Josie Girand: Conversation about Nothing

 

We discovered Josie’s unique work from her role illustrating flyers for the new Baz Lurman bar, Monsieur. Today we sit down with her in a corner booth for a conversation about her art, nightlife and nothing.

 

Who is Josie?

Josie is a painter, cartoonist, hostess and a babysitter from New York.

 

What's your life story in one sentence?

If Rapunzel had a rash. Like the story of Rapunzel, except she also has a rash.

 

I need to know more… please elaborate

Well I used to be very shy, you know, in my metaphorical tower. And I used to have really long hair, like Rapunzel and I would hide in the tower and my long hair. I also had a rash and that informed a lot of my art.

Now I'm not in the tower, I'm here with you guys. That's awesome.

 

So glad you're out of the tower and in Monsieur, which leads me to the next question: 

 

How did you begin working with Monsieur?

I would always post my cartoons on Instagram. My account used to be anonymous with very few followers so I felt free to be as crazy and perverted as I wanted.

Then I met Ludwig through some friends and he really liked my cartoons. When he came to work here, he asked me to do a flyer. I guess people liked the flyer, so now it's just a weekly thing. 

 

What's a tangible source of inspiration for you?

Honestly, any bad thing that happens to me or any time I feel kind of awkward or embarrassed is good material. Whenever I feel like an idiot, I just turn it into a comic and then it becomes a joke and then I don't feel as dumb. I own feeling stupid. 

Also a lot, a lot of men. But, you know sometimes they do it to themselves.

 

What was your introduction to art? How did you get started as a painter?

I always loved drawing ever since I was a little kid. It was my absolute favorite thing to do all the time. I made a commitment to draw every single day when I was a kid. It was a streak that I don't think I broke until I was 10. I really loved it. 

It was my absolute favorite thing to do. It was a lifelong habit that I kept up. Then I took my first painting class in college in 2021. I really loved it because it kind of forced me to slow down.

Paintings by Josie Girand

You could really get so absorbed in painting, which you can't really with drawing. I mean, I love how immediate drawing is, but I don't know, it felt like some sort of spiritual practice. Like it felt like I was worshiping this two dimensional image. And I don't know, I guess it also felt a lot more legitimate than just pen on ink. 

It was like, well, this is real art. It's so cool. Not that I really believe that now, but I actually hated it for like the first month in the class since we just had to do still lives and I found it really boring. Then he (my teacher) was like, okay, you guys can do whatever you want. I started painting and I painted my friend Ruby.

It was really fun painting skin. You could do a lot more than what you could do with a pen. I fell in love with it and I try to keep doing it.

I was nervous that I would just stop doing art completely after I graduated school. But I didn’t. 


Do you carry a notebook with you?

I actually don't. I actually get kind of shy drawing in public. I don't know why. Yeah, someone else said to me the other day that “it's crazy you don't carry a sketchbook.” I mean I carry around a pen and I draw on my skin.

 

How many pieces have you titled, 'Untitled'?

Maybe one. I really don't know, the title is important to me because like all my paintings have some kind of story behind them and I feel like the title can really change a lot, you know. If you call something fetus police versus Big Bird, you know it changes a lot.


Is every cartoon titled?

Oh, sorry, we're talking about cartoons? 


Like if Rizzoli is making your retrospective book... Could they label every single piece of work for all 500 pages?

Well, cartoons, none of them have titles and none of them ever will because that makes them too important, and it makes them something they're not. I think what I like about them is that it's quantity over quality and I try to pump them out. Like 10 a day. But seriously, I have hundreds of them. I have a stack of notebooks.

Notebooks are like ninety-nine cents and they're gonna disintegrate in a few years, which is how I like it. But yeah, I title all my paintings. But I mean, the comics.. They don't need titles. 


Are New Yorker cartoons titled? 

I don't know. Actually. I don't know. I don't think so. But maybe in their giant Google Drive. 


Would you want to one day illustrate for the New Yorker?

Yeah, that would be amazing.

 

Favorite dancefloor?

It's really whatever my friends are, but I really like Paul's Cocktail Lounge and Le Bain… I really like the pool. I really loved Old Flings for a while, even though my friend and I were like the only people dancing there.

What do you think about the temperature of the Le Bain pool?

It's a little too warm. 

I know you’re already sweaty, you kind of want to cool down a bit…

Yeah, it's like a weird human soup thing. It's not uncomfortable. Also, I've heard a rumor that the owner is a cannibal. No, I'm kidding, I made that up. 

 

What is the graduation rate at School for Men?

I hope one day a man will graduate.

So far zero. Um, my uncle, no, he didn't. My dad came ooh, wait. I'm not going to talk about my uncle. um My dad came close.

I don't know. I mean, I'm trying to recruit more men one day. I'm hopeful. I mean, the school is very new and fresh and yeah. But still recruiting every day. 

Yeah, I'm going to talk to you guys. I’ll talk to you guys after this.

 

Last song you were listening to?

You're a nightmare by Pulp. Oh, it’s actually Tone Burst by Sterolab.

 

Anything you want to shout out? 

Hey pretty, on Spotify, Ruby Joan, and I want to shout out. That's it. 

Also myself @rugratz4lyfe

 

Also, what’s the story behind your username?

Well, In high school I loved the show rug rats. I love TV. I love TV when it comes to rug rats and I had crazy Peter Pan syndrome. I didn't want to grow up and I wanted to stay a rug rat forever. 

And I made it in high school and the account was anonymous for a very long time. I had eight followers until like two years ago. I'm a little too comfortable sharing things online, but you know, it's nice to know that everyone's a pervert secretly and I will be the face of all the perverts. But that's why I was anonymous because I was just sharing the cartoons are fucked up and some of them some of them are censored. But they're like they're kind of messed up.

But they're sick and that's the interview thank you!

Thank you!

Follow Josie on instagram @rugratz4lyfe and see her work on the flyers of Baz Lerman's bar/club, Monsieur.


An Interview with Josie Girand
Interviewed by Carter Houck + Thomas Shade
Filmed at Monsieur
August 2025

 
 

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