The following interview/article was conducted by Brandt Keller, a well known and respected writer who has worked for top magazines like ROLLING STONE and GQ. Brandt recently stopped by Matt Busch's digs to, well, dig deep. Find out what makes Matt tick, how he's gotten to where he is, and where he intends to go from here.

For many audiences in-the-know, Matt Busch needs no introduction. He's primarily an artist who has found his nitch working on comic books, movies, trading cards, and everything else you could imagine. He's known for working with properties like Star Wars, but also for creating his own. He's even ventured down the road of independent filmmaking, and found success. The man is living what most could only dream of.

Driving into Busch's plush subdivision on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, I'm already asking, "An artist can afford to live here?" At the same time, the neighborhood is so conservative, I'm asking myself, "Why would he want to?"

On the outside, his tall house looks simple enough, but once Busch's grin leads you through the front door, you know things are about to get epic. Instantly, you're in another world; everything is grand and foreign. He collects giant artifacts from Indonesia, and does symbolic paintings to match- a style you wouldn't even recognize as his own. He cracks a joke that it wasn't intentional, but his love for the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is clearly evident here.

Busch gives me what he calls the quick tour, which it is. I'm overwhelmed as I'm run from room to room; an office with a life size Han Solo in frozen carbonite here, a room that serves as a warehouse of apparel there. Busch plays it off, "This is the boring part of the house, wait until you see it downstairs."

I'm led to the backyard which looks like an exotic resort, even though it's half under construction. His porch looks like the top of a huge stone castle turret overlooking an assortment of trees, many of which serve as privacy. Looking beyond them, it's obvious that Busch stands out in this neighborhood. He admits that he doesn't fit in, but then again, where would he?

Insisting we do the interview downstairs, I soon understand why. Busch has transformed his basement into the ultimate working playground. Apparently, the home was custom built with the basement actually larger than the main floor, which gave Busch the opportunity to divide up the rooms into every asset he would need to work... and play.

Right away, you see a full size bar and vintage video arcade, which I head straight for. Busch indulges me in a two-player game of the original coin-op version of Mortal Kombat and Frankenstein pinball machine, before leading me through a seemingly endless set of rooms. An art studio, a warehouse full of comic books and other products he sells on his web site, an actual recording studio- complete with rock star stage lighting, and a state-of-the-art home theater that would make Spielberg feel at home.

Busch leads me through several other rooms under construction before we he makes some drinks (insisting I have a White Russian) and we sit down in his low-lit private gallery. Kicking back in white leather couches, we're surrounded by some of Busch's most well-known pieces from Star Wars, The Crow, and The Hulk.

BRANDT KELLER: Are these your favorites?

MATT BUSCH: Not necessarily. Some of them. My favorite painting is always the most recent one I've done. These are oldies, but goodies.

KELLER: Let me just get this out there, before we start. I wasn't planning a traditional interview. I read some of your other [interviews] Online, and one of the things that struck me was that everyone asks you the same questions.

BUSCH: Sure.

KELLER: So I'm going to try not to do that. First of all, you have all these talents, all these different things that you do. What do you see yourself as? An artist? A storyteller? Does the word 'artist' encompass everything you are and want to be?

BUSCH: I think so. 'Artist' can be a vague term, but I think in todays day and age, all these different artistic mediums kind of cross over into one another. It's hard to separate them, so, if I had to be labeled one thing, 'artist' works for me just fine.

KELLER: Well, let me say, for an artist, your house is pretty impressive. It's straight out of an episode of MTV Cribs, yet you also seem to have quite a functional set of studios here. It seems like you run an empire here, yet no sign of any employees.

BUSCH: (laughs) No, it's pretty much just me. I have Paul [Michael Kane] maintaining the web site and a company called Tagline Media that's doing my publicity now. I have half a dozen companies that license my stuff, and I have friends here and there who I hire as personal assistants. But for the most part, it's just me. That was the whole point of designing a place like this. It's a playground, but it's also a facility where I can wake up in the morning, and I have all I need to create at my fingertips. Not a lot slows me down or gets in the way.

KELLER: Are there artists you admire that work like this?

BUSCH: Well, most artists work from home, but having facilities like this was really more a dream from seeing how certain filmmakers and rock stars work.

KELLER: Like who?

BUSCH: Well, like my buddy Rikki Rockett from the band Poison. When I lived in L.A., I spent a lot of time with him at his 3 story mansion that hangs off a cliff. The house was just amazing. If you know anything about Rikki, he's got all these other artists endeavors he has going on outside of being a drummer. He studies Brazilian Jui-Jitsu; he started a comic book company [No Mercy Comics]; he started a designer clothing company [Old Ghosts]; he's an independent filmmaker; he collects cars and motorcycles...

KELLER: So he has a house like this?

BUSCH: Well, I'd say it's a bit more impressive than this. But it was similar in that he has a warehouse-size garage to work on his bikes. He's got a recording studio. He's got a digital art room loaded with Macs. He's got a nice mini movie theater like me. I just loved how, when he wasn't on tour, he'd just wake up in the morning and say, 'What do I feel like doing today?' And he'd do it. I love that.

KELLER: And that's pretty much what you have going on here.

BUSCH: Exactly.

KELLER: Which filmmakers' houses are you inspired by?

BUSCH: I don't know that many, to tell you the truth, save for George Lucas. But I've heard stories about guys like Robert Rodreguez. He does everything for his movies. He even composes music. And he does it all from his house in Texas. He obviosuly shoots on location, but then he does everything else from the comforts of his home.

KELLER: He's multi-talented, obviously.

BUSCH: That's why I'm finding myself identifying more with cats like that. Guys like Kevin Smith who makes movies, but also writes comic books, makes action figures; he does it all.

KELLER: Do you find a natural connection between all the arts?

BUSCH: Of course. There's totally a connection. To me, drawing is just like painting, is just like playing the guitar, is just like writing a story, is just like making a movie. It's all the same. It's all about expressing an idea or story creatively.

KELLER: Rob Zombie would be a good example.

BUSCH: Yeah, I love that about guys like Rob Zombie and even Marilyn Manson. Both are known as rock stars, but both also are really good visual artists, both are writers, and both have directed music videos and moved into filmmaking. The singer of My Chemical Romance is writing comic books now, too.

KELLER: Speaking of rock stars, how did you come up with 'The Rock Star of Illustration?'

BUSCH: Well, that was just the title of an article that was written about me. I certainly don't think I'm a rock star, but it sounds kind of cool, so I'm not gonna argue it. Actually, it's kind of funny. Early in my career, what I wanted to become was an 'Art Star.'

KELLER: An art star?

BUSCH: Well, yeah. If you make it as a musician, you become a rock star. If you make it as an actor, you become a movie star.

KELLER: You have porn stars.

BUSCH: Right, and if you you are big in sports, you become an All-Star, and so on. But why aren't there any 'Art Stars?'

KELLER: Well, hundreds of years ago, artists of the day were certainly celebrities, as were poets and music composers.

BUSCH: Right, and that's why early in my career, it was my mission to start this whole 'Art Star' thing. It'd be nice if we artists got more attention than we do. Anyway, it's kind of fallen to the wayside, so when I got the whole 'Rock Star of Illustration' thing, I was content with that.

At that point, Busch notices my drink is empty. He heads back to the bar to make another, saying it's customary for him to provide alcohol to reporters. (Apparently there was even a deleted scene in Conjure where he does so.) I don't fight it.

KELLER: Lets get back to influences. Who are some of your favorite artists?

BUSCH: I draw influence from everywhere, really. Some of my biggest influences are filmmakers, just because I'm a storyteller at heart. I also look up to a lot of rock stars, or even someone like Dane Cook, who has really done an incredible job marketing and promoting himself. The guy is brilliant. He's a workhorse for sure, and deserves every penny he's made.

KELLER: A lot of people say that about you.

BUSCH: Yeah, well, the whole self promotion thing can be a little strange. Sometimes it seems like you're just patting yourself on the back, but it's essential to any artist, musician, or filmmaker, especially if you're trying to break in the business. You need to sell yourself. No one is just gonna come knocking at your door and offer you a career. You need to make it yourself, and there are always new heights to take it to, once you're there.

KELLER: Back to influences- what about artists and painters, specifically?

BUSCH: The style you see me do the most is obviously inspired by the big movie poster cats, like John Alvin, Drew Struzan, David Grove and Michael Dudash. I love the classic illustrators like J. C. Leyendecker, Gil Elvgren and Norman Rockwell. My favorite comic book artists are guys like Adam Hughes, J. Scott Campbell, Travis Charest, Cam Kennedy and Mike Mignola.

KELLER: I was reading somewhere about newer influences, like Dave McKean.

BUSCH: Oh yeah! I'm really moved by some of the more evocative stuff out there, like Dave McKean, Bill Sienkiewicz, David Mack, and Ben Templesmith. I see that being more of a direction you'll see in my art as the years go by. People are so used to my narrative work, though, that it'd be hard to just jump right into it. I don't think people want to see that from me. Not yet, anyway.

KELLER: I can tell by the classy theater you have that movies are a big part of your life.

BUSCH: Absolutely. And I honestly love every genre of movie out there. Horror, comedies, even most of the chick-flicks. I dig them all. Most people assume my favorite movie of all time has to be Star Wars, but it's actually a French movie called Amelie. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is number 2. Empire [Strikes Back] is probably number 3.

KELLER: I noticed in addition to your video arcade that you have several gaming consoles hooked up to your movie screen. Are you an avid gamer?

BUSCH: Not really. I tend to like the classic games better. I dig puzzle games like Tetris, and the side-scrolling stuff like Super Mario and Sonic. But for the newer, 3-D environment stuff, I can't get enough of the freaky supernatural games like Fatal Frame and Silent Hill.

KELLER: I see a lot of those paranormal-type themes in your own properties, like Alizarin's Journal and Conjure.

BUSCH: Yeah, I'm fascinated by it. I don't even know that I believe in ghosts, but I'm so intrigued by the idea. I find that kinda stuff way scarier than stuff like Jason, Freddie, or Michael. I'm more freaked out by movies like The Sixth Sense, The Ring, or even Poltergeist. There was also a really good Korean movie that freaked me out called Shutter.

KELLER: Were those inspiration for Conjure?

BUSCH: A little. There's a lot of Evil Dead going on there, too. I was playing a lot of Fatal Frame at the time. Conjure was really a mixed bag of inspiration. A lot of it stemmed from these crazy paranormal gatherings I used to have in college. [Busch later mentions that he is a member of PRISM, the Paranormal Research Investigators of Southeastern Michigan.] I think, the fact that [Conjure] was so experimental was what divided audiences.

KELLER: I was gonna say, in reading some of the reviews, it seemed like folks either really loved it, or really hated it.

BUSCH: And I'm so cool with that. The fact is, I made a movie, which is more than most can say. I made it my way, and I made zero compromises, which is also more than most can say, even in Hollywood. It didn't rake in millions at the box office, but I didn't spend millions, either.

KELLER: Are more movies in your future?

BUSCH: Oh, definitely. Conjure was such a learning curve, and a giant stepping stone- what I do next I think will really blow people away. I'm not even gonna talk about it yet because I want the product to speak for itself. Whether you liked Conjure or not, the next one will be way bigger, and way better.

KELLER: Speaking of Conjure, a year or so ago, there was some really big drama going on with the Online comic book tabloids.

BUSCH: (Smiles) I don't know what you're talking about.

KELLER: With the lead actress of Conjure [Busch's girlfriend at the time] and a certain well-known writer...

BUSCH: No comment. It's a dead issue. Yesterday's news.

KELLER: Well, clearly you've moved on to greener pastures.

BUSCH: I think anyone would agree that I'm in a much better place than I was two years ago, both personally and professionally. Analyze it any way you want. I've never been better or more on top of the world. It may be my own little world, but at least I'm on top of it.

KELLER: Planetmatt.

BUSCH: There you go.

Anatomy of a Photoshoot: Matt Busch - by Paul Michael Kane

August 24th, 2008 MATT BUSCH ON CANADIAN TV! Recently a special guest on Canada's entertaining comic book talk show, COMIC BOOK SYNDICATE, Matt Busch's episode segments are now on YouTube! Enjoy them Below! In addition to talking about his own career, Busch weighs in on Iron Man, Indiana Jones, and Clone Wars reviews. He also shares a Gene Simmons story, insight on George Lucas, a rant on Samuel L. Jackson, and how the heck Robocop ended up in Canada! *Note* There 5 segments to this episode, but Busch is only in the 4 attached below. However, the show is always entertaining, and often features great comic book artists and writers joining the fun. Be sure to check out many of their other episodes on YouTube right HERE!

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