Mike Shinodawill be opening his second solo exhibition at the Japanese AmericanNational Museum on August 29th, entitled "Glorious Excess (Dies)."  Ifthe success of his first solo at that Museum is any indication we areall in for quite a treat.  Shinoda was graciousenough to take a few moments out of his busy schedule to talk about hisupcoming show, his music career and the exciting things which lay aheadfor this gifted artist.

AMF: So let's get thisout of the way...you are a member of the band Linkin Park.  You arealso a very accomplished visual artist, among other things.  I recentlyshowed someone images of your artwork and they immediately knew yourstuff.  When it came out in later conversation that you were a memberof Linkin Park they were like, "I had no idea".  Is this what you arehoping for in your career as a visual artist?  To keep your music andart careers separate?  Or are you cool with it all being interconnected?

 MS:That's a cool story.  The band being what it is, I always try to putextra love into my art--and other, less mainstream projects--just tokeep things balanced.  I don't mind people associating the two, butthere are obviously differences in approach when talking about making aLinkin Park album versus making a show like "Glorious Excess."  Thereare topics I can cover in this gallery show that I don't think wouldmake a very good song.  For example, this show is about obsession withcelebrity culture, consumer addiction, and fascination with excess. 

AMF: Glorious Excess (Dies) is your second solo exhibition at theJapanese American National Museum.  What was the first experience likeand how do you think this second show will vary from the first?  Isthere anything that didn't happen the first time around that you arehoping will be different?  I have seen you continue to grow as a visualartist and I am just curious what exceptions you might be placing onyourself or your work as this second solo exhibition draws near?

MS: I had a great time putting the first show together.  I don'treally have any regrets, I just try to work on the concepts and crafteach time, to hopefully improve as an artist with each show.  Thisupcoming show is the culmination of a lot of work.

AMF: One aspect of your work I find interesting is the unique way youcombine digital and hand done imagery.  What are the motivations behindthis and what is it that you are trying to express by mixing thesemediums?

MS: I think we all have real-life identities and virtual versions ofourselves.  People act differently online, whether on a blog, in email,on Facebook or Twitter.  Online, people are more bold; sometimes morehonest, sometimes more nasty.  In person, you have a human being'sfeelings to think about--online, it's somewhat removed.  People caneasily create wholly separate identities for themselves online.  Ithink these things play into the art and methods I use; the interplaybetween tactile media and virtual media is an inseparable part of ourlives.

In the context of this show, the real vs. digital aspectplays a slightly different role.  Tabloid culture is a viral gossipculture.  Images and stories get simplified, and the resolution of theimages and ideas get compressed and condensed.  People are drawn in bythe smallest, most explosive version of a story; then that version ofthe story gets copied and pasted, from email to email, blog to blog. That's why I had to use a combination of hi-res and low-res imagery inthe pieces; it just seemed to fit.  I felt it was a representation of astruggle to decipher between what was "real" and what was not.

   AMF:  I would like to ask a similar question about your use of skullsand skeletons.  I am wondering what this constant use of Skeletonsmeans to you as it seems to be so prevalent in your work?

 MS:There were so many reasons for the skeleton: the rock/punk/metalreference, anorexia, poison, and the anarchic lifestyle I'm talkingabout in the pieces.  It's also like a modern "vanitas."  Vanitaspaintings were about emptiness, pleasure, and the transience of life. This show is like that, but standing on the red carpet withsupermodels and an AK-47.  

  AMF: Let's talk a bitabout collaborations.  You seem to really enjoy doing collaborationsand you have ended up collaborating with some pretty incredibleartists.  If you would, talk a bit about what this style of art meansto you and maybe a few highlights from some past collaborations thatstand out in your mind.

MS: In my band, collaboration is a huge part of the process,whether writing a song or playing a show.  When it comes to painting, Ilike collaborating because it forces me outside my comfort zone.  Thetoughest collaborations--but ones with great results--were probablywith Gary Baseman, Greg Simkins, and Dalek.  I did them all in the samemonth, and everyone's style was so different.  It's a lot of fun,though.  I think my next show is going to have a lot morecollaborations...

AMF:  One more collaborationquestion and then I promise not to say collaboration again during thisinterview.  If you could do a collaboration with any living artist (whoyou haven't worked with yet) who would it be and why?

MS: I would love to do a piece with Ron English.  He's awesome.

    AMF: As many people know, you have your fingers in a lot of things. Along with the music and art industry you are also a business personon many other levels.  What is it like juggling all these things andhow you you find time for friends and family being so busy all the time?

MS: People ask me if I have time to sleep.  I actually try tokeep things balanced; when I'm at home, I try to see my familyregularly and take weekends off.  I have a great team of people that Iwork with, who help to carry the load.  I just try to steer the ship inthe right direction.

AMF: I have heard that youhave a book coming out which will document the entire process of yourupcoming exhibition, Glorious Excess (Dies).  When will this book beout and what was driving factor behind it's creation?

MS: We just finished the book, and it looks incredible.  It'sthe first time I've been able to explain what Glorious Excess is reallyabout.  There are so many complex, overlapping ideas and inspirationsbehind the show that every time I talk about it, I feel like I've leftsomething out.  I think the book sums it up: it covers everything, fromthe first ideas that started Glorious Excess (Born), to the end ofGlorious Excess (Dies).

AMF: This may seem like astrange question, so I apologize ahead of time if it is...but beingthat you are a musician, painter, designer, writer and so muchmore...is there one of these things that you could not livewithout...or are they all equal to you?

MS: I just need to create stuff.  Maybe that's a bad thing, since Isuppose all these ideas could end up in a landfill someday!  Buthopefully, if I'm making good art and music, it will enhance people'slives.

  AMF:  Judging from yourfirst solo, Glorious Excess (Dies) is bound to be a big success. Although this must be exciting for you I am sure you have many otherthings planned for the future.  What else are you working on for thecoming year and what, if anything, do you have planned for yourself andyour work for the next 5-10 years?

 MS:We have a new Linkin Park album in the works for next year, and I'malready working on my next art show.  I 'd like to do my next show inNew York; I'm looking for the right gallery space right now.  Afterthat, who knows?  I just look for the next thing that seems exciting.