View source for David Rees (cartoonist)

{{short description|American humorist}}
{{other people||David Rees (disambiguation){{!}}David Rees}}
{{Infobox comics creator
| name          = David Rees
| image         = David Rees (American cartoonist).jpg
| caption       = Rees in 2012
| birth_name    = 
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1972|6|22|mf=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina]], United States
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| area          = Cartoonist, writer, artist, television host
| alias         = 
| notable works = ''[[Get Your War On]]''
| awards        = 
| website       = {{url|http://mnftiu.cc}}
| spouse        = {{ubl|{{marriage|Sarah Lariviere|2002|2012|reason=div}}|{{marriage|Emily Yoshida|2018|2022|reason=div}}}}
}}
'''David Thomas Rees''' ({{IPAc-en|r|iː|s}} {{respell|REESS}};<ref name="pronunc_rees_morotherboard">{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KabOfnbS4TQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/KabOfnbS4TQ |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=MotherboardTV: "The Finer Points of David Rees"|access-date=2013-02-07}}{{cbignore}}</ref> born June 22, 1972) is a [[humorist]] and [[cultural critic]]. He first rose to prominence as a [[cartoonist]] whose best-known work combined bland [[clip art]] with "[[trash-talk|trash talk]]". Rees later created an artisanal pencil sharpening service and published a related book on the subject. He co-created and hosted two seasons of the television series ''[[Going Deep with David Rees]]''.<ref name="vulture">{{cite web |last1=Rees |first1=David |title=David Rees on How to Make Your Own TV Show |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/08/david-rees-how-to-make-your-own-tv-show-going-deep.html |website=Vulture|date=25 August 2014 }}</ref> He is also the co-creator and co-host of the podcast ''Election Profit Makers''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-01 |title=Election Profit Makers |url=https://podnews.net/podcast/i4g4o |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=podnews.net |language=en}}</ref> 

==Early life==
Rees grew up in [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina]],{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}} and was an avid reader of ''[[Rex Morgan, M.D.]]'' comics. According to Rees, while a young man he and three of his friends recorded over 2,000 songs as members of a "secret band".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pet Store, Post Robbery, episode #41 of SPONTANEANATION with Paul F. Tompkins on Earwolf|url=https://www.earwolf.com/episode/pet-store-post-robbery/|access-date=2020-11-14|website=www.earwolf.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

He is a graduate of [[Oberlin College]], and drew comics for the school's newspaper, ''[[The Oberlin Review]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/58537/pooters-skymall-and-haterade-david-rees-interview |title=Pooters, SkyMall, and Haterade – The David Rees Interview |last1=Higgins |first1=Chris|date=August 24, 2014 |website=[[Mental Floss]] |access-date=August 25, 2014}}</ref>

==Career==

===Cartoonist===
Rees first became known for his [[Office cubicle|office-cubicle]] [[Humour|humor]] that was inspired by his experience working in a basement for [[Citigroup|Citicorp]]. He also pulled his humor from his experience as a [[Part-time job|part-time]] fact-checker for ''[[Maxim (magazine)|Maxim]]'' and ''[[Martha Stewart Weddings]]'' magazines.

There are five collected volumes of his work. His best known and most controversial comic is ''[[Get Your War On]]'', which has been translated into [[French language|French]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Italian language|Italian]].<ref>{{cite web|work=Soft Skull Press |title=Get Your War On |url=http://softskull.com/get-your-war-on/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402160543/http://softskull.com/get-your-war-on/ |archive-date=2015-04-02 }}</ref> When the follow-up volume, ''Get Your War On II'' was published, Rees donated all the [[Royalty payment|royalties]] of both books (more than $100,000) to [[Adopt-A-Minefield|Adopt-a-Minefield]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jory|first1=John|title=The Rumpus Interview with David Rees|url=http://therumpus.net/2012/09/the-rumpus-interview-with-david-rees/|website=The Rumpus|date=11 September 2012 }}</ref> an organization that works to remove landmines from post-conflict areas. He is also the author of the comic strips ''My New Fighting Technique is Unstoppable'', ''My New Filing Technique is Unstoppable'', and ''Adventures of Confessions of Saint Augustine Bear''.

===Artisanal Pencil Sharpening===
In 2010, Rees worked as a [[civil servant]] for the [[United States Census Bureau]], a position that revitalized his interest in pencils.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Jenni|title=Interview with David Rees, Author of How to Sharpen Pencils|url=https://www.gq.com/story/david-rees-get-your-war-on-how-to-sharpen-pencils|access-date=2020-09-07|website=GQ|date=10 April 2012 |language=en-us}}</ref>

In July 2010, Rees announced an Artisanal Pencil Sharpening service. Rees said that, for prices starting at $15, people could buy a sharpened pencil or mail in a pencil to be sharpened by him. Rees claimed to be a craftsman in "the age-old art of manual pencil sharpening", saying his “artisanal service is perfect for artists, writers, and standardized test takers." He also sold art prints bundled with a sharpened pencil.<ref>[http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com/ Artisanal Pencil Sharpening website]</ref><ref>[http://www.details.com/blogs/daily-details/2010/06/three-questions-for-david-rees-about-his-new-artisanal-pencil-sharpening-project.html Three Questions for David Rees About His New Artisanal Pencil-Sharpening Project], Daily Details</ref><ref>[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2010/08/david-rees-artisanal-pencil-sharpening.html For the person who has everything: artisanal pencil sharpening], ''Los Angeles Times''</ref> According to ''[[The New Yorker]]'', "This was before parody menus of [[Farm-to-table|farm-to-table restaurants]] had come out, before it was a cliché to make jokes about [[Mason jar]]s and pickle-making, and artisanal culture desperately needed to be mocked. For fifteen dollars, Rees would hand-sharpen your pencil, bag up the shavings, and send it all back to you with a certificate of authenticity. It was deeply, satisfyingly ridiculous, and he was besieged with orders".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Larson|first=Sarah|title=David Rees: Going Deep and Going Ridiculous|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/sarah-larson/david-rees-going-deep-going-ridiculous|access-date=2021-04-19|magazine=The New Yorker|date=15 August 2014 |language=en-us}}</ref>

Rees released a book entitled ''How to Sharpen Pencils'' in April 2012. ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it a methodical, deliberate and gleeful subversion and satire that "capture[s] the inherently joyless tedium of conveying specialized instructional information, while tipping off the reader that the cod liver oil is laced with laughing gas." It noted the book contains sections such as a list of common and uncommon children’s names, a comparison of the taste of certain wines versus the taste of certain pencils, and a guide to impressions of Sean Connery and Robert De Niro, but the review also noted that you can actually use the book to learn how to sharpen pencils.<ref>{{Cite news|last=McCall|first=Bruce|date=2012-07-27|title=Honing Skills|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/books/review/how-to-sharpen-pencils-by-david-rees.html|access-date=2021-04-19|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In 2016 Rees announced that he would be raising his price per pencil to $500 and said he did not know if anyone would accept the new price.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-04-08|title=Artisanal pencil sharpener calls it quits|url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.3527125/artisanal-pencil-sharpener-calls-it-quits-1.3527129|access-date=2020-09-07|website=CBC Radio}}</ref>

===Television and podcasting===
In July 2014 the TV show ''[[Going Deep with David Rees]]'' launched on the [[National Geographic Channel]]. The show featured Rees humorously investigating the [[science]] and process behind very basic tasks such as making ice, lighting matches and the tying of shoelaces.<ref name="Get Your War On’s David Rees wants to teach you fun but useless things on his new TV show">{{cite web|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|title=Get Your War On's David Rees wants to teach you fun but useless things on his new TV show|author=Modell, Josh|date=July 14, 2014|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/get-your-war-s-david-rees-wants-teach-you-fun-usel-206799}}</ref> For the second season, the show moved to the [[Esquire Network]].<ref>[http://tv.esquire.com/shows/going-deep-with-david-rees Esquire] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151128081821/http://tv.esquire.com/shows/going-deep-with-david-rees |date=2015-11-28 }}</ref>

Rees hosts the weekly podcast ''Election Profit Makers'' with his childhood friend Jon Kimball and [[Starlee Kine]] in which they discuss the prediction market website [[PredictIt|PredictIt.org]].<ref>[http://www.electionprofitmakers.com/ Election Profit Makers website]</ref> The podcast first appeared as a series of 17 episodes before the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 U.S. presidential election]] and returned in the months before the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 U.S. presidential election]].

Rees co-created the animated television series ''[[Dicktown (TV series)|Dicktown]]'' with [[John Hodgman]], and starred as the character David Purefoy. It was released in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Greene|first=Steve|date=2020-09-03|title='Dicktown': The Year's Funniest Animated Comedy Bloomed from a Real-Life Friendship|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/09/dicktown-hulu-fxx-john-hodgman-david-rees-interview-1234582724/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-19|website=IndieWire|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908152151/https://www.indiewire.com/2020/09/dicktown-hulu-fxx-john-hodgman-david-rees-interview-1234582724/ |archive-date=2020-09-08 }}</ref> ''Dicktown'' was renewed for a second season, which premiered in 2022.

===Music===
In late 2014 via his [[SoundCloud]] page, Rees released ''Aphex Swift'', a collection of eight songs that combined the vocals of [[Taylor Swift]] and the electronic music of [[Aphex Twin]]. The collection received positive mentions ranging from ''[[The Verge]]'', which called it "bizarrely good",<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kastrenakes|first1=Jacob|title=Listen to the bizarrely good Aphex Twin / Taylor Swift mashup album|url=https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2014/10/27/7078627/taylor-swift-aphex-twin-mashup-album-stream-bizarrely-good-combination|website=The Verge|date=27 October 2014 }}</ref> to ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' <ref>{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=William|title=Here's a great Taylor Swift/Aphex Twin mash-up by David Rees|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/heres-great-taylor-swiftaphex-twin-mash-david-rees-210936|website=AV Club|date=24 October 2014 |publisher=The Onion}}</ref> and ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Waxman|first1=Olivia B.|title=Taylor Swift Mashed Up With Aphex Twin Is Surprisingly Catchy|url=https://time.com/3541165/taylor-swift-aphex-twin-mashup/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> In 2021, Rees released his first album of original noise music titled, ''YOU AINT GOIN NOWHERE,'' on the flower sounds music label.<ref>{{Cite web |title=YOU AINT GOIN NOWHERE, by David Rees |url=https://flowersounds.bandcamp.com/album/you-aint-goin-nowhere |access-date=2022-04-25 |website=flower sounds |language=en}}</ref>

===Writing and blogging===
Over his career Rees has written for a variety of publications. Since May 2005, Rees has been a contributing [[blog]]ger at ''[[The Huffington Post]]''. In 2013, Rees began writing for ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s first scripted [[web series]] ''[[Codefellas]]''.<ref name="www.mnftiu.cc">{{cite web|author=David Rees|url=http://www.mnftiu.cc/2013/06/21/codefellas/|title=www.mnftiu.cc » Blog Archive » CODEFELLAS|publisher=[[WordPress]]|date=21 June 2013|access-date=2013-06-23}}</ref><ref name="Wired’s ‘Codefellas’ Plays NSA Privacy Flap for Laughs - Variety">{{cite web|author=Todd Spangler|url=https://variety.com/2013/digital/news/wireds-codefellas-plays-nsa-privacy-flap-for-laughs-1200500482/|title=Wired's 'Codefellas' Plays NSA Privacy Flap for Laughs |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=21 June 2013|access-date=2013-06-23}}</ref><ref name="John Hodgman LIVE - HuffPost Live">{{cite web|author=Camilleri, Ricky|url=http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/john-hodgman-netflix-special/51c085f52b8c2a0a5000008f|title=John Hodgman LIVE – HuffPost Live|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=20 June 2013|access-date=2013-06-23}}</ref>

==Personal life==

Rees married Sarah Lariviere<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leland |first1=John |title=Like 'Dilbert,' But Subversive And Online |work=The New York Times |date=21 April 2002 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/style/like-dilbert-but-subversive-and-online.html |access-date=20 July 2020}}</ref> in 2002; they [[divorce]]d in 2012.<ref>Jory, John. [http://therumpus.net/2012/09/the-rumpus-interview-with-david-rees/ "The Rumpus Interview with David Rees"], ''[[Rumpus Magazine]]'' (September 11, 2012). Accessed November 19, 2016.</ref>

In 2010, Rees lived in [[Beacon, New York]].<ref>Cauthon, Phil. [http://www.lawrence.com/news/2005/sep/26/q_and_david_rees/ "Q&A with David Rees: ''Get Your War On'' creator returns to Lawrence to spread the gospel of dissent", ''Best of Lawrence'' (September 26, 2005).] Accessed Oct. 7, 2008.</ref>

Rees married writer and filmmaker Emily Yoshida in 2018. They divorced in 2022.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://unicourt.com/case/ca-la23-yoshida-emily-vs-rees-david-772988 | title=Yoshida, Emily Vs Rees, David }}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* ''Get Your War On''. Brooklyn: Soft Skull, 2002. {{ISBN|1-887128-76-X}}.
* ''My New Fighting Technique is Unstoppable''. New York: Riverhead, 2003. {{ISBN|1-57322-373-5}}.
* ''My New Filing Technique is Unstoppable''. New York: Riverhead, 2004. {{ISBN|1-57322-382-4}}.
* ''Get Your War On II''. New York: Riverhead, 2004. {{ISBN|1-59448-048-6}}.
* ''Get Your War On: The Definitive Account of the War On Terror, 2001–2008''. Brooklyn: Soft Skull, 2008. {{ISBN|1-59376-213-5}}.
* ''How to Sharpen Pencils: A Practical and Theoretical Treatise on the Artisanal Craft of Pencil Sharpening''. Melville House, 2012. {{ISBN|1-61219-040-5}}.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Notes==
* Interview in ''[[The Comics Interpreter]]'' vol. 2, #3

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |author=Harrigan, Chris |date=Sep 2014 |title=A sharp mind |journal=Smith Journal |volume=12 |pages=40–42 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|David Rees (comic artist)|David Rees}}
* [http://www.mnftiu.cc/ MNFTIU] – David Rees's site, an [[initialism]] for ''My New Fighting'' (or ''Filing'') ''Technique Is Unstoppable''
* [http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com/ Artisanal Pencil Sharpening]
* [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-rees/ David Rees on The Huffington Post]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927014919/http://prague.tv/articles/zine/get-your-war-on David Rees interview] by Travis Jeppesen
* [https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/13q4qw/i_am_david_rees_founder_of_artisanal_pencil/ Interview with David Rees on Reddit (AMA)]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, David}}
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American cartoonists]]
[[Category:American webcomic creators]]
[[Category:HuffPost writers and columnists]]
[[Category:Oberlin College alumni]]
[[Category:People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina]]