The DIY Guy "Johnny Tremendous"

Aldona Barutowicz, Swerve 


With his long beard and heavily tattooed arms, Jeffrey Cockram—a.k.a. Johnny Tremendous—looks as tough as they come. In fact, he’s a gentle, artistic soul, a tinker best known for Horace & Jasper Fine Accessories, a line of leatherwork handcrafted by Cockram and his partner of 25 years, Liane Marguerite (shown at right). The pair works together in their basement studio where they share ideas and support each other’s artistic efforts. Their creativity extends to their house, which is adorned with funky vintage paintings, quirky knick-knacks and a skull or 12. Cockram is often found manning a table at Market Collective (and working the counter at Knifewear, his other job). Horace & Jasper (horaceandjasper.tumblr.com) is also carried at 11:11 Boutique and The Uncommons.

Who is “Johnny Tremendous”? It’s my Internet handle, and it came about because I used to be in a lot of different bands. There was one that didn’t get past three rehearsals—Johnny Tremendous and the Cat’s Ass—and I was Johnny Tremendous. The band didn’t go anywhere, but I loved the name so I kept it for my many artistic endeavours.

What brought you to Calgary? I was born and raised in Hamilton, Ont. I was passing through via Greyhound on my way to Vancouver when I was 20, and I got off the bus because that’s a nightmare of a bus ride. I visited someone I knew, and while I was here I met Liane. I’ve been here ever since. I never made it all the way to Vancouver.

Why leather? The leather thing was kind of an accident. Like I said, I’d been in bands and decided eventually that I needed to leave the bands because it would have killed me eventually. I was kind of floundering for a while, looking for a creative outlet, when I came across some scrap leather. At first my work was kind of weird and hippy-like. Eventually, though, I found my voice in leather.

Describe your work. I make wallets, belts, handbags, cuffs and I’m about to start making knife rolls and footwear for chefs, and Liane is my partner in this. It’s not just me, as she makes a lot of it as well. Her handbags are stellar.

How do you spend your leisure time? We cook all of our food, and we have a garden. Gardening, riding bicycles and motorcycles. I work on my own motorcycles and car. I just do everything I can myself rather than let someone else do it. It saves money, and I can virtually do all of these things myself, so I just do. I suppose that’s my hobby, DIY.

