"My soul must be iron 'cause my fear is naked."
-Henry Rollins
I'm naked.
It's cold and I'm in public, so I still have clothes on, but I'm naked as a jaybird for all intents and purposes. Why? Because I'm Robert Chambers. And no one is as naked as when they wear a mask.
In case you haven't been paying meticulous attention to this website, the name Robert LeHeup comes up in several different media. From the TEDx talk to interviews and even the cover of the comic books you may have ordered, this sonofabitch is scattered like glitter at a strip club. There's a very simple explanation for this.
My full name is Robert Chambers LeHeup. When I began my writing career, it was under "R. Chambers LeHeup," the first name dropped nonchalantly, the middle on display, and the last dangling there out of duty as much as adhering to reality. But reality is a slippery thing. If you find a grip, you have to hold fast, because that's where meaning lies. And nothing gives me more strength to hold fast than the name "Chambers."
I was named after my grandfather, Robert Taylor Chambers, a mountain of a man, given his short stature, and the most influential person I'll ever know.
Calm down, ladies...
He was a mystery to me when I was a child, a cryptic knot of authority and kindness that liked to sleep in his easy chair with his hat falling down to cover his face. When I grew up, however, I heard the stories of his heroism, of his courage, but as importantly, his crafty, clever playfulness cultivated by a joy of life that can't be taught. With time and a touch of creativity, he became all that I could aspire to be, a man beyond actualization. He was Loki and Thor. War and Peace. Mercy and fortitude. He was my grandfather, but he was also what I could be. He still is.
This makes Robert Chambers mighty where Robert LeHeup may fail.
It gives me focus, drive, and responsibility. It's what I believe you, the reader, deserve from me as an artist. Through this, my grandfather's legacy will be my own.
Because when I'm Robert Chambers, I'm wearing a mask.
I'm naked.
And fearless.