A man of few words

Ed Ruscha, one of the creators of pop art, talks to Emma Forrest about earthquakes, inspirations - and the artists he rates today

In pictures: Highlights from the show

Wednesday February 6, 2008
The Guardian

Ed Ruscha. Untitled 2008. Panel 1 of 2

'The lie at the core of the work? That's not what I intend people to see' ... Untitled 1, 2008, by Ruscha. Photograph: Gagosian Gallery

At 70 years of age, clean-shaven, with thick white hair and a fine physique, the artist Ed Ruscha is disarmingly handsome. He looks something like his close friend Dennis Hopper, but even more like a tidied-up Harry Dean Stanton. He has on a grey sweatshirt, blue jeans, normal-looking sneakers and spectacles that might be expensive. His voice sounds luxurious, too. Not posh, but lush and comforting, a slight Jack Nicholson drawl. As I enter his studio, Woody, his dog and mascot, comes running at me with a combination of kisses and growls. "Woody senses you're a writer," Ruscha says, deadpan.

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