Garage Band - Gipi

On the surface, Gipi's artwork might look simple, naïve and even ‘badly drawn’ to use the artist's own term as the title of his unusual semi-autobiographical book My Badly Drawn Life. The subjects too seem simple, often about youths trying to find their place in the world, but there's a conflict here between style and content that is at the heart of his work and his expression. It demands something that shows much more than is evident on the surface and Gipi's artwork and graphic storytelling achieves that in 2005 work, Garage Band.

The subject itself is indeed simple and universal. A group of boys in a remote provincial area decide to put together a band and practice in what a garage temporarily given to them to use by Giuliano's father. In Gipi style, the faces of the boys are rendered in simple childlike lines, but they offer a wealth of character and expression. Partly it's in their behaviour and movements, partly it's in how they contrast with the way the rest of the world is depicted. At heart youthful rebellion is the core motivation of the boys, but they have issues at home and are seeking their own way of expressing their individuality.

One of the boys, Alex, collects Nazi posters, more in admiration of the paraphernalia than through any fascist tendencies. Giuliano’s father just cares about his hunting dogs and has photos of them but none of his son. Stefano's brother died of a strange disease and it has affected both creating unease and tensions in the family. Alberto I can't figure out (possibly related to the Alberto in MBDL?). What each of the need is an outlet; they get that by being in a band, and the garage is theirs as long as they stay out of trouble…

There is unquestionably a semi-autobiographical element to this (the author also references playing in a band in his semi-autobiographical My Badly Drawn Life), and evidently then Gipi doesn't go for the glamorous approach to the young men's ambition to be rockstar. The poses of the skinny shirtless bodies have an awkward gaucheness, but hammering a guitar and battering drums can be seen as an outlet for expression and acceptance and belonging that they are unable to gain outside. They know “if we close the garage doors and leave everything else outside”, they have such an opportunity and it may be the only one they will have. They have self-belief. It's the rest of the world they aren't sure about.

It's one thing to give the band expression, but another part of it is contrasting and complementing it with the world outside. Alex's aunt and mum look like something from an older world, like Les triplettes de Belville/Belleville Rendezvous or Nicolas de Crécy figures. Garage Band comes closer to de Crécy at least in terms of the expressionistic use of colour, particularly the natural surroundings. It's a world that has an irresistible pull, misfortunes and mistakes making it harder to escape from, but even if they aren't able to completely escape from those challenges there may be another accommodation that can be made. It's a simple and familiar story, but Gipi’s artwork makes it distinctive and meaningful.

Reading notes: 'Garage Band' by Gipi was first published in France in 2005 as 'Le local', Gipi first achieving international recognition in France, winning "Best Book" at the prestigious Angouleme International Comics Festival for 'Notes for a War Story'. I read the English language edition of 'Garage Band' published by First Second in 2007.