The Selby. He goes into interesting people’s homes and takes pictures.
I also go into interesting people’s homes, but I don’t take pictures. I take things. Hur.
Since The Selby launched theselby.com in June, 2008, he’s blown right-the-heck-up and now his hobby is his job. Lucky bastard.
Wooooo chatted with The Selby yesterday to see what he’d say about some stuff.
Interview: Jason Crombie.
Photos: The Cobrasnake.
Should I call you Todd or The Selby?
Call me whatever you want, man.
Is everyone else calling you The Selby though?
People call me Selby.
Just Selby? Not The Selby?
Just Selby. Gym teacher style, you know.
Do you think you’ll reach a point where everyone refers to you as The Selby? Like The Edge or The Chairman of Hyundai?
Who?
The chairman of Hyundai. He makes everyone call him ‘The Chairman,’ even his wife and kids! Will you do that?
Well… I’m not a chairman but they could call me ‘The.’
Why did you start The Selby?
I started because I wanted to do a personal project. I’d been an editorial photographer for about eight years before I started it, and I always wanted to do my own thing.
Right.
You know, and if you wanna do some sort of personal photography project it’s kinda hard to do something that’s interesting to other people and isn’t a cliché. I used to work at Details in 2001 and I went to night school to study photography and then on weekends I took pictures of my friends at their houses and stuff like that.
Okay.
And I kinda thought that’s what I’ve always been into so I formulated this… this thing. Is that a pretty good explanation?
Yeah. I think so. So that was back when you were just ‘Todd.’
Yeah.
Is it weird going into people’s homes?
No. I was a photographer for eight years before and you’re doing shoots every week where you’re going into people’s houses and stuff, you know? I actually did quite a bit of work for New York Magazine for a while there, and we were shooting on the subway, shooting on the street… I’m quite comfortable going into any weird situation.
What about for the people you visit? Are they generally cool or do they get nervous?
Well, it’s pretty low-key. I go by myself, they give me a tour, and it’s very natural. People tend to have fun, you know? It’s very collaborative.
Do you ever turn up to anyone’s house and it’s a total mess? Probably not, right? They know you’re coming over.
No, no, there are actually some real messy ones. I actually think that’s quite cool when people don’t clean up.
Really? Like dishes in the sink and stuff?
Yeah! Look at Isabelle McNally. I don’t think she tidied up that much. Dirty laundry on the ground, you know. It’s cool. I appreciate that.
Because it’s them, being themselves, at home?
Yeah.
Did Michael Stipe make you wear paper shoes and gloves when you went to his place?
Why would he do that?
I’ve just heard he does that. I heard he’s a clean freak.
Does his house look like he’s a clean freak?
I don’t know.
He’s most definitely not. He’s not.
No?
He has a collection of hand sanitizers… ah, Wet-Naps.
He’s got a Wet-Nap collection?
He’s got a collection of Wet-Naps. You know, like they give you on the plane?
Yeah. So he collects sanitary towels?
I think he’s saving them for one of his friends. He’s going to give it to one of his friends when he’s got enough of them, or something.
He’s not giving them to guests and spraying Glade everywhere?
No, no.
Out of all the places you’ve visited, whose pad would you want to move into the most?
Ah, well, I photographed someone who lives on a boat.
Nice!
But I don’t wanna say who because it’s going to be part of my book.
There’s a book?
Yeah, I got a book coming out in April, 2010.
Cool! So who had the poorest apartment?
I’m not gonna answer that.
Just give me some initials.
I think everyone’s got a pretty nice apartment. I think it’d be a step in the right direction if I traded apartments with anyone on my website.
Has anyone come over to your apartment and photographed you and all your stuff?
No. I’ve gotten a lot of requests for that but I always say no. I think I will one day but I want to have something to hold out for.
Whose apartment smelled the weirdest?
Whose apartment smelled the weirdest?
Yeah.
Smelled weirdest… I don’t know. No one pops into my head.
All right, I think that’s it. Thank you, The Selby!
Wicked.
