Jack Walls and Ryan McGinley at Patti Smith’s house, Michigan, 1999

DICK FACE - PART 1

Why Is Jack Walls the Coolest Motherfucker on Earth?

I spent two weeks making 500 hand-drawn balloons for Jack Walls’s 50th birthday party. It was my present to him. With a black Sharpie, I drew all of his classic expressions on 500 silver balloons. He’s well known for these sayings and everyone who knows him has their own Jack Walls imitation.

Jack is an artist, writer, muse, and infamous man-about-town. He was Robert Mapplethorpe’s boyfriend for many years, up until his death. Jack grew up as a gangbanger in the ghetto of Chicago. He joined the Navy for a few years and then moved to New York and met Robert in the early 80s. Jack is in many of Robert’s most famous photographs.

I met Jack in the late 90s, right around the time I started making my own photographs. He’s been like a big brother to me. After his birthday party was over I couldn’t part with the balloons. I deflated them all and took them back to my studio and made a book out of them. Jack claims he didn’t say half the things we say he did, but if you’ve ever heard him talk, you know that everything he says is instantly quotable.

Vice: You have these sayings that all your friends know you for. Everyone tries to imitate you.

Jack Walls: Some of this stuff I never said. People tell me I said stuff and I know I didn’t say it and they argue with me! Like I never said, “Spaghetti is straight until you boil it.” What is that? Dash Snow made that one up. He is the main culprit. I’m not even lying. Look, out of all the shit I say, do I ever make reference to food? That’s a dead giveaway. I cannot equate food with talking shit. I don’t operate like that.

I’m calling this article, “Why Is Jack Walls the Coolest Motherfucker on Earth?” and that’s my question for you. Why does everyone want to be your friend?

Bad judgment.

Come on, you’re a celebrity in certain circles.

Yeah, a very limited circle. The circle’s about an inch.

People want to know you. You’ve lived like ten exciting lives. You’ve been in the Navy and in a gang, you’ve been a notorious downtown New York junkie, you’ve been the boyfriend to basically the most famous photographer of the later part of the 20th century…

I don’t know, I don’t think that’s nothing. I think I’m a late bloomer and for the first time in my life I’ve decided to really pay attention to art and writing, so I really do believe that I’m just starting out.

Shit, I guess that gives hope to all of us.


Jack Walls and Robert Mapplethorpe in New York, 1985. Photo by Gilles Larrain (www.gilleslarrain.com)


Hey, it ain’t over till it’s over.

Where are you from?

I was born in Chicago, 1957. I lived there until I went into the Navy in 1978.

You were a gangbanger, right?

I participated in gang activities, yes. I tell you one thing, being in a gang is like being gay. Anything that’s all guys is gay, that’s why I knew the Navy would be perfect for me. Psychologically, I already knew, even at a young age, that being in a gang or the military or being an athlete, it’s all homoerotic. Plus I was a big Jean Genet fan. Being in a gang was romantic. Everything I do has a sense of romance to it, everything.

Tell me about your gang.

The gang I was in was called the Morgan Deuces, in the Chicago area called Pilsen, and I was in the gang from the age of 14 to 17. I got arrested all the time. My brother was killed from gangbanging. He was shot and killed.

Me and you both have two sisters and six brothers, one of whom died. It’s such a weird coincidence, isn’t it? What was it like growing up with such a big family? What were you like?

I don’t know, I’m pretty much the same. People don’t change. I’ve known you for ten years and you’re exactly the same, except maybe you got a little bit worse.

I thought I got better.

Well, think again.

Do you remember how we met?

I can tell you exactly. We met in June 1998. I had just come back from LA and the day I got back the actor Dwight Ewell said, “You have to meet these kids, they’re the best.” And I told him, “Look, I don’t want to meet anyone, I just want to go to Cherry Tavern.” Somehow he tricked me into going to this party and the first time I saw you, you were sitting there getting your hair cut. I was so pissed off that Dwight had set me up, I went out and sat in the hallway. Later that night some people were hanging out at my place on 29th Street and you showed up at 4 AM. We talked about photography.

INTERVIEWED BY RYAN MCGINLEY


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