A Father's Day Q&A with Reg Mombassa

In honour of Father's Day here in Oz we pulled together at team Third Drawer Down and gathered a bunch of questions for the coolest Dad artist going, Reg Mombassa. We launched our collaboration with Reg Mombassa this time last year - with a rainy BBQ no less (cheers Melbourne) so there really is no better time to re-visit one of our favourite collections to date!

Here's a few things we wanted to ask the man of the hour.

1. Which species of Australian fauna best represents you and why?
-The Kengaroo i.e. a kangaroo with the head of a kiwi. Kengaroo is the New Zealand pronunciation of kangaroo. This animal represents me because it is a trans-Tasman creature.

2. Surf or Turf - Do you like spending your free time outdoors? near the ocean? inland? or at home in the studio?

- The only free time I have is spent reading the paper or watching television, so probably indoors. I do enjoy drawing en plein air either at coastal or inland locations.

3. If Australia went ahead with redesigning their flag (that has recently been ccriticised for copying the NZ flag) would you volunteer a design? What would it look like?

- Yes, my design would be a glittering blowfly, on a sky blue background. The blowfly is our most significant creature numerically and we have the largest sky of any nation.

4. Have you ever eaten at 'Lentil as Anything’? If so, what did you think?

- No, but it is a good name.

5. Reg Mombassa is your pseudonym, what’s the story behind the name? And why do you use it?

- When the Mentals began playing we would amuse ourselves by inventing ridiculous pseudonyms. I thought a plain and robust first name with an exotic surname would be amusing. It could have been a more difficult name to live with, prior to the Reg moniker my name was Dorky Bladder. Once the public knows your name it is difficult to change it and to some extent, it can be useful to hide behind a false name.

6. You're known for your work with clothing brand ‘Mambo’, how did this happen? And are you interested in fashion?

- I have zero interest in fashion but I appreciate the opportunity to get my images onto things other than canvas and paper. Dare Jennings, the founder of Mambo liked a record cover I had done for the Mentals and asked me to redo some of the elements from it for a yardage design.

7. What would you do if you were omnipotent?

- I would compel humans to be less rigidly and violently defensive of their ridiculous belief systems.

8. Which of your works is your favourite and why?

- I don't recall having any favourites but I like some of the paintings of our family homes that my father built. They are a mark of respect for him and fond reflections on family history.

9. Your daughter is a comedian and killing it! We think she is brilliant. Is comedy and laughter a big part of your home? Does her awesome sense of humour come from you basically :)

- The entire family enjoy absurd humour and cheerful buffoonery. Claudia has developed her own comedic sensibility but if there is a genetic component inherited through the bloodline I would be happy to acknowledge it

Check out this adorable family. Happy Father's Day to all the Rad-Dads out there. We applaud you.

You can shop the Reg Mombassa collection here. Including the Scenery Tea Towel - our personal favourite.

Posted on August 31, 2018

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