Punk Art Surrealist Winston Smith first became famous for producing art for punk legends Dead Kennedys, and is known by wider audiences for his covers for Green Day and publications such as The New Yorker, Playboy, Spin, etc.
Winston has designed over 50 record covers and most recently collaborated with blues-rock recording artist Ben Harper for Harper’s album “White Lies for Dark Times” with band Relentless 7 (Virgin).
This page contains Winston’s complete, extended resume – including illustration, exhibitions and film and video.
“What always struck me about Winston’s work is his ability to make a profound comment purely by reshuffling found images in a way that is both humorous and pointed. Winston’s recent work is more beautiful than ever making his visual puns that are harsh indictments of the American Dream as an ideal even more jarring.” –Shepard Fairey
DISCOGRAPHY
- Dead Kennedys Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (Alternative Tentacles 1987 / Manifesto 2011)
- Dead Kennedys, Bedtime for Democracy (Alternative Tentacles 1986 / Manifesto 2010)
- Dead Kennedys, In God We Trust, Inc. (Statik 1981 / Manifesto 2010)
- Green Day, Insomniac (Reprise 1995 / Warner Bros. 2009)
- Ben Harper and Relentless 7, White Lies for Dark Times (Virgin, 2009)
- Ben Harper, Both Sides of the Gun (Virgin, 2006) Poster Insert
- Jello Biafra, In the Grip of Official Treason (Alternative Tentacles, 2006)
- Fish Karma, Theory of Intelligent Design (Alternative Tentacles, 2006)
- Electropolis, Electropolis (Innova, 2005)
- Order of the White Rose, War Machine (Unitree, 2006)
- Disaster Strikes, Freedom Toast (Alternative Tentacles, 2006)
- Ray Daytona and the Googoobombos, Fasten Seat Belt (Ammonia, 2005)
- The Leaving Trains, Amplified Pillows (Steel Cage Records, 2005)
- Duckmandu, Fresh Duck for Rotting Accordionists (Duckmandu, 2005)
- Burning Brides, Leave No Ashes (V2 Records, 2004)
- Jana Herzen, Soup’s on Fire (Motema, 2003)
- George Carlin, Complaints and Grievances (Atlantic Records, 2001)
- Storm, Inc., The Calm Years (Sw-South West Label Group, 2001)
- SWAG, Different Girls – Picture Disc (Space Baby, 2001)
- Dread Kennedys, In Dub We Trust (Underground Inc., 2000)
- Tijuana No!, Live at Bilbao (RCA International, 2000)
- The Scientists, Compilation and Enhanced CD (Herzenberg Lab, 1999)
- Jello Biafra, If Evolution Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Evolve (Alternative Tentacles, 1998)
- Tijuana No!, Contra Revolucion Avenue (RCA International, 1998)
- Frenchy, Che’s Lounge (Dionysus Records, 1998)
- Life After Life, Just Trip (Alternative Tentacles, 1997)
- Let There be Singles – compilation (Efa Imports, 1997)
- One Hit Wonder, Outfall (Nitro Records, 1997)
- Gout, Gout (Gout Records, 1997)
- Infested, Helpless White Grub (1996)
- Panic Now! – compilation (1996)
- Plainfield, She’s Not My Daughter, She’s My Wife (Import, 1995)
- Pluto, Shoehorse Emerging (Rastascan Records, 1995)
- The Futility of a Well Ordered Life – compilation (Alternative Tentacles, 1994)
- Jello Biafra, High Priest of Harmful Matter (Alternative Tentacles, 1993)
- Virus 100 – compilation (Alternative Tentacles, 1992)
- Jello Biafra with Nomeansno, The Sky Is Falling And I Want My Mommy (Alt. Tentacles, 1991)
- Jello Biafra with D.O.A., Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors (Alt. Tentacles, 1990)
- Lard, Last Temptation of Reid (Alternative Tentacles, 1990)
- Dead Facts, Who Needs the Truth (Import, 1990)
- Oops, Wrong Stereotype – compilation (Alternative Tentacles, 1988)
- Dead Kennedys, Plastic Surgery Disasters (Alternative Tentacles, 1982) Insert
- Dead Kennedys, Kill the Poor (Cherry Red, 1980) Back Cover
- Plus many more record covers for: Plainfield, Gout, One Hit Wonder, Infested…
Illustrations
Magazine Cover Illustrations
- LA Weekly (July 2004)
- Internazionale (March 2003)
- New Standpoints (May 2000)
- The New Yorker (April 2000)
- Red Herring (June 2000)
- The New Yorker (August 1999)
- Flipside (June 1999)
- Hit List (April 1999)
- Maximum Rock’n’Roll (September 1985)
- Maximum Rock’n’Roll (April 1984)
- San Jose Metro (multiple issues)
Magazine Content Illustrations
- Vice Magazine (June 2012)
- Playboy (March 2007)
- Playboy (January 2000)
- Playboy (October 1999)
- Playboy (March 1999)
- Playboy (January 1999)
- exclusive Spin illustrator for polical opinion page: Topspin (1995 – 1997)
- Spin (May 1997)
- Spin (April 1997)
- Spin (March 1997)
- Spin (January 1997)
- Spin (December 1996)
- Spin (November 1996)
- Spin (October 1996)
- Spin (September 1996)
- Spin (August 1996)
- Spin (July 1996)
- Spin (June 1996)
- Spin (March 1996)
- Spin (November 1995)
- Red Herring (July 2000)
- The Atlantic Monthly (January 2000)
- and many other magazines including: LA Weekly, Business Week, National Lampoon, The Progressive, Amazing Stories, Utne Reader, Mother Jones, Seconds, The Nose, Argonaut, Whole Earth Review, NME, SF Bay Guardian, Architectural Digest…
Book Illustrations
- Abnormal Psychology, Leading Researcher Perspectives (McGraw Hill, Australia, 2008) cover
- Emily the Strange #4, The Rock Issue (Dark Horse, 2007) contributor
- Greg Palast‘s New York Times Best Seller Armed Madhouse (Dutton Adult, 2006) cover
- The Bush Agenda, Antonia Juhasz UK Release (Duckworth Publishers, 2006) cover
- Gangster Capitalism, Michael Woodiwiss (Basic Books, 2005) cover
- The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, Greg Palast (Plume, 2004) inside
- The Thresher, The Second One (Altar Inc., 2002) cover
- The Thresher, Flailing at Current Events (Altar Inc., 2001) cover
Logo Design
- Dead Kennedys
- Alternative Tentacles
- Motema
- Quintain
- Order of the White Rose
- Executioner
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Posters and Flyers
Band Posters
- Moonalice – Auburn Events Center, Auburn CA (April 21, 2012)
- Primus – Marymoor Park, Redmond WA (June 14, 2012)
Bill Graham Presents Concert Posters
- Ben Harper – Fillmore, SF
- Gomez – Fillmore, SF (February 18, 2000)
- Rage Against the Machine – Fillmore, SF (November 19, 1999)
- Margaret Cho – Warfield, SF (November 13, 1999)
- Soul Coughing – Fillmore, SF (November 10, 1996)
- Les Claypool – Fillmore, SF (September 27, 1996)
- Paul Westerberg – Fillmore, SF (September 13, 1996)
- Goo Goo Dolls – Fillmore, SF (July 18, 1996)
- Porno for Pyros – Fillmore, SF (June 18, 1996)
Band Flyers
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Publications
Winston Smith Books
published by Last Gasp, San Francisco, CA
All Riot on the Western Front
The Montage Art of Winston Smith Volume 3 (2004)
Artcrime
The Montage Art of Winston Smith Volume 2 (1999)
Act Like Nothing’s Wrong
The Montage Art of Winston Smith Volume 1 (1994)
Articles, Interviews and Art Also Featured in:
- 22 Idols: Winston Smith and Kosuke Kawamura – Erect Lab, 2011
- Erect Magazine, Tokyo (14-Page Spread), 2010
- Paper Magazine: The Art Issue, November 2010
- La Repubblica XL, Italy (4-Page Spread, by Lorenza Biasi), 2010
- Obey: Supply and Demand: The Art of Shepard Fairey – Gingko Press, 2009
- The Art of Emily the Strange (Introduction), Rob Reger – Dark Horse, 2009
- Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive…History of Bay Area Punk from Dead Kennedys to Green Day, Jack Boulware – Penguin, 2009
- Green Day: Rebels with a Cause, Gillian G. Gaar – Omnibus Press, 2007
- Punk is Dead Punk is Everything, Brian Ray Turcotte – Gingko Press, 2007
- Sci-Fi Western Show: Catalog (Last Gasp, 2002)
- American Hardcore: A Tribal History, Steven Blush – Feral House, 2001
- Fucked Up + Photocopied: Instant Art of the Punk Rock Movement, Brian Ray Turcotte – Gingko Press, 1999
- Street Art: The Punk Poster in San Francisco, Peter Belsito – Last Gasp, 1981
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Film and Video
Vinylmania: The Film – Himself (in post-production, expected release 2011)
American Artifact: The Rise of American Rock Poster Art – Himself (2009)
American Hardcore: The History of Punk Rock 1980-1986 – Himself (2006)
Green Day: Stuck with Me music video – Art by Winston; Directed by Mark Kohr (2005)
“If there were a job title called ‘Master of the Confluence of Parallel Realities,’ Winston Smith would fit the bill. Each piece of his work is a ‘samizdat’ substitute that is plausible outside of its own context. He butters his bread on three sides every day and twice on Sundays.”
– George DiCaprio
Contact us. Winston produces custom commissions, posters and album art. A selection of originals from 1977 to the present are available to serious collectors.