Born from the union of an acrobat mother and magician father, Maggie Lee is on some other shit. While studying print-making in school, she designs zines, t-shirts, skateboard decks, and still has time to party. Let's just say it, shall we? Maggie, we love you.

Margaret Lee:  [Screams] My name is Maggie Lee and I’m 20 years old, sup?

Chief Magazine:  So, where are you from originally?

Westfield, NJ

And what do your parents do?

Well, my mom is an acrobat (now retired) and my dad is a professional magician

So, your dad still works as a magician?

Yeah, I don’t really talk to him anymore but I’m pretty sure that he still does that. Last time I saw him, I was six and he was wearing a gold jump suit and matching top hat.

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What kind of magic was he doing?

Well, he specializes in replacing women’s heads with balloons and popping them with his cigarette. I mean, like he use to make me roll up in a ball and put me in a small box. I mean, he travels around the world and does tricks on tv.

Wow, that’s awesome.  So you were doing that when you were a little, little kid?

Well, I wasn’t in any performance but we would practice together, hoping that I would be one of his assistants. But I was busy with going to elementary school and learning English so I guess that didn’t really work out.

Ok.  So, when was the first time that you spent the time to draw and make stuff?  Have you been doing it forever or did it just kinda happen one day?

I was always making stuff and will always be making something. When I was 6, my mom use to own a restaurant, Pings. There I would spend hours drawing and snacking.

Like on the tablecloths or something?

Yeah all over the place. One time I went into the basement to throw up one of my tags and I got freaked out because I saw a strange man wearing a mask straining meat.

Then you moved to New York to go to school?

Yep, I’m a Pratt rat. I mean Pratt brat pack rat

Go on back to the diner thing real quick.  Tell me about the bubble gum, because that was weird.  I wanna hear about that.

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(Laughs) Well, when I was little, I practically got away with anything I wanted. When my Japanese neighbor, Julee Noguchie came to hang at the restaurant, we would lie in the booths and try each piece of gum that was under the table. Cinnamon was a popular flavor in 93’. I would also hide under the tables until people came to eat and touch their legs.

(Laughs) Did you have a little fan club after a while?

Oh, of course.  Yeah, people would come in and bring me crayons, colored pencil sets and packs of gum.

Oh, that’s cool… like fresh gum? 

(Laughs) yeah, Bubblicious… mmm, delicious!

Bubblicious is your gum of choice?  I like the big squares, too. When was the first time you came to the city or Brooklyn?

Well, when I was 7, I got in a freak accident playing hide and go seek with Julee and had to go to an Asian witch doctor. There he put herbal peanut butter on my face. Later that winter day, I took off my ugly coat and put it on a sleeping homeless man so my mom had to buy me a new coat that I liked. 

But in the late 90s, my sister used to take me to hardcore shows then I just started cutting class to catch matinee shows at ABC no rio.

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Do you remember what the first show you saw was?

In my life?  I guess Rorschach in the basement of John Hilt’s house in Westfield.

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Alright, sweet.  I heard a random story that I think you, or someone else told me… When was the first time you went to Union Pool?  How old were you?

Oh! (Laughs) Max Ryazansky told you that?

I heard something… Tell me about that.

Oh yeah, haha. I was 17 or 18 and used this ID of a Jewish woman with a hooknose.

(Laughs) And that worked?  That just aced you right in?

Yeah, but the other day they denied my fake ID… I don’t really understand how that worked. Its funny cause I am almost 21 now.

Even better, they’re waking up. (Laughs) Well, soon enough, soon enough. When I heard that [Union Pool story], I heard that it was when you were like 13 and it scared the shit of me. That's way to young to be surrounded by drunks.

That night, some dude was like, “I’ve seen you somewhere before” and I was like “uhh, where?” and then he was like “oh I just think you’re cute” and then I went home with him, JUST KIDDING. And then my friends rescued me.