Jay Howell Creator of Bob's Burgers Doing Caricatures at Inkcarceration 2026 at Shawshank Prison

0:04 Hi, you have done to censure. Wow for you. This is the pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four C Y Radio, and I'm here with hey j Howell. How you doing? I'm doing great? Oh man. We're always at every festival together, always yeah, and we always mean to talk to each other and we always get so busy. So here we are. Finally, man, thank you for having me appreciate it. Oh my pleasure. And so tell us a little bit about you for the listeners that don't know who you are and what you do and why you're at these festivals. So why is why is there a weird cartoonist ay at a metal festival every time?

0:49 Totally? So, Hey, I didn't want to go there, but since you said, I'm with you, no. So I'm J Howell. I'm the original character designer for Bob's Burger's. I've done Sonjay and Craig of work for Vans and a lot of skateboard companies and and I do character artwork now and travel around with Danny Wimmer and go to all the fests and drop people nice. So how is that? How do the artists react when you do that? How do the artists react now? You're doing their character. Oh, everyone's so excited. I love it every time. It's funny. I meet with media in the morning, see the bands I want to meet and hang out and just try to draw everybody. It's super fun. And I am very much a fan of yours for one reason why I'm a big reason, and that is because I went up to you and I had you do a drawing based on a picture I had my grandson who passed away, and he was wearing my battle vests.

1:42 Oh yeah, and you made him a Bob's Burger character and that hangs up on my wall proudly. Oh man, I love that. Thanks so much. Yeah, Thatt, drawing was super fun. I'm grateful to do it. Thank you. Yeah. And you know, I've I've told everybody in my family about it. I'm like, hey, well, and they all think it's like really cool that you took the time into that part about bringing that out, because like, I like people to know the person behind the art, sure you know, and what they're all about as a human being. And that alone makes you amazing human being because listen, you're out here working your butt off and that you took the time out to do something like that. That is very special to me.

2:25 Yeah. I mean when I was younger, you know, I would always like look up to the different artists and bands and stuff, and you know, you have these experiences when you meet them and they're not terrific people sometimes. And I said to myself when I was younger, if I ever get any fame whatsoever, I'm gonna be the coolest person I can possibly be, you know. And there you are. I'm trying. So tell me how it feels you do all the wimmer festivals. What do you like that you're here at incarceration to shaw Shang Prison. What sets this one apart for you? Man? This one's more wild than all of them. It's like smaller, but it's crazier for some reason. It's like like lightning in a bottle. Here. It's it's very uh, I don't know. It's it's confined. It's people are very like people are excited to be here, you know.

3:07 Yeah, for sure, I know. I am like, it's myny use the word excited because my youngest story should always call me up and she'll be like, so, Dad, you excited to go to this festival. I'm like, I love it. It's a lot of fun. But when you're doing it every weekend, are you excited? First time I did this festival years ago, I called her up. I'm like, I'm calling you from the prison yard of Shawshank. Now I'm excited. Yeah, dude. The setting overall, it's like it's like it looks you know, like I spent some time working at Paramount Studio, like working on doing some consultations some movies there, and uh if every much has that kind of feel like you feel like you're in a movie set, like walking around like you're getting backstage access to like this amazing thing. It's pretty cool. It is cool, and it's like it's kind of eerie too, Like every time I come here that my backdrop is the Shawshank Prison. Like it's like really, and I think of the artists out there performing, like you're forming and your backdrop is Shank Prison.

4:02 I mean every photo here looks cool as hell. I mean this this this definitely, this festival is definitely the weirdest one that I do, and I like it. You should do some characters of the characters in the Blood Prison. That's what I heard earlier today. Actually, someone came up asked me to do that if I find time, for sure, I definitely. Right right, that'd be cool. Who is your favorite artist to do a character of? Oh Man? Either, Like, I've just been hanging out with Slash a lot lately doing some work with guns and Roses, which is really cool. Slashes like probably like the coolest dude, Like he'd just like text me in the morning, like, hey, how you doing. I'm just like, what the hell? Like Slash Slash. I mean, this has been a lot, but Slashes definitely, or Kerry King from Sligher too. Those two guys are just like I love those guys. They're so cool.

4:49 I love that And like I did kind of hear the story about how the Slash thing came about, and I don't like that's pretty freaking cool because normally you're at festival. If you can't catch them there, then it'll be next time. And the fact that he went out of his way for you. Yeah, he's such a he's such like a big comics guy, you know what I mean. He had like Robert Williams do the artwork for the Appetite and stuff, like he like understands all that early punk stuff, all those early comic artists like he's like he lives and breathes that kind of stuff. That's like his stuff. So he was like, he wants to meet cartoonists, he wants to hang out with artists, and like, dude, he's the coolest. Right, And that's a great feeling. Yeah, they're like that because you know, some people, like the listeners, like they don't know what these people are like, and maybe they feel like they're untouchable, but they're just really human beings like the rest of it.

5:42 I mean, dude, I feel the same way as the listeners. Bro. Like when I mean, like every single time I go to a festival, I'm like, wonder if I can meet this man. I wonder if I can hang out with Green Day. I wonder if I can see pierce the Veil and hang out with those guys, and then like you can. Sometimes I'm like, holy crap, I'm a fan just like everybody else. Brother, seriously, and they are too, That's the point. So fun musicians are the biggest thing. Yeah, they are too, man. Yeah, So it's just having this kind of access to I'm so grateful for. It's crazy. So how did this come about that you started doing these wimmor festivals. I was tattooing in Los Angeles, which I tattooed every couple of months or so. If I can, I try. I love tattooing. I'm really into it tattooing. These this guy and his brother, We're getting along really good, just popping off jokes, and I'm like, hey man, what do you do for a living? He's like, hey, I uh, run a music I'm a creative director for a music festival you've probably never heard of. And I was like, all right. After the tattoo was done, I was like, hey man, I want to throw me an offer. In the morning, I'll go on tour with you guys. Wimmer Festival next day sent me an offer to come on tour.

6:38 And it's been three years now. Nice, just like on a whim, this happened, and now it's like I never I never want to end. It still blows your mind every time. Dude, I'm so excited every time. Not over this for a minute, right, I'm great, this is amazing. It is fun. That's like the coolest job I've ever had, you know, no. Doubt, And now what you need to do? Maybe it's maybe next year you're doing the character jures and tattooing. Man, maybe my tattoo this weekend, but we'll see you. Saw Sonic Temple, I did a little live drawing on stage, and I had interviewed some of the bands to the crowd, which was really really fun. So I think we're gonna continue to do way more of that kind of content.

7:18 See now, have any of the artists asked you if you would tattoo them? Oh? Man, I mean maybe, I mean probably for sure. I guess I just don't have time ever, But I mean I would have had more time for sure. I mean tattooed follow Boy before. I have tattooed waves, tattooed a bunch of different bands for sure. I think Carrie needs a new tattoo. Yeah, I mean Carry's cool. I hope to see him down in Mexico City next month with Power Trip and go hang out with those guys down there. That'd be cool. Nice. Slayer will be at Rockklahoma next month too, which is one I'm covering too. Dang, I'm not come up to. That's a little closer to Mexico City. It's a cool festival.

7:59 Well, hell yeah, it's cool. Hey, Rocklahoma, hit. Me up there. It is we're playing out there Bob's Burger at rockneh man, I'm just kidding. But seriously, though, you are an amazing artists. Thank you so much. I sit there and I watch you and like it's just amazing what you can do and with such an ease, Like if I were to draw something it would take me ten hours. You just and it's like, whoa howdy do that? I should mean up, there's a lot of people to draw, so I gotta I gotta learn how to draw quick for sure. Any other info you want to give the listeners we haven't covered, or contact info how they can reach out to you, all that, none of that stuff.

8:40 You can find me somewhere. Come see me if you see me walking around, say what's up. That's all I care about, man, I'm a real person and I'd love to talk to you, and I love to draw you if I get a chance. I mean, that's all I want. That's all I care about. All right. Well see that's a true artist right there. Oh yeah, I love it. Well, thank you for always doing this and thanks for being on the Adventures and pipe Man. Hell yeah, thank you. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of tapeman on w for c u I Radio