It Doesn’t Make Any Sense At All (And I Love That)

John Allison

Hosted by Michael Collins with John Allison

John Allison is the creator of comic series including Giant Days, Bad Machinery and Scary Go Round. He studied journalism and worked as a designer for five years before becoming a professional cartoonist in 2003. John lives in Letchworth Garden City, halfway between Cambridge and London in the UK.

John and Michael talk about independent-minded children, seizing the means of production, the nature of creativity, the beauty of All-Music Guide, and shady business practices during the dot-com bubble.

21. It Doesn’t Make Any Sense At All (And I Love That). [John Allison.]

This Is Your Mixtape Comics artist John Allison on Scritti Politti, Aimee Mann, The Beach Boys, The Microphones, and Tenement. More episodes

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John’s Five Songs.

Oh Patti (Don’t Feel Sorry for Loverboy) by Scritti Politti.
Say Anything by Aimee Mann.
All I Wanna Do by The Beach Boys.
The Moon by The Microphones.
The Garden of Secrecy by Tenement.

Show Notes.

The John Allison Cinematic Universe is sprawling, and it can be difficult to find a place to start if you’re new to it. I might suggest the first volume of Bad Machinery (available digitally at Comixology and in pulped wood format from Topatoco) as one possibility. It’s about a group of school-age friends who solve mysteries (often with a supernatural element).

In addition to books, John has many prints, t-shirts, etc. for sale. This print of Lady Gaga drawn in the style of Audrey Beardsley is a favourite, and to my mind captures some of the essence of what’s delightful about John’s style and sensibility.