Was your style pretty much like it is now?

“Yeah. I think it’s always sort of looked like that. It’s developed over time, to where I got it to look the way I want it to look, to where it becomes so instinctual that it’s a sort of language. Early on it was more raw. I’ve needed to establish it in a certain way from year to year to year, and as it evolves, continue to have that connecting thread of the look, but also have these little parts that branch off that are related to it, but are different enough, so much so that sometimes people’ll see something like Pray for ATL and they’re like, ‘You do that?’”

My favorite of those was the Yuppie Ghetto/Overpriced Shitoles sign. For a few months I had no idea you were behind that. The design was so accurate that you had to really pay attention to realize it was fake. And it was so true, as far as what was going on at the time – old buildings being torn down and expensive lofts being built.

“Right. At the time, this was like 2000, 2001, when it was really starting to happen, I don’t think it was really naïve, because of course that stuff is going to occur in a town like Atlanta. It’s fair game for that. [But] you’re my age, so we understand that there’s a little bit of soul or something that’s being lost in all of that development. As much as some of it maybe needs to happen – I’m happy that more people move here, and it becomes more of a vital thing – but with that you also get a lot of growth you don’t want, both in terms of the old, historic buildings being torn down, and new, crappy places being thrown up, but the type of people that come with it sometimes are disappointing too! (laughs) I guess that’s what I was thinking back then.”

You’re really concerned about the city and the way it grows, aren’t you?

“At the same time, I’m happy about a lot of things. We’re not on the worst path possible. It’s a great place in a lot of ways, and I love the people here. And there are people who think Pray for ATL is about me possibly being Christian, and I really am calling for prayer, which may or may not be completely true, but it’s just however you look at it. We need prayer for a lot of different reasons. We need to at least have a moment of silence for this city, and think about what’s going on here, and how we can impact it in positive ways. I don’t know, that’s all rubbish! But I mean, a lot of people probably look at this place as a real transient city, but I don’t see it like that, and I’m sure you don’t either. The reason we’re even here tonight, at this particular place, is because this represents a part of Atlanta that’s absolutely not transient. People have been coming here for 20 years, the same people we see here on any given night. There are a lot of people that really love this city for the things that we stay here for.”

How much do you feel the Atlanta independent music and underground art scenes interact and are inspired by each other?

“I think in the late ’60s, early ’70s, it was almost impossible to separate the worlds of the counterculture, or whatever you wanted to call it, the music and the art scenes, all the different scenes, they kind of had to stick together to support each other, because, they were all reacting to a more mainstream culture, or things that you see about a larger culture that aren’t inspiring or are disappointing, and you don’t want to be a part of that, but you’re creative, and you want to be involved. I think it’s true even now in Atlanta, to a degree. I mean, there’s a whole lowbrow art scene that’s been going on for years now that’s brought a lot of people into the art world, people that probably would’ve never considered painting ten years ago are now like, ‘I can do that!’”

Like punk rock.

“Yeah, they don’t have any training, and just do a bunch of paintings and then they’re part of an art show. In Atlanta in particular, I think that it seems like they’re more and more connected. You get a sense that there’s a lot going on now. And the arts – not the regular commercial gallery scene, but the more underground, a lot of the kids that are just putting together little shows and doing their own thing – it seems like they’re more connected with the music scene. I can’t really separate music and visual art.”