NiceKicks Livestock Interview!
Jesse Leyva Interview
Check out this video interview with Global Design Director Jesse Leyva, in relation to the design and creation of the dj am dunks and dj premier af1’s
also , if you’re a fan of mars blackman and the spizike’s which dropped last week, kill some time with this and spizike yourself:
Mike Vince Interview
The newest member of the livestock crew, Mike Vince, did an interview with skatenewspot.com. Check it out.
You grew up skating in Winnipeg. How did you get into skating and who did you skate with over the years there?
My older brother had a skateboard. I had to do everything he did so I got one too. I probably thought it would make me cool or something.
Back in Winnipeg I skated with Aaron Rosenblatt, Jeremy Gelfant , Jordan Bucholz and Sam Klassen. Basically the new Green Apple dudes.
When and why did you move to Vancouver?
Maybe 2003? Do you know? I moved to Vancouver because I was fed up with the long winters in Winnipeg and figured it was time to try something new. Aaron moved out around the same time, which only made it easier on me.
Yeah, it was 2003. When you got to Van you moved into the Chateau. How was that? What did you guys do on the daily then? Who did you live with at the time? Any good stories?
Moving into the Chateau was great! I met some of my best friends there. I lived with Aaron, Kris Richardson, McD, Ryan Mcguigan, Steve Lyons and Trav Stenger on the 1st Floor. Up top was Ian Twa, Jason Cooper and Joey Williams.
I’d wake up at the Chateau and play the waiting game. Ryan on the computer and Ian cooking steaks, I was lucky If made it out of that place by 2 or 3 in the afternoon. I was pretty eager at the time, which i’m pretty sure annoyed everyone in the house.
All my good story’s involve visits from you bud. Remember that time you power bombed Green’s into the coffee table? Hahaha!
That was an accident! Sorry Greenhorn! Anyway, you lived in the Chateau, The Chatwo and The Fuck Shop. Which was the best place to live and why? Which was the worst and why?
The Fuck Shop was the best and the worst. Best crew in a single household and the location was craze. It was the worst because of what McD called “Pop ups.” Place was like a youth hostel and everyone knew where the spare key was.
What’s it like living in Vancouver now? What do you do from day to day?
Even though I complain about it non-stop every single day of my life, Vancouver is still my home and I love it. It’s not the easiest city to skate, and that’s what makes it good. Most days are spent working or skating. I like to travel when the old account balance permits it.
You have gone on numerous, 3 month trips to Barcelona. What are some of the best things about the city?
Food, GP, Fragile, Mataro, and of course the late nights at Uni!
You just did a small East Coast trip this summer, ending in NYC. What was the trip like? Where did you go? How did you like New York City?
I went to Montreal, Toronto and ended up with you at the Opera House in Brooklyn, NYC. My trip began with Zoo York’s annual contest in Montreal, needless to say I blew that. I had some extra loot and figured I may as well stick around the east coast and roam around on Greyhounds. Caught up with the Adidas tour in Toronto and then on to visit you. New York may be my favorite city I have been to this far. I look forward to returning soon.
Favorite skaters?
Danny Renaud, Anthony Van Engelen, and Gino Iannucci.
Favorite videos?
Alien Workshop “Photosynthesis”, FTC “Penal Code”, 101 “Trilogy.”
Favorite flip tricks
Kickflip.
Favorite ledge tricks?
Switch Backside 50-50.
Who’s skating are you hyped on in Canada?
Kevin Lowry and Joey Williams because he leaves comments on here now. All the Fuckshop locs too.
You’re very picky and selective about the stuff you shoot and even more picky about the stuff of you that you allow to be seen. I know you’re not very happy that I’m making you do this interview. Where does this finicky Vince come from?
I wouldn’t say I’m picky? Whatever it is, I got it from my parents, they are both perfectionists. I’m passionate about the shralp. It’s sad to see skateboarding pumped out in such excess and with such little care.
You recent left Supra dist to ride for WE and Adidas. Was this a hard decision to make? Weren’t you on Adidas before?
It was a difficult decision because I had been apart of Supra for quite some time and still have many good friends there. It simply wasn’t working out though and I was unhappy. The opportunity to skate for Adidas and WeSC came about and my decision was made. In a sense it was quite an easy decision, I have always really liked these two brands. Many of my good friends are apart of them as well. Yes, I did skate for Adidas when they started in Canada. Leaving was my mistake. I’ll leave it at that.
Thank yous?
My family and friends! Ben Motz, Annie Lam, Micki Rivers and Jesse Bowden, McD and Ry at Green Apple, Trav for bringing home wings tonight, and you BEN!
Photos and text courtesy of www.skatenewspot.com
Ben Tour Interview
Our Friend Jeff Hamada over at BOOOOOOOM.COM interviewed artist Ben Tour who is in the upcoming art show, tangents. Ben will be one of six artists to be displaying their work.
Can you describe your process? And are the little letters that appear in some of the works from those rub/transfer sheets?
My process changes from piece to piece. With painting, I start with a sketch which is quite tight and then project it on my chosen surface with an overhead projector. I’ve played around with different techniques but find this one the easiest. For smaller scale work, I just sit down and get to work usually building the final from smaller roughs. Tradititional illustrator style. The little letters and numbers are rub-on. It’s a product that was popular for designers before computers.
My Dad actually introduced me to it as he would lay out magazines cut and paste style and have sheets of Letraset Rub-On next to the drafting table. I also remember as a kid their was similar stuff in boxes of Fruit Loops – you would get a little rub-on sheet with Toucan Sam and you could use a pencil and rub him onto paper. I’d forgotten all about the stuff and then by chance years later found a box of it, which I still have.
I totally remember those rub-on sheets in the cereal boxes! When you were a kid did you ever read those books that came with a battery-powered “pen” that had some sort of laser in it and when you put it on different colors in the book it would make different noises and light up? (This sounds totally made up, but I swear this was actually a thing!)
I don’t remember those? Sounds awesome. My parents only got the good kid cereal maybe once a month, I ate alot of Shredded Wheat and Weetabix. I like both of those cereals but they never had cool toys.
I notice on your site you describe yourself as a painter and an illustrator, do you think there are negative connotations that come from being labeled an illustrator?
No. But I understand what you mean. Illustration by definition is visual matter used to clarify or decorate text. It’s a structured job, and I think because of that it doesn’t always get the respect it deserves. Fine artists have always borrowed from illustrators and vice versa. My favourite artists have always been illustrators and comic book artists. What I try to do now is bend and borrow illustration techniques and conceptual process to showcase it as fine art.
Who was your favourite comic book artist growing up? And what about now?
I had a lot of faves growing up and as I got older my taste changed and developed. My first comic book love affair was Uncanny X-Men, I started around 211, which I got as a Halloween present while Trick or Treating. After that it was over. Mark Silvestri, Jim Lee. I tried to beg, borrow and steal as many Marvel comics as I could. Frank Miller, Ron Lim, Arthur Adams, Todd McFarlane, Sam Kieth. Mike Mignola, Walter Simonson. Then Havoc/Wolverine ‘Meltdown’ came out – it was a mini series of graphic novels painted by John J. Muth and Kent Williams. It was different than anything I had seen before and made me interested in painting as the art was so raw and ‘Drippy(?)’.
After that I discovered ‘The Beguiling’ which is an amazing comic book store in Toronto, I got heavy into into ‘alternative’ comics and stuff like ‘Love & Rockets’ and ‘Ed the Happy Clown’. I was big into Moebius, Bill Sienkiewicz and Heavy Metal. Nowadays I’m more into guys like James Jean and Ashley Wood. I’ve skimming the surface on this topic. I’m a fucking dork.
Yeah I was really into Silvestri and Jim Lee, X-men, WildC.A.T.S., Cyberforce. And Sienkiewicz is one of my favourites, Elektra Assassin and his Jimi Hendrix book are amazing. Are the figures in your work based on people you know?
I use alot of photography in my art and sometimes I get friends to pose for portraits. Many of the references I use are found images.
What do you like to do for fun?
Fun? I’m pretty busy these days to be honest. I hang out with my family, I go to the beach or on hikes. I’m a dad so i usually do fun stuff with my son. He keeps me out of trouble. I think its commonly referred to as getting old.
This website is the closest thing I have to a child (insert sad music). Are there any good kids shows on tv? And what about the computer, is he on there a lot? I think it’s weird that kids are all learning how to type on a keyboard when I was just drawing or playing with lego at that age.
My kid is still really young, but I don’t underestimate how much he absorbs through TV and the computer. He’s not really into TV at the moment and that’s a good thing. I did check this out with him.
I was gonna say that Yo Gabba Gabba looked like the only show I’d have my kid watching! Do you want to end the interview with a quote?
“Thanks Jeff”.
Come out on November 13th to the Tangents art show at the Lifetime Space. Presented by Booooooom.com
Photos and Text courtesy of Booooooom.com
Randy Laybourne Interview
Q: How did you link up with Livestock?
A: A few years ago I was able to meet Garry, through Chris Allen, on one of my trips back home from California. Around late 2004, I had a couple small-run tees and he took a few and sold them at Live Stock. One said “Make Crime Your Business” and Garry said a few guys wondered if it could be done in gold foil and XXL size.
One of the first tees that Livestock carried around 2004.
Q: How do you keep motivated to produce/create?
A: I just don’t stop or can’t stop. A friend recently sent me an interview with Milton Glaser and in it Glaser mentioned a quote from John Cage, the composer, who said “Never have a job, because if you have a job someday someone will take it away from you and then you will be unprepared for your old age.” That made total and complete sense. So I just keep doing.
Q: Do you think your work has evolved since you started in the business?
A: My work has evolved just in the last couple months with the opportunity to do some fun things. These tees for example are a continuation of a manner of making images I’ve just started trying on a bigger scale. For some desktops I have in the past composited my own drawings. But now I’m trying to make them more and more complicated. It makes the image very flexible so that it can be applied to different media. I also did guest Art Direction for the second issue of King Shit. I did unique drawings for almost every column page.
Q: What would you consider your background to be?
A: Pretty pasty and burn easily in the sun. It is coming up on almost 20 years of being out of high school and I’ve been fortunate to have done a variety of stuff so far. Way back in 1992 I travelled Europe for exactly a year. It helped me grow up and get a little less shy. I found out I had a Canadian accent. It was a shock.
Q: Did you have youthful aspirations to be doing this or is it just something you fell into?
A: I keep falling… Since moving back to Canada from California it has been pretty amazing that my wife and I have been able to live and survive through doing a variety of different gigs. The fear of not having medical costs does set the mind at ease.
Q: Do you have any formal training, if so was it of any value?
A: I did seven years of post-secondary education and landed up with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Bachelor of Visual Communications (both from NSCAD) and a diploma in Graphic Design. Of course my parents joked with that amount of time I could be a doctor. With how working in the US works, it makes it very simple, but still not stress-free, to work as a graphic designer. One of the degrees is almost worn out from the many times it has been handled by the US border agents. The actual education part was good as well and still count my printmaking instructors Ed Porter and Bob Rogers as friends. They both know more about design than most graphic design instructors.
Bob Rogers (left) and Ed Porter (right) taught me more about design than any other professor and they were my printmaking instructors.
Q: How has the internet helped your company/work get to the level it’s at now?
A: The internet helps for sure but it still doesn’t take the place of meeting someone face-to-face and becoming friends with them.
Q: Do you think brands and individual items become popular solely on hype or do you think peoples taste still governs how well something does?
A: A brand might be able to get by for a few years with hype and lies but eventually they burn out and become less relevant to culture.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: The Mumble Agency with Bob K. is still getting ready to launch but we both have some other projects to get running on auto-pilot first. Personally I have more drawing to do and more photos to take. It is getting close to a year of being back in Canada but it doesn’t feel like it. I guess it is because I land up going back to California every second month for an art show, freelance design work or friends and family. I’m organizing a group show for November here in Vancouver with the Walrus shop on Cambie. And more and more drawings to do…
Randy is holding up one of the NEW Livestock x Randy Laybourne tees. Available now at all locations.
Peep the rest below and click the pic to purchase your fave.
cy up on kingshit.
peep the full story HERE.
over 1500 peeps on this years WILD IN THE STREETS, reynolds frontside flip black ice…..? yup.
