1981: working in comics vs cleaning toilets

In May 1981 The SSI Newsletter, the official organ of British Society of Strip Illustration, published a 7-Q&A interview with 5 comic writers (namely: Angus Allan, Pat Mills, Steve Moore, Alan Moore, Steve Parkhouse) focused on the relationship between writers and artists. 

Alan Moore’s response to question tree is below. 

You can read the complete piece at Glycon Livejournal, HERE.

Q3. Do you find your work satisfying - or would you (do you) prefer to write for other mediums e.g. short stories, t.v.? (Disregard obvious financial advantages involved when answering this).
Alan Moore: I love my work, although having previously been employed in cleaning toilets this is perhaps less than surprising. And while one day I'd certainly like to have a crack at writing novels, short stories, T.V and film scripts, stage plays, kiddie porn and all the rest of that stuff, at this point I can't see comics as ever becoming anything less than my principal area of concern.

Without condemning individuals for what, after all, is their own decision, I must admit to being a little disturbed at the current trend of comics being used as a way-stage to fine art, with the creative people hanging around in comics long enough to gain a cult reputation before retreating to some sumptuous decorated studio and turning out self-indulgent portfolios at twenty quid a throw. It seems to me there is still some sort of creative stigma attached to working in comics, and that too many of the people in the medium regard themselves as failed novelists, film producers or fine artists.

Whereas to me the medium is possibly one of the most exciting and underdeveloped areas in the whole cultural spectrum. There's a lot of virgin ground yet to be broken and a hell of a lot of things that haven't been attempted. If I wasn't infatuated with the medium I wouldn't be working in it. After all, whatever the economic situation, this country will always need toilet cleaners.

You can read the complete piece at Glycon Livejournal, HERE.

A guy named... Brilburn Logue

Below, a poem from the inside sleeve of Bauhaus's 1981 album Mask signed by... Brilburn Logue.

The cover of Bauhaus's live album This Is for When featured a longer version of the poem; some of the lines were also included in Moore's spoken intro to a live version of their song "Double Dare" on the Satori In Paris EP, and also the version on their live album This Is For When.

 

Obviously Brilburn Logue is an other nom de plume used by Moore in the 80ies. 

But it's not a mystery at all. In an interview from Cerebro vol.3 no.15, July/August 1982, The Man from Northampton revealed: "And as a scintillating tidbit of information for all you fans of the adorable Bauhaus pop group I can reveal that the sleeve notes on the second album 'Mask' were also by me in the guise of avant garde poet Brilburn Logue." More info HERE. 

The Bauhaus's poem is the only work credited to Brilburn Logue. Read Lance Parkin's post here, too.

Mask version
This is for when the radio is broken and crackles like uranium orchids
This is for when the fohn-wind rattles the telegraph wires like a handful of bones
This is for when dream ambulances skitter through the streets at midnight
This is for when you get caught in a sleep-riot and the sky is out of order
This is for when your sex is full of voodoo
This is for when your clothes are imaginary
This is for when your flesh creeps and never comes back
- Brilburn Logue, 1981

This Is for When version:
THIS IS FOR WHEN THE SLATS OF THE NIGHT SLAM SHUT ON YOU, FOR WHEN THE RADIO IS BROKEN AND CRACKLES LIKE URANIUM ORCHIDS, FOR WHEN THE FÖHN-WIND RATTLES THE TELEGRAPH WIRES LIKE A HANDFUL OF BONES, AND FOR WHEN DREAM AMBULANCES SKITTER THROUGH THE STREETS AT MIDNIGHT. IN THE AMUSEMENT ARCADE A SAILOR WHOSE MUSCLES WRITHE WITH TATTOOS AND PORNOGRAPHY, DOUBLED UP, HIS VOMITING EMERALDS. ELSEWHERE A BLACK MAN WITH BRASS TEETH AND A SWALLOW SKIN TIE IS LAUGHING AND LAUGHING AND OFFERING POISONED CANDY FLOSS TO THE CHILDREN. THIS IS FOR WHEN YOUR CUFF GETS CAUGHT IN THE COGS OF AN URBAN EVENING, FOR WHEN YOUR VISION IS FRAYED AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MORE LUST. THIS IS FOR THE WASP-WOMAN. THIS IS FOR THE TORTURERS' WIVES WITH THEIR THUMBS BLUE AS BILLIARD CHALK. THIS IS FOR ALL THE MATHEMATICIANS WHO GOT MIXED UP IN THE DREAM GANG. THIS IS FOR WHEN YOU GET CAUGHT IN A SLEEP-RIOT, THIS IS FOR WHEN YOUR JISM TURNS TO PLATINUM, FOR WHEN THE TELEVISION IS FULL OF MURDER, FOR WHEN THE SKY IS OUT OF ORDER, FOR WHEN YOUR ROOM IS CRAWLING WITH CHEAP POETRY. THIS IS FOR WHEN YOUR VEINS ARE SINGING WITH INDIGO, FOR WHEN THE RADIATOR IS FULL OF FEVER, FOR WHEN YOUR SEX IS FULL OF VOODOO, FOR WHEN YOUR CLOTHES ARE IMAGINARY, FOR WHEN YOUR KITCHEN IS DEAD. THIS IS FOR WHEN YOUR FLESH CREEPS AND NEVER COMES BACK. - BRILBURN LOGUE 1981

Bauhaus - This Is for When

Watchmen and... Moore's self-plagiarism

Above, the final panels from the Three-Eyes McGurk and His Death Planet Commandos story originally printed in "Dark Star" n. 22-25, published by Dark Star Publishing in 1979-1980. It was reprinted in 1981 in Rip Off Comix n. 8. Art by Curt Vile (a.k.a Alan Moore), story & inks by Pedro Henry (a.k.a Steve Moore).

Below, some iconic panels from Watchmen, issue n.7, cover date March 1987, DC Comics. Art by Dave Gibbons, colours by John Higgins. 

You can see the similarities, can't you? :)