Mike Kelley told Artillery he was 'having a really hard time'

Artillery founder Tulsa Kinney has posted a teaser to her interview in the magazine with Mike Kelley, possibly the last interview with the artist who apparently killed himself at home in South Pasadena earlier this week. Kinney writes in a separate note on the Artillery website that she could tell something was wrong when they sat down in November.

Even not knowing Mike, I could tell when we met that he was depressed. For our interview we sat in a darkened living room and he left the curtains drawn. As we spoke, he blankly stared straight ahead, replying to my questions in a deliberate monotone. His answers were concise, yet his dry delivery was comical and almost charming.

Looking back at our conversation and email exchanges, it appears clear now he was sinking into despondency. Here are a few observations I made in my notes when writing up the Mike Kelley interview:

"Kelley is answering my questions, but in a robotic manner. He's very cooperative, and even gives more than I ask, but there's a certain gloom to his attitude and disposition."

"He seemed solemn, almost melancholy even. He was dutiful in carrying out his promise to me, which was to let me interview him for the magazine, but it seemed like it was going to be a painful ride for some reason."

He told Kinney he might stop making art, and later told her that he had second thoughts about the interview: "I'm having a really hard time in my life right now with a lot of personal and family problems and I don't need more art-world bullshit to make my life difficult." But he eventually was OK with the story, she says.

Photo of Kelley: Tyler Hubby/Artilery