Interview: Grim Misfit and the Grim Side of Architecture

Not long ago there was a really great Second Life culture and lifestyle magazine called PWND. The publication was the brainchild of Haver Cole and Saeya Nyanda - both of whom have gone on to nuture very busy careers in other aspects of SL which signaled the extended hiatus of PWND. The great thing about the magazine was that each issue focused on a single topic/theme that contributors tackled from a variety of angles. The first issue examined alts in SL. The second was the then-semi-fresh Neko phenomenon. Issue number three never made it to news stands, however, the topic was slated as in-world architecture.

Looking back through my Google Docs, where I store some of my written content, I was reminded of the article I wrote for the unreleased issue. It’s been almost a year. I think I owe it to my interviewee, Grim Misfit, and the photographer I dragged around with me, Sofia Gray, to publish this somewhere.

The Grim Side of Architecture
April 2007

As the closing page of issue number two announced to the readership that next installment would be all up in architecture’s grill I must admit that I was lost. Not because I had never seen Haver’s naked ass before (most of her friends and acquaintances are overly familiar with this side of her), but because my head doesn’t wrap well around the dynamics of sculpting a large three-dimensional space. And, as such, you won’t find any deep philosophical content about design semantics here.

At the suggestion of a brilliant friend I decided to take a look inside the home of Grim Misfit of Urban Ruins prefabs and Grim Babies fame. Like something ripped from the pages of an Edward Gorey tale, Grim has been exploiting the fictional plights of orphaned and deformed prim babies. The spawn of his comically macabre imagination are unique and abusable limited edition collectible toys that come with their own tragic hard luck stories. In addition to his cavalcade of artfully misshapen wee’uns Grim is an accomplished builder and content creator. In collaboration with BoBo Boxer his portfolio ranges from from furniture to entire sims. The interview became more of a look inside Grim’s head space. His home in Sleepy Hollow is an imposing industrial complex. Its glowering framework was as metal-eroded on the inside as it was on the outside. Upon meeting our world’s very own dark Dr. Seuss the first thing I noticed about him was his feet. He had on a pair of truck-shaped plushie slippers that instantly caught my eye. While we stood and talked I stared at his shoes.

It was a bit like meeting Willy Wonka.

PWND: So, Grim the point of this is to kinda get a look behind the av. Lots of people know you for your Grim Babies fame/infamy. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?
Grim: Well, I’m in my sweats but peek away.

PWND: Since this is our architecture issue let me start off by asking how long you’ve been building in SL.
Grim: Sure, go for it. [Gesturing towards a gloomy construction trailer, overshadowed by his own looming abode] This trailer is where my scripter BoBo Boxer lives. I don’t pay him very well.
PWND: LOL!
Grim: I’ve been building since the day I was born. This factory I had finished on my 3rd day. I had a friend. She walked me through building a chair and the rest came easy.

PWND: I’m sure you’ve been asked this before, but what are your influences when it comes to content creation? Anything in general. Anything that makes you “vibe”.
Grim: Hmmm. You mean what designers influence me? You know … I dig stuff with a theme. If people message me for a custom mall I always turn it down. Now, if people message me for a mall that looks like a duck I’m all over that!!! And I will even take less money just to get to do it.
PWND: LOL! Why is that? Are you just an oddball at heart?
Grim: Well, a mall … that’s easy stuff. Walls and floor room for 75 shops. But a mall that looks like a duck? That takes some real work. And at the end I can puff my chest and say “Hey, I made that”, and then I’m surprised because it all started from a box. Most malls you can tell where they came from. I have an aversion to boxes. And the people that want duck malls, they are usually really a blast to work with.

PWND: How would you classify your style?
Grim: Haha! I don’t. I can build anything.
PWND: Any preference?
Grim: Theme stuff. I can go from space to a trailer. That’s whats great for me.
PWND: So, if I said I needed a lesbian tiny club themed like Hee Haw you would be all over it?
Grim: Dude, that would be the best club in SL.

PWND: What builds/projects have you been involved with - whether residential or commercial?
Grim: I have done a lot of customs. I built Deviant Kitties, the old Celestial City, [stuff for some] no name people.
PWND: ROFL! No name. Would you actually mind talking about a specific project? The old Celestial City, for example.
Grim: Not at all. Well, Canimal sucks to work for. She knows how I feel. I have said it 100 times and I will say it again: Canimal sucks to work for. She wants squares that are circles and circles that are squares. Impossible woman. When she hired me, she says, “Well, I want a circular building with no angled walls”.
PWND: WTF? I want a building with only perpendicular lines?
Grim: Hahaha! See? Then there was some toss-up. Starley wanted a nice Alice in Wonderland. Canimal wanted McGee’s Alice. I would have liked to have done a “Through the Looking Glass”-like split - a shop [divided by] two big fake mirrors [that] would show you the other side. So, one side Canimal, one side Starley. But I liked what we did. And it took less than a week, so, that was nice too. We always promise a sim in less then a week … and we mean it. I will contract more help if needed, but you shouldn’t have to wait months. Especially because building a sim costs so much money. I have Gurl6’s new build just below us and its been there for a month. But she doesn’t want it for 2 more months, so that’s good. You want to see it? No pictures, but you can talk about it.

[Grim whisks me away to the location within in the sim where he has been applying some serious elbow grease to Six Kennedy's new store. The multi-tiered pink-and-black structure is modeled after the cross-section of a Barbie playhouse.]
Grim: She said to use pink and when I got done using pink to use MORE PINK. She really likes pink. If you cam around it’s actually a giant Barbie house. She wanted a “Barbie goes to Hollywood” Gurlywood, so, I gave her a giant Barbie house with some Hollywood flair. Six is great, have you met her? She’s so nice. It’s like when you’re around her you want to be nicer. She’s even nice to noobies. She’s insane. She falls asleep a lot at her computer trying to help everyone.

PWND: So, what other fun and exciting architectural build projects are near and dear to your heart?
Grim: Well, of course I love all my babies. I really like that fact that one of my builds is being used on the Pontiac sim. It’s over here in the corner. Lets see if I have a landmark for theirs.
[We tp to Motorati (115, 205, 25) where Misfit's Urban Ruins "Aardvard" estate home has been turned into TUNE, a music center devoted to celebrating the union of music and driving. Misfit's original wood paneling has been recoloured red to fit the sim's colour scheme and his assigned garden patch has been modified into a reflective logo showcase. An orange pylon, rubber tire and electric guitar adorn the roof above the entrance.]
Grim: This I think is the best part of building. Seeing what people do with your stuff. This for sure makes me really proud. Spin Martin [the owner of the Motorati sim] has 100% of all my builds. He does the most amazing things with them.
PWND: Do you have an official development company in SL?
Grim: Nah, it’s just me and BoBo. They have asked for us to join them, but I enjoy the little people. I’d rather build for the duck mall than Sears
PWND: That is an awesome note to end the article on. The creepy guy who abuses dolls has a big heart.
Grim: Haha! Hey now. You will run my rep. LOL! Do I even have a rep?
PWND: No worries. No one reads me.

Since this interview:

• Pontiac and Campfire have donated the Motorati sims to the United Spinal Association. [More info]
• Gurl6 still has the same non-Barbie mansion build.
• The portfolio of Grim Babies and Urban ruins products continues to grow and evolve.
• Grim is sharing his building knowledge by holding regular instructional classes. Join the :Grim Babies: update group for info on classes and products (Search > Groups > :Grim Babies: > Join).

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Photo credits: Sofia Gray