CHUCK SPERRY

Born on February 5th, 1962 in Dayton, Ohio.

Lives and works in San Francisco, California.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

1980 – 1984, University of Missouri, School of Journalism, dual major Art and Journalism.

1980 – 1984, political cartoonist for the maneater, Columbia Missourian.

1984, political cartoonist, Columbia DailyTribune.

1985 – 1988, co-editor World War 3 Illustrated, New York City.

1991 – 1995, art editor Filth Weekly Weird News, San Francisco.

1994 – present, Fillmore poster artist for Bill Graham Presents, San Francisco.

1995 – 1996, poster artist and silkscreen printer with Psychic Sparkplug, San Francisco

1997 – present, co-owner with Ron Donovan, Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company, San Francisco.

2008 – present, art director, designer and printer for Firehouse-Goldenvoice Poster Series, Warfield and Regency Theaters, San Francisco.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

2010

30 Years of the Art of World War 3 Illustrated: America’s Longest Running Political Comic Book,

The Sanctuary of Independent Media, Troy, NY, February 22 – June 26.

Spring Forward, with Jacknife, Artrock, San Francisco, March 11-12.

Flatstock 24, SXSW, Austin, March 17-19.

Psychedelic Secession Tour, Italy, Switzerland, UK and France – June 1 to July 10.

• Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, Rome, June 3.

• Club Shake, with Malleus and The Liars, La Spezia, June 4.

• Taxi Driver, Genoa, June 5.

• Keith Café, Pisa, June

• Leningrad Café, Argini e Margini di Arno, with DJ Dome La Muerte, Pisa, June 7-8.

• Magnolia, MIODI Independent Music Festival, with Ufomammut, Malleus, Steuso and Kabuto, Milan, June 9.

• Cuculia, with Roberto Calabro, Alessandro Ansani, The Liars and Eighties Colours (book release), Florence, June 10-30.

• Black Candy, Florence, June 11.

• Alcatraz, Firehouse poster show with Bad Religion and The Peeweas, Milan, June 12.

• Mole Vanvitelliana, Ancona, July 4 – August 26.

• Les Docks, with DJ Disc-aBrac, Lausanne, June 16.

• Usine / Le Kab, with Zwegh, Geneva, June 17.

• The Croft, with Jacknife, Rhys Wootten (BRAG), Luke Drodz, Bristol, June 19.

• Glastonbury Music Festival, with Jacknife, Glastonbury, June 23-27.

• Nottinghill Arts Club, with The Invasion of… , London, June 29.

• Sésame, Paris, July 1 – September 6.

• Mycroft, with Alexandre D’Huy and Les Editions Pénibles, Paris, July 2 – July 10.

• Au Petit Garage, With Alexandre D’Huy and Les Editions Pénibles, Paris, July 3.

• Flatstock 25, Hall of Flowers, San Francisco, July 10.

2009

Signs of Change, Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, January 16 – February 13.

Eyesore Anniversary, 540 Club, San Francisco, March.

Wordless Worlds: World War 3 Illustrated, Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, New York, April 30.

Stop The Armed Forces: Exhibition Against Police Brutality, Los Angeles, May 15 – 16.

Rock The Streets: The Rise of American Rock Poster Art, Ogilvy Advertising Agency, San Francisco, June 4 – February 26, 2010.

Eminent Domain Awareness, Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, June 5.

Lucky 13 Art Show, Lucky 13, Alameda, July 17.

Best of The East Bay, Oakland Museum of California, August 7.

TRPS Festival of Posters, Hall of Flowers, San Francisco, October 10.

Dark Nouveau, with Malleus and Alan Forbes, Artrock, San Francisco, October 10.

Dark Nouveau, with Malleus, Dave Hunter, and Alan Forbes, Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, October 23 – 24.

Mission Muralismo, de Young Museum, San Francisco, November 6.

Art of Musical Maintenance VI, Goodfoot, Portland, December 3 – January 25, 2010.

2008

UK Rock Poster Explosion Tour, United Kingdom, June 11 to July 5.

• Notting Hill Arts Club, London, June 11.
• Offside Bar & Gallery, A Night Of 1968 Inspiration, Long Hot Summer, Islington, London, June 13.
• Urbis Gallery, Manchester, with Nick Rhodes & British Rock Artists Group (BRAG), June 14-15.
• Archipelago Art Gallery & Studio, Sheffield, June 16-17.
• Studio 4 Gallery, Birmingham, June 18-19.
• The Basement, Brighton, with British Rock Artists Group (BRAG), June 20-21.
• Notting Hill Arts Club, London, with San Francisco band La Plebe (Mick Jones of The Clash singing), June 23.
• Inn On The Green, London, June 25.
• Hyde Park, London, releasing poster made for Eric Clapton, June 28-29.
• The Croft, Bristol, with Jacknife Posters, July 4-5.

Art of Musical Maintenance V, Goodfoot, Portland, December 4 – January 26. 2009.

2007

Flatstock 12, Austin, TX, March 16 – 18.

Escape From the Island of the Damned Tour, March 29 – May 30.

• Red Room, Berlin, April 1.
• Möbel Olfe, Berlin, April 6 .
• L’Intermédiaire, Marseille, April 20.
• Lollipop, Marseille, April 21.
• Café Liber, Torino, with Giampo Copparoni, April 28.
• Leningrad Café, margini Lungarno Galilei, Pisa, May 26.

British Rock Artists Group Workshop, San Francisco, August 24 – September 2.

2006

Visionary Delusion Tour, February 7 – August 12.

(Established a studio for making silkscreen posters and prints, Milan, February 7 – August 12.)

• Cinema Les Variétés, Marseille, February, 23.
• Machine a Coudre, with Hatepinks and Aggrevations, Marseille, February 25.
• La Part des Ange, Marseille, February 27.
• Le Saint Sauveur, Paris, April 4.
• Le Petit Garage, Paris, April 5 – 6.
• La Fanzinotéque, with Tanxxx, Poitiers, April 7 – 8.
• GRRR! Festival, Belgrade (Pancevo), April 29 – May 1.
• Subscreensonic, workshop master class with formation of British Rock Artists Group (BRAG), Brighton, May 18 – 19.
• Twist-Off Fest, Lucca, July 29.
• Leningrad Café, Margini Lungarno Galilei, Pisa, August 3.
• Quarto Potere, public art display in city center, Milan, August 24 – September 18.
• Belief Festival by Invitation of The Cultural Minister of Serbia, public art display and lecture, Museum of History, Belgrade, August 7 – 10.

Flatstock 10, Seattle, September

Babel Festival, with Jeff Smith creator of Bone, Athens, October 12 – 15.

Coffix Café, Thessaloniki, October 17.

Viva Dolor, Lyon, October 19 – 21.

2005

Art of Modern Rock World Book Tour, Firehouse and Lindsey Kuhn, April 16 – May 27.

• Fumetto International Comix Festival, Luzern, April 16 – 24.
• Usine, Geneva, April 25 – 26.
• Caves du Manior, Martigny, April 27
• Zwirnkammerkollektiv, with Jay Ryan, Derek Hess, and Douze Studio, Munich, April 29
• Galerie Feinkunst / Weltbuhne, with Jay Ryan and Derek Hess, Hamburg, April 30.
• Tsunami Club, Cologne, May 3.
• Club Bla, Bonn, May 4.
• Artazart, Paris, May 5 – 6.
• Reithalle, Bern, May 11
• Kulturzentrum Scheune, with Douze Studio, Dresden, May 14 – 20.
• International Rock Poster Explosion, with Malleus and Matteo Guarnaccia, Centro Sociale Leoncavallo, Milan, May 20 – 22.
• La Passarelle, Marseille, May 24.
• Cinema Les Variétés, Marseille, May 26.
• The Red Lion, Marseille, May 27.

2004

Flatstock 4, Austin, March 19 – 20.

Kalifornia Kustom Tour March 25 – May 11.

• Magnet Club, Berlin, March 25.
• Club Bla, Bonn, March 26.
• Tsunami Club, March 27.
• L’Arch du Morphée, Paris, April 1 – 3.
• Cafe Moloko, Geneva, April 14 – 16.
• Cafe I-Fluss, Reitshalle, Bern, April 17 – 19.
• La Passarelle, Marseille, April 21.
• Le Poste a Galene, Marseille, April 22.
• La Cueva, Milan, April 27 – 29.
• La Stanza, Montecatini, May 1.
• Club Shake, with Malleus, La Spezia, May 7 – 8.
• Mobel Olfe, Berlin, May 11.
• Arezzo, May.

• Hard Rock, Paris, June – July.
• Paris Olympia Theater, July.

2003

Flatstock 2, SXSW, Austin, March 14 – 15.

Sci-Fi Western, 111 Minna Street Gallery, San Francisco, January 23 – March 29.

Eyesore Northwest Tour, Oregon and Washington, April.

• Gallery Bink, Portland.
• Confounded Books, Seattle.
• Village Books, Bellingham.

Eyesore Release, 540 Club, San Francisco, April 22.

Eyesore Release, Anu Bar, San Francisco, April 26.

Deconstruction Tour, May – June.

• Franken, Berlin
• Knoth und Krüger, Berlin
• Street Show near Z Bar, Berlin

• Arena, Vienna
• World’s End, Zurich
• Reithalle, Bern
• La Station Orbitale, Geneva
• Madonna, Geneva
• Happening Internationale Underground 9, Centro Sociale Leoncavallo, Milan, May 16 – 18.

Top Fuel, with Chris Shaw, Dirty Donny, and Lucky Mule, Lo-Fi Customs Gallery, San Francisco, July 5 – August 15.

Eyesore & Lowlife Paradise Book Release, with Glen Barr, Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, September 13.

2002

Safety Third Tour, Germany, April.

• Z Bar, Berlin.
• Franken, Berlin.
• Glaswerk, Berlin.
• Lovelite, Berlin.
• Schlacthof, Weisbaden.
• Hellmut, Saarbrucken.

Tiki Fondu Tour, Switzerland, May.

• Cafe Moloko, Geneva.
• Reithalle, Bern.

Happening Internationale Underground 8, Centro Sociale Leoncavallo, Milan, May.

Meat Fest, Chris Shaw Studio, Oakland, July.

Porca Madonna 2, Chris Shaw Studio, Oakland, August 26.

Knight of the Wrong Table, with Alan Forbes, Lucky 13, San Francisco, August.

Flatstock 1, Cellspace, San Francisco, September.

Cover The Earth, Flatstock Party, Balazo Gallery, San Francisco, September.

Flatstock Closing Party, Thee Parkside, San Francisco, September.

Vino Is Keeno, Hotel Biron, San Francisco, October.

Eyesore Tour, Firehouse European Book Tour, November – December.

• Scandia, Hamburg.
• Hellfish Tattoo, Bremen.
• Plan 9, Ghent.
• La Zone, Liege.
• Vlas Vegas, Kortrijk.
• Born Bad, Paris.
• Waldsee, Freiburg
• Hirscheneck, Basel.
• La Station Orbitale, Geneva.
• Reithalle, Bern.
• World’s End, Zurich.
• Comedia, St. Gallen.
• Remise, Wil.
• Gessnerallee, Zurich.
• La Cueva, Milan.
• Centro Fumetto Andrea Pazienza, Cremona.
• Mondo Bizzarro, Bologna.

2001

All Quiet on the Western Front, with Winston Smith, Chase Marshall, Alan Forbes, and Frank Kozik, Max Fish New York, April.

The San Francisco Pop Art Poster Show, with Chris Shaw and Winston Smith, Usine, Geneva, April.

Happening Internationale Underground 7, Centro Sociale Leoncavallo, Milan, May.

G8 Tour,  with Jello Biafra, Winston Smith and Chris Shaw, Italy, May.

• Hiroshima Mon Amour, Torino.
• Club Link, Bologna.
• Forte Prenestino, Rome.

Bikini Biker Festival, with Chris Shaw, Café Degli Artisti, Cessinanatico, June.

Eyesore Yugoslavia, with Chris Shaw, Apollo Theater, Pancevo, June.

Z Bar, Berlin, June.

Razzle Dazzle, Berlin, June.

Meat Fest, Chris Shaw Studio, Oakland, July.

Porca Madonna, Chris Shaw Studio, Oakland, August.

2000

Happening Internationale Underground 6, Centro Sociale Leoncavallo, Milan, May.

Gangbang Tour, with Chris Shaw, Marco Almera, and Chase Marshall, Germany, June.

• Rock N Roll Weekender, Wadorf.
• Mobel Tegeler Car Show, Trebin.
• Flying Piston Pop Art Gallery, Berlin.
• Altona Trainyard, Hamburg.
• Domane, Berlin.

Firehouse Spacedocks with La Station Obitale, La Station Orbitale, Geneva, June.

XPO, with Chris Shaw, Milan, June.

A Fistful of Lira Tour, with Chase Marshall, Italy, November.

• Tattoo Convention, Fortessa di Basso, Florence.

• Villa Capriglio, Torino.

• Forte Prenestino, Rome.

1999

Hazmat, Crocodile, Seattle, April.

San Francisco Rock Poster Revival, Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, October.

Chrome, Grober Unfug, Berlin, November.

Bellevue Punx Show, Usine, Geneva, November.

Trasgressioni Cromate Tour, Italy, November.

• Roadrunner, Pistoia.

• Club Lizard, Carrara.

• Leningrad Café, Pisa.

• Jack The Ripper, Verona.

• Mondo Bizzarro, Bologna.

• Club Flog, Florence.

ComicCon, San Diego, August.

1998

Visual Feast, Spectrum Gallery, San Francisco.

The Devil Made Me Do It, Transmission Theatre, San Francisco.

Stalker.com, MNO Gallery, Los Angeles, February.

No Love, Balazo Gallery, San Francisco, February.

First Strike, Balazo Gallery, San Francisco, May.

Warriors Come Out and Play, Noiseville Gallery, New York, August.

Eyesore, Max Fish, New York, October.

Comtemporary Mexican and American Poster Artists, Panaderia, Mexico City, November.

1996

Temporary Insanity 2, Off The Wall, San Francisco, June.

1995

Temporary Insanity, Off The Wall, San Francisco, June.

Cyber Spider, Artrock, San Francisco, June.

Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Opening, Powerhouse, Cleveland, September.

1994

Two Rad Dudes With Big Dental Instruments, Off The Wall, San Francisco, September.

Rock Art Expo, Hall of Flowers, San Francisco, October.

Ignition, Nitebreak, San Francisco, December.

PERMANENT COLLECTIONS:

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, DC.

California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Eyesore: Recent Litter from The Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company, Last Gasp.

The Art of Modern Rock, Chronicle Books.

L’Art du Rock, Panama.

Gigposters: Rock Show Art of The 21st Century, Quirk Books.
Street Art San Francisco: Mission Muralismo (forward by Carlos Santana), Abrams.
Electric Frankenstein: High-Energy Punk Rock & Roll Poster Art, Dark Horse.
Peace Signs: The Anti-War Movement Illustrated, Edition Olms.

Yo! What Happened to Peace?, Yo Peace.
Tiki Art Now!, Last Gasp.

World War 3 Illustrated: 1980-1988, Fantagraphic Books.

World War 3: Confrontational Comics, Running Press.

Book Covers

Redemption Song: The Definitive Biography of Joe Strummer by Chris Salewicz, HarperCollins.

Beautiful Children by Charles Bock, Random House.

Lipstick Traces by Greil Marcus, Harvard University Press.

Get Up by Bucky Sinister, Conari.

Movies

American Artifact: The Rise of American Rock Poster Art, Merle Becker, director.

Television

Arte Channel

NBC

Publications/ Reviews

Playboy

Rolling Stone

Wired