The Japanese company Presspop has bestowed upon us some sweet figurines over the years. We fondly remember the Lee “Scratch” Perry figurine from a few years back as well as the Public Enemy set that came out last year. The PE item was designed by Ed Piskor, author of the fantastic Hip Hop Family Tree series from Fantagraphics (Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4), and the Lee “Scratch” Perry figurine was designed by Archer Prewitt, cartoonist, inventor of the Sof’Boy cartoon character, and longtime member of the Sea and Cake.
Prewitt is also responsible for the design of a forthcoming treat from Presspop, namely a dynamic figurine of one of the greatest punk frontmen of all time, H.R. from Bad Brains.
The “statuette” is constructed from PVC and ABS. It features articulation in the neck and the clothing is made from actual fabric. I like the way the mic stand and H.R.‘s two feet create, in an unexpected way, the necessary “tripod” effect needed for stability, so that it won’t fall off your computer monitor or whatever.
According to Presspop, the figurine is “officially approved” by H.R. himself. Last year H.R.‘s wife made it known that the singer has long suffered from an obscure ailment known as (deep breath) “Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing” (SUNCT for short). He underwent surgery to alleviate the pain in February. We wish him the best of luck and we also hope that H.R., real name Paul D. Hudson, is getting the treatment he deserves and needs (you can still donate to the GoFundMe page his wife set up to help with the health care bills).
The H.R. figurine costs $50 and comes out in April. You can pre-order one today.
Ferocious video of Bad Brains playing CBGBs, recorded over three days in December 1982:
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Bad Brains live at Max’s Kansas City, 1979
How Low Can a Punk Get? Bad Brains in a cheesy local TV segment, 1981