My first post, and I've debated doing this for a while- but I figured today is a good a day as any. It'll be lengthy, and for that, I apologize.
Gonna be real anecdotal here, so take it or leave it. It's fine by me, because there's enough shit that can be confirmed with evidence to make him a solid lolcow. I won't be disclosing specific locations, or dates and times- primarily because that's risky and also I may not remember them correctly, it's been a while. Even if I did, there's no way he or anyone else would be able to differentiate me from anyone else.
I've seen Doyle in person, in Austin. More than once. HO. LEE. FUCK. The short version- you see this guy, and your first reaction is to just feel the satisfaction that he looks and behaves in person, almost twice as absurd as you would expect from reading his Twitter posts. Now, I only became fully aware of who he was just couple of years ago, after hearing him mentioned repeatedly and my response being "who?" because I couldn't grasp what made him relevant at all, despite these opinions people told me about.
The first time I saw him, I didn't know who he was- this was quite a while ago, before I was aware of his Twitter shenanigans. He was just some excited little fat art dude, and honestly- his voice is a bit squeakier than you'd think when he gets excited. You can tell he has to focus to make himself sound like a grown man.
The second time I saw him, I knew who he was, and he was scurrying around and chatting up a few random people, but was not approached or invited to join any conversations. I don't know what he was on about, and I don't want to speculate- but what's important is that any time he approached someone, they'd do that thing where they clench their teeth and take a deep breath. Any time he spoke to people, it was the same strained eyebrow expression you see when someone is trying to understand a foreigner or child that can't speak English worth a shit. And when he left, they rolled their eyes.
Another thing- with all the online topics he seems to insert himself into, you'd think he was a regular in places like comic shops and the like. He's not, and ever since I learned more about him- I decided to ask some questions. None of the comic shop owners know who he is unless they're plugged into this obscure art scene in Austin, or are aware of the Twitter drama. And I won't mentioned names, of course, but he doesn't seem well-liked even then.
And let me tell you, the average person in Austin- even the lefty types- do not give a single fuck about this art scene he's supposedly an important part of. Most of this art stuff he does, honestly, is shit that you might glance at and never think twice about. A poster at a festival or something. I won't say it's 'bad' or doesn't require talent, but in the grand scheme of things it's not something that gets your name out there. You probably would have to really, really think back to remember seeing something he did if he told you about it... and then you'd probably just lie and say, "Oh yeah, that".
What I'm trying to get at here is this: Don't think for a second this guy has any real professionals or regular everyday people that actually respect him, because it damned sure doesn't seem that way- and quite honestly, that surprised me. My personal theory is that any clout he has on the internet is because he's all about making a massive outrage and trying to stir shit. And honestly, it's just my theory- that's why nearly everyone wants to avoid him and no one wants him at major events.
His tendency to stir up Twitter-drama has become more well-known than his actual art, even in these actual art circles... which isn't saying much, but almost makes me believe that this is deliberate publicity. However, it seems like it's not helping, because the general attitude is that he'll find some way to draw unwanted attention on your service/product/event, or smear you openly on Twitter if things go bad. No one wants to walk on eggshells.
Take a look at his Twitter, where he cites his clients. I haven't scoped it out in a long time, and I could be mistaken, but I think more than one of those clients may have asked to be untagged or unmentioned (I don't know how Twitter works, TBH). Just a rumor, and I could be wrong. Someone with the know-how might want to look into that.
Now, as far as this guy's appearance? WEW LADS.
He's legitimately shaped like a big double-scoop ice cream cone, And when he's got his button-down shirts tucked in, you can tell it's not the shirt billowing out, there's belly fat hanging over his waistband and jiggling. His head actually looks like Mr. Potato head with a beard- except the bottom part around his cheeks is almost twice as big as the upper part. He doesn't shave his neck (and maybe that's just me, I think it's gross), and he actually WADDLES and looks jittery and fucking terrified of everything around him. He's got this weird shape about him, where he's short, but because of his poor lifestyle choices and bad genetics- he looks even shorter funnier. You could know absolutely nothing about this guy, observe him for two minutes, and you'd be stifling laughter and trying to not get caught staring.
Fun part is, this guy actually fascinates me. (And I know you're probably reading this, Tim, so "no homo". If I'm knocking on your door for sex, it'll be with your wife and I'll be paying her in old Bingo chips because I'm more generous than the men that fathered her two children).
Here's why I'm baffled:
The dude is an artist, in a city with a fairly high cost of living.
His art prints are comically overpriced.
Even high-profile art contracts don't make big money- if they do, it's a one-time thing.
No venues in the city want him around, even the 'liberal' ones- because he's an obnoxious troublemaker.
He seems to be posting on Twitter or trawling for 'offensive quotes' all day, every day. ALL THE TIME.
His wife's only job skill seems to be stringing beads together or some shit
He has 2 children lives with his wife and two kids that came out of her vagina
How the absolute fuck does this guy survive?