 I'm glad
you asked! Let me answer some questions you might have about
this word (or not), including its origin and its relevance
to my story.
How do you pronounce it?
It's pronounced pretty much as it
appears, and that second accented "é" gives you as clue. It
is pronounced create-is-van.
I can't find that in a
dictionary, with or without an accent.
Try saying it to your smartphone
or other device in
your natural voice. You don't need to adopt an accent.
Klingon might work, but I wouldn't recommend it.
(Sigh) OK wise guy. I
can't find that in a dictionary, with or without an accent
OVER THAT SECOND E. Better?
OOOH sorry, I misunderstood.
Anyway, I first heard the word in a song on my parents' car
radio. I was a youngster, don't know the exact age when I
heard it. But I thought that was the word (or words) in the song's
lyrics. It stuck with me, but I later found an opportunity
to use it.
So now this is where I
ask about that opportunity.
 I'm glad you asked. When I was a
kid my career path was to become a cartoonist. In my senior
year of high school I wanted to give a few of my closest
friends a present that I created myself. I bought some
poster board stock, probably around 25" wide by 15" tall; in
the center I drew the name for the friend in block
lettering, and had it surrounded by cartoon vignettes. I was
so pleased with the result that I decided to continue that
concept, with a key change: instead of the person's name in
the center there would be some wording that would be the
anchor.
So you called it
"Creétisvan".
Not exactly. Originally there was
no accent: it was pronounced cree-tis-van,
as I had heard it on the aforementioned car radio. But while
I used that word for the artwork itself, I wanted to brand
it. That's why any surviving pieces are labled "MOT
Creetisvan". MOT are the initials of my name: I'm the
creator, and the artwork was the creation. Not unlike Ford
Mustang, or Nestles' Quik. While originally it was done as a
joke I later thought that others could create their own
Creetisvans, so the branding in retrospect seemed
appropriate.
And the accented "e"?
I had decided to use the word for the title of my album but
as it was something personal and unknown to most folks I
decided to add the accent to make the word "create" jump out
when it was pronounced.
Where can we see this artwork?
I have a collage from various Creetisvans in the gatefold
inner sleeve of the CD. I had planned on releasing the album
on vinyl where the art could be large and clearly seen, but it would have to be a double album,
and considering the costs involved with that a vinyl release may hinge on demand. But
we'll see. In the meantime I put a couple of samples on this
page.
How many Creetisvans did you
draw?
I drew lots of them, maybe two or three dozen, possibly
more. They started out being drawn on notebook paper with a
felt tip pen--I might be hanging out at someone's place for
a social gathering and drew them on the spot, which I would
give to the host as a memento. I eventually took it a bit
more seriously by creating them at home, where I increased
the size to 10x10 inches and mounted on cardboard, and those were drawn with both a
felt tip pen and a rapidiograph. The latter tool allowed me
to add detail, much like was done by R. Crumb, one of my
huge influences. I took that format beyond monochrome by adding color
to them.
How many of those still exist
today?
I only have five or six in my possession--I'd have to dig
through boxes to be sure. Unfortunately most of the
Creetisvans were given to long-lost friends and
acquaintances, who may have discarded them. But who knows,
maybe one or more of those folks still possesses them, and
if so I urge them to get in touch. I'd love to revisit them.
What was the correlation between
the art and the music?
Both covered a variety of styles. For that reason alone it
seemed appropriate. Besides, there was lots of sex and drugs
in the artwork--I was a hippie back in the day (guess I
still am). The music completes the triad with rock and roll.
So, back to that word in
your music: in one sentence, what
is "Creétisvan"?
I'm glad you asked. "Creétisvan" is the new rock album from
Mike Tiano that is melodic, adventurous, accessible, and
above all tuneful.
Isn't that two sentences?
I'm glad you asked.
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