Comedy has become more than just cheap laughs, it’s a platform for spreading revolutionary ideas and a medium that’s constantly pressing society to start conversations on difficult and important topics. Photographer Marcus Russell Price lives for these laughs; he’s embraced the renegade lifestyle by making his home on the road with comedians Amy Schumer and Hannibal Buress. Here he shares with us how he constantly embodies a truly unique style and how he finds “home” wherever he goes.
You travel a lot for work, do you take anything with you that keeps random hotels feeling like “home” on the road?
Absolutely, my dopp kit. I have an obsessive amount of self-care products. Face washes, moisturizers, oils, masks…the list goes on. It’s human nature to crave some sort of routine, something “regular”. There’s nothing regular about being in different city every night and waking up in some nondescript hotel room every morning. So all the shit I carry in my dopp kit is the only trace of home I have. It gives me thirty minutes or an hour to take care of myself and feel like a human again. It’s the only routine I have, and it’s sacred.
What are some other tips for making a space feel like “yours”?
You ever seen the Chris Nolan movie ‘Memento’? Every time Guy Pearce wakes up in the movie he says “Okay, where am I?”, scanning the room trying to figure out where he’s been or what he’s done. This is exactly how I feel when I wake up everyday, and there’s not much I can do about it on the road.
However, when I’m home in my apartment, I do everything I can to make it feel like “mine”. Art that I’ve collected, instant photos of my friends, my records, incense. I “mine” the hell out of my space. It’s my policy that if I’m gonna put something on my wall or in my house, it needs to speak to me. You can ask me about anything in my apartment and I’ll have a story to tell you.
What’s the most treasured item in your home?
I’ve got a few framed pieces of art that are very important to me. One in particular is a broadside print of Jack Johnson, the boxer, from 1909. It’s exceedingly rare and took me a long time to find. I also have a shoebox full of instant photos of my friends, family, and travels. If there was a fire, those are two things I’d definitely grab.
One great thing about adulthood is being able to make your own choices about what your living space looks like. Were you allowed to decorate your room however you wanted when you were growing up? What did it look like?
Remembering my adolescent bedroom is a trip. Yeah, I taped up photos and ads from skateboarding magazines all over my walls. My folks were cool with it, but when it was time to take them down, the paint came with them. Whoops! I think I had one of those inflatable chairs too. It lasted maybe 4 days. Inflatable furniture? Who the hell thought that up?
You spend a lot of time with funny people. To you, what’s the most important part of having a sense of humor?
I’d say having a sense of humor is profoundly important. A lot of comedy is born out of very serious situations or circumstances. To be able to find the humor in a trying matter is to be able find the humanity in it, sometimes is the only way to start a conversation.
Define your personal style in three words.
Way too expensive.
Who are your style icons and how have they influenced your personal vibe?
Sidney Poitier – If you wanna know how to wear a suit, take look at some photos of Sidney.
Run DMC – This is where hip hop meets punk. I don’t wear my Kangol anymore, but I still got my adidas and my black on black on black.
Melvin Van Peebles – Take a look at some photos of this man back in the 70’s, then look back at me. Then you’ll say “Ooooh, I get it now.”
Your friends just announced that they’re coming over and your room is the stuff of nightmares: what song do you put on to dance-clean to?
Something with a strong backbeat. Most recently it’s Dam-Funk and Thundercat.
Check out the Modern Rebel collection here.
Photos by Kate Rentz.
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