Microcosm…

A: I do the ordering of all the books and zines we carry. It’s a big job annoying the heck out of all those zine writers! I also list all of the new items on the website when they come in. That takes up pretty much all of my time, but if I have a few extra minutes, I like to help with proofing and layout, and if I’m feeling real wild, I might even clean something.