Talking with Artist/Musician Troy Mighty About the End of the World

Words by Andrew Scoggins

In case you were unaware, there is a general sinking feeling permeating every aspect of our glitzy, plastic 21st century pop culture. Whether this feeling stems from the quickly escalating confrontation between Russia and the United States over Crimea, the slow leak of nuclear radiation from the Fukushima disaster, droughts, floods or even that fucking “#selfie” song, it feels as though our culture may be rapidly approaching the end times; and a local Sacramento musician and artist by the name of Troy Mighty can’t help but be absorbed in it as well.

“Evolution and the end of things; these are the things I think about. With the art and the music, there is just so much dark shit going on. We all justify these tiny little parts we have and don’t want to allow ourselves to think of the bigger picture,” said Troy.

{You Don't Have to Worry • 2013}

{You Don’t Have to Worry • 2013}

For more than a decade, Troy has been making music, most recently under the title of Dead Western. The music he makes is difficult to describe to anyone who hasn’t heard it. Molasses-slow minimalist compositions crawl in and between Troy’s unfathomably low baritone timbre as he drones carefully through dark lyrical voyages of the psyche. And now that same front man, with the deep brass vocal harmonies and taste for vaudevillian manifestos, is putting on an art show, God’s Eye, at the Sacramento State University Union Gallery from April 1 to 24, 2014—displaying what Troy refers to as “cartoons.” And while this might seem like a departure from his normal theatrical and bombastic aesthetic, the similarities to his music are buried deeper in the artwork, just as Troy meant it to be.

“I’m a slower person and I think through things at a slower pace. I try and appreciate the deeper things and pay more attention to the detail,” said Troy. “I appreciate people having to look. More and more you don’t have to look, don’t have to think, don’t have to wait more than a second, and I’m not about that.”

Because of Troy’s insistence upon people scouring for the deeper meaning in his work, it seems at times that some of his pieces are purposely obstinate and seemingly simple upon first glance. The baritone nature of his singing voice will undoubtedly turn some people off, just as his deliberately simple, cartoonish illustrations may be written off as kitsch. And this is entirely by design.

While those who are distracted by the modern lifestyle may end up walking out of Troy’s gallery scratching their heads at all the fuss, those who stay and puzzle out the meanings tucked away in the illustrations will ultimately find their pursuit rewarded with a rare gift: hope.

{Get Me the Hell out of Here • 2006}

{Get Me the Hell out of Here • 2006}


Troy’s artwork is framed in an easily digestible palette of psychedelic colors and an eye-catching composition, but the work also delves into some darker themes and subjects. Get Me the Hell Out of Here shows a fish, eyes wide and terrified, at the top of a roiling sea as pink and orange clouds converge upon it. The meaning is simple but the more one looks at it, the more haunting and ominous it becomes until the imagery somehow sticks. I’m not exactly sure who would hang something like that on their wall, but it’s definitely thought-provoking and gut-wrenching.

And even though there are some of his pieces that probe into that distinctly 21st century paranoia and fear, the other side of the artwork shows figures in blissful harmony together.

“The coupling, the sharing between people is a beautiful thing. I’m a very literal person and sometimes that comes out through my artwork,” said Troy.

Many of the drawings show fanciful beings binding to each other through an illustrated connection, while others seem content to strum guitars and enjoy the other odd-looking beings company. There’s an emotion through the work that’s palpable without the simple delivery, much of the effect would be lost.

When prompted to talk about the seemingly simplistic nature of his artwork, Troy laughed and said with his trademark deadpan, “I hate painting. It always feels like I’m using the wrong brush or need to be clued into the technique or something.”

{In My Kingdom, I Shall Grow • 2008}

{In My Kingdom, I Shall Grow • 2008}

Troy is completely self-taught as both a musician and artist. And while at times he laments not taking the chance to study either discipline in a formal setting, he also acknowledges certain advantages to working in a vacuum.

“I’m a person who is very influenced by things so it’s nice to get away from it. I used to be very into old ‘60s sax players who said if you want to play music, you shouldn’t listen to music,” Troy said.

This is not to say Troy has not had any influences on his work—underground comic book artists such as Julie Doucet, Chester Brown and Daniel Clowes were what originally drove Troy seriously into illustrating—but it has allowed him to strip down his work to the bare essentials, in his artwork and his music.

“I just present what needs to be there, not overworking it. My music as a solo musician where it’s just me and a guitar—it’s a skeleton but that’s all it needs to be,” Troy said.

In his artist statement he says: “It is necessary to seek our own story, moving through obstacles and intimidations as they appear, in order to confront the subtleties of difference in each other, and ultimately have our own tale told.”

In this summary seems to be the crux of Troy’s artistic ethos. He writes songs about the collapse of the human race, illustrates disturbing scenes that people shy away from in their daily lives, but ultimately he finds solace in the fact that there are other people in the world, like him, who are still striving to create an impact and a small bit of hope in the world.

{First three from the series Planned and Unplanned Connections • 2012}

{First three from the series Planned and Unplanned Connections • 2012}

“I used to have a roommate who traveled all throughout Eastern Europe during some really tumultuous times, and I remember him telling me about how all these different punk bands started,” Troy said. “There were all these shows happening and people were trying to have the times of their lives and dance in the rubble. I think that same type of thing is going on now. It gets me down but I can’t let it. What can I do but push through and make some light of it?”

Through the illustrated bonds that exist between his fantastical figures and characters, Troy mirrors a true connection with the viewer that is hard to find in the modern world but he strives for it regardless. Troy’s Bandcamp states that Troy Mighty “demands to live” and creates music for people to “hide within and brave the world outside.” His art is simply another vehicle for that human-to-human connection that all artists strive for, that all people need if we are to truly brave the world outside in the coming future.

Check out God’s Eye at the Sacramento State University Union Gallery from April 1 to 24, 2014. A reception will be held on April 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. Prints of Troy’s work can be bought at Troymighty.com. For more info on other upcoming University Union events, go to Union.csus.edu.

{Awkward Moments • 2006}

{Awkward Moments • 2006}

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