Pogo

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I’m often asked how I came about the name Pogo. I’m generally useless at explaining things on the fly, but when I put pen to paper, it’s like I’ve swapped brains with a real intellectual. Here goes!

When I wasn’t impersonating Jim Carrey or Robin Williams as a hyperactive child at school, I was tossing my school work aside to draw comic strips instead. I was fascinated by story telling and loved getting my friends to laugh, and I found myself with an emerging ability to express myself by drawing my own cartoon characters. I weighed the idea of becoming a mathematician or scholar with becoming a creative artist, and at 10 years old, the choice was already a no-brainer. Strike 3 for the education system.

(Above) Some early sketches exploring the shapes of Pogos.

One day during a math test, I began sketching balls with big round eyes. Next, I gave them little arms and feet. I colored them a cadmium yellow to represent what they were made of, ‘squatch’, a dry, flexible goo that allowed them to suck in their appendages and roll around at super speeds. I thought it would be novel if they could change shape for advantages in combat, like forming a ring to escape an array of bullets, or spreading out like paper to smother their foes.

Finally, for reasons I can’t remember and I doubt I ever had, I gave these monsters a name. Pogos.

(Above) Vector traces of drawings I made in my school books.

Months went by, more and more school books filled up with comics and drawings, and after finally discovering my sound in the music scene, it was time for me to give myself a name before uploading my tracks to websites like Acid Planet and Number One Music. Looking through my comic strips one day, it took me a matter of seconds to decide on the alias that everyone knows me by today.

(Above) Assortment of doodles, featuring the concept of a Pogo transport unit.

(Above) Acquirable abilities in a ‘Pogos’ video game.

I wish I could say there is some elaborate, inspiring meaning behind my name as a producer, but really there’s no connection to it other than these little yellow critters that took residence in my mind one day at school. It’s short, catchy, and sure, has some kind of association with rhythm if you seriously want to go that far.

And there you have it! The hype to actuality ratio isn’t very impressive, but I hope I’ve helped quench everyone’s curiosity. Thanks for reading!