"I was asked to make an image about the year 1996, to be included in American Illustration's 25th anniversary annual. I thought a long time about the events of '96 but I just didn't have the stomach to do a nostalgia piece. It was the summer of 2005, our daughter had recently arrived, our country had gone to war based on lies, the Commander in Chief used the word ‘nuk-ya-ler’ to describe a weapon that could exterminate everything on the planet, celebrating mediocrity was the order of the day—and I was pissed. I made a list of fifteen rotten things that I wish we would have ripped out by the roots and disposed of in 1996. The names appear on the original painting, but I have removed them for this publication; I am just sick of looking at them. Here's the list: W., News Corp., Shock and Awe, Dick C., Hep C., T. Cruise, Hummer, Florida, OJ, Rove, D. Rumsfeld, Mickey Mouse Club, Newt, J. Bruckheimer."