A Brief History of Cari Turley

Cari Turley is a multimedia artist living in San Francisco. She doesn’t take herself, or her website, very seriously.

For legitimate articles about Cari, visit the press page.

In December 2009, Magazine! magazine (“the magazine for people who love magazines”) interviewed Cari for their cover feature. The transcript has been reprinted below. All text © Magazine!, cover photo by Randyll Wendl.

Magazine!: OMG, we’re such big fans! Can you sign this cocktail napkin for my nephew?!

Cari Turley: (graciously, blushing) Of course!

(20 minutes of unprintable, gushing praise)

M!: Where did you grow up?

CT: I was born in San Jose, California. My family moved to Munich when I was six and my kindergarten boyfriend’s family moved in to our old house. We took it back a couple of years later, and then I moved to Orange County for college. I spent a year in Canterbury, England, but it was cold and boring (sorry, Dave and Jon. You guys were great). I moved up to San Francisco in 2008.

M!: Wow, I just wanted to know where you grew up, not your whole life story.

CT: Sorry.

M!: Do you collect anything?

CT: When I was little, I collected bottle caps and rubber bands. I still have them all. Right now, I’m collecting business cards from around San Francisco for this collage on my wall. I also have some really great hats.

M!: Earlier, when you were rambling, you mentioned living in Munich. Do you speak German?

CT: Not anymore. I tried to relearn it in high school, but my teacher was more interested in trying to sell me drugs than teaching me German. But when I was a kid, my parents just stuck me in the German school system and told me to fend for myself. There was a really wonderful period of about six months where I knew just enough German to think I was amazing, but in reality no one had any idea what I was saying. It was great.

For example, I used to have a favorite outfit that I wore at least 3-5 times a week: oversized neon paint-splatter t-shirt, mustard yellow leggings, and a plastic headband. One of my teachers noticed that I always came to class in the same clothes, and she was worried that my parents couldn’t provide for me.

She said: “I notice you always wear that same shirt. Can’t your parents afford to buy any other clothes for you?”

I heard: “I love your awesome shirt!”

So I nodded and agreed with her–yeah, this shirt rules! After that, she brought me a grocery sack full of hand-me-downs about once a month. My mom eventually noticed and asked me about it, but I had no idea why the crazy lady at school kept giving me her laundry.

M!: So you took advantage of a sweet old lady.

CT: Basically.

M!: Celebrity crush?

CT: Edward Norton. Wait, does Taylor Hanson count? Because I still totally have a thing for him.

M!: Why wouldn’t he count?

CT: I…don’t know?

M!: What’s your favorite magazine?

CT: Magazine! magazine, of course!

M!: LOL!

CT: LOL.