The HUB Paper A journal about creation initiated by DC Shoes
Issue 5 Fall 2014
The HUB Paper Issue 5 - Fall 2014 - A journal about creation initiated by DC Shoes
Kent Uyehara from FTC p.3 CYRCLE. p.6 Mike Blabac p.12 Vincent Skoglund p.20
Jeff Decker p.24 Mark Ward p.32
Kent Uyehara from FTC Kent Uyehara is the founder of FTC (For The City), a skate shop that first opened in San Francisco, CA, back in 1986. FTC is a staple in the skateboard world, having seen many of the greatest skaters in history walk through its doors. It now has a total of 4 locations including Sacramento, Barcelona and Tokyo. For this fall, DC Shoes worked on a pair of Lynx shoes together with the FTC design team. ftcsf.com
The HUB by DC Shoes 15 rue Montorgueil, 75001 Paris, France
dcshoes.com - facebook.com/dcshoes thehub@dceurope.com
Front and back covers by Mike Blabac
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A view inside the Cha Cha Cha restaurant
We started with six decks and grew it from there. This was the 2nd time FTC carried skateboards with the first being the late 70’s-Sims, Alva, Santa Cruz. Basically, FTC started out as a family business and so that’s the way it was run-family style. Eventually we opened the first FTC Skateboarding Shop in 1994 and now have stores in Tokyo, Sendai, Barcelona, and Sacramento. The SF skate scene was always hot growing up in SF so the assumption was it must be everywhere else too.
What’s your background? I’m a 4th generation San Franciscan born and raised. I’ve lived in SF all my life except my college years at San Diego State and UCLA graduating in political science. I grew up with my parents owning a sporting goods store in SF and I was the child in the family that got interested in working at the shop so you can definitely say I was influenced by my mom and dad. At ten I asked my parents if I could work there to buy things I wanted like skateboards and Star Wars merch. Besides a couple of teen sales jobs I’ve never done anything else but work at FTC. I’d say I grew up in both an entrepreneurial and creative environment. It was great to watch a business thrive as a kid but I also experienced the downturn so I eventually took what I learned growing up to continue FTC today.
In your opinion, how has skateboarding evolved in almost 30 years, from both a culture and an industry point of view? Skateboarding has changed like everything else in the world over these past four decades. As it’s gotten more popular it’s brought many opportunities but also changed our industry in fundamental ways. I appreciate that many friends can now find careers doing something they love and it seems skateboarding has finally attained respect from the masses. As it grows I just hope the brands and people that pioneered what skateboarding is today get their due recognition. They deserve the recognition and continued respect for always staying true. Lifers rule.
What were you aiming for when you opened the first FTC store back in 1986? 1986 marks the year I began stocking skateboards at my dad’s FTC Ski & Sports store. Prior to that I was selling boards out of a binder catalog at my high school making deliveries when the goods arrived. 3
You seem to have a strong relationship with Japan.When did this begin and how has it affected your business in general?
Can you tell us more about the design of the Lynx shoe you designed for this Holiday season?
I was first invited to distribute FTC brand to Japan in 1995, which has given me the opportunity to study my heritage and fall in love with Japanese culture and people while growing the business too. With stores now in Asia and Europe FTC has definitely increased its global brand awareness. One goal for each store is to be a “skateboarding community center” in that city so by having stores abroad it allows us to do exactly that.
The concept is quite simple. FTC San Francisco’s favorite restaurant is Cha Cha Cha, a Caribbean restaurant once located across the street from our store. Over the years FTC staff, customers, and guests have enjoyed Cha3’s delicious meals and their infamous sangria! Cha3’s distinctive floral print tablecloths are the inspiration for this DC FTC Lynx. What can you expect from FTC in the future?
When was art first introduced to your brand identity? In October we’ll produce FOR THE CASH IV, FTC’s version of a pro skateboard contest, in our backyard for the 2nd time. This contest is quite the spectacle and a great time for anyone who gets invited, as it’s an annual private industry contest/party. FTC turns 30 in 2016 so we’ve initiated planning for that big year and I can’t wait to make announcements soon. Currently we have FTC stores in SF, Tokyo, Sendai, Barcelona, & Sacramento and working on a few more so stay tuned.
Art and skateboarding go hand-in-hand so FTC has utilized artists from day one. Skateboarders are likely artists too so it was always easy to meet new artists. My introduction to street art was my first visit to NYC in the mid 80’s discovering Keith Haring’s art in Soho. Then once I made it his store, The Pop Shop, and saw all the merchandise it all clicked for me. Also living in SF in the 90’s made it a great time for street art with the Mission School movement as the most obvious example. These days we continue to meet and work with artists from around the globe, which gives me great pride and joy!
San Francisco: 1632 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA Sacramento: 1006 J St, Sacramento, CA 95814, USA Barcelona: Carrer del Notariat, 5, 08001 Barcelona, Spain Tokyo: 5-28-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku,Tokyo 150-0001, Japan 5
CYRCLE. CYRCLE is a Los Angeles, CA based art collective formed by Davey and Rabî, the two members, who have been exploring the world of street art for many years. They have developped a collection including hats, shirts and shoes in collaboration with DC Shoes for Fall 2014. cyrcle.com
We vary stylistically however all come from the same generation, so naturally we were all influenced by music, skateboarding and graffiti. Our process is quite simple. We are conceptual artists meaning we first decide upon a concept followed by an aesthetic to match. Typography is a big part of our recipe. We wish not to be pretentious so we use type to help tell the story. Words often make the message clearer not to mention the beauty of their construct. Once we have the concept we design the art and then execute the work.
How was CYRCLE formed as an art collective? CYRCLE was formed in 2010 as a sort of Voltron attempt to make something out of nothing. Originally we were three, Davey, Rabi & Devin. (Davey and Devin had been friends since 6th grade and painting together for many years under the moniker DoubleDs. Davey and Rabi met at a rooftop party in Echo Park, New Year’s Eve 2007). Devin was working full time at Johnny Rockets making money to fund CYRCLE, while Davey and Rabi were designing the aesthetic. We all lived in a one-bedroom section 8 housing apartment on Vermont and Melrose. The rent was $150 per month, so we didn’t need to make much money to get by. We pumped every dollar into art supplies. When we started we were making T-shirts with CYRCLE art as sort of a fuck you to the gallery scene as it was so difficult to make a living that way. Ironically, we were approached soon after by a gallery to do our first solo show as CYRCLE and we accepted the offer. The show was titled WE NEVER DIE! and we sold it out. We took the money and put down $16k on a studio, which we still work out of to this day. In 2013 Devin parted ways to start a new duo with Gosha Levochkin called DevNgosha. They’re dope as fuck and our best friends. We have all been working artists since birth. We share the same struggle, wake up and make something whether or not there is food in the fridge, we must create.
Where are you from and how did you get to where you are today? Davey: I grew up in Seattle, I was a punk kid writing graffiti, and skating in the city. My art teacher in high school introduced me to Warhol and Basquiat and changed my life forever. I moved to SF and went to the art institute of San Francisco, where I studied graphic design. My teacher taught Barry McGee aka Twist. I used to skate around Frisco and take pictures of all the dope art around the city. I remember trying to show my art to the Upper Playground dudes who rejected me haha! I graduated school in 2003 with an associate degree and moved to LA for an art direction job with a clothing company. I worked there for 2 years and quit to paint again. Creative jobs are the worst. They suck up all your creativity and leave you hollow at the end of the day. 6
Cyrcle for Woodkid Rabî: Born and raised in LA until I was 13, when my hippy mother decided she wanted to follow her guru “Maharishi” to Iowa. I was a momma’s boy so I had to go. It was pretty weird being exported to a farm town from Los Angeles. Oddly enough that’s where I discovered skateboarding, graffiti, breakdancing, hip-hop, etc. All the good shit! I had seen it all growing up in LA but now in Iowa it was like my brain was ready to absorb and reflect creating my own style from the worlds influence combined with my personality and heart. In school, girls would do my maths homework in exchange for me doing their art homework. It was a win-win. I still spent the majority of time after school in detention for some stupid blurt out in class or for not going to class. There I would draw and fuck around. It was usually me “the white kid”, Apollo “the black kid’, and Juan “the Mexican kid”. We would draw stereotypical racist drawings of each other and laugh because we were anything but. I didn’t know what I wanted to be growing up. My parents were both meditators. Father an acupuncturist “healer”. Mother a writer. They both gave me the freedom to think my own thoughts, to dream, and be creative. Being good at art never meant I would be able to make money and live off of art. It was just what I loved to do and was always a passion that carried throughout my youth and into adulthood. I moved back to the West Coast after about four years in Iowa. I worked at Coldstones, TGI Fridays, the movie theater… Any shitty job you name it I worked it. Any thing to pay the bills while skating, smoking weed, painting and having fun. It wasn’t until I moved back down to LA that I recognized that all my life I had been training to do what I was meant to do. Doctors go to med school, dancers go to Juilliard, and I, well I realized that I went to school too, I had all the experience I needed to be a professional. All those hours in detention drawing racist pictures of my friends, doing other people’s art homework,
painting on trains and rooftops. That was my grad school. I was an academic of the highest reform! When did you first get introduced to art? Davey: I used to make cleaning concoctions and then draw the label for them and give them to my mom. She said they actually worked better than Resolve! The first drawing I did was of a Windex bottle, I framed it gave it to mom dukes. Obviously I had a thing for cleaning products and was momma’s boy. As a young teen I would make punk rock concert flyers and as I got older I would carry a black book with me at all times. I did a lot of graffiti in high school. When I moved to SF I would paint people on the BART train. At that time I was into Barry McGee, Dave Choe, Sam Flores, Mike Giant etc. Rabî: I was always into comic books and graffiti mags. Todd McFarlane, spawn,Venom X-men, Batman, Ninja Turtles. And artists like Swoon, El Mac, and Totem2 inspired my earliest works. The first piece of art that I can remember of was a drawing of a Ninja Turtle, and a poster of the Bulls logo. Probably around age 10 or 11. What were your influences growing up? Davey: I used to go to this teen center after school when I was a kid because my mom worked all night. They would have hip-hop and punk rock concerts and I was introduced to local groups like the blood brothers and old dominion. We would skate after school then go see some show at night. They had a free wall in the back so we would rack paint cans from the hardware store and write shitty letters and characters.
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Fuck you when you fail, love you when you succeed. The emotional duality of try’s and fails in skateboarding and life in general. When you attempt a trick chances are you will fall a number of times before landing it. Commitment is the biggest challenge. This relates to our story as artists and can be read in our manifesto. In the late 90s baggy camouflage cargos were the shit. So we wanted to pay homage to the past by creating a modern camo pattern with CYRCLE halftones and an updated color palette.
Rabî: I had a similar place to Davey’s teen center but in Iowa called The Beat Box or “The Beater”. There we would hang out, break, skate, fuck around on turntables and mix house records that the cool kids brought back from Chicago and NY. There was this one guy who always ended his set with Bill Withers - Aint no sunshine. Haha. The trains would stop right outside the spot all the time, so whenever they did we would grab whatever paint we had and squiggle what we thought were cool hit ups and characters at the time. Really they were bad tags and stick figures. Roland Wells was the guy who ran the spot and back then I remember thinking that he was the coolest adult I’d ever met. I realize now that he was like 20 years old. Just a guy doing what I’m doing today - giving people of all ages the opportunity to experience and enjoy the heart and soul of our culture! He was my best influence growing up. Love you Rolls.
What have been your most exciting projects so far? We’ve been blessed with the opportunity to travel the world. Some of our favorite trips have been to Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, Paris and most recently Malmö, Sweden to paint the facade of Moderna Museet, their world-renowned museum of modern art. This was truly our greatest honor to date. Every artist whether they admit it or not wants to be recognized by a museum.
How did you get introduced to DC Shoes? We grew up skating, reading Transworld and looking up to the pros of the time, many of who were on The DC team. Back then skate shoes were super chunky, DC shoes had the best of em. We all had a pair or two, so naturally when we were approached by DC last year to collaborate it was a no brainer.
What can we expect from you in the future? We have a lot on the plate. Art wise, we will be painting murals in Montreal, Munich, Warsaw, and Vienna over the summer. We are currently working on our next exhibition titled SCRAMBLE FOR POWER! coming later this year or early 2015. We are developing our own functional high fashion clothing line called BLACKCYRCLE in collaboration with NBA all-star Baron Davis to be released fall/winter 2015. We are also designing a collaborative furniture collection with Blackman Cruz.
Can you tell us more about the collection you designed for DC Shoes? The collection is based around the FUCK YOU, LOVE YOU concept. 9
Cyrcle for the Moderna Museet in Malmรถ
Mike Blabac - Defy Convention Mike Blabac is one of the world’s most known and most respected skate photographers. He started skating when he was 12 and was directly inspired by the skate photos he saw in skate magazines at that time. At age 15, he started taking skate pictures of his friends and perfected his skills when he started working in a camera store. He has worked with several skate companies and with most of today’s global pros. He has been involved with DC Shoes since 1999, where he still works today as Director of Skateboard Photography. This year, he curated the brand’s 20 year anniversary book titled Defy Convention: 20 Years Of DC in Photographs. blabacphoto.com Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
What were your influences growing up?
I am originally from Steubenville, Ohio. It’s a small town in the Midwest of America. My folks moved to Michigan when I was 12. That’s when I first got interested in photography. I’d always been intrigued by cameras, but shortly after I started skating - I looked through skate mags, and was completely hooked. I was fascinated by the unique angles, lighting, etc. There were no photographs like that in traditional photo magazines or books. In between skating - I would read photography books, magazines, etc. I read everything I could get my hands on. My parents built me a darkroom where I learned to develop film, and print. That taught me a lot about photography as I learn best visually, and by doing things myself rather than reading. My mom liked to paint, but other than that, I didn’t grow up in a very creative environment. Lansing Michigan wasn’t exactly the most creative place either which is why I moved to San Francisco a year out of high school. I knew it was a creative place, and the epicenter of skateboarding in the early 90’s. I saved some money from my high school jobs working at a camera store, and assisting a local portrait photographer. When I moved to SF - I worked at the Gap until Scott Johnston came in one day, and asked if I could shoot an ad of him for one of his sponsors when I got off work. We went skating, and shot the photo. It ended up being used - so I quit my job, and just started following all my friends around with a camera. I’ve always wanted to be a professional photographer, but I never dreamed I’d get to do what inspired me to pick up a camera in the first place. It was perfect because I got to skate all day, hang out with my friends, and shoot photos of them.
Before skateboarding, not really much influenced me, as I was very young. I embraced skating because I had always enjoyed being athletic, but it was very creative too. I liked that there were no rules, and you can do whatever you want. Skateboarding as a whole was very creative back then. Skaters would make their own music for videos, draw their own graphics, etc. I never even saw a skateboard until I was twelve. Where I grew up in Ohio was in the middle of nowhere. I just rode motorcycles, shotguns with my dad, etc. I was basically a hick.... Ha! When I first saw someone skating shortly after moving to Michigan - I was blown away. My parents took me to the local skate shop after that, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I was never really inspired by painting or traditional artists, but always photographs. Skate photographers like Grant Britttain and Spike Jonze influenced me early on. As I dove into photography more, I learned about other people like Richard Avedon who was an amazing fashion photographer, and Walter Iooss who I think is one of the best sports photojournalists of all time. How did you get introduced to DC Shoes? My first introduction to DC was through their advertising in skate magazines. DC started the same year I started shooting photos professionally full time, so I was very familiar with everything they did. I moved to LA in 1998, and started working for Girl. A lot of guys who rode for Girl were also sponsored by DC which segwayed into that opportunity. 12
Wes Kremer
The relationship with DC is, and has been amazing. I’ve admired their ads since day one because they always had the best photos of the best guys, and as a photographer and skateboarder - that’s a pretty solid combination! It’s an honor to have shot almost every single skate ad since. I always pushed myself because of the pressure to make sure other people think their ads are as great as the ones I’ve admired since 94.
Can you describe your process when shooting a photograph? The most exciting photos for me are of something that has a pulse. A photo of something you just have to stop and look at like the Gym 5 photo, the Bay Bridge shot, etc. As a kid pouring over skate magazines - the photographs in them meant so much to me. I studied everything about them. I taped them to my wall. I’m stoked to have shot so many photos that have hung on other people walls for years. People have made comments on my Instagram saying “I had that DC poster on my wall for years”, or “that was the cover of my binder”. I love capturing things that make people stop, and appreciate it. As for the process - I determine how to make the photo exciting first, and then figure out how to do that photographically. If I’m shooting a skate photo - I want skaters to be hyped on it, and not just shoot it some artsy fartsy way. There’s a way to be creative, and make a great skate image too. The same goes for other sports, but skaters are very particular. Ha!
With such a huge collection of photographs, how did you curate the Defy Convention book? I picked photos for the book based whether or not it was of an important moment, and if the photograph of it belonged in a coffee table book. There were a lot of checkpoints throughout making it. I also showed PDF’s of it to some of my friends whose opinion I respect. I wanted to make sure there were a fair amount of pages for everything, which was the toughest part. DC has always had the best skate teams, snowboard etc. - so there are a ton of great images from all those athletes in all those sports.
Working with DC Shoes for so many years, what have been the most memorable experiences?
What are the most meaningful images in the book to you?
That’s a tough question to answer because I’ve been everywhere I can possibly imagine going. The only places left are where I wouldn’t want to go... Ha! It’s also led to life long friends and experiences. I’ve been fortunate that through DC, I’ve met such incredible people. Guys like Danny Way, Rob Dyrdek, and Ken Block who have accomplished so much and who are extremely driven. Not many people can say they know anyone half as talented and driven as those guys. There are so many other filmers, photographers, guys who have been, and are on the team now.
There are a lot of photographs that are meaningful to me - basically every image I shot in the book. A few that stand out are the Bay Bridge Kalis photo, Danny’s Great Wall Jump, Ken’s Gymkhana 5 hill jump. The Bay Bridge one was great because it was amazing to just be standing on the top deck of the Bay Bridge with no cars. I used to look at that bridge skating Pier 7 (a famous skate spot in SF), and I never dreamed that I would be shooting a skate photo on it one day. I like that it’s of Josh too. He’s one of the first people I shot a skate photo of as a teenager - so it’s incredible to have been on this journey together for over two decades. I think it’s always a good reaction when people ask if a photo has been photoshopped, which is a common question with that photo. Danny Way’s Great Wall photo is a crazy one to look back on. That image really sums him up as a human being, especially when you find out he broke his foot the day before testing the ramp. He’s accomplished everything I’ve ever heard him say that he’d do no matter how absurd I thought it was.
The book Defy Convention: 20 Years of DC in Photographs is available at selected DC Shoes retail stores and through the dcshoes.com
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Robbie Maddison
DC Team and friends
Matt Miller
Ken Block
Wes Kremer
Danny Way
Vincent Skoglund Vincent Skoglund is one of Sweden’s most respected photographers. Since 1996, he has been working on experimental projects, using light, shade, and different photographic effects to create different perceptions and to build a story around a single image. His recognizable style can be identified in the way that his images come to life, as opposed to being still and silent shots. He was approached by DC to work on a collaboration and bring his images into DC’s snowboarding line. The Vincent Skoglund Ply series will be available this coming winter. vincentskoglund.com You can look at it, you see what you get and you can show it to somebody, and see how they react. Whereas if you make films in school, you have to do it together with quite a few other people, and that’s where the compromises start. I l also love photography because I see it as reality on one hand, but it’s also not reality on the other hand, maybe it is just a fragment of reality.You can choose that fragment yourself. My mother was very creative at being a hustler. For example, she would call a cereal company saying that there was something wrong with the box she had just purchased. And in return the company would send a few boxes full of food. She would do that to supply the family, and that was surely very inspirational. My father was a carpenter, and at home he would often be fixing things. The thing is though, everybody hated their jobs more or less where I grew up. I think that aspect appeared as an inspiration to get out of there and do something different.
What is your background ? I am originally from north of Stockholm, just two hours away right in the middle of the sticks. After having spent a couple of years in London and traveling around the world, I moved back seven years ago and I am now based in Stockholm. After high school, I studied photography, film and theatre for two years. That experience was great but it was a fairly low level. We had a black and white darkroom, a VHS editing suite, so we could spend as much time as we wanted practicing and testing things. When I was young, I liked to paint a lot and I wanted to be an artist. I also wanted to be director of a company, wear a big suit and roll around ! That seemed fun to me. How did your youth influence your photography and artistic work ? Living in the countryside when I was very young, I used to play in the woods and surround myself with nature. I would get lost in the woods, climb mountains, play in the snow during winter, those sorts of things. Later on when I was a teenager, I would go to the closest town which was around 20 kms away. At that time I wanted to be a video director, but when I was in school it seemed like too much compromise, so I eventually ended up in photography. The creative cycle for photography is shorter : when you want to do an image, you shoot a photo, you go to the lab, you develop it and then you have the image.
When did you first get interested by art ? My youth was kind of poor in terms of inspiration owards art. I was not really inspired by artists or art pieces, but more by techniques, the materials and the meticulous aspect of it.You find something, you do omething with it and then you see what happens. With photography, it was interesting to try the different techniques, testing what happens in the darkroom if you double expose negatives in the room or directly in the camera for example. 20
I would make prints for people to give away, and eventually people started asking for photography. Maybe someone was doing a book, or needed images to send to magazines, so I would provide with what I had. People thought they were good and started asking for more. I didn’t plan to be snowboard photographer, that was just my life. And I was shooting my life. I then realized I could make a living of what I was initially just doing for fun. I started traveling with the Swedish National Team, shooting them free riding but also during contests. I was following them where they were going, sleeping in sleeping bags, just making my way. After that, I just sent couple of shots to magazines. It went really fast from there, to the point of becoming the most published snowboard photographer.
How did you get introduced to snowboarding? I had a girlfriend when I was 14 and she was the scandinavian junior champion in mogul skiing. She was from a family who was really into going to the mountains all the time, whereas I was more into drinking and listening to music. I tagged along at some point, borrowed one of their snowboards, and I was instantly hooked from that point on. Since then I haven’t stopped riding. Sports was meaningless to me then, I considered it as something jerks would do. When snowboarding came along, it was a way of exploring myself, sliding on snow and everything was suddenly possible. It was a great way to reclaim physical activities outside of team sports. It is also a very creative thing. When I started hooking up with other snowboarders, I discovered people who were constantly seeking new experiences, finding new tricks, trying to replicate what we were seeing in snowboard videos, doing things other people would not do. It was done through a very creative process.
What is the story behind the series used on the boards? I was living in London at that time. I went back to the area I grew up in Sweden during the fall, and explored this idea I had of shooting nature with long exposure and playing around with a lot of lights moving around the forest and focusing on specific areas. There was a lot to carry. Several film and digital cameras, polaroids, generators, gas… The results turned out to be pretty much the initial idea I had, so I was very happy with it. This series was maybe a way of reclaiming the space, looking at it with new eyes. I had different people interested in these photos to be used for several projects, but snowboarding being so important to me, it was natural to go with DC Shoes.
How did you manage to mix snowboarding with your photography? As I was about to become a photography assistant in Stockholm, I decided to skip that and just move to Åre, one of Sweden’s biggest resorts, and started working in a store in the evenings so I could snowboard everyday. I had a darkroom in my flat there, and used all my money to buy films and take photos of all my friends. 23
Jeff Decker Jeff Decker is a legendary american artist, sculptor and historian. He owns one of the most extensive collections of motorcycle related vintage pieces. Having designed a collection with DC Shoes for Summer 2014, he is now preparing an exhibition for The HUB in Paris. jeffdeckerstudio.com
Each has a different patch arrangement and shows a variety of personal nuances, from riders of the late 1940’s to the early 1970’s. The collection has grown to well over 100, representing clubs that were absorbed by other clubs, were shut down by other clubs, or simply their membership became disinterested. All pieces in the collection represent clubs that no longer exist. I see the colors, textures and historical merit in each piece. I also feel the collection reflects the greatest manifestation of motorcycle folk art that has ever been gathered together. I generally gravitate towards racing apparel, but these personalized garments have far more artist value than motor clothes sold to the public. At first Icollected everything I could gather, but over the years I have became far more discriminating, only keeping the more beautiful and important examples. The last 5 years I have only seen very clever counterfeits available on eBay. There are several people marrying old denim to old patches, and claiming they found them, even worst I notice completely fabricated items. As this folk art form influences fashion, many opportunists see easy prey. The history, story, lore, truth and lies are all fascinating. This coupled with a patina earned thru sweat, oil, blood, tears and dirt makes for a beautiful object build by time and devotion. I will bring a STRAIGHT SATANS cut that belonged to a member of the San Fernando Chapter in Southern California. These were the guys Charles Manson adored, & with whom he chose to affiliate. The story is long and strange, and I will share it while I am in Paris. This club, along with the SATAN’S SERVANTS, were so strong in the north Los Angeles that HELL’S ANGELS shared their territory. I remember all three clubs as a young boy. My father was not a biker rider, but helped many keep their bikes running.
How has the year 2014 been so far for you? Last year I was fortunate enough to procure a 1930 Harley-Davidson racing model CA at auction. It is one of two known, and was the bike ridden to a worldchampionship in that very year. The bike remained in an Australian museum from the moment it was retired. Along with an Indian racing motorcycle of the same era, I was inspired to create a sculpture titled ‘The Calm before the Storm’, depicting riders collecting their thoughts before the main event. I also was able to install a heroic size bronze sculpture of a motorcycle hill climber in my home town. A complete oeuvre of my work can now be seen in a local museum. I rediscovered my love of bicycling, riding Italian racing bikes everyday from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. I had always collected bicycles much older, but they were no joy to ride. 2014 was also the year I was able to collaborate with my life long mentor and friend, Robert Williams. I sculpted an image he painted of the Flight of the Last Dodo. It is full of wit, sarcasm and charm. I was able to finally pay proper homage to one of the Godfathers of Southern California art and Hot Rod culture. Of the great Custom Culture artists, Robert Williams, Ed Roth, and Von Dutch, Rob’t., is the only one still alive. They were all friends and taught me a lot. Rob’t founded JUXTAPOZ Magazine with the creator THRASHER magazine and spearheaded the Low Brow art movement. This has been a great moment in my career. What can we expect from your upcoming exhibition at The HUB? We will exhibit at the HUB, a dozen of my favorite club cuts. I have chosen an example of leather, fur, and denim. 24
I had gone there before with older friends, but was not able to study the place as I desired. The street was tawdrily and falsely attractive. It scared me, but drew me in. There were many clothing thrift stores, antique shops and punk rock record outlets and bizarres. A favorite was a shop called Leathers and Treasures, so full of expensive vintage Langlitz Jackets and old cowboy boots, that I just went inside to look. I decided then and there, some day I would own such lovely things. I had taken my own surroundings for granted. These clothes were familiar, yet I knew not why. My entire youth had been spent around cars and motorcycles, yet I thought Punk Rock was introducing me to something new. As I matured, delved into motorcycle and music history, it dawned on me, although I had never read it, the silly leather boys or Rockers were just aping real bikers. Sid Vicious wore leather, and spiked gauntlets, skaters and punks cut the sleeves of the Levi jackets and they all personalized their clothes with their favorite things. This was all taken directly from 1%er MC culture. Little collections all started to make since. A pile of skateboards and surfboards, hundreds of Punk Rock records, custom cars, and early racing motorcycles, cowboy boots and leather jackets. All tokens of memories from my Southern California upbringing. I noticed vintage clothing collectors focused on dead stock denim, and gaberdine in perfect condition. I noticed the leather jackets that young punks had made their own had little value... and dirty biker junk was worth even less. I knew they were all overlooking an important chapter in fashion and ceased the day. I had over a decade of buying MC cuts for close to nothing, then the fashion world caught up, and lucky for me I had grown bored. When I look back, I am amazed at how many I gobbled up and the stories that each piece carried. The question most asked, is always where they came from. The answer; the trash, nailed on the wall in greasy garages, old hope chests, old bikers, old club houses and yard sales. They weren’t treasure, they were trash. I didn’t search them out specifically, I just kept my eyes open. I bought rare vintage clothes to trade with dealers, I used my own art and antique racing motorcycle parts as currency. I bartered when money was no good. My collection went from an absurdity to a source of high praise. This is the story people do not want to hear. The following story is what they expect; I once received a creepy phone call from an undercover cop. I told him to not call back, he didn’t respect my request and even showed up at my studio. I would not let him in, and requested a warrant. He said it was personal and only asked for a few minutes, if I was not interested, he asked me to pretend we had never met. He had something to show me. I said I was not interested.
He said, “I think you are.”, my curiosity took over and went to see what he had. He brought a cardboard box with three club cuts, and explained these articles were evidence from a case that took place before he worked with the department. Indeed the clubs were obscure and had gone away in the 1970’s. The storage was cleaned out and these where thrown away. He was not allowed to take them, but pulled them out of the dumpster after hours. One was from an autopsy. I bought them and am now gladly telling this account against his wishes. What are your top 3 pieces? My very favorite piece with out a close second, is the HELL’S UNION. The overall aesthetic is my bench mark for all other cuts. It is very early, has swastikas so early they are not tokens racism, but World War II enemy symbols. Just as bomber jackets showed their kills with graphics, this veteran did the same. The loop stitching is pure folk art and the design predates the 3-patch style. When I got this cut, now one had any history on the club, no story which means no provenance, which to me is a key factor in collecting. An inconsiderate visitor to my studio took pictures and posted photos of some of my cuts online. From those pictures a woman in New Jersey saw the cut and remembered pictures of her father in the 1940’s wearing a similar logo. She emailed me, and put me in touch with her father. He said he was one of only a few left, and was happy a relic of his club had survived. According to him, it is the only one left. SONS OF HAWAII were US soldiers posted in the islands. After the war many returned to the mainland and years later started a chapter in San Francisco. When the HELL’S ANGELS became dominate in the city, the SONS were told to change their bottom rocker from FRISCO to west coast. The cut is made of gorilla hide(I don’t believe this, but I will not let the truth get in the way of a good story) with a large leather patch and hand embroidered wings. The DEAD PROPHETS are almost cult-like and mysterious among early 1%er clubs. The Grand Lodge of these secret fraternal societies. Only the most knowledge of early bikers have even heard of them and their esoteric knowledge. They no longer formally exist. Can you tell us more about the collection you designed for DC Shoes? I genuinely enjoy men’s fashion and when the chance to work with DC SHOES came along, I saw it as a chance have some fun. My son Jeremy skates long boards and was excited about me working with DC, it is rare that we impress our kids. 25
I was impressed with a series of drawing he had compiled in his sketchbook and gave him some ideas. He took those ideas and came up with some clever work. The cartoon image of me on my Crocker, expresses my influences from the Southern California Cholo culture. I sit as a Vato on a California motorcycle, stating WE COST MORE, AND TAKE LONGER. Decker Custom style. We pay homage to the Japanese with my favorite antique motorcycle of all time, the Cyclone. Harajuku is a magical place where I am constantly inspired. Each year I return to the MOONEYES show and I receive a recharge of creative energy. Another fun image is a nod to rebellious youth culture, with a Clockwork Orange twist. I don’t think we need to constantly be original, for as Sir Isaac Newton stated, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” The All Knowing Eye is an ancient symbol of Providence watching over us, I just assume that a tear must fall from the eye that sees all.
I was not any good at skating and was never a hero. So he had to explain this to me. He was on top of the world, but the second his sponsors found someone younger and cheaper to exploit, he was pushed aside. Skating and surfing by nature are individual, self-expressive and artistic sports. The bully mentality of team sports doesn’t taint skating. When skaters are past their prime, they look for new opportunities to express themselves. So. Cal. Skaters of my era witnessed a major drought in the greater Los Angeles area, and used the empty swimming pools of this vast wasteland as their playground. This giant concrete jungle also served as a place for Low Rider car clubs, Hot Rods clubs and motorcycle clubs. These strong willed individuals found a new place to focus their energy and merged comfortably into a new scene. Some because of true passion and others because of the commercial savvy they acquired as a pro-skater used to marketing their specific brand. Jason is sincere and real, those that aped him are more contrived. He went from ground breaking skating to one of the first white boys in a Latino Low Rider club, to the Sinners motorcycle club. The fact that Robert Williams founded the largest art magazine in the world (JUXTAPOZ) with the founder of a skate magazine (THRASHER), speaks to the comfortable marriage of the two communities. Long live skating and Custom Culture!
What is your take on the evolution of custom culture and how skate culture is progressively linked to it more and more? My birth, the time, the place, and to whom I was born are my greatest gifts. As a boy in Los Angeles, growing up in the shadow of my father and his friends, I witnessed Custom Culture emerge on the mainstream. Ed Roth, Von Dutch and Robert Williams were just local eccentrics into the same things as my dad. He was a real car guy and they were artists wishing they were car guys. I dreamed of being like my father, but ended up more like his friends. I skated, surfed and listed to Punk Rock as did many in my generation, and blended that which was innate with the things I learned to love. My dear friend Jason Jessee once told me pro skaters were ‘disposable heroes’.
What can we expect from you in the future? I’d like to tell you about my future, but I am too occupied trying to figure out the present. I’d like to travel more, work in fashion more, and finish my Hemi-Head Crocker. I would like to be able to keep sculpting early racing motorcycles and finding new treasures. That would be good. 26
When did you first get introduced to art?
Mark Ward Mark Ward is a London based graphic artist whose work ranges from installations and graphic designs to toy designs and paintings. He designed a collection for DC Shoes for Summer 2014. markwardstudio.com
I decided I wanted to be a graphic designer before I knew what that really meant. I was fortunate enough to have a natural ability to draw at school and that was what kept me on the path into the creative world. I studied graphic design at St Martins in London, and specialized in advertising. I found concepting for ads was far more of a challenge than illustrating or general design. My parents were a bit concerned about me going to art school, as it was something pretty foreign to them. My family is more academic than creative - My grandmother used to paint, and I feel she had an understanding of what I was doing. After graduating and working in advertising, I realized I enjoyed creating as well as concepting. I decided I needed to get my act together and started creating my own artwork at a rapid speed. My first proper piece of art was around the age of 21.
What’s your background? I’m from the suburbs of South London, where I grew up with an unhealthy fascination of America. I was heavily into skateboarding and everything I was seeing in the pages of Thrasher and 411 videos didn’t reflect what I was skating. In the magazines, I saw perfect marble ledges and concrete bowls, while in reality I was dodging puddles and skating jagged rough curbs. I’ve always been fascinated by American culture. When I was a kid, I was always watching Saturday morning cartoons and drawing the mascots of cereal boxes. I knew all this bright colored eye catching imagery came from America. I wanted to work for Disney and draw Goofy all day long. Then I realized that would get tired pretty quickly. My next plan as a kid was to be a pro BMXer and then pro skater. Neither of those worked out - ha! 32
As I say skateboarding was and still is a big influence on my work. I remember getting my first proper board and seeing the deck wall in the store. All that amazing artwork. That was eye opening for me and made me want to be involved in skating even more. I was dabbling with graffiti in school as well and my teacher saw I was frustrated with the regular still life and portraits on the syllabus. She gave me a book on Keith Haring. That book blew my mind. It allowed me to really trust my instincts on what I felt worked visually etc., rather than work to conventional perceptions of art at a young age. That lead on to people like Eric Haze and Futura whose work I really admired and looked up to. What were your influences growing up? The collaboration with DC was creating t-shirt graphics with type. I set myself a challenge of coming up with slogans that had a double meaning, but resonated with the skate mindset. I’m currently looking at psychedelic posters, so brought an element of early California into the mix. Can you tell us more about the collection you designed for DC Shoes? I’ve been very fortunate with clients. One of my biggest commercial projects was creating a giant pinball machine that you could skate in New Zealand. That was a lot of fun! Solo shows are also a challenge, but very satisfying when it’s all over on opening night! What have been your most exciting projects so far? I want to produce more 3D work. I really enjoy working with new mediums, so who knows... 33
Nyjah Huston