Please reveal some things about yourself...name, age, origin, city of living?
Salute! My name is Tommy and I am 34 years old. I am Polish, I live in my homeland - in a small town located near the capital of Warsaw in Masovia.
When you start your website Product Of Society and what was your first thought to do it?
I originally operated under the name "Ironskull", but due to the fact that it was too metal, I decided to change the name to "Product Of Society" because the name better reflected the nature of my work. Due to censorship, I first created a Telegram account in early 2023. Although Telegram is a nice messenger for sending information that is not subject to censorship, it is not entirely suitable for promoting works such as mine. Telegram is more for those who want to promote their activities - i.e. music publishers, distributors, organizers of concerts and other events. At first, I didn't want to create an IG account because I had bad associations with it. The world of influencers, the fitness industry, celebrities who are known for having a certain amount of reach and basing their content on promoting themselves, which always seemed to me a selfish move. But I also saw that there is a different world on Instagram - independent artists, the underground scene, bands I listen to and labels I support. I took a risk and started IG, I posted my first works and I'm surprised by the reaction to them, which makes me very happy because I don't like to create things in a drawer. I want to share my passion with people who also share it. This gives you motivation and inspiration to continue creating!
I have seen many of your work and i can say easily you are a very talented painter and designer! Please talk us a bit about how this happens...you had always from your child years an artistic inclination? What kind was your first designs?
Thank you for your kind words! I'm self-taught, I never learned to draw - some things just came naturally to me as I got older. I have been drawing since I was a child and I was constantly trying to evolve towards something that would give me satisfaction. As a kid, I liked covers of hardcore, punk and metal bands. Things created by Pushead for The Exploited, Sean Taggart for Agnostic Front, or Dan Seagrave for Morbid Angel and Entombed. The same with comic book creators such as Simon Bisley, Frank Miller, John Romita Jr. and many other. As a child, I liked to draw my own versions of the covers of the albums I listened to and the comics I read. I have always believed that the graphic design should reflect what we find inside and, like the content, it must be an integral element and not just a background. Slayer's "Reign In Blood" album wouldn't be the same without Larry Carrol's paintings, just like many other works by various artists decorating the covers of today's iconic albums.
You dedicated your art in R.A.C music scene and this is great. You even re-design classic front covers from music albums like Fortress, Vengeance and many more or you create band's logos. Talk us more about your work. What about the designs of my compatriots Skumshot?
Thanks! I wanted to pay tribute to the bands I grew up listening to. The covers created in that period, although they have a great atmosphere and ideas, their execution did not stand the test of time. Most of RAC's albums had bad luck with the artists - I don't know why, whether it was more emphasis placed on the music itself and the message, or they simply saved money on graphic artists. Fortunately, today's releases by contemporary bands are of a much better standard, as exemplified by the latest Revalers album "Legion" and the cover painted by a talented Finnish artist - Sami. As for Skumshot - I did work for them unannounced. Their music and message simply gave me such a boost that I grabbed a fineliner and started drawing. I have good contact with Stabard, we talked many times about publishing plans, and I consider Skumshot the musical heirs of Kill Baby Kill. In addition to being masters of their profession, they also have the same sense of humor, distance from the world and a message that encourages reflection on the moral condition of today's society.
How your work comes mostly? I mean are band members that asked you to create something for them or you make it alone and send it to them? You asked for any payment or its free? What new projects you like to do for near future?
Mostly, they give me a free hand to act. They know that I have a vision and I can put it on paper. Drawing is not a problem, but the most important thing is the idea. It has to be born and strike like a bolt from the blue, and sometimes it takes time for such an idea to be born in your head. Sometimes it happens that I draw something myself and send it to the band as a thank you for their wonderful music. This was the case with Skumshot, for example. Some people send me gifts for the work I do - CDs, T-shirts and other gadgets, and sometimes they pay me. It depends on how we come to an agreement, but in order to create something in the long run and be able to devote yourself to it one hundred percent, you also have to get something out of it, because you can't buy food with T-shirts. I wish everyone who runs their own business on stage to live from their passion. But only on one condition. Money is just an addition to life, but the most important thing in life is to be honest in what you do, otherwise you lie to your recipients.
You have other work for living or this is actually your stable business? You have work also for any fanzine or paper in the past?
In addition to dealing with graphic issues, I also create my Polish zine "Antisocial Skinhead Zine" and play in various bands. I'm currently working on several materials - when I finish them, I will send them to you. In the past, I made covers for the non-existent zine "Droga Legionisty" and I also created a cover for the second book of the author of this zine. I also made covers for the fanzine "Football Fanatics". I also often wrote reviews, columns and articles on various topics for them. I do such things completely for free on one condition - I want a copy of the zine for myself (laughter).
Some things about your country's scene and bands? Which bands you like from all over the world? What about movies, books and hobbies? Any favorite artist or painter from history? What about ancient Hellenic statues and mythology paintings?
When it comes to the music scene in my country and active bands, I can currently mention old-timers such as Junkers, Lumpex 75, OWK, Slavic Rebirth, Obled, Omerta (a band from the defunct L.T.W.) and the reactivated L.S.H.P. Among new bands, White Family, 88 Zglos Sie and The Pigstickers are definitely worth checking out. I work with some of them. I'm a movie buff and I won't list all the movies I like because there are too many of them. I like Martin Scorsese's films - "Taxi Driver", "The Goodfellas", "Shutter Islands", "Raging Bull" and many others. My favorite directors include Michael Mann and films such as "The Heat", "Insider" and "Collateral". Besides, I love "Fargo", "No Country For Old Men", "A Simple Plan", "Falling Down", "State Of Grace", "Leon The Proffesional", "Seven", „The Game“, „Bronson“, „Mystic River“, „Joker“, „Dark Knight“, „Watchmen“, „Snatch“, „Mean Machine“, „Trainspotting“, „Kontroll“, the three parts of "Die Hard", " Football Factory", "Romeo Is Bleeding" etc. I only dislike romantic comedies (apart from "Notting Hill") and horror films (laughter). I read a lot of books and on very different topics - from philosophy, theology, history, to music and all kinds of novels, I especially like those about mountains. Your favorite artist or painter would definitely be Zdzisław Beksiński. The entire ancient culture and its legacy that shaped European civilization is an inspiration to me to this day and often appears in my works - not only Greek. While we're on the topic of ancient Greece, I really like the monument to Leonidas located in the Peloponnese in Sparta - it's majestic. My other favorite symbolic monument is any variation of Saint Gregory defeating evil.
In your page you upload photos that we can watching the development step by step of your artwork. Please can you tell us how you working with the progress of some art you choose?
First, the idea itself is created. Then I sketch my vision on paper and check if everything will fit together. If so, I take action. First of all, I start with a pencil. If I make a mistake, it's easier to correct it. Once I have a ready-made sketch, I start drawing the outlines with a fineliner and using markers for shading. At the very end I start coloring and the work is ready. It often happens that I draw on the fly without a plan. But this only applies to art not related to the RAC scene.
What kind of art you like outside from music R.A.C scene? Dark art for example? Your opinion about William Blake? What about Howard Lovecraft's art?
I really like dark art because it shows a different side of the nature of the modern world and allows us to think about things that are not only an expression of fascination, but are also a part of each of us. William Blake and H.P. Lovecraft are masters in their field. No matter what times you live in, true art will survive everything. They are a perfect example of this. We can say the same about HR Giger, Zdzisław Beksiński, Salvador Dali and many others. We can mention here musicians, writers, painters and other artists, but there is one common denominator among them. Their works will live on, while what is created through the prism of what is currently selling in today's pop culture - will not stand the test of time. Why? Because they have no artistic value. You are looking at something that can shock, cause a scandal, sell easily, become famous throughout the virtual world embedded in social media - but it is not something that will force you to reflect. Depravity has become a symbol of contemporary art. People say this is a manifesto of freedom. The question is - what freedom and whose freedom? Freedom is not about one day doing what I wanted and how I wanted, but about being aware of my actions and the responsibility associated with them.
Thank you very much for your time brother! Anything more you want to say? Can contact somebody who wants you to do some art for him?
I would like to thank you, brother, for your support and the opportunity to give an interview on your legendary website. If you don't mind, I would like to say hello to my family and friends who support me in what I do, and to the publisher - Crimethink Productions/H.A.T.E. Workshop that implements my designs on T-shirts, posters and other things. To everyone who wants to contact me - the easiest way is to write to my email: productofsociety77@int.pl or contact me on IG: @productofsociety77.
