The Cope #5

T H E C O P E N 0. 5

IN TH IS ISSUE S H E PA R D FA I R E Y // R U N E G L I F B E R G // PA S N O R M A L // PAU L WA S S I F

340 ml

340 ml

Næringsdeklaration pr. 100 ml 107 kJ/25 kcal Energi 0g Fedt 0g - Heraf mættede fedtsyrer 6g Kulhydrater 5g - Heraf sukkerarter 0g Protein 0g Salt

Næringsdeklaration pr. 100 ml 107 kJ/25 kcal Energi 0g Fedt 0g - Heraf mættede fedtsyrer 6g Kulhydrater 5g - Heraf sukkerarter 0g Protein 0g Salt

Ingredienser Vand, kombuchakultur*, sukker*, grøn te*, ingefærjuice* * = økologisk

Ingredienser Vand, kombuchakultur*, sukker*, grøn te*, koldpresset æblemost*, hyldeblomstekstrakt* * = økologisk

Naturligt perlende fermenteret te

Kan indeholde op til 0,5 % vol. alkohol Læs mere om kombucha på www.laesk.dk

Brewed in Denmark

Naturligt perlende fermenteret te

No. 1

Grøn te med ingefær ØKO LO G I S K

Opbevares ved max 5 oC Bør nydes 5 - 7 dage efter åbning

Brewed in Denmark

Naturligt perlende fermenteret te

Batch nr.:

Næringsdeklaration pr. 100 ml 107 kJ/25 kcal Energi 0g Fedt 0g - Heraf mættede fedtsyrer 6g Kulhydrater 5g - Heraf sukkerarter 0g Protein 0g Salt

Brygget af Læsk ApS København, Danmark

Opbevares ved max 5 oC Bør nydes indenfor 5 - 7 dage efter åbning

SUMMER CITY

Keep cold - Enjoy cold

Ø K O LO GISK

Læs mere om kombucha på www.laesk.dk

Brewed in Denmark

Batch nr.:

Bør nydes 5 - 7 dage efter åbning

Rooibos med espresso DK-ØKO-100 EU/ikke EU-jordbrug

Ø K O LOG IS K

Keep cold - Enjoy cold

100% ORGANIC. 100% HANDMADE. 100% LOCAL. EVERY BOTTLE BREWED BY ERIC & LINE.

0.3% ALC.

Batch nr.:

Brygget af Læsk ApS København, Danmark

T H E R E ’ S A N E W T R I O I N TO W N

L AESK.DK

Mindst holdbar til:

Double Jazz

Kan indeholde op til 0,5 % vol. alkohol

Grøn te med hyldeblomst DK-ØKO-100 EU/ikke EU-jordbrug

Opbevares ved max 5 oC

Mindst holdbar til:

Brygget af Læsk ApS København, Danmark

Ingredienser Vand, kombuchakultur*, sukker*, grøn te*, udtræk af kaffebønner* * = økologisk

Kan indeholde op til 0,5 % vol. alkohol Læs mere om kombucha på www.laesk.dk

340 ml

Mindst holdbar til:

DK-ØKO-100 EU/ikke EU-jordbrug

Keep cold - Enjoy cold

DON’T MISS

1 0// R U N E G L I F B E R G 2 4 // S H E P A R D F A I R E Y 3 6 // S O L I T U D E F A S H I O N F E A T U R E 4 6 // P A S N O R M A L 5 4 // P A U L WA S S I F

Ø

Østerbro

N

Nørrebro

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Indre By

F

I

Frederiksberg

ChristiansHavn

V

S

Islands Brygge

Vesterbro

At the top right corner of each review you will find a marker, referring to the borough of Copenhagen.

EDITOR’S LETTER

GRAND. Welcome to the new and improved version of The Cope. The only magazine you need when you’re out and about in this wonderful city called Copenhagen. We made it bigger because we thought all the great pictures deserved it. And because sometimes bigger is better.

We also got to interview Shepard Fairey – only one of the biggest street artists alive.

Aside from the kick-ass cover, find out what he’s about on page 22. Finally, since it is fashion week after all, you should indulge in Petra Kleis’ stunning series on page 36: she kills it every time.

So what else is new? Well, we used to be a quarterly publication – We upgraded on that front too; now we’re bi-monthly due to popular demand.

Once you’ve read the article back to back and it’s taking pride and place over your mantelpiece, go to thecope.dk! We’re updating the site frequently now with loads of goodies, including cool little films about selected venues from our capital.

For this edition we met with so many interesting people. Paul Wassif for one. He’s an amazing British guitar player who’s been strumming since the 70s; find out who he has played with over the years on page 54.

Editor in Chief Thomas Ørum Cover Natural Springs, Shepard Fairey

Co-editor John Conaty

Opposite Guns and Roses, Shepard Fairey

Art Direction Jules Vince Louise Dupont

Photography Philip Ørneborg Petra Kleis Buster Jønsson Contributors Sarah Kimura Thomas Bøss

Life is grand.

Your editor.

Thank you Rebecca Kryger Ayoe Nissen Søren Aaby

Creative Direction & Pre-production freedomagency.dk The Cope is published by Gone to Print Aps, Grønningen 5, 1270 Copenhagen K, Denmark.

All editorial content is published under copyright and cannot be copied or reprinted without written approval from Gone to Print Aps. Points and opinions made in The Cope are those of Gone to Print and are not intended to insult nor meant to be provocative in any way.

We’d love to hear from you! Please email any feedback to to@thecope.dk.

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REVIEW

BANKSIA

COPENHAGEN’S AUSTRALIAN WILDFLOWER When I arrived at Banksia, I’m immediately in awe of the new Banksia outdoor seating area. The wooden terrace is sheathed by greenery and already rigged with inconspicuous heaters in preparation for the cold weather.

Not that they were needed today. Joel, Banksia’s charming Australian co-owner, is already tending to customers enjoying the nice weather and Banksia’s new weekday brunch menu. Passing by, he briefly shows me the food. I wasn’t sure if the food was to be consumed or framed and sold as art. Accompanying the ravishing plates, as always at Banksia, was a service experience well above the norm in Copenhagen. Joel places the customer service at the heart of Banksia.

Gazing through the window to the other side of the courtyard, two more customers, both women with children, are taking in the sun and food, and sheltered from busy Gothersgade. It strikes me how much room there is outside for parents with prams who want to dine or grab coffee, something you won’t find anywhere else in the city centre. Somewhat of a hidden gem, Banksia will undoubtedly bring customers back for more. I brought my girlfriend here on Saturday night for the five-course menu with wine pairings in the upstairs dining room, yet I’m already back here on Monday morning.

Chef and co-owner Tim Paine, also an Australian native, grabs a seat beside me. We engage in conversation about Tim’s accomplished international background, family life in Copenhagen and his passion for cooking. Distinguished and friendly, Tim divides his duties between Banksia and Tight, their sister restaurant at Hyskenstræde 10. Chef and co-owner Paddy (Prasidha Niraula, Nepal) is invited out and we further discuss backgrounds. Everyone involved in Banksia really has started from the ground, up to today’s successful positions. Tim sheds light upon the complexity of their dishes. “I was taught the French style of cooking. But in Australia, the ingredients that are available to you are heavily Asian-inspired; with all our plates you’ll see that combination coming through”.

The beer menu at Banksia will excite even the most learned beer geeks. The blackboard’s roster of premium level beers changes on an almost daily basis. Joel points out that his barkeep Kasper runs the bar and nurtures the beer board. There are two house beers, Pilsner from Nørrebro and Convict ESB from “Beer Here” brewery. As for the remaining twelve brews, Banksia’s accomplished staff are highly-educated and able to recommend anything on the menu to suit your palate. The food menu is also

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co-ordinated with the beer menu. The food menu is altered in conjunction with the beer. “We have a nice imperial stout we’re using at the moment for the Beeramisu” says Joel.

I really can’t wait to come back here. Your only predicament with Banksia will be choosing what time to come and what to have. For example, I’ll definitely have to come back in the daytime to try the “Big Brekkie” on the brunch menu. But, last time I didn’t have the seared pork belly for dinner so I’ll need to try that. I also really want to have a go at the brunch menu’s Bloody Mary. Guys, the garnish on this bad boy is gargantuan, I’m talking about a full burger and fried shrimp here.

Checking Banksia’s Facebook page is essentially scrolling through food and beer porn. Do I treat my other half to a romantic evening of fine dining or do I round up the boys for sun, beer and steaks? Banksia, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

JC

REVIEW

K

“WITH ALL OUR PLATES YOU’LL SEE THAT COMBINATION [OF FRENCH & ASIAN INFLUENCES] COMING THROUGH.” TIM PAINE

Banksia Gothersgade 8D, 1123 Copenhagen K +45 33 91 88 77 banksia.dk Sun–Wed: 16.00–24.00 Thur: 16.00–02.00 Fri–Sat: 14.00–03.00

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INTERVIEW

LIFE AFTER 40 In October 2014 Denmark’s fattest export since bacon turned 40.

Not a huge deal to many Danes – but when your main profession is skateboarding you’re way past vintage.

So, Rune, is there life after 40?

Well, I’m alive. And actually I still do many of the things I did before I turned 40. My career as an active skateboarder has obviously changed a bit – you know, it gets harder and harder to compete at a top level because new, younger talented skaters come onto the scene. But there are plenty of other things I can do; there’s more to it than winning competitions and coming up with new tricks. I think I am pretty active within the industry – I go on a lot of tours and participate in photo shoots etc. A new film from one of my main sponsors just came out, Holy Stokes, which I’m and helped film.

Apart from my active career as a professional skateboarder I have a couple of businesses on the side: I build skateparks around Europe with my partner, Ebbe. And I have an upcoming clothing line called Lustful which I am doing with two old friends. It’s still very much on a hobby level but it’s cool, fun stuff and from what I hear the people on the street like it and that’s what’s most important to me. To me it’s more important that this is a small start-up which is true instead of a big scale fast-growing main street label.

Last but not least I have a very exciting project coming up with Mazda. It all started with a small-scale endorsement deal but then it turned into this really cool pan-European road movie which we start shooting late July. My good friend and skateboarder/photographer Arto Saari is going to be in it alongside Sam Beckett, who just won the X-Games as well as this talented Dane named Jonas Schrøder. I am really looking forward to doing this project with a group of talented friends.

It reminds me of how things used to be when our road trips were fuelled by our passion for skateboarding and the car was a beaten-up van. This car is new and cool but the other ingredients remain the same.

Has turning 40 taken a toll on you mentally?

I haven’t been confronted with a mid-life crisis yet. I moved back from California about five years ago and although my life was easier there – bigger houses, bigger cars, the sun always shines, everything was accessible – I don’t think Copenhagen is ‘worse’ or a ‘step down’. Life is different here but I love it. I just sold my apartment and bought another which I am fixing up. Lots of new chapters have begun in my life and so many are yet to come. I don’t know, maybe that crisis will present itself when skateboarding becomes a smaller part of my life. But even then, when I may not be able to skate for living, I think I’ll still be very much involved with the industry somehow. I’m super happy that our design/ architecture company is really picking up here and abroad, which will allow me to stay in the game for a long time to come.

Tell us about the latest skatepark project We were asked by the Amsterdam city council to design a big concrete skatepark which will be Amsterdam’s biggest skatepark and kind of a trademark for Dutch skateboarding. It is a huge project which will be finished sometime in 2018 because the building of the park itself takes eight to ten months. I am so excited about these parks we build because it allows me to leave a permanent footprint behind; not only as a professional skateboarder, but also as a skateboarder who can do more than skate. I feel I contribute to the sport on so many levels when we build these parks and pave the way for more kids to get into skateboarding.

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INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW

Are you worried about what the future holds?

I am. And I always have been. My life never consisted of safe choices, in regards to where my income came from or other choices. I always bought the car or the house that was slightly out of my budget, I never saved enough money, and I got burnt with bad investments and poor business decisions. But at the same time the risky decisions were also the ones that paid off and I got a long and prosperous career as a skateboarder out of that. And at the end of the day, I believe that betting on several horses and sticking your neck out a little is what pays off in the long run. I also think in a more holistic way: you can have a return of investment in a monetary sense but you can also harvest energy and positive experiences. That is equally important to me if not more. I am so extremely grateful for all of the projects I get to be part of, whether it is leaving a breath taking building behind like the Streetdome in Haderslev or being part of a cool road movie for Mazda.

“I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THESE [SKATE]PARKS ... IT ALLOWS ME TO LEAVE A PERMANENT FOOTPRINT BEHIND, NOT ONLY AS A PROFESSIONAL SKATEBOARDER BUT ALSO AS A SKATEBOARDER WHO CAN DO MORE THAN SKATE.”

Are you going to retire in Southern California?

I don’t think so. Every time I go back to SoCal I think, ‘wow, everything is so cool here – what was I thinking moving back to Denmark?’. You always get this really great energy when you visit California but I don’t miss it on a daily basis. It is a great place to go on holiday and recharge your batteries but Copenhagen is such a great city, too. Summer in Copenhagen is hard to beat; everyone says that, including my friends from other exotic places. Copenhagen is really unique, especially in the summer. I regard us as really lucky: Copenhagen is clean, safe, cute, beautiful and charming, and we have that thing that is so hard to copy: hygge. If you put a gun to my head, I’d probably say I could see myself in Sydney or New York. Sydney is probably my favourite city in the world.

And I just spent way too little time in New York when living in the United States. But … Copenhagen will always be my home.

TØ

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REVIEW

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REVIEW

K

“MYSELF, I’M GENUINELY MY OWN WORST ENEMY!”

KAF’ BAR 9

A WHOLE LATTE LOVE Kaf’ Bar 9 is the new kid on the block in many ways.

Located at Antonigade 9, this modest café is a little difficult to see when passing on the street. In fact, most likely your eye will first catch the cheeky “Skinny People Are Hard To Kidnap...” street signs inviting your skinny ass in for coffee and cake. At first glance, the upstairs café resembles someone’s living room more than a coffee shop. According to Alex, the aforementioned new kid on the block, that’s exactly the point. This hole-in-the-wall coffee bar is Alex’s baby and the personal love is apparent the moment you step up inside the lounge-like room. The chilled but economic space has its walls furbished with Alex’s own artwork, along with her contemporaries from Malmo Art Academy. It’s already the go-to cafe for a not-to-be-named up-and-coming pop singer! Although the music is at a pleasant background level, Alex’s impromptu “Beyoncé” singing will often be heard through Antonigade. Talented? Disputable. Charming?

Definitely.

Having re-opened less than three weeks ago, this is a “hit the ground running” project for the delightful Alex. Things have really come together quickly for Kaf ’ Bar 9. Make no mistake; this is a one-woman show. Fed up with working 110% for others, Alex was ready to dedicate herself 200% to her own interests.

A chocolate expert with the résumé to back it up, Alex wanted her own café from an early age.

Although neither a trained barista nor chef, Alex has the enthusiasm and drive of hyperactive child

on drugs. She loves making people feel welcome and making things with people, you’ll feel both important and loved at Kaf ’ Bar 9. All you’re missing is a hug.

Although not currently part of the service, you just never know...

I get the sense of the place being something else than a regular bistro, more of a creative hub, akin to a modern day version of the turn of the century Parisian café’s, where artistic minds would engage.

Previous occupants of Kaf ’ Bar 9 operated the premises as a coffee shop, so there’s somewhat of an established clientele of professionals from the surrounding businesses. Due to its location, the café won’t be bombarded with tourists or passers by.

People who come to Kaf ’ Bar 9 are here on purpose.

Professionals, students, youngsters and oldsters alike frequent the establishment.

In contrast to Alex’s ambitious drive to do things on her own, she’s got a great support network surrounding this cafe. It’s definitely a family affair.

Alex’s beautiful English mother Carole has been helping in the kitchen, whipping up scrumptious homemade creations such as Devonshire cream and English-style scones. You just don’t get this stuff in Copenhagen! More culinary inspiration arrives from her brother-in-law Brian, who happens to be the chef at the successful 51 Street Food restaurant on Kapelvej. Alex’s older sister Cheryl gives a helping hand with the paperwork. Free advice in the beginning is always good!

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The many lattes I inhaled here were among the best in Copenhagen and the rugbrød sandwich was the cat’s pyjamas. Alex is a self-confessed coffee novice but nerding it up big time, even blending with River Coffee organic and fair trade beans. I ended up staying for hours at Kaf ’ Bar 9, taking in the cosiness and making use of the free wifi to finish some work / figure out this Pokemon Go nonsense.

Alex confides that she runs Kaf ’ Bar 9 partly due to her to be around people. I’d like to put forward the notion that it’s more probable that she can’t be left alone. Aside from barista-battle scars, Alex has a great anecdote about trying to simultaneously flirt and foam milk, which left her scarred both emotionally and physically. I’ll leave it to you guys to ask her about that one! Reality TV? Please, Kaf ’ Bar 9 has all the entertainment you need!

JC

Kaf’ bar 9 Antonigade 9, 1106 Copenhagen K +45 33 31 99 99 Mon–Thur: 08.00–18.00 Fri: 08.00–16.00 Sat: 09.00–16.00 Sun: Closed

NO PRISON BLUES. The Cope met with Oliver Bernhard, Patrick Laraignou and Peter Madsen to get the low down on their latest project, Nomad Workspace.

INTERVIEW

OLIVER, PATRICK AND PETER, CO-FOUNDERS OF NOMAD WORKSPACE.

Overlooking the oldest functioning prison in Denmark, Blegdamsvejens Fængsel, lies the old courthouse which in the future will host small and medium sized start-ups.

Ever wondered what it would be like to work in a courthouse, except not as a desk clerk, a legal intern or at some other crappy job? Well, we hadn’t before we went to visit the new shared office space in the old courthouse on Blegdamsvej in Nørrebro. But, boy, have we dreamt about it ever since! A small group of Danish entrepreneurs found a visionary investor and together they bought the old courthouse which is now undergoing a pretty serious refurbishment. What used to be an impressive building from the outside but a depressing practical government building on the inside – think vinyl floors, basic amenities and way too many public school-type lamps – is now an astonishing space both inside and out.

In fact, the first question we had before meeting the team behind it was, is this finally going to be the opening of a top international members club like The Groucho, The Hospital Club or Soho House. That’s the feeling you get when entering the building which, until late September, will still be a pretty rough building site.

“We want to create a new type of shared office space and we are extremely focused on the details. From colours on the walls to the little recreational areas to the decoration of the bathrooms, this place will be like no other shared office in Copenhagen”, say Oliver

& Patrick, founding partners of Nomad Workspace.

Co-founder Peter adds, “We discovered the most beautiful wooden floors when removing the vinyl and other great details like the arched hallways in the basement; a dungeon at the moment which will be turned into beautiful meeting rooms”.

They’re not wrong. This place will be very different from the competition. Nomad Workspace will have a fully-functional reception, a restaurant (which, thankfully, will be open to the rest of us who won’t have an office there) and high-end desks and chairs.

You can rent one desk, several desks or a private office which can seat anywhere from 8-12 employees depending on how big your company is. Once you’re approved (you have to apply to be accepted as a Copenhagen Nomad) perks like coffee, printing, high-speed internet and more is included in the deal.

What’s really cool is that Nomad will have several phone booths – a simple thing in high-demand when it comes to open-space offices in 2016.

We look forward to the official opening!

Read more about Nomad at nomadworkspace.com TØ

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INTERVIEW

“WE WANT TO CREATE A NEW TYPE OF SHARED OFFICE SPACE AND WE ARE EXTREMELY FOCUSED ON THE DETAILS.” OLIVER BERNHARD

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INTERVIEW

Toldboden Nordre Toldbod 18–24, 1259 Copenhagen K toldboden.com Sun–Thur: 10.00–22.00 Fri–Sat: 10.00–23.00

CUSTOMMADE CUSTOMS HOUSE. We met with Maja Tini Jensen, Head of PR & Communications at Julian Locations.

How is Toldboden different from the other Julian Locations restaurants?

At Toldboden, we focus on quite a few features that stand out from our other restaurants. First off, there’s the location. Toldboden is located in the beautiful harbour of Copenhagen and we try to incorporate the location into the overall concept. A lot of the furniture here is made from recycled materials from ships and docks. The interior has a lot of maritime elements and the menu is very much inspired by our surroundings.

I often say that we continue writing the old tales of Danish sailors; many of the spices we use are the same the sailors brought home from their sea voyages to the Far East and the Americas. Some of our recipes are old recipes from South America and The West Indies.

The building itself is an old ferry terminal so we had to build everything from scratch. This provided us with a unique opportunity to create the perfect atmosphere.

I’d say Copenhagen Street Food is our urban spot. Our Restaurant Julian at The National Museum is more traditional with white table cloths and Toldboden is our maritime bar & harbour grill.

Who is your target audience: locals, expats or tourists?

All of the above. I’d say that the audience here is slightly high-end. The menu is down-to-earth but the clientele here focuses on quality. We have a few ‘suits’ because we are in a business area but we also have a lot of tourists as we are so close to The Little Mermaid, Kastellet and so on. On the weekends we have a fair share of local families because we are so accessible with great parking options. The kids can run around and play while mum & dad enjoy a nice brunch.

Julian Locations has been around for 15 years.

When did Toldboden open?

Jesper, the owner, ran the restaurant at The National Museum of Denmark and was given the opportunity to open Toldboden in 2010. It started as a location for private parties and events, and later he turned it into a full-service restaurant.

Your company is very focused on sustainability.

Is it even possible to be 100% sustainable with a place this big?

We do what we can but as long as there is a demand for steak, it is close to impossible. At least for now.

Having said that, the vast majority of our ingredients are grown at our own farm about 50 kilometres north of Copenhagen. Everything is free-range and from 2017 it will be totally organic. We were hosting dinners during the COP15 and various other sustainability focused events. We were voted the first restaurant in Denmark with ‘a climate friendly menu’ with CO2 calculations. We are in the process of implementing the Re-food programme, which is based on food-waste being turned into biological gas.

Furthermore, we reuse the heat from the kitchen to warm up the venue.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

I have a degree in Communication & PR. I lived in Spain and Argentina for a few years. I also worked for The Danish Architecture Centre, at Carlsberg and at The Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark so I have a quite broad background. I like to think that it gives me a good understanding of what we are doing here and the company’s philosophy.

I focus a lot on the development of the business and taking our concepts to the next level. I have been part of Copenhagen Street Food from the beginning, which has been amazing.

What does the future hold? Any new projects coming up?

A lot! In 2018, Copenhagen Street Food has to move to a new location so we are on the look-out for that.

Then we are focusing on branding Toldboden as an all-year-round venue. We are primarily known for being an outdoor space that is open during summer but we’d like to stay busy throughout the year so that’s a big challenge. It will be hard to have all our ingredients supplied by our own farm during winter so we have to change our menus accordingly. Greens such as cabbage we can harvest all year round.

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So we take it you are proud of being a ‘Copenhagener’ with all the positive feedback the city receives, especially on the gastro front?

Absolutely. I think Copenhagen is part of an interesting development and we are not only known for being an avant-garde gastro city. More accessible food trends are also in focus right now, which is great for us. Copenhagen is on the gastro map and not only as a Michelin-restaurant destination.

Where do you find inspiration outside Copenhagen?

We all travel a lot and during our trips we pick up on different things. For example, our chairs at Toldboden are all from Berlin; we found them and restored them ourselves because we focus so much on recycling and sustainability. I am going to Zürich soon for an urban garden event. Being the international team we are, we just all chip in and things take shape. We are inspired by the Latin American kitchen at Toldboden, which you see in the way we barbeque (open grill). This kind of kitchen is more open and transparent which allows the chefs to see the customer’s instant reactions.

When’s the best time to visit Toldboden: summer, winter or year-round?

All year-round.

Last but not least what do you think of our infamous (lack of) service in Denmark?

I think our culture lacks a bit of common courtesy.

You know, we could get better at saying ‘thank you’ when someone holds the door for you or ‘sorry’ if you bump into someone in the street or when you drive recklessly on your bike. Stuff like that. I think that we could all be more helpful – for instance someone offered to help me when I was carrying several grocery bags the other day. I was quite surprised. I hadn’t experienced that since I lived in Argentina – a stranger offering a helping hand. So, there is room for improvement and I think Danes could be more courteous to one other.

TØ

INTERVIEW

K

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INTERVIEW

SHEPARD FAIREY “CHARLESTON HAD SUCH A SMALL SCENE OF SKATERS AND PUNKS, WE WERE ALL VERY TIGHT AS A GANG BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE IT WAS US VERSUS THE REST OF THE WORLD.”

What do Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, André the Giant and Barack Obama have in common?

PART 1: EARLY LIFE Describe the influences of Charleston, South Carolina that affected you growing up?

Charleston’s very conservative, I found that frustrating but I didn’t really have an understanding of what alternatives to that were, until I discovered skateboarding and punk rock. Because Charleston had such a small scene of skaters and punks, we were all very tight as a gang because it felt like it was us versus the rest of the world. A couple of good things that I got from Charleston were an appreciation for historic architecture and natural beauty.

When did you get into skateboarding?

A friend left his skateboard in my driveway at the end of 1983 and I got my first real board for my birthday on February 15, 1984. The day my mom and I went to the skate shop for me to pick my board out was also the day the skate shop received their shipment of the “Skate Visions” video, which had a soundtrack by Agent Orange. Of course, I asked what the music in the video was and immediately searched for an album

by Agent Orange.

Has skateboarding influenced you as an artist?

Of course. Even though I drew and painted before skateboarding, skate culture is very creative with its irreverent graphics, t-shirts, stickers, and other tribal markings like stencils. My art had never had a connection to something I was passionate about culturally, but that changed when I started skateboarding because I immediately wanted to make homemade t-shirts, stickers, and zines.

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As you are being interviewed for a printed magazine, what are your views on print in 2016?

I love printed magazines. There is the implication that content that is printed has a degree of merit to be worth printing. Digital media doesn’t feel quite as curated to me. I also enjoy being able to pick up and set down a physical magazine to read it when desired or revisit it when desired. I spend a lot of time in front of a computer working on art and design, so I’m not interested in pursuing my leisure enlightenment on computers as well. I co-published a magazine called SWINDLE for four years, and I loved the challenge of designing each cover and individual bit of content, keeping both the idiosyncrasies of different content and the needs of the overall to be cohesive in mind.

I think there’s a real art to designing magazines.

How important were printed magazines for the skate scene in the ‘80s and ‘90s?

Skate magazines were almost everything because videos were few and far between. Early on, all of the information I had about skateboarding came from Thrasher and Transworld Skateboarding. Later, there was the short-lived Power Edge and then Slap, Skateboarder, and Big Brother, but for me, in the States, Thrasher has always been my favourite skate mag. Growing up in South Carolina, the magazines were my only conduit to the evolution of skateboarding.

INTERVIEW

PART 2: MAKING IT BIG The Stranglers said of their song “Golden Brown” that the lyrical content of the song has no direct message but what the listeners want to interpret.

How does this compare to your “Andre The Giant Has A Posse” conception?

When I made the “Andre the Giant” sticker it was a very spontaneous inside joke with a skateboarder friend Eric Pupecki. Neither of us had any interest in wrestling culture, but the image was chosen as something for him to learn how to make a stencil. I treated the image like absurdist propaganda, kind of like a Rorschach test. However anyone interpreted it was a reflection of their personality. I liked the mystery of it and how it messed with people.

Did the “Andre The Giant Has A Posse” sticker phenomenon change your career?

When I started the Andre sticker I didn’t have a career, I was still in art school and working at a skate shop. The growth of the Andre sticker project was very slow and steady. The only immediate recognition I got was from a few counter-culture cohorts until I took over the mayor’s billboard in 1990 and all the news outlets took notice. Even though I got a lot of attention from that, the attention did not translate to success. It did help me get a job working for a small skate apparel brand called Jobless Anti-Workwear. I did screen printing and t-shirt design for them for a year and then decided I should start my own screen printing studio to make my own t-shirt designs to sell to skate shops and boutiques. The Andre campaign was mostly a hobby, though I did start to make more t-shirt graphics that were derivations of the Andre image. They didn’t sell very well, though.

Do you accept the label “street artist”?

I accept that label as just one part of who I am. I believe in making art accessible and democratic, so street art is an important part of that approach, but I

use many approaches like affordable prints, t-shirts, fine art and the Internet. I want to reach people with my art in as many ways as possible.

As an artist, is there a line between “graffiti” and “vandalism”?

Not that I would prescribe to others. I only know what my criteria is for appropriate places to put my work. I put my work in places that I think is easy to justify and that is at least not destructive, but often an enhancement. I’m less about rules and more about common sense.

What art or culture has influenced your work?

I’m influenced by tons of different things. We discussed skateboard culture already, but I’m also influenced by various art and design movements.

In design, I especially love Russian Constructivism, but I’m a fan of several strands of 20th-century modernist design. In fine art, I’m a fan of a lot but especially partial to pop art because it broke down the barriers between the elitist fine art world and the world’s of pop culture and commercial art by using a visual language that did not require the viewer to be sophisticated in their knowledge of art and art history, or concept. I’m into more contemporary artists like Barbara Kruger, Barry McGee, Vhils, Space Invader, and Banksy as well.

How do you view your commercial success regarding clothing, movie posters, album covers and more?

I never expected to have commercial success in any of the areas I work in. I lived hand to mouth for the first ten years of my career, but I worked hard during that time to proliferate my imagery and it paid off by creating a demand for my style. I initially couldn’t make it as a fine artist, or a poster artist, or a clothing designer, so I earned my living first by screen printing, and then by working as a graphic designer. I still do a

small number of commercial graphic design projects when they are things I am interested in, like movies or music that I think have artistic merit, but now I’m lucky enough to earn a living from my main passion, my own art. My own art is translated in several ways: street art such as posters and murals, fine art, prints, paintings, stickers, t-shirts, and other clothing. All of these things are platforms that make my work accessible and are important to me for philosophical, not just commercial, reasons. The various commercial projects I do also allowed me to support causes I believe in by putting a spotlight on them through my art and donating to them from the proceeds.

Was it hard to stay grounded when you gained worldwide recognition?

No, because I was already married and I think art groupies are a myth perpetuated only by art nerds.

Plus, I lived at the poverty level for so long that humility was engrained in me as part of my survival, and it just stuck.

Do people recognise you in the street?

Sometimes, because I’ve been in movies like Exit Through the Gift Shop and have had a fair amount of media coverage. I usually enjoy my interactions with people because they usually have stories to tell me about their encounters with my imagery. I certainly don’t have the lack of privacy that real celebrities have. I prefer my art to be known so I can blend in.

Do you use your fame for the greater good?

I think so. The majority of my work is about pursuing justice and critiquing injustice. Not only do I try to raise awareness about issues, but I also try to fund organizations who are taking action on issues I care about. My role models are artist-activists like The Clash, Bob Marley, Neil Young, Public Enemy, and Rage Against the Machine.

“THE MAJORITY OF MY WORK IS ABOUT PURSUING JUSTICE AND CRITIQUING INJUSTICE.”

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INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW

PART 3: COPENHAGEN

PART 4: TODAY AND TOMORROW

So, what’s your connection to Copenhagen?

I’m good friends with the guys who run the V1 Gallery where I’ve done two shows in Copenhagen – one in 2004 and the other in 2011. I love the city, the progressive culture and that most people ride bikes (or skateboards) instead of driving cards.

You have never been afraid of taking a stand politically. Where do you think America is headed after Obama?

It depends on who wins the election of course, but we’re in a moment of extreme division. I was a Bernie Sanders supporter largely because he believes in campaign finance reform and refused to accept corporate donations in his campaign. Fortunately his more progressive positions pushed Hillary Clinton, at least in the way she’s presenting herself, further to the left. I would be fine with Hillary Clinton as president given Donald Trump as the horrifying alternative. Donald Trump has no experience in politics but is an entertainer who has benefited from giving his audience various targets for their rage.

That Donald Trump has even made it as far as he has is a brutal and depressing indictment of a large swath of the American public. I think the frustrations people feel with the dysfunction of the two-party system combined with their ignorance about the true dynamics of politics and policy has created an opening for Trump that would not exist if the populace were more well-informed.

Why did you choose to exhibit with V1 gallery?

They were the only people that called me up and now I’m stuck with them. Plus, they do a really great job.

The mural on Jagtvej – how did that project arise?

In 2004, when the Punk House was still standing, the guys from V1 took me there to put up an Obey fiend skull, my tribute to the Misfits fiend skull, so I had some history with the place. V1 knew I wanted to do more murals in Copenhagen, so in 2011 they talked to the property owner whose wall was now exposed by the demolition of the Punk House. The owner was open to me painting a mural there and I decided to paint a pro-peace image of a dove inside a target.

That was part of the imagery I’d been making leading up to the V1 show.

Why did you get assaulted when painting it?

I wasn’t assaulted when painting it. I was assaulted after the art show after-party. But based on what the guys who attacked me said to me, it was based on the controversy around the mural. My mural was a comment on the need for more peace globally, not a comment on the destruction of the Punk House, but a left-wing blogger wrote a made-up story that I was paid by the city of Copenhagen to paint the mural to pacify unrest over the demolition of the Punk House.

I was characterized falsely as a paid propagandist for the city of Copenhagen, and that story was picked up by several newspapers who did not bother to factcheck. People then tagged on top of my mural and a few days later I was attacked. The situation was very frustrating for me and made me painfully aware of how quickly false media narratives can spin out of control.

What do you love (and not love) about our city?

Regardless, I love Copenhagen and felt very positive about the majority of my interactions with the people there.

Care to comment on the latest race related killings in Dallas and the recent wave of tragedies?

Violence is never the answer. There will always be criminals who resort to violence but the police should be enforcers of law in a just way, not perpetrators of violence in an unjust way. Criminals will be criminals but the police need to be trusted by the public and for that trust to exist, there has to be transparency and accountability within law enforcement. I just wrote an extensive piece on my website about this issue called “Violence and Discourse”.

What are you working on these days?

I just finished a very large show in Paris called “Earth Crisis” that addressed climate change and other environmental issues. I painted three murals while I was there. I have a small show coming up called “American Civics” which features my interpretations of Jim Marshall’s photographs on the subjects of gun culture, poverty, prison reform, workers’ rights, and racism.

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Where haven’t you gone that you would like to?

I want to go to Croatia because it’s beautiful and my good friend Cleon Peterson and my parents all loved it. That covers both ends of the spectrum because wherever I sit in the middle covers it.

Are you still skating regularly?

Yes, I’m regular footed, occasionally I skate switch stance, but I do neither as frequently as I’d like. My 11-year-old daughter skates, so that gives me an excuse to go with her sometimes.

Who is Shepard Fairey in 25 words?

A believer in tenacity and a master of economy, how many words is that?

TØ & SAA

INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW

WITH A LITTLE HELP...

Ø

When the vacant shop opened up across the road from his restaurant in their childhood neighbourhood of Østerbro, David immediately called his old friend Ben. “Never mix business and pleasure”; “It’s not personal, just business.”

So many red flags on blending the line between colleagues and mates. I arrived at Victor Borges Plads 12, the home of Hos Fischer, to learn this is not always the case. The Copenhagen Tourist Bike Station installed outside the Roman trattoria-style restaurant foreshadowed the upcoming conversation with David and Henrik Fischer, owners of Hos Fischer and their childhood friend Ben Rosenzweig, owner of BenBen Cykler custom bike store on the other side of street.

Having known each other since kindergarten, strengthening their continuing friendship with football excursions in Rome, Ben moved his store from Vesterbro to Østerbro for a chance to hang out with his mates on a daily basis.

“It’s quite weird that the kids I saw most of my childhood suddenly work here, and every day we’re having coffee, just walking around and doing this”, says Ben.

“THIS IS MY STYLE, I DO WHAT I WANT TO DO. SOMETIMES I GET PEOPLE IN TO PAINT SOME STUFF ON THE WALLS, PEOPLE I LIKE.” BEN ROSENZWEIG

It was initially their family background that brought all the boys together, all of them attending the same school in Copenhagen. “We were at the only Jewish school in Copenhagen. Henrik’s sister and my sister were in the same grade. Everybody is connected somehow; it’s a tight community”, explains David.

David began his culinary career in Copenhagen but broadened his horizons working abroad, advancing his knowledge and skills in Michelin star restaurants in Paris and Rome.

David continues, “I went to the culinary school in Copenhagen. And then I took my apprenticeship just up the road here in Østerbro at a French restaurant. I’m an Østerbro kid. Then I went to Paris for two years and Rome for two years, then came back to Copenhagen and opened this place. I ran into Ben again at the Maccabiah in Rome, which is like a Jewish Olympics. Ben and I were in the same tournament; Futsal [a style of football].”

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INTERVIEW

BenBen Cykler Nordre Frihavnsgade 27, 2100 Copenhagen Ø +45 33 24 50 60 Mon–Fri: 10.00–17.30 Sat: 10.00–14.00

Ben resides in Frederiksberg these days. He moved his store from Vesterbro over to Østerbro, having been fond of the area and people in this part of the city.

“Vesterbro is a bit rougher...Maybe people have more energy and time here.” A little T.L.C. was needed on his new premises, since it had to be transformed from a horrible vacuum store to the colourful, art-filled shop that stands today. “It’s interesting looking back at this area. This used to be a little bodega. And this [second room of the restaurant] used to be a nail salon with massage in the basement. And Ben’s shop used to be støvsuger banden [vacuum cleaner shop]. I think it was THE ugliest facade in Copenhagen”, David says.

Ben sheds some light on the artwork of his store, comparing it with the decor of a restaurant, saying “there’s no policy, you can see we have some quite naked women and men on the walls. At a restaurant you couldn’t do that. This is my style, I do what I want to do. Sometimes I get people in to paint some stuff on the walls, people I like.”

Hos Fischer’s interior, although not as liberal as BenBen Cykler, has some outstanding facets in keeping with the bodega history of the premises.

“Some of the bar is actually built from the old bar of the original bodega. The chairs and tables are also from the bodega. The previous owner bought them used in ‘71. I had to wash them down, get the beer stains and smoke out. They’re old; 80–100 years old.”

The guys seem to get along very well, often running across the street to give helping hands whenever necessary. The symbiosis has also translated across into family life. Ben explains: “David has a son who used to come here all the time because we have this ice cream fridge, so now he’s not allowed to come here too much, because I always give him ice cream.

I do that for all the kids here”. Ben is also an advocate of supporting local spots and has staunch views in regards to shopping elsewhere when it comes to the products available to him in his own store: “Over my dead body. And I think if they bought a bike down the road, that wouldn’t go down well. I also support the other locals here. I always buy my clothes over there and support local. Of course.”

The guys seem to do well in their hood. Ben says “I like my really old, strange customers. We have normal customers, but I collect all the weird ones”. Hos Fischer regulars, on the other hand, have never-ending appetites. “Some of the regulars don’t think the menu changes enough. But the thing is, we vary the pasta almost every second day. So, I don’t think you’ll find many restaurants in Copenhagen that change the menu that regularly. But if you’re here seven times a week, you don’t see it”, David says.

“THE CHAIRS AND TABLES ARE ALSO FROM THE BODEGA. THE PREVIOUS OWNER BOUGHT THEM USED IN ’71. I HAD TO WASH THEM DOWN, GET THE BEER STAINS AND SMOKE OUT.” DAVID FISCHER

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INTERVIEW

Ø

What BenBen and Hos Fischer do share is a deep interest in their customers’ desires and satisfaction.

BenBen generally has patrons looking for a little bit more than your average bike store.

At the end of the day, it’s travel, friendship, culture and inspired individuality that have united BenBen Cykler and Hos Fischer. They want you to come in and experience it for yourself.

Ben explains, “Generally though, they just want to be a part of the process of building their bikes. And then we can do your thing – your saddle, your cranks, your gears, your tires, so that’s what we’re gonna do. Today you can see everything on the computer, the world is so tiny, there’s so much of the same stuff. So when you come in and something is a bit weird, it’s nice.”

Ben ends by saying, “I’ve been to bike shops all over the place – across Israel and the USA. One of the most interesting bike shops that I’ve seen was in Toronto. A Chinese guy owned it. They had some old nice stuff, but the shop; most people would come in and say ‘this is fucked up’. I loved the shop because it had really nice stuff and all this old shit was just in the corners like a dump. There was old food on the desk and they didn’t know anything… they didn’t have a love for bikes. But they had something. And that’s the weirdness. Because you can always go into a shop where people have their pants rolled up and have nice moustaches, who will take you around and tell you about all the nice brands. Boring. So fucking boring.

Some people like that style, but if you see through it, it’s so boring. This is basically my living room, where people come to buy bikes. We try to make it as nice and welcoming as possible for people.”

Hos Fischer shares a matching concept in customer satisfaction, striving for consistency in their firstclass approach to service: “You’re never better than the last plate that you send off, you can always improve”, says David.

“We don’t really go for new trends here because this is kind of an Italian, kind of Roman, trattoria. A lot of the new restaurants need to rethink old plates, find new herbs of the forest. That is nice, but I think you also have a different type of cuisine, like the French classic or the Roman or Milanese kitchen. Sometimes that’s just good and you don’t have to mess too much with it. Of course when we have the rapsløg [wild garlic] season we use rapsløg instead of garlic, but that doesn’t make us a Nordic restaurant. I just think it’s functional and seasonal. But we’re not bragging about “we went to the forest…”, jokes David.

JC

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Hos Fischer Victor Borges Pl. 12, 2100 Copenhagen Ø +45 35 42 39 64 hosfischer.dk Mon–Fri: 11.30–24.00 Sat & Sun: 10.30–24.00 Kitchen Mon–Sun: 12.00–22.30

REVIEW

K

VOODOO LOUNGE RUN TO THE PILS The basement of Valkendorfsgade 22 is home to every Copenhagener’s favourite heavy metal joint, the Voodoo Lounge. Open since April 2013 on the beautiful cobblestone street just behind Vor Frue Kirke, the Voodoo Lounge is instantly recognisable from the building’s classy exterior, “Voodoo” graphics and outdoor seating. The interior is wall-to-wall with rock’n’roll memorabilia. From the custom made “Lemmy” portrait to the “Tex” neon signs, I get the impression the “Voodoo” is a tribute to the heavy metal social scene, past and present. Indeed having risen from the ashes of iconic former glories such as “Tex”, “The Rock” and “Sin City”, the dim-lit bar’s major illumination comes from the awesome, old-school jukebox which decides your night’s soundtrack from AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica and much, much more. A substantial (albeit reduced, I’m told) looting of women’s delicates hang behind the bar, like a sexy-glam forewarning that games of dice with staff are taken quite seriously!

Voodoo Lounge Valkendorfsgade 22, 1151 Copenhagen K +45 33 93 50 40 voodoo-lounge.dk Tues–Sat: 16.00–04.00 Sun–Mon: Closed

This is where I introduce you to Luke, the owner of Voodoo Lounge. The young, “heavy metal Sam Malone” Dane is something of an institution himself on the Copenhagen social scene. During its seven year existence, Luke worked both opening day, closing night and many hours in-between at one of one Copenhagen’s most historic rock clubs, The Rock. Luke conceptualised everything in Voodoo Lounge’s from the attractive bartenders in choice uniforms, hand-picked records on the jukebox to hosting FallOut-themed parties. The bar is stocked with premium spirits to suit all. I recommend trying the Kraken spiced rum. If you’re feeling more ballsy go for some shots of absinthe. Been out playing Pokemon Go or Ingress in the sun for the last three hours? Fear not,

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Luke’s draught beers are served in frosted glass mugs. Just avoid the chartreuse or be prepared to learn the hard way!

Not only an exclusive haunt for metalheads, the cosiness of the bar and charm of the staff invite all sorts though its doors, though mostly aged 25–40. The music gets nice and loud after 9pm and stays that way until you get kicked out at 4am. Luke has a knack for keeping the rock’n’roll party alive whilst also keeping the bar spotlessly clean. Reservations are available and even include a stocked fridge at your table, containing a large bottle of Vodka, another large bottle of shot-spirits and plenty of beer. I personally find the openness of the patrons my biggest draw to Voodoo Lounge. Seems every time I go there, someone else will air-guitar along to my favourite song and shots miraculously appear. At this point, I must warn readers that there is a “special” method of drinking tequila at Voodoo Lounge. Salt = check! Lemon = check! Big, black dildo = check?!?!

The Voodoo Lounge concept was conceived during meetings with Luke and his business partner, Søren.

Experience proved that Copenhagen needed a new spot for metalheads with a more central location. Voodoo would bring in previous ideas but be like nothing that had existed before. The Voodoo is no club after all.

You won’t be charged an entrance fee and you won’t be charged any unnecessary garderobe (wardrobe) fees.

Whether you are a serious metal nerd, a classic rock aficionado or just looking for good people to enjoy a good night with, Voodoo Lounge should definitely be a pit stop on your highway to hell. Rock out!

JC

S O L I T U D E _

P H O T O G R A P H Y: P ET R A K L E I S ST Y L I N G : R E B E C CA K RYG E R M A K E - U P : AYO E N I S S E N

FA S H I O N

JACKET/ PHILLIP LIM

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FA S H I O N

JACKET/ MUUSE DRESS/ ZARA BOOTS/ MONCLER

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FA S H I O N

DRESS/ ZARA SHOES/ LARA BOHING

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FA S H I O N

DRESS/ PHILLIP LIM

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FA S H I O N

JACKET/ MONCLER PANTS/ MONCLER

DRESS/ EACH X OTHER

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FA S H I O N

SHIRT/ HELMUT LANG KNIT/ HELMUT LANG JEANS/ HELMUT LANG SHOES/ HELMUT LANG

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FA S H I O N

JACKET/ RAG & BONE JEANS/ 7 FOR ALL MANKIND SHIRT/ RAG & BONE

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REVIEW

“WE ALSO IMPORT FROM A LARGE MARKET IN PARIS, CALLED RUNGIS, TWICE A WEEK”.

LØGISMOSE

THIRTY YEARS IN THE MAKING Løgismose Nordre Toldbod 16, 1259 Copenhagen K loegismose.dk Mon–Fri: 10.00–19.00 Sat: 10.00–17.00 Sun: Closed

An oasis for food and wine lovers, Løgismose is a must-see destination for anyone visiting Copenhagen.

In the far corner of Toldboden, the old customs house dock close to Langelinje, lies Løgismose, an impressive high-end store with a die-hard passion for food, wine and unique delicacies.

We met with store manager Christian Rud for a chat about how Løgismose is still standing in a world where everything comes down to pricing and quality isn’t top of everyone’s list.

When was Løgismose established?

1965.

What was the core business back then?

Lene & Svend Grønlykke, our founders, acquired Løgismose Gods, then Faldsled Kro and then they started a wine club. Their love for great wine – and food – is what started the adventure which ultimately led to our store on Nordre Toldbod.

What type of customer visits Løgismose?

Our customers are those who require the finest quality in food, wine and delicaies. It is people with good jobs who don’t neccesarily focus on cost when shopping for groceries. Our selection is very high-end: we carry Rossini Caviar, we cut our meats Bavette style, and we sell very fine wines which we find ourselves and distribute in Denmark.

We have full-time chefs employed and an awardwinning confectioner who took third place in the World Championship; you should check out his sugar sculpture. It is the ivy league of Danish gastronomy, so naturally we cater to a very selective audience.

So it’s one-of-a-kind craftsmanship we find here?

It is. Løgismose used to own Kong Hans and some of their chefs worked here, too, so it is indeed the highest level. We always choose the best of everything for our store and also when it comes to the ingredients we use in our recipes.

You’re in quite a touristy area – do you get many tourists in the store?

Not really, no. Because they are not really part of our demographic. We don’t have those traditional Danish pastries. I mean, we do get the odd one and they buy a little but they are not part of our strategy. We have a lot of regular customers and some drive a long way to visit our store.

Can you tell us how the collaboration with Netto (a budget supermarket chain) started?

Netto was looking for a range of products to lift the brand. We were looking for a distribution channel to sell some of our products to a broader audience. The products you find in Netto with our name on it are made exclusively for Netto. You won’t find the same products in our store on Nordre Toldbod.

How does the future look? Any new projects coming up?

We have a lot of new projects coming up. We would like to raise the bar even higher, we would like to improve taste and quality even more. Also, we have been around for many years so other brands are now copying us. That means we have to reinvent ourselves all the time.

We just started a green-grocer department with greens from Denmark. We also import from a large market in Paris, called Rungis, twice a week.

We just got a lot of new furniture to help boost our freshly-made products because a focal point is also important to us… So a lot going on and a lot coming up.

And you decor already looks really great with leather straps on the fridges?

Yes, we pay a lot of attention to detail and we never compromise.

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What is your most popular product?

The tapas. They are super popular all year round.

That is something I’d like to get across: we’ve got a really nice bar by the kitchen where you can relax while the chefs prepare the food. It’s a really nice spot I think everyone should come and experience.

Normally, the chefs play music and you just get this really cool vibe. Your food is served on Royal Copenhagen plates but it is still somewhat relaxed; you can walk in from the street and just grab a seat.

Some of the products in here are on 50% sale – why is that?

We are trying to avoid food waste as much as possible.

We haven’t really put items on sale before but we are trying it now so we can do our part in keeping food waste down. We’d also like to have fresh products on display as often as possible, which means we have put things on sale. A bit of a shame but, then again, everybody does it and it’s the best way to clear out stock to make space for new items.

What do you think about new school shopping solutions like Aarstiderne and nemlig.com (online supermarkets)?

We also offer delivery service on wines and groceries.

If a customer calls and asks if we can deliver any other product, we send a courier. But it’s not something we plan to make a big deal out of; it isn’t part of our concept. The whole idea behind Løgismose is to come down and experience our lovely food market, talk to the well-trained staff and hear the stories behind each product.

Visit Løgismose on Nordre Toldbod 16 on weekdays from 10-19 and on Saturdays from 10-17.

SK & TØ

K

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PAST NORMAL What do you do when to get to ’normal’? When you’re able to ride 75km at an average 26-27 km per hour? Some people settle for that (we probably would).

Not these guys – these guys are past normal.

FEATURE

“THE INTEREST AND DEMAND FOR THIS KIT WAS SO IMMENSE FROM OTHER RIDERS, BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE RACE, THAT WE DECIDED TO CREATE A CYCLING BRAND.”

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FEATURE

Founded in Copenhagen, Pas Normal Studios is a new brand of contemporary, technical cycling clothing. Technically perfect apparel combined with visionary aesthetics, their gear can now be found throughout Europe, parts of Asia and the United States. Here we speak with co-founder Karl Oskar, also of the beloved Danish fashion brand Wood Wood.

Who are you?

My name is Karl Oskar, I am 41 years old. I was born in Sweden but grew up in Roskilde and Copenhagen.

I have two children.

When was Pas Normal founded and by who?

Pas Normal was founded two years ago. We were a group of cycling friends who were going to participate in a bicycle race in France and we had designed a custom kit which we raced in. The interest and demand for this kit was so immense from other riders, both before and after the race, that we decided to create a cycling brand.

Describe the typical Pas Normal customer.

The typical Pas Normal customer is a very conscious male. Conscious about who he is, conscious about quality and style and what he wants to reflect. He is very passionate about cycling as a sport and he understands the principles within cycling. He doesn’t compromise and he is willing to spend a lot of money on the right bike and the right equipment. This is also depicted in the way he trains, eats and lives. He cares about functionality and not only his looks. He is very forward-minded and focused on how the sport is developing rather than the ancient achievements by historic heroes and what used to be.

So is your typical customer a person who weighs his food and counts his calories?

We have chosen to be rather consistent with our brand and, yes, our label speaks to fit people. We have a certain style that speaks to certain people. Having said that, we focus on not being too pretentious and we don’t want to take ourselves too seriously. There’s a lot of talk right now in cycling about the old sacred rules: are there too many rules? The old-school riders are very much focused on keeping the rules, and if you can’t really ride, shut up. Our customers are different: they are focused on what the future holds.

I draw parallels to running and try to incorporate those running elements into cycling. Running is very focused on development, from shoes to tech to fashion. I think we have to keep that in mind when catering to our demographic – males who want to stand out and send a signal.

What’s your background?

I have a masters degree from The Danish School of Design in interior and scenography design. It provides me with some handy tools in terms of design processes and strategies.

When did your passion for cycling begin?

I was born into a cycling family. My father was a great cyclist and my brother was a great cyclist, too. I started cycling at eight years old and won my first competition as a 12-year old. Then things like skateboarding and marijuana came along; those were too alluring and more fun at the time. I didn’t cycle for ten years. I spent those years in Fælledparken at the skate park.

Has your passion for skateboarding triggered the designer in you?

Absolutely. That whole environment and that subculture has defined the creative side of my personality and laid the groundwork for everything I do today. I was also involved with the hip-hop community and graffiti. Those cultures, like skateboarding, are also very much about your style. Those sub-cultures are where I find my drive for my work with both Wood Wood and Pas Normal.

Interesting. To me there’s a contradiction here: you have deep values but work in a shallow industry?

I don’t think so. I think the two are linked: everything I do is a tribute to my past. Graffiti especially shaped me as a teen. I take values from that past and use them today. As a graffiti artist, you only exist for

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as long as you write your name on a wall. Once you stop tagging, you cease to exist. And, to me, there are few things more creative than graffiti because there are no ‘correct results’. You have to create the right result and the right look, which means you have to be innovative and piece the bits together. And you can’t fake it. If you don’t have any skills, you’re fake, you’re a poser. Much like skateboarding; if you can’t skate but have all the right gear, you’re a poser. Much like cycling – it’s much cooler to have a cheap bike and out-race the competition.

Are there links between the Pas Normal and Wood Wood collections?

To a certain extent, yes. With both brands I try to reflect the time we live in. With Pas Normal, that shows when you look at our colours. I try to look at the fashion industry and bring current colours into the mix. There are so many black/white/red cycling labels and only recently you started seeing otherwise.

At Wood Wood we have three keywords we live by: Creativity, Quality & Attitude. I try to implement those at Pas Normal, too. The garments we work with are top-shelf materials you see on the pro tours.

Creativity and attitude is part of everything we do and you can tell.

Where is Pas Normal sold? In Denmark and abroad?

I believe we are in some 25 stores worldwide. We sell to two stores in Denmark and abroad we are in the best stores around: Bespoke in London, Above Category in San Francisco, Mr Porter in the US and UK, and Steel in Paris. We are very selective with who we sell to. In Japan, Korea and Singapore, for example, we are doing really well. I am personally happy about that because those markets are so focused on style and simplicity.

Our social media accounts attract a fair share of Asian followers which is awesome.

What are your biggest challenges?

We are still a start-up. We have focused on brandbuilding from the beginning. Our target audience are first-movers so that’s already pretty slim. This leads to a range of challenges: how do we grow without becoming mainstream? How do we make a profitable business out of this when we are so selective with our partners? The foundation of the brand is a very strong love for the sport so I am sure we are looking at an exciting future. There is huge potential for a women’s line so we will be looking at that shortly.

How many people work at Pas Normal Studios?

We have eight full-time employees, then there’s a large network around us. The founders are not part of the day-to-day operation full-time.

Where are the garments produced?

Almost everything is produced in Italy except for some accessories. The factory in Italy is an old, renowned factory and it is very expensive to produce there, but we find that quality is king with a brand like ours. All our styles have certain technical specifications and functions. We target a very selective audience so our products have to be top-shelf, both design-wise and functionality-wise.

How does the future look for Pas Normal?

The future looks fun. I think there is huge potential for the brand and I think we’ve found a gap in the market.

There is a demand for a brand like Pas Normal within the cycling industry. I see a development around the world where regular cycle enthusiasts become ambassadors. I see a future with group rides and us travelling around the globe, riding with friends and fans of Pas Normal. Future brands will have to be at the same level as their consumers. All brands will have to give something back and create a community. That’s what we do. We arrange group rides; and those who keep coming back are rewarded with goodies. That, to me, is just nice and it makes it all worthwhile.

How do you balance your life when you’re so busy?

How do you avoid getting (too) stressed?

I actually did go down with stress about two months ago. I also got divorced a year ago and then, with all this, it was just too much. I have made some changes to my life and I have started prioritizing a long bike ride once a week in the morning which means I show up at the office later than usual. It makes all the difference to me when I use cycling as therapy. I also get so much more done at the office afterwards.

It can be really hard to find the time and energy to allow yourself to take that break but is just so important. I need that freedom to work properly.

I tell my staff the same: I don’t care when they work or how many hours they put in as long as they make their deadlines and get the job done.

Tell us about your love to Nørrebro. Do you live here or is it just your offices that are here?

I live in the city centre now. I lived on Nørrebrogade for ten years. It was a great time but when I reached my late thirties, with the kids and all, I just couldn’t stay here anymore. It’s a great borough and I love it but I just got too fed up with all the garbage in the streets. We also lived here during the peak of the last gang war. My turning point happened one day as I walked down the street with my daughter and a guy came running around the corner and a gun fell out of his jacket. I remember thinking ‘that’s it, we’re moving’. Wood Wood will always have its HQ here and Nørrebro will always be a part of me.

TB & TØ

REVIEW

The Shamrock Inn Jernbanegade 7, 1608 Copenhagen V +45 33 36 35 50 Mon–Wed: 14.00–02.00 Thur: 14.00–03.00 Fri–Sat: 14.00–05.00 Sun: 14.00–0200

THE SHAMROCK INN RAISING THE IRISH BAR The Shamrock Inn’s emerald green exterior, adorned by hanging flowers and the traditional “Shamrock Inn” bar sign, can be found snug at end of the street.

The Shamrock is slightly hidden by the shadow of the new Gorrissen Federspiel mega towers. And then there’s the Scientology building across the street. So...

The front outdoor seating area is enclosed by a miniature row of evergreen trees and shrubs, like a faux beer garden on the street. The neat trio of tables and chairs allows smokers and sunbathers alike to enjoy the (in)famous Danish weather.

But as the song goes, “You ain’t seen nothing yet”!

Once inside, you’ll be transported from the centre of Copenhagen to your new local on South William Street in the heart of Dublin. Yes, like magic! The unique transformation from Copenhagen to Dublin is welcomed by smiling staff behind the front-facing bar, bathed in a warming glow from the upright golden bar lamps. There’s a cosy elegance here; this is a genuine, traditional Irish bar in every sense. The downstairs lounge is reminiscent of a “friend’s living room that never quite got finished”, housing the bar’s pool table, ubercool Chesterfield couches, pinball machine and super cool ‘80s arcade cabinets, Donkey Kong et al.

Naoise, the manager, must have some really, really cool friends.

What you won’t find here: walls, floors, ceilings and staff camouflaged in token plastic paddy crap.

Declared the unofficial Irish embassy, “The Shamrock”, “Sham” or “Shammy” is known to be first portof-call for new patrons finding their feet and regular institutions keeping an eye on the expat social scene, spanning the last 20 years. The place’s popularity is most evident with their staunch regular clientele; “you can set the clock to some of the regulars walking in”.

The bar is a place of impartiality, where one could end up in cahoots with a CEO to your left and streetcleaner to your right. They accept BitCoin here, so your whiskey may be older than the currency you use to pay for it!

The bar walls are decorated with bottles of Irish whiskey and Irish craft beer, sourced by Naoise.

An Irish man in his 11th year in Copenhagen, Naoise makes the most of his connections in Ireland and Denmark to source unique Irish products, the majority of which won’t be found elsewhere in the city.

He has cultivated the best of his service-minded learnings from a wide variety of both Irish and Danish social scenes.

There’s little noise from the street outside and we’re more likely to hear music from Villagers than the Dubliners. It’s the live music scene here, flowing September through to May, which brings a range of talent performing some of the best Irish and modern music on the scene today.

Being first-movers is nothing new for The Shamrock Inn. They were not only the first to stock Teeling Irish whiskey, but owner Eileen Bruun De Neergaard was the first to open the original Irish bar in Scandinavia, also called The Shamrock Inn. Next door to the current location, the original Shamrock Inn opened on March 9th, 1989, when the old Scala complex opened.

Eileen, a bookkeeper at the time, saw a gap in the market for an Irish bar. She shipped bar, bricks, coolers, gas and even an original church pew from her hometown in Ballingarry, Co. Limerick to Copenhagen. The current premises opened in 2011 due to demand to have The Shamrock Inn reinstated after the original closed in.

We have Eileen alone to thank for Guinness an Kilkenny, to name among a few, to be first made available in Scandinavia in 1989 . Major players of the current

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Danish pub scene have received their apprenticeship at The Shamrock. So, you could say, Eileen is the most important entrepreneur to the Irish Pub trade in Scandinavia.

Luckily for Eileen, Naoise is all about adapting to change. I don’t know anyone else who has his finger on the pulse of all things Irish as much as this man.

Naoise is one informed dude. With passion, aptitude and a sense of exploration, he brings the current trends of the Irish pub scene to The Shamrock.

The Irish beer selection of exclusive house beers ranges from Porterhouse, O’Hara’s and even Trouble Brewing breweries from the west coast of Ireland.

Friendly and wise beyond his years, every conversation with this man feels like an adventure through the land of alcohol with a young Irish Gandalf.

For a real treat, go for the new tasting menu. Designed for both the novice and expert connoisseur alike, you can try for a selection of Teeling Irish Whiskeys or O’Hara’s Irish Brew, letting you make the decision that Single Grain whiskey is your favourite, when your partner in crime might prefer the Imperial Stout.

Naoise places emphasis on the drinker having their own experience. Rather than having some hipster expert muscle flexing their single malt knowledge upon you, you decide on your own terms what suits your taste buds best.

The Shamrock Inn is a Celtic jewel on the heart of our city. From exclusive Irish beverages to an iconic place in the history of the Scandinavian Irish pub scene they have it all. Get yourself down there and make up your own mind!

JC

REVIEW

V

FRIENDLY AND WISE BEYOND HIS YEARS, EVERY CONVERSATION WITH THIS MAN FEELS LIKE AN ADVENTURE THROUGH THE LAND OF ALCOHOL WITH A YOUNG IRISH GANDALF.

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PAUL WASSIF

INTERVIEW

“GUESS WHAT HE SAID TO ME? ‘HI, I’M ERIC, YOU MUST BE SHITTING YOURSELF RIGHT NOW’!”

Not quite 900 miles from home, we caught up with Paul Wassif for his stay in our wonderful city for an insightful interview of the life and times of this travelling bluesman. So an Irishman and Englishman walk into a bar...

I’m quite nervous and I’ve over-prepared my questions, hopefully they’re all in chronological order!

Oh dear! Chronologically!

Tell me a little about your childhood. Where did you grow up?

I grew up all over. My Dad came from Egypt and was a doctor. We travelled quite a bit. I would say I’m from Bristol but I did spend a lot of time in other countries, Holland in particular, between when I was 6-12 years old. In fact, at one point my Dutch was better than my English. I used to dream in Dutch!

When did you start playing guitar?

I started playing guitar relatively early on, around the age of 12. Back then there was no internet, YouTube or tabs of course, so the main way to learn was to sit down and listen to records! Big influences around that time for me would have been listening to recordings of Thin Lizzy and Rory Gallagher, fantastic stuff! I guess all the guitar players you knew would kind of help each other, but I was always interested in being advanced as a player. One of my defining memories in wanting to learn guitar? I can recall a specific moment at school in Holland and seeing these kids in a room playing classical guitar together. So beautiful. Another defining moment in my early guitar playing I do remember well was learning the riff to “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” by the Rolling Stones!

My style of guitar-playing came from my interest in more technical playing, like Thin Lizzy with Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson. I wasn’t such a big fan of Gary Moore. There was something about him that was a bit too ‘heavy metal’ for my taste.

You had a drastically different style in the 80’s to the music you’re putting out now. The London Cowboys, for example...

The London Cowboys was a band with a revolving roster of musicians over the years, kind of an exclusive group with certain unmentionable criteria that you had to possess to get into the band! They were going for years before I joined. But that band originally began life as The Idols in New York City. Remember that live album Sid Vicious did at Max’s Kansas City?

The Idols were his backing band for that gig! They were his band when he left the Pistols. When they came to London, they changed their name to The London Cowboys and that’s when I hooked up with them. Jerry Nolan (the drummer of the New York Dolls), who was on drums with the Cowboys, hooked me up with Sylvain Sylvain which is when I began that stint with The Ugly Americans.

Was it a huge deal for you to move Stateside to play music?

I had been to the United States and travelled to other countries quite a few times so its wasn’t much of a culture shock as you can imagine.

What initially brought you over there?

I met a girl from Baltimore at a Ramones concert.

We ended up having a thing together and I used to travel over to see her. I remember one time leaving my friends flat in London, saying goodbye to everyone before I left, flying to New York and getting refused entry! I had only eight dollars in my pocket, because I already had a U.S. bank account, so I figured, a few dollars for a taxi and a hot dog; eight should do me.

Wrong! Customs denied me entrance on the grounds that I didn’t have enough cash to support myself, even though my girlfriend eventually came down to the airport with hundreds of dollars in cash.

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So I was sent packing, back on the plane, back to London, arrived back at same flat I left, and proceeded to tell my friends what happened. Most of them were still in the same positions I left them in. When I told them I had been to New York and back they didn’t believe me! They were like “No way! You didn’t even go to the airport! Where have you really been”?! Mad times!

How was your experience in NYC in that era?

New York was a great place for a young man; still is.

But it was a very different place back then, even in Manhattan. The were certain places you just didn’t go. Like Central Park, for example, you wouldn’t go near the place. Of course, that’s very different now.

It was eye opening for me. Musically especially. My then girlfriend had all these records that I hadn’t been turned onto yet. Donny Hathaway, Ry Cooder. So that time would have been my introduction to a lot of American music, listening to Aerosmith records, who didn’t tour the U.K. until much later sometime in the ‘80s. One time I was hanging out with some friends at a food joint and there was another guy there called Wayne, who I just knew as, you know, just this other guy called Wayne. It wasn’t until he left one of my friends goes, “Oh yeah, Wayne plays in a band, MC5”!

‘Wayne fucking Kramer’ I said? I couldn’t believe it, was a huge fan of MC5 and Wayne Kramer was sitting at my table and I was completely oblivious!

So, Eric Clapton is a fan of yours...

Well, I was playing this basement gig in the Groucho Club of Soho in London, part of a duo with a girl called Andrea Oliver (who worked with Neneh Cherry in the band Rip Rig and Panic) playing that night. It was a mutual friend who brought Eric along to see me play. So obviously I’m really nervous! I was introduced to him before we went on, guess what he said to me?

“Hi, I’m Eric, you must be shitting yourself right now”!

INTERVIEW

That sounds mean!

No, it wasn’t in a pretentious way or mean-spirited.

It was more breaking the ice, ‘let’s get this over with’, so I wouldn’t be nervous on stage. So that was cool.

He called me up after the gig and I ended up spending some time with him. You know, when Eric calls you up to come over and play at his place, it’s like “oooh Eric is calling,” kinda thing, and it’s never just to hang out and play. There’s always people around there, studio set-up and goings on.

You went on tour with him. What was that like?

One day he calls me up and he says, “Why don’t you put a band together to support my tour”.

So I put together this group with Mickey Red, Seamus Beaghen, Tim Weller on drums and Henry Olsen (Primal Scream) and Adam Green, who’s unfortunately died since. We called ourselves ‘Distant Cousins’ but actually got a cease and desist order from another group with the same name, so we renamed ourselves DC5, coming from my MC5 obsession. We went and supported Eric on the U.S. leg of his Pilgrim tour, in 1998. All of us established musicians and had played big venues before so. When we got to play Madison Square Garden, however it was like a dreamcome-true because I remember as a boy being on holidays with my family and we stayed in a hotel near Madison Square Garden and Ted Nugent played one of the nights when I was staying there. I remember all the people outside and being really curious as to all the goings-on, so it was amazing to come back and actually be playing on stage there! Generally on tours like that you start off at the smaller venues and work the show until you get to the bigger stages and arenas, like MSG. The equipment was great. I mean, the difference on stage, coming from smaller London gigs, was that each musician had their own sound set-up on the monitors, and the sound was great and consistent for nights in a row. You know, if I needed a Fender

Bassman amp, I got one, simple as. This kind of thing.

The time period between going from playing the basement gig in London to playing the MSG stage was two years. Yeah, very short. The material consisted of each member bringing an original song but we also worked in some covers there too; music from guys like Al Green and Johnny Guitar Watson.

What happened to the band after the tour?

We finished the tour then landed back in London. We kind of all went our separate ways and had individual projects going on. I actually came home and met the woman who became my wife and later we had a daughter. I then decided to actually try and get some steady income, I landed myself a job working in a prison! I did try to hang up the guitar for a while. It was more of a distraction at that point but, as always has it, I’d still take it out every now and again, not to play gigs or anything but just to play for myself.

How did you end up meeting Bert Jansch?

Bert had been married to my wife’s best friend, so we were like the civil other halves that met when the wives had a get-together. He was this quiet guy, always has been and I guess I am too. He knew I was a guitar player and I think he would try to suss me out with regards to seeing if I really wanted to play, better my chops and generally be keen on developing my musicianship, which I was. I guess he took me under his wing when he realized that I genuinely was keen and motivated. We gigged together and I opened for him and accompanied him on tracks. I was asked to play on his record Edge of A Dream, he asked me to put some slide guitar on ‘Black Cat Blues’, and again in 2006 on the album Black Swan. That album we actually sat playing together, after playing the songs live previously. I got a co-writing credit on a track we played banjo on, which was very sweet of him.

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I managed to blag my way into getting a guitar lesson off Paul on Saturday evening, it was like the story of the blues guitar throughout the years, showing me licks from Big Bill Broonzy to tips on how to learn slide guitar by playing along with Muddy Waters records to Chet Atkins finger-picking, in which your thumb picks the bass strings to the rhythm while your other fingers play the melody, like some kind of sorcery. If Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil, Paul Wassif is the major shareholder. He did inform me that it was Bert Jansch, who’ll we’ll later get to, who showed Paul how to master the finger picking after seeing Paul’s self-motivation to always better his guitar playing.

So were you planning the release of your own album at this stage?

I didn’t have much intention of recording my own stuff really but something surreal happened! Bert had said to me , “You need to do your own thing; do your own album”, then in the same week, Eric calls me and says “When are you going to do your own stuff ?”, so you know, when two of the biggest deals in music tell you to do your own album in the same week, that’s a sign, that’s the universe telling you something. So how could I not act on that!

And both Eric and Bert played on the album!

It was the the first time they collaborated and even met. Of course they had heard each other, but never worked together. So that was special. Bert himself had offered to play, I asked Eric if he would, and that’s how it came about. After recording the album, Bert suggested a plan to tour together to promote Looking Up Feeling Down. Unfortunately passed away a week after the release of the album.

INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW

How did you approach directing these legends on what to play your tracks?

Put it this way: they never told me what to do and I wasn’t about to tell them what to do. I came into a room one day and Bert was playing this lovely passage.

I asked “what’s that”? It turned out that was my own song, “Preacher’s Trick”, just played it the way Bert plays it. Even though it was the same song, it comes out in another way. So that was really great. And of course these guys are seasoned musicians, so they can come in and bang bang, one or two takes and it’s done!

I recorded the album in Metropolis Studios in London with David Watson producing. We also had this great female singer get involved on singing backing vocals on the album. Her name is Lynn Glaser and she’s something of Nashville aristocracy. Her Dad Jim and uncle Tompall Glaser actually wrote the song Streets of Baltimore (made famous by Gram Parsons). She came all the way from the States to get away from the country scene, moved to England and, of course, I go ask her to sing country backing vocals!

Your current project is called the Three Pilgrims I’m currently a member of a trio called the Three Pilgrims, which is funny as I just realized the name of that band ties in with the Pilgrim Tour I was on with Eric! The other members are David Watson, who produced my album Looking Up Feeling Down, and Mark Abis, who worked with David previously. Both sing and play guitar. I met David through Lynn Glaser, who was going out with David’s brother. I used to go to their place to rehearse with Lynn and that’s how we got to know each other.

Mark is the guy who’s always barefoot!?

How did you know he’s always barefoot?! We played our first gig in the Elgin in London on the 28th of May last year and have been gigging and recording since.

We recorded the album in this converted barn house in Somerset. Seriously well-kitted out studio with the best-of-the-best there, equipment wise. It was built

by Sam Dyson, son of vacuum inventor James Dyson. and it had Frank Sinatra’s old mixing desk! This thing was proper old, probably from the 1930s, with big, big knobs that you had to physically twist! Very old hat! This thing actually makes you sing and sound better. We haven’t actually finished that album yet but hopefully it should be out sometime in the near future.

Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages... watch this space!

So what’s in store for Paul Wassif fans in the near future? Solo album? Three Pilgrims material?

I’m working on both at the moment. The Three Pilgrims album will be out soon, though. It’s gonna be fairly traditional; lots of three-part harmonies. If you asked me two years ago if I’d be doing three-part harmonies I would have said ‘no way’! I’ve always been a guitar player and never a singer. But actually, in that same week where both Eric and Bert encouraged me to do my own thing, they also told me to get over the fact that I didn’t like sound of my own voice and just fucking sing! They hadn’t really heard me sing so much, bar a few b.v’s (backing vocals), but they themselves had people around who forced them to sing, Eric had Delaney (Bramlett) for example.

Working with The Pilgrims has really helped, those two guys sing more so than I do and they dragged me into singing the three-part harmonies.

I’m also slowly working on what will become my next album. That’ll come out sounding more stripped back than the last one Looking Up Feeling Down; it’ll be a lot more just me and less instrumentation.

What records are you currently listening to?

To be honest, I usually just listen to whatever is playing on my computer at the time. I like listening to Miles Davis, Charles Mingus. I listen to that stuff and learn a lot, because I don’t understand the instruments, horns and piano, no vocals or guitar. It allows me to really listen. Anything else I’m usually just analysing and comparing. I’m really loving all the Reprise 4 disc collection of Frank Sinatra’s stuff.

I makes me feel good listening to it. When you think of the level of music made back when people really appreciated music, you can really see how the quality has dropped in this day and age because people just don’t want to pay for it.

When it comes to inspiration or listening to music when I’m gearing up to creating my own material, I prefer to listen to as little as possible. You’re exposed to so much music all the time: shops, coffee shops, smart-phones, elevators...most of the time I don’t want to listen to anyone. I suffer from that ‘compare and despair’ syndrome. So, I usually just put my head down and do what I want.

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So, the “desert island” question. You’re stranded, you can have one album, one musical set-up, one partner to jam with and one book. Go… I’ve already thought about this one and it’s really hard!

I guess some of the obvious ones would be Exile On Main Street by the Rolling Stones and Bone Machine

by Tom Waits; especially if you’re alone that album can really take you places. Those albums cover a lot of ground. There’s also the Alan Lomax Mississippi Prison Recordings, all theses prisoners singing the slavery songs, banging on sledgehammers and digging holes. Fuck you up!

I think ultimately I would take Ray Charles’ The Genius Sings The Blues, 1961. First record for Atlantic. His voice with those songs; that’s enough to get you through most things in life.

Music set-up: I’d have a piano, double bass and drums.

Acoustic or electric guitar, depending on which tune.

As for a jamming partner, dead or alive, I’d go with alive and I’d pick someone not particularly wellknown but a guy I used to play with and he’s been on my album: Seamus Beaghen. He’s played with Iggy Pop and Paul Weller; he’s awesome. Seamus can play that Dr. John, Professor Longhair-New Orleans stuff. He’s even got a Hammond B3 organ in his basement and he can really play that damn thing, like a Hammond should really be played, Jimmy Smithstyle.

My book would have to be Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. It’s the book that Mick Jagger read before penning “Sympathy For the Devil”. I read it years ago and have been meaning to read it again. It’s really cool and it’s got some fucking far out shit in there! It’d be a great book to be stuck with on a desert island. Like a lot of things in life, it requires a bit of work but you can really get lost in it!

JC

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