Whether you think he’s sick or a genius, Doncaster animator David Firth has divided opinion since the launch of his website Fat-Pie.com featuring cult figure Salad Fingers. Here he speaks to features editor Kay Weston about his cartoons, courting controversy and killing his parents…

How do you come up with ideas for animations?

Sometimes the smallest things can inspire an entire cartoon and set me off. These small ideas give me a feeling, a setting or a scenario that I can build upon. When the foundation is down I sit patiently and wait for it to start growing in my head, making notes of snippets of dialogue and characters that might form. I write down bullet points about anything that I can think of that might help me when the story has developed further. I do this until I’m bored, then I forget about the cartoon and start something else. Usually about six months later I read through my bullet points and have no idea what I was getting it, so I get annoyed and set my notes on fire. I tend to think an idea is really good until I’ve gotten about a quarter way through animating it so I leave the file on my external hard drive which inevitably gets a virus and the work is lost forever. Hooray, it’s the miracle of creation.

How long does it take to produce a cartoon?

Too long. I spend too long on the easy parts and forget that the tedious parts are on the horizon. Then I realise I should have finished it ages ago so I rush the parts I planned not to rush this time.

You’ve written some cartoons for Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe. How did that come about?

Charlie emailed me.

Do you have a favourite character?

Salad Fingers is quite fun to do, but I leave such a gap between each episode that I forget how to do the voice. Burnt Face Man is the same. Showing too much of a character spoils the fun though, that’s why I prefer to make up new ones for each cartoon, so their values and opinions don’t clash.

How did you hook up with Devvo?

He’s an old friend from school.

Your characters are quite controversial, did you intend for them to be so provocative? It seems you either love them or hate them.

I don’t purposely try and be offensive, but i know that the only boundaries I have are the limits of my own imagination, so I take advantage of that. Actually sometimes I do purposely try and be offensive, but people can tell when I do that. I feel that if my thoughts are free to wander to whatever horrific scenarios they please, then I have a duty to express that in my animations. I don’t feel I have ever gone too far, although Spoilsbury -2 came close. People moaned about that.

What’s the most bizarre rumour you’ve heard about yourself?

Apparently my real name is David Coleman, I’m Welsh and I am a convicted sex offender. I take loads of LSD and make flash cartoons from the basement of my parents’ house, who I killed. That’s a selection of my favourites all rolled into one neat sentence for all the family.

You get a lot of fan mail. Does it surprise you how popular your animations are?

I used to and it used to. Now I don’t get as much because I never update and they aren’t as popular as they used to be. When the fad dies the true fans remain. They are few. I’ll win them back with a dare-devil stunt or something, although I don’t really like heights and I’m scared of motorbikes.

Why did you decide to put your hatemail on the site?

To shut anyone else up that was planning to say the same thing. Also I liked the way Maddox did that, so I copied him. I think that it’s funny to see people writing to someone whose work they don’t like and telling them. In fact it’s hilarious. They’re throwing out free jokes and they don’t even know it.

Fat-Pie is run solely by you. Do you see it as a hobby, or more as a full-time job?

It’s both. Fortunately I’m not very business-minded so I haven’t managed to sell out yet. Although I was accused of selling out for bringing out a Devvo DVD. I make bits of money, but not very big ones.

Are you planning to continue with your music projects?

Yeah I make new music almost daily. I’d say that music is my hobby and the cartoons are my job. I probably spend more time on the music though because I’m not as good at it and it’s more of a challenge.

You have a big cult following, I overheard a group of teenagers discussing the genius of Jerry Jackson on a bus in Birmingham a few weeks ago. Do you think there will ever be a time when you stop making animations?

I’ve a feeling I’ll do it until I get some kind of crippling hand illness and I can’t hold my pen. At that point I’ll pay someone else to do it. If I can get away with doing this forever then I will, but I think I’ll die before then.

Finally, what can we expect to see on Fat-Pie over the next few months?

F**k all. Actually I have some big plans and if they don’t get into gear then I’ll get some more animations out. I’ve also been working on a podcast with Crust.

I think that’s pretty much everything. Thanks for the interview, you’re a gent.

Thanks for the thanks.

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