We were lucky to catch up with Alex Mazer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alex thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Any creative choice poses a risk. Why, the pursuit of art in the first place is regarded (by most well-adjusted folk) as risky business, which might explain why you hear often about “starving artists” and notably less about “starving cosmetic surgeons.”

For better or worse, I chose art as my avenue. And as I cruised down said avenue, I hooked a left down a back alley with a street sign that read “mashup art.” Put dramatically, in “mashup” you take disparate elements, smash them to smithereens, then slap together each deconstructed smithereen in the hopes of creating something exciting and new. Sure, smithereen collage may result in niche, alienating content, but I’ve mostly found a way to make that work. Mostly.

For my schtick, you see, is fusing together the comedic sensibility of the Simpsons with the iconography of the Grateful Dead. And I do so under the pithy moniker “New Springfield Boogie”. And in this medley of American counterculture, literally, every single thing I concoct is a risk. When you mix art with humor, sometimes the jokes land, and sometimes they do not.

But this particular yarn I’m fixin’ to spin for y’all begins like so many others: on my couch. I had just found out I’d be in Tennessee for work, and suggested to my wife that she come meet me, and together we could spend the day at Dolly Parton’s theme park, Dollywood. Naturally, she agreed, and I lay upon the couch daydreaming of rollercoasters, big blonde wigs, acrylic nails, and apple cinnamon bread– When a voice in my head whispered, “Hey, y’know Jurassic park is also an amusement park”. Who could disagree with this irrefutably logical train of thought? The voice went on whispering about dinosaurs before it reminded me of the dinosaur on the cover of Jerry Garcia’s “Run for the Roses” album. “Yeah, that’s a great album,” I replied aloud to the disembodied voice, “and a pretty great idea,” I continued contemplatively, sitting up straight. That’s the moment the first decision (and risk) is made: Does this concept remain hypothetical, or is actualizing it worth leaving the couch?

And so it was I found myself in front of the computer, collaging smithereens, weaving dream into reality, and taking risks. I titled the finished design “Jurassic Parton”, and printed three shirts for me, my wife, and my friend Liz to wear to Dollywood. That morning, as we made our way to the park, I toyed around with the idea of posting “Jurassic Parton” to New Springfield Boogie. “But I’m only allowed to post Simpsons and Grateful Dead content,” I told myself, “it’s against the rules”.
“My dude,” the voice whispered back, “you MAKE the rules”. So I took a lil risky-poo and, for the first time EVER, deviated from my norm.

I sold more t-shirts that morning than I ever had up to that point, and it’s gone on to be one of my most successful designs to date. Taking a risk is basically being willing to trust yourself, and that’s incredibly fulfilling even when those risks don’t pan out. I’m my own target demo, so I make my art for myself. Will other people like it? Perhaps. But if you don’t make your art for yourself, it’s inauthentic. And that is one thing I’m NOT willing to risk.

Alex, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

New Springfield Boogie started as my pandemic pivot. Like many people at that time, I found myself out of work, and with a lot of quiet time to reflect, and I made it my beeswax to take advantage of that time. I’d always been an artist, which is to say, I’d always made art: illustration, collage, music, poetry, video production, and I very much wanted to dip into digital artwork. The unprecedented state of the world afforded me the time, and for no real reason other than a simple “wouldn’t it be funny” moment, I slowly learned how to use Photoshop by Frankensteining Simpsons characters’ heads onto Grateful Dead bear bodies.

Once you successfully pulverize the “how does this work” barrier, the floodgates open, at which point, you’re only limited by your own imagination. And aside from being a mere melding of two massive American institutions, New Springfield Boogie is, at its core, an extension of my imagination and personality. As a child of the ‘80s and ‘90s, I spent my youth consuming and being consumed by the Simpsons and the Dead. They were formative to my development as a human being, and an early (and continued) source of creative inspiration.

That inspiration has manifested in artwork that became stickers, which turned into pins, which then spiraled into clothing. And then something interesting happened: I started making memes. Once humor enters the equation, it changes the math entirely. Memes are culture, and humor is how you reach people. If you’re able to create something (in this case, a meme) that makes someone laugh, you’ve reached them on an emotional level. Then they’re inclined to share your creation with friends, creating a bond over the shared experience. That triumph of pathos is what makes something go viral.

Art, humor, and music are my religion. If I can make a living doing that, you can color me happy. Buy my merch, laugh and my jokes, follow me on social media, and tell all your friends about New Springfield Boogie. My mission statement is simply to bring a little light to the darkness.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most profoundly rewarding aspect of being a creative is simply making something from nothing. It’s the closest thing to magic that I’ve ever experienced.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My advice is to be authentic. Really lean into being you. Nobody else is you, which is why you’ll be afforded the advantage of being better at it than anyone. Do so as egregiously and unapologetically as possible. If you don’t, you’ll just be a catfisherman.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.newspringfieldboogie.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/newspringfieldboogie
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/newspringfieldboogie
• Twitter: https://x.com/stealyourdonut
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@newspringfieldboogie