16 Sept 14th–Sept 20th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | music | cafe | film | culTuRe | NighT+Day | feaTuRe | NeWs | OPiNiON | feeDBacK | cONTeNTs | Though he was born in California and lived for the first few years of his life in and around Orange County, he could be found riding his bike and his skateboard around the Ahwatukee area while attending junior high and high school. Not a great student in a traditional way, Hunt enjoyed drawing way too much to pay much attention to the academic part of school. “I lasted until my junior year, but I don’t think had enough credits to pass ninth grade. I was just drawing pictures. I didn’t see a point to doing any of the shit that I knew I wasn’t going to do. Even driver’s ed. I knew I wasn’t going to drive. I was going to draw. I still don’t drive a car,” Hunt says with a laugh. Hunt also found himself attracted to punk rock music as a youngster, especially the artwork that would grace record covers and flyers for shows. He would often buy records based on the cover alone. “People are wrong. You can absolutely judge something by the cover. If the cover is insane, you’re going to find a way to like that, even if it’s trash. That’s what I did a lot of the time. Most of the shit I bought was because of the cover art. I loved the visual aspect. That’s what drew me to the Dead Kennedys. Those amazing Winston Smith covers ... I thought it was just chaos,” he says. During these formative years, while he was finding the music that would help fuel his art, Hunt also discovered some- thing a little darker about himself. He began covering mirrors and avoided looking at his own image as much as possible. This practice has followed him throughout his adult life. Many Americans suffer from body dysmorphia. According to Dr. Katharine Phillips, who has written multiple books on the subject of Body Dysmorphia Disorder (BDD), about 5 to 10 million Americans suffer from BDD. It’s a common but often misunderstood disorder. Hunt has spoken casually to mental health care professionals about his extreme reluctance to see his own image, but has never consulted anyone professionally. “I’m going to tell you right now. I haven’t seen my reflection in two years. I got good at knowing when a reflection is coming, so when I’m passing a building that looks like it’s going to be very reflec- tive, I know not to look. I’m very good at avoiding my reflection. It’s been like that for a lot of years,” Hunt says. Hunt describes the idea of seeing himself as if it is a physical pain, almost a momentary jolt of reality, akin to putting your tongue on the two poles of a 9-volt battery. Even seeing pictures of his hands, for example, can be jarring to him because it doesn’t look like what his hands feel like to him. “I don’t know if that’s the reason I’m painting a lot of monsters. I don’t think I’m a monster. I don’t understand what I’m looking at when I’m seeing myself. It doesn’t make any sense to me, so I just avoid it. Other people don’t look like monsters [to me] and I’m sure, to the world, I don’t look like a monster,” Hunt explains. “Monster” is an interesting word for Hunt to use, as much of his most recent work revolves around drawing and painting what most people, including Hunt, would call “monsters.” During our conversations, Hunt repeatedly denies that he considers himself to be a ‘monster’ but there’s clearly pain, frustration and sadness in his voice as he talks about the prospect of seeing his own reflection. In his parents’ home, for example, there are pictures of Hunt as a child. He regrets that when he does visit, usually during holidays, he avoids looking at the pictures that line the hallway of their home. Hunt isn’t certain if his parents understand how he feels. He does under- stand, though, that they would want a picture of him, and as a father, he enjoys pictures of his own twin children. “It’s not reasonable at all. I’m aware of how unreasonable I am with this. Things would go a lot better for me if I were comfortable being in front of my paintings, getting my picture taken, making a face or something. There are a number of things in my life that I have made harder on myself. The name, NXOEED. You can’t pick a worse name to be, but at the same time, it’s very Google-able. If you Google my name, James B. Hunt, you get the ex-governor of North Carolina,” he says. Hunt remembers being asked several years ago for a self-portrait and ended up One of Hunt’s monsters, hiding in plain sight. (Photo by Tom Reardon) Untitled artwork by NXOEED. The artist as he wants you to see him. (Photo by NXOEED) The Invisible Artist from p 15
