Gus Morais, TAYLOR SWIFT: Unofficial Search and Find Biographies
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[0:45]Gus Murray is the author of Taylor Swift, Unofficial Search, and Find Biographies, and by
[0:50]the way, how exciting that today is the day for the new Taylor Drop album.
[0:56]I am like such a Swiftie, and my kids are Swifties, and anyway, we're all very, very excited
[1:02]around here.
[1:03]Gus Murray is an award-winning Brazilian illustrator based in Madrid, Spain, known for
[1:07]his intricate and vibrant illustrations filled with joy, densely populated scenes, and
[1:11]within nearly 15 years of experience, Gus has created work for major international clients
[1:16]across editorial, publishing, advertising, and entertainment, including The Washington
[1:21]Post, Warner Bros. Games, Lego, DC Comics, LucasArts, Wizarding World, and AT&T.
[1:26]He is the longtime creator of The Washington Post's annual Christmas Search, and Find
[1:30]Illustration.
[1:31]Welcome, guys.
[1:32]Thank you so much for coming on Totally Butte to talk about Taylor Swift, Unofficial
[1:36]Search, and Find Biographies, illustrated by you.
[1:39]Yeah.
[1:40]That's the one.
[1:41]I'm happy to share more details about this book with you.
[1:45]Yes, I can't wait.
[1:46]And you live in Spain now, is that right?
[1:47]You're Brazilian living in Spain?
[1:49]Yeah.
[1:50]Perfect.
[1:51]I've been living here in Spain for two years now, but, well, I lived all my life in Brazil.
[1:56]Wow.
[1:57]Amazing.
[1:58]And you are, I'm assuming, a Swiftie?
[2:00]Yes, no.
[2:01]Well, I'll be very honest here about this.
[2:04]I knew very little about Taylor Swift when I started this book.
[2:08]My sister was like the big Swiftie that I knew.
[2:11]So I started making lots of research, and, well, listen to all the songs, all the albums.
[2:19]I've read all the lyrics carefully.
[2:21]And, well, I love doing research, so far as great, it was so cool.
[2:26]And that's it.
[2:27]In the end of the process, I can say that a lot about Taylor Swift.
[2:31]I can't talk a lot about songs and, you know, the lyrics and the mimis and everything
[2:37]about Taylor Swift, because I had to make this immersion into these universe, which is
[2:43]very, you know, very complex, poor, rich, imaginary.
[2:47]And that's it.
[2:48]Wow.
[2:49]So how did this project come to be then?
[2:51]Your sister asked you to do it, or you were assigned from the publisher.
[2:53]What happened?
[2:54]No, no.
[2:55]So, it was like this.
[2:57]The publisher, which is from the Cider Muke Press and Harper College focus, they contacted
[3:04]me asking to make a search and find book.
[3:09]And when I've made the first, you know, the first meetings I had to discuss some details
[3:15]about my process with the design team.
[3:18]But I still didn't know yet about what would be the certain fine book.
[3:23]And then I had the opportunity to discuss it with the, well, with the publisher himself.
[3:29]And he brought the idea like, hey, guys, we wanted so much to make this search and find
[3:34]book with you.
[3:35]And we have this idea of making, you know, biographies, but in search and find form.
[3:41]So figure out telling the story of the life of someone and using the search and find
[3:47]style to show the details, to show Easter eggs.
[3:50]And then he said, and the first person I am thinking about is Taylor Swift.
[3:54]And then, well, like I said, I didn't know very much about Taylor Swift, but I knew something,
[4:00]I knew things like I knew about her music videos, which are two of the tales.
[4:04]I know that there is a lot of lore of, you know, the things that they built, the concepts
[4:10]for every album and the fans also helped to build part of this lore by, you know, contributing
[4:16]with lots of things.
[4:18]So when he told me that I was like, okay, I have a big word to do now with research.
[4:24]But I thought it was great because I knew it was an artist with lots of things for
[4:30]mutual research to draw.
[4:33]And well, Taylor Swift is very colorful and like making, you know, colorful in the tail
[4:40]drawings.
[4:41]She's all about Easter eggs.
[4:43]So this is something in common with my work, which is, you know, basically making the
[4:48]two illustrations, but with lots of things for people to find.
[4:53]And so I thought it was a perfect choice to make this first biography book, starting
[4:59]with Taylor Swift.
[5:00]Perfect.
[5:01]As well.
[5:02]My sister actually is very happy right now because she's a huge fan and she has no, you
[5:08]know, the book made by her brother, Chirid, about, you know, her favorite artist.
[5:15]So it was very cool for me too.
[5:17]Oh, that's amazing.
[5:19]I love it.
[5:20]Were you surprised when she announced Confessions of a Showgirl, the new album, which when
[5:25]this releases, it will be on the day, this album is coming out.
[5:29]What do you expect given how much you know about what she writes about?
[5:34]What do you, what do you, do you have any guesses as to the content of the album or
[5:39]anything else?
[5:40]Okay.
[5:41]So this news about the new album where like, you know, we're approaching the book
[5:47]right now.
[5:48]And I keep like reading everything about the news and et cetera about Taylor Swift because
[5:54]well, it's, it's, I made a book about her, about her career.
[5:59]So I like to keep track of what she's doing.
[6:02]And I think it was great news.
[6:04]Actually, I think the book right now is like a very cool and interesting way for fans
[6:11]you know, they want fans to new fans to catch up with everything Taylor Swift has done so
[6:19]far.
[6:20]And to the new era starts.
[6:22]So I think that our book is being published, you know, in a great timeline.
[6:28]And well, as soon as the new record is like on store and stuff like that, I will keep
[6:35]my eye and my ears with all the stuff related to life of a showgirl.
[6:40]So I can, you know, bring new, new, new, new image, new illustrations, showing things
[6:47]about this new era.
[6:48]And you know, there are a lot of new things in Taylor Swift's life that could appear
[6:54]in this new era too like she's, I don't know, she's getting engaged in it.
[6:59]So I think there are a lot of interesting imagery that she already shared in the photo
[7:06]sessions for the new album, which gives some, I don't know, some Las Vegas vibes and,
[7:12]you know, this kind of stuff.
[7:13]So I keep an eye on it.
[7:15]So yeah, we, we're going to have something about the new era.
[7:20]But like I told you, I think this book is the perfect way to catch up with everything
[7:24]she has done so far.
[7:26]And to we see what she will develop for the new era, right?
[7:30]And I think I said the name wrong.
[7:32]Did I say confessions instead of life of a showgirl?
[7:35]Anyway, life of a showgirl.
[7:36]Sorry about that.
[7:38]My daughter would literally like kill me for getting that wrong.
[7:41]So I have, I have surrounded by Swifties.
[7:44]Have you ever been to have you been to a concert or no?
[7:46]No, no.
[7:47]When I was in, you know, when I arrived in Madrid, I heard that, well, that she was going
[7:53]to have two concerts here in Madrid.
[7:56]So I didn't go to the concert, but I kind of kept, you know, reading the new scene.
[8:02]I could see the fans in the streets, like, you know, with these shirts and it's kind
[8:08]of when when she arrives to make a concert in a city, kind of everything around, you
[8:14]know, the concert.
[8:15]It changes a lot, the things in the city, you know, so I could see people kind of very
[8:19]excited and engaged in the streets to, to attend to the concert.
[8:24]But yeah, I haven't been in a concert, but that my sister was in, you know, I think
[8:30]two or three concerts of Taylor Swift already in Brazil.
[8:35]So I know it's a huge and special experience.
[8:40]She later shared with me some pictures and, you know, all the outfits that the fans create
[8:46]to, you know, oh, I love this song.
[8:48]So I will make an outfit with my own ideas to make a reference to the song.
[8:53]So it's incredible.
[8:54]I think it's so fun.
[8:55]I've been to two Taylor Swift concerts.
[8:58]I have to say.
[8:59]Oh, yeah.
[9:00]I'm very, very lucky.
[9:01]My daughter, as I mentioned, one of my four kids is super obsessed.
[9:05]And so we've been following her forever.
[9:07]I wore a shirt that said in my mom era, which I thought was hilarious.
[9:10]So anyway, I eagerly awaiting the album and I know that I will be hearing it through my,
[9:16]through my kids and myself, honestly, with this book though, which is incredible.
[9:21]I mean, it's the Where's Waldo Taylor Swift.
[9:23]It's really insane.
[9:24]And every color palette of each illustration, two page spread is different.
[9:31]The tone is different, the vibe.
[9:33]And yet you hide all these things in each like illustration with so many things.
[9:38]I mean, how many, how many elements do you think are in each one with people and buildings?
[9:44]And there must be focus.
[9:45]Yeah.
[9:46]No, it's a lot.
[9:47]Well, I can give you like a rough call.
[9:50]You know, like, I think for people, well, in a regular spread, I usually add like, you know,
[9:57]400 to 600.
[10:00]people in a spread and this is a lot if you consider I will show you one example here
[10:06]for an example this one okay where we show the we're looking at the this is the fearless
[10:12]2006 2010 spread yes so yeah it's like kind of high school scene right so yeah we have here
[10:22]for example 500 600 maybe more okay sometimes 800 people and well actually it's too to be
[10:31]clear with you about this when I start before I start drawing I make a research where well
[10:37]first of all I've read a lot about Taylor Swift listen to the awesome but I make lots of notes
[10:42]and if I find something interesting I will be putting a note and put it you know like okay
[10:48]she had this dog at this time and it was you know a dog like that we thought where with this
[10:54]collar I had this note there or for example well where she lived in the Christmas tree farm
[11:01]her family had this kind of car and how do I know she had this kind of car because I was like
[11:08]you know playing in the posing the videos the music videos where she was sharing footage from her
[11:15]childhood like Christmas tree farm video there is another song also where she shows also some
[11:22]emails and videos from her childhood and well I just kept notes a lot of notes and when I have a
[11:29]very big list so like I think 50 100 Easter eggs you know then I start composing and sketching
[11:40]and drawing and fitting everything wherever it's possible and also you know regarding the
[11:47]spaces and locations for example for the first spread which is like for the debut terror right
[11:56]so we show some scenes here from her childhood or from her teenage years so yeah for this one I
[12:06]was kind thank you David but this one I was like searching for the architecture of the bars and
[12:14]the concert houses in Nashville for example more for example in the bluebird cafe where you know
[12:21]Taylor was kind of discovered there like okay let's let's go and then I have a the bluebird cafe
[12:28]drone in a very similar effector style so the main buildings from Nashville you know some skyscrapers
[12:35]they are there to the school where she studied is also there with the school this is all
[12:41]visiting a research and for me it's like for searching find is the more material the more
[12:48]information I had the better for the drones so it's impossible to make a searching find with like
[12:54]you know five items to find so for me the more I have the more I add in yes I think the the
[13:01]fence who you know we're starting to learn about Taylor or who already know a lot about her
[13:07]we'll have different levels of things to find some we'll find like 100 things
[13:13]mother ones we'll find like 200 some ones we'll find less or more but I think this is a fun
[13:20]thing because I think each one of the fans will have its own experience you know and we'll be able
[13:27]to relate to the moment of her career or that specific album so well that's a lot of
[13:34]thank you I'm ridiculously impressed by how much you could fit in here the creativity involved
[13:42]my favorite page is this double spread in the middle of the auras tour which as I told you
[13:47]I went to that concert but still the way you did it so in the middle you have this amazing spread
[13:54]where yeah you can open it up oh my gosh it's like it's such it it's so cool look at that stadium
[14:01]oh my gosh yeah anyway this this is such a work of art and it's just amazing I just I know I keep
[14:09]saying that word but it's breathtaking how much work and effort and time I mean how long did this
[14:14]whole book take you to put together I think in total maybe eight to nine months I think it was yeah
[14:22]so some early time with research and then there were many time for his catching drawing
[14:29]and coloring I think that was it and we have some of course we have some extra time from the design
[14:35]team go as you could see it made a marvelous job like this this file here this is very I love it
[14:42]you know shines like it's incredible so they were very very very careful with the material so
[14:50]the book looks like you know the most beautiful it could look so I think it took a bit more time
[14:57]then this night my part was like eight to nine months researching and drawing everything well
[15:03]this is even this heart on the cover that shimmers yeah just the coolest are you going to do
[15:10]another like what is your next project and are you going to do another illustration around
[15:15]the next phase this new album and the next phase and her getting married and all the stuff
[15:20]okay so yeah we're going to make another illustration another spread we don't know yet how we are
[15:27]going to approach this but we are going definitely to have an spread about this new era we it's like
[15:35]I think it's a matter of see how this era develops yeah the things that she will bring to the
[15:41]concerts the Easter eggs that she will hide in the you know in the music videos the fans will bring
[15:48]new stuff too so I think it's something that I will build while the this new era develops so
[15:56]we are we are going to have this for sure and we are figuring out ways of doing this in a you know
[16:03]in a cool way so yeah we are going to have it I already have some ideas we have to wait
[16:08]because you know it's to be really severe but yes and are you going to take on any other
[16:15]search and find books like what's the next one in the series going to be okay so I have a
[16:22]I've been preaching a very special partnership with cider milk present HarperCollins so
[16:29]we're kind of making a universe of new search and find books this is the idea so the next one
[16:36]that we are creating right now is is not about biography about some celebrity I'm making a search
[16:44]and find with Halloween theme but with my own approach to it so I've been developing you know
[16:52]my way of working is like I like to pay homage to traditional things but I like to bring
[16:59]a more modern and fresh twist to it so it's like you know my book you can say well it's you know
[17:07]like where is Waldo for for switches yeah I think it could be a way of telling this and yes
[17:15]I am a big fan of the work of the outer of where is Waldo which is marching hand poured and
[17:22]yeah it's great just one of my biggest references but my use for example my use of colors are the
[17:30]future references from you know pop future and all this stuff as something is I think that
[17:36]are part of my time and of my life so I try to you know bring this approach of the big plastic
[17:43]traditional search and find that I love with a new approach which looks like fresh and modern and
[17:49]for this Halloween book will be the same so yeah you can expect like cookies and you know it's
[17:56]scary things but mix it with lots of fun and creating some crazy characters and having you
[18:04]know lots of fun creating it and and yes we are going to have some other book about other artists
[18:11]or you know important cultural figures in the in the world but this is still being defined it
[18:17]very exciting well I love this book so much it is the perfect gift it is the perfect way to celebrate
[18:25]the new album and get a piece of Taylor's world even if you are not at the concert and even if
[18:32]you're not a big Swiftie it is still a really great intellectual exercise to try to find and hunt
[18:37]down all these things that you've hidden here so geniously so congratulations on this fabulous
[18:45]fun food to Taylor for all ages really congratulations thank you very much ZV and I'd like to
[18:52]just show you told something interesting like all people who are not exactly Swifties could read the
[18:58]book and have some fun and I truly believe this because one of the interesting aspects of this
[19:05]book is well I've read all the lyrics right from Taylor and for ever spread its spread is
[19:12]related to an era to an album right so I've drawn one specific you know situation based in
[19:20]my interpretation of each lyric from each album and you know Taylor Swift songs tell a lot about
[19:28]you know feelings and and and very you know sometimes very intimate things and things that
[19:35]people the fans can relate to you know to the lyrics and I think even if you're not a fan you can
[19:42]you know read a lyric and have like whoa this is nice I actually during my research I was reading
[19:48]some lyrics that I was like whoa this is a this is a great line so this means that you know
[19:55]I think in this way the book can communicate too okay
[20:00]And one level, one deeper level with fans,
[20:03]but people who don't know very much about Tiller Swift,
[20:05]they will have a bunch of material to learn about her life,
[20:09]but also to have fun with the situations that I've drawn.
[20:13]And so yeah, actually some situations
[20:16]that I'm more like emotional too, not always funny.
[20:19]So there are many ways to approach these little drawings,
[20:23]the little situations, the little stories
[20:25]that I've included in the book.
[20:27]So yeah, I think it's like it's a good gift
[20:31]to everyone who may enjoy having a cool time
[20:36]with a certain fine book.
[20:37]And are you sending her a copy?
[20:40]Well, I have to figure this out with my focus,
[20:44]but I would love for you and your own show,
[20:48]to take a look and I'd love to tell you
[20:50]that I made this with lots of respect
[20:53]and to ever detail, I wanted to make our work
[20:58]that was true to the complexity and other,
[21:03]other work, other feelings, everything
[21:05]that she has put into her work.
[21:08]So I was very respectful to that.
[21:10]And well, if she likes it, I think it's amazing.
[21:13]Amazing.
[21:15]Well, congrats.
[21:16]I'm hoping that she is the next one holding this up
[21:18]and telling everybody to go find her with it.
[21:22]Congratulations, guys, and wishing you all the best.
[21:25]Thank you very much, Zibi.
[21:27]Thank you.
[21:28]Take care.
[21:28]Thank you.
[21:29]Bye-bye.
[21:30]Thank you for listening to totally booked with Zibi,
[21:33]formerly Momstone, I have time to read books.
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[21:43]Thanks so much.
[21:44]Oh, and bye the books.