Peter Bagge's work was first published in The East Village Eye in 1980, and over the next five years his work appeared regularly in High Times, Screw, and other publications. He also self-published three issues of the comic Comical Funnies along with cartoonist friends John Holmstrom and JD King, and a comic book called Wacky World with Ken Weiner. In 1984, the Bagges relocated to Seattle, WA around which time Peter had begun serving as managing editor of R. Crumb's comic anthology, Weirdo. 1985 also saw the birth of Neat Stuff, Bagge's first regular solo title. Both Neat Stuff and its successor, Hate, were published by Fantagraphics, who continue to keep most of Bagge's back catalog in print in one form or another.

Debuting in 1990, Hate Comics chronicled the misadventures of Bagge's semi-autobiographical Bradley family.

Peter has stayed busy.  Recently, Peter did two drawings for Curse.  He's also working on a comic strip version of Murry Wilson: Rock 'N' Roll Dad for Razor Magazine,  a Spiderman project, and he wrote the introduction to Volume 6 of The Complete Crumb Comics (available from Fantagraphics).

Updated: 3/8/02

Curse Interviews Peter Bagge
How has art and music intertwined over the history of rock in your opinion?    
Peter:  Well, there's always been album covers!  Seriously though, that's a tough question to answer, since music itself is an art, and rock in particular is a very VISUAL form of music.  Plus many artists and cartoonists I know are also musicians, so the impulse to create both rock and comic art seem to be very similar ones. 
What album cover art is your favorite/stands out in your mind?     
Huh.  That really depends on how it matches up with the music.  For example, I think the sleeve design to "The Beatles" is brilliant, even though the outside of it has nothing on it!  I also used to love Roger Dean's old YES cover sleeves, even though my own work looks nothing like it, because it also reflected the music so well. 
Has the importance of album cover art cover changed?     
I don't think so.  It's changed in that CDs are much smaller than LPs, so the covers are less splashier, but they seem to compensate for that by having CD booklets.  I just wish those booklets had bigger type so I could READ the damn things! 
Were there any album covers that offended you?     
Not in some puritanical sense, but I'll be annoyed and disappointed when it's obvious that very little thought or effort went into a cover's design. 
Are there any album covers that impressed you recently?     
The one I did for you!  Ha ha.  That's hard for me to say since I don't buy a wide variety of CDs these days.  My daughter's new A Teens CD has some excellent photography in it, though. 
How did you determine what kind of music Buddy Bradley would enjoy?     Since Buddy is based on me, the music he likes and dislikes tend to reflect my own taste.
How have your characters been shaped by music?    
 I wouldn't say they've been "shaped" by music, but the music they listen to certainly reflects their personalities and identities, which is true of everyone. 
What types of bands do you listen to these days?    
 I listen to a lot of my daughter's teeny bopper crap!  A lot of it IS crap, but some of it I think is truly amazing, and reminds me of the music I listened to when I was her age.  It has that same disruptive energy.  I also still listen to the same rockin' pop music that I grew up on and continued to listen to throughout the years: British Invasion. "power pop" and stuff like that. 
Do you listen to music when you draw?    
Yes, though I'm more inclined to just play the radio.  I also listen to older or calmer music while I draw than the type of music that I just described as my favorite, since that type is too distracting! 
What are your upcoming projects?     
Next month, (April '02) a one-shot issue of SPIDER-MAN will be out that I wrote and drew!  I also will have another HATE ANNUAL out by the end of this year, and I may start writing a new title for DC called "Sweatshop," which basically lampoons the comics industry.  You can find out more and keep updated by going to: http://www.peterbagge.com