Thangs & Thangs

Growing, Growing, Gone...

2010-11-09T08:04:00.001-05:00

So long Blogspot, and thanks for the memories. Dot com.

Wish List

2010-10-20T22:03:00.000-04:00

Sitting and Watching

2010-09-12T12:33:00.002-04:00

Peter Tosh in Stepping Razor: Red X.

"Coming in hot, hot, hot/firing dem shot, shot, shot."

A Key to Success

2010-09-07T13:42:00.001-04:00

Yuck Fou

2010-09-02T19:36:00.000-04:00

Cee-Lo - F-ck You

Leave it to Cee-lo to make this type of 4 letter worded funk.

You Ain't No DJ

2010-09-02T19:17:00.003-04:00

Big Boi ft. Yelawolf - You Ain't No DJ

Getting Grown

2010-08-29T15:49:00.001-04:00

Getting grown.

Respect Mag

2010-08-28T15:38:00.002-04:00

photo: Matt Salacuse

"I waited seven hours for this photo. He came over to the house, and I put on my extra-special old-school mixtape, and he was like, 'You gotta make me a copy of that.' As he was walking out, he said, 'Whats that?' He was pointing to a copy of an old Richard Pryor show from the late 70's. He was like, 'I have to see that! Can I borrow it?' And so I asked him, 'Am I ever going to see that again?' And he said , 'Nope.'"

-as told by Matt Salacuse for Respect Magazine, now available on news stands.

Like Voltron

2010-08-28T15:06:00.002-04:00

Coppershot!

2010-08-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

Black Market

2010-08-22T15:13:00.000-04:00

The Descent

2010-08-21T20:23:00.002-04:00

photo: Stevie Ites

Open Doors

2010-08-12T14:35:00.015-04:00

An Interview with Billy Rohan

Working.

photo: Jay Maldonado

Upon meeting Billy, his brimming ambition is obvious. He greets you with a smile, a handshake, and confidence rivaling the best of salesmen. This ambition and charisma has enabled the creation of one of New York City’s most currently favored skatespots, 12th and A, named for its geographical location in the East Village. Recently, I caught up with Billy over brunch in one of his favorite restaurants, Cafe Magador, only blocks from his beloved creation. In between discussing his plans for revolutionary iPhone apps, we chatted about the birth of 12th and A and the importance of following directions.

So, how’s New York life treating you, Billy?
New York has been great. I’ve been here for 9 years now. I grew up in Gainseville, Florida originally and the transition to New York has been great because you pretty much have anything you want to do on a daily basis. It’s a great place.

You’ve done alot of work establishing skateparks for the city’s kids. How do you feel New York has received you?
Y’know, its weird coming from Florida because down there you had to build the scene. Where we were from in Gainesville, the old pros like Donny Meyer and Monty Nolder and those guys, to be a pro skater you had to be pro-active within skateboarding - build the scene, build the park, build the contest, do it so if there was nothing there, people would come to your city. I just felt you could do the same thing here in New York. The city has so much to offer but it’s under utilized and I’m just trying to put that idea into motion up here. Everybody’s been great. It’s just skaters who are psyched to do shit.

You’ve been an integral part in creating the 12th and A park here in New York City along with Open Road. Discuss 12th and A and Open Road and what that's all about.
Really how it came about, it wasn’t just me pushing for a scene. Everything just kind of fell into place at the right time. You have advocates from across the city working to get skateboarding accepted. Steve Rodriguez [owner of 5 Boro skateboards] did a huge amount of work for the Brooklyn Banks. Andy Kessler [OG NYC skater] was monumental in getting all sorts of parks built around the city, and we’re just picking up on that work. Really, I can’t take much credit other than for 12th and A. That came about because we were always lurking at Tompkins Square Park and we’d build a box here and there and you’d have to bring it from the skateshop to the park [Tompkins] and it’d get thrown away. So what we did was we actually stopped by this park, 12th and A, that we used to skate at and we asked them, “Can we put a little ramp here?” That’s when I met Paula Hewitt from Open Road of New York. I didn’t know anything about non-profits or anything like that, but they were the ones who managed the park. She said, “Yeah, go ahead. We’d love to have some skateboarding in here.” I asked Mark Gonzales for $400 and he gave us the first chunk of money, and we put in the wallride, and had my mom paint the Krooked eyes. That was the start of it.

So, is Open Road officially part of the New York City Parks Department?
We have this thing called an Adopt-a-Park agreement where a non-profit can go in and work with the parks department in managing a park. Say you want to do kayaking and you have a non-profit that supports kayaking. Well, the parks department doesn’t necessarily want to deal with kayaking, but they’ll let the non-profit do it. So we took that angle with skating. What sucks worse than not having a park is showing up to a park that’s run by a person who doesn’t skate and is a helmet cop. No one is going to go to those parks. So we tried to show them you can make it how skaters want it, have skaters staff it, or just have it be an open park, but taking the weight off their [the city’s] shoulders. The idea that we can raise funds from companies like Vans, Acapulco Gold, and Supreme made it so it didn’t come out of the city budget. So the Adopt-a-Park agreement doesn’t cost the city anything, but they reap the benefit of what’s being made.

Instead of just coming with an open hand, you came prepared with something to show, which brings some legitimacy. It shows that you guys are motivated.
Yeah, a big mistake that people make whenever they’re dealing with the city and making proposals for a skatepark is [saying], “My tax money pays for this.” Actually, it doesn’t. That is never included in the budget. So, if you can go to the city and say, “We have the funds and the means to make it happen. We just need the space to do it.” That’s really the best approach because you’re not really asking them for anything except the area to do it. Make their job easy, basically.

Fakie flip.

photo: Julien Petry

There’s a lot of “extra-curricular” stuff that surrounds skateboarding sometimes. Did you have any challenges legitimizing skateboarding to the city bureaucracy?
I think what happened with the city was that people like Steve Rodriguez were able to go to these meetings, put on a suit, talk to them, and show them that there’s a whole array of people that skate. The biggest group is from 9 to 16, but then you have people who are 30 year old architects, someone that’s a lawyer, or a doctor, and skating is something they do in their free time. I think that people are starting to realize that they can take their kid to the skatepark and feel like they’re part of it. That helps with the city wanting to get involved, especially with all these young kids from the projects starting to skate. It’s huge.

That helps create a community experience.
It’s like this: in 1998, I went to Prague to skate and we went to this spot, Stalin Plaza. There must have been 200 kids there skating, no adult supervision. I watched the kids get around a 2 ton marble stone, lift it up, and move it. Nobody got hurt. And they just chilled there all day and there was no problems. I realized that that was kind of the essence of skateboarding, the skatespot. That is the community involvement. All those kids being able to chill someplace, and not beat each other up, and not being involved in crazy situations. That’s the value that the skatespot brings to a community. Show me another park where you can have a couple hundred teenagers there and there isn’t fighting, smoking weed, or trying to hook up with girls. That’s what teenagers do. But the skatespot gives them a place to hang out, chill, and their parents know where they are. It’s a good environment.

So, what’s the next step for the Open Road program?
Our biggest project that we’re working on in is the Green Lanes program where a kid who skates can wake up and skate from park to park on these Green Lanes using a map of the city. It’s not just skateparks, but also skatespots. If kids are into other sports too, they can plan their day around [using the Green Lanes] it. We’re just trying to make it so from April to October, if you’re into skating or these other things and you come to New York, you’ll always have the best street skate scene there’s gonna be. But you’ll also have these amazing parks to skate and hang out with your friends and you’ll have that skatespot feel without getting kicked out. We’re not trying to stop street skating; we’re trying to make more skate spots.

What you’ve done here is laid a blueprint for kids all over the world to create this type of atmosphere of skateparks and make skating part of the community in their own city. What would you recommend for kids who would want to follow a similar path?
Anybody who is interested in advocating for getting skateparks built, the first thing they should do is pick up a copy of Tony Hawk’s Skatepark Development Guide. I know it sounds funny but seriously, this thing is an A to Z of what you need to know about city organizations, non-profits, getting land, what goes into building and managing a skatepark, the gamut from bowls to plazas. Whatever you can think of, this book has it. I would say there isn’t a greater tool in an advocate’s backpack then to have that Skatepark Development Guide, which is written by Peter Whitley. Really, that’s all I did. Read that, followed the directions, and we’ve been able to have amazing successes in New York because of it.

And a lot of hard work.
And a lot of hard work. I’m good friends with Rodney Torres, and he’s doing the same thing in Queens. I told him, “You’re going to hate picking up trash, but get used to it.” Because if you’re managing a park or a skatepark, you want it to look nice, so you’re going to have to pick up the trash.

Switch tre flip above the rough concrete of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

photo: Chris Songano

Absolutely. So what’s in the future?
I’m hoping the rest of the summer won’t be as hot as last week. I’ll be able to do some traveling soon. I just got back from Iraq. We were over there for a couple weeks doing shows for the troops and that was hot as shit [Laughs].

I understand you visited the White House recently too.

Last year we did a game of SKATE at the White House. It was pretty cool. What better way to showcase skateboarding then just a regular game of skate. Not everybody’s flying off X-Games ramps, but every kid who skates knows what a game of SKATE is.

What was that like?
It was an experience that I won’t forget. The way we got it in there was during the health care debate and we told them that skating was helping to fight obesity. That was the only way to get the permits through the Secret Service. Pretty wild.

Maybe a good political move, too. If there is one thing that I think people can take away from this is you have to work within the proper channels and work with what you have.
Well, what I think kids can learn from getting involved with their local city government and finding out how to get skateparks built is that really, our democracy is set up to work in your favor. It’s not the city and us, we are the city. Getting involved in that process, I think opened a lot of kids’ eyes [to the process]: get the signatures, get the petitions. You go through the process, and the city and the system work for you. Sometimes it can seem larger than life, but it’s actually just following directions.

Enjoy the Ride

2010-08-10T14:43:00.000-04:00

HOPPS COMMERCIAL 08|10 from HOPPS SKATEBOARDS on Vimeo.

Hopps Fall/Winter 2010

2010-08-10T00:28:00.001-04:00

photo: Stevie Ites

Be on the lookout for the new Fall/Winter line from Hopps Skateboards. Cover shot by yours truly.

Textbook

2010-08-09T13:21:00.002-04:00

Jahmal Williams, B/S Tailslide

Brooklyn, NY

photo: Stevie Ites

Connected

2010-08-02T16:37:00.006-04:00

photos: Stevie Ites

And You Say New York City

2010-07-29T11:21:00.005-04:00

OG New Yorker, surfer, and skater, Harry Jumonji.
Lafayette St., Manhattan.
photo: Stevie Ites

Roots

2010-07-23T23:19:00.001-04:00

Broadway, Brooklyn.

photo: Stevie Ites

Koolman Is My Man

2010-07-23T23:18:00.004-04:00

Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

photo: Stevie Ites

Saturdays

2010-07-23T21:40:00.004-04:00

All images via Saturdays NYC.

It's All A Blur

2010-07-19T03:15:00.003-04:00

Broadway, Manhattan.

photo: Stevie Ites

Up Top

2010-07-19T02:37:00.011-04:00

Ft. Greene, Brooklyn.

photo: Stevie Ites

Parks Dept.

2010-07-19T02:09:00.009-04:00

Bryant & Central Park, Manhattan.

photo: Stevie Ites

True East

2010-07-14T23:02:00.003-04:00

Jahmal Williams, Tompkins Square Park, Manhattan.

photo: Stevie Ites

Paid the Cost to Be the Boss

2010-07-14T15:59:00.003-04:00

George Steinbrenner - A true boss and Yankee who exemplified the spirit of New York City. Rest In Paradise.

Bombs Over Brooklyn

2010-07-11T00:37:00.002-04:00

Rooftop display viewed from Brooklyn.

photos: Stevie Ites

Brooklyn Massive

2010-07-10T23:49:00.005-04:00

photo: Stevie Ites

First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum and the most fun I've had in a long time. In addition to being the jump off dance party, the night served as a beautiful snapshot of Brooklyn 2010. All races, ages, and creeds bounced to everything from Hall & Oates, Lionel Richie, the Golden Girls theme song, and Supercat. A veggie patty and coconut water on the way home and it was a wrap. Brooklyn, big up unno self!

Things Heating up

2010-07-07T00:58:00.000-04:00

Pon Di Bookshelf 010

2010-07-01T02:09:00.001-04:00

The Rammellzee

2010-06-30T22:34:00.001-04:00

A true innovator. Rest in Paradise.

Mecca to Medina

2010-06-28T23:16:00.000-04:00

Thangs and Thangs, Live from New York, July 2010.

Stevie & Karl

2010-06-28T12:40:00.002-04:00

photo: Dennis McGrath

SF, 1996.

Mazel Tov

2010-06-28T03:41:00.005-04:00

Sandy Koufax is a Brooklyn-born southpaw, Jewish pitcher and a reminder of the Dodger glory days, both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Koufax, infamous for refusing to pitch in game 1 of the World Series due to its coinciding with the high holy day of Yom Kippur, also pitched four no-hitters, a perfect game, and was a 3 time Cy Young award winner and 4 time World Series champion. The card above represents a very fond memory for me. This particular card was purchased for me by my father at one of the many card conventions that we frequented in my youth. And with this card, he gave me something to feel proud of. See, athletics was never seen as a platform for Jews to shine. Yet, here was an example of one of the greatest pitchers to grace the game, who not only happened to be Jewish, but took great pride and honor in his Judaism. The card, number 343, was printed in 1960 - incidentally, one of the worst years in his career. One which culminated with Koufax throwing his cleats and glove into the garbage after finishing with an abysmal record of 8-13. With a mind to pursue a business selling electronics (surprised?), Koufax contemplated leaving the game. Thankfully, he returned the following year, which led to many years of domination and record setting play and, ultimately, a career pinnacle achieved on a day off.

That Drank

2010-06-28T03:17:00.001-04:00

photo: Stevie Ites

Oyster cocktail at La Camaronera.

City Birds

2010-06-26T15:44:00.001-04:00

photo: Stevie Ites

Decay/Rebirth

2010-06-26T14:56:00.008-04:00

photos: Stevie Ites

Downtown Miami.

Summer Breeze

2010-06-26T14:46:00.003-04:00

photos: Stevie Ites

No Hands

2010-06-26T14:21:00.001-04:00

No Stranger

2010-06-26T14:19:00.000-04:00

LV

2010-06-24T01:15:00.001-04:00

Sweet 16

2010-06-23T23:22:00.000-04:00

Take that, take that, take that.

Dear God

2010-06-22T13:55:00.005-04:00

Dear God from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

While people are quick to label The Roots as hip-hop's "best live band," this proclamation often neglects that The Roots are one of hip-hop's most creative and talented acts, live or otherwise. But when the Roots were relegated to a spot as the backing band on Jimmy Fallon's late night show, it seemed all hope had been lost for Philly's illest. They seem to have become a much funkier version of Schaffer's band, smiling and laughing at Fallon's spastic nonsense. Thankfully, their new single, "Dear God" from the forthcoming How I Got Over, has reminded folks of how dope they really are and pulled them back from the edge of falling into complete Disneydom. The cinematic video, directed by Jason Goldwatch, features Black Thought as a cab driver facing the frustration of going home empty handed after being robbed by one of his passengers. Forgoing hip-hop's current ubiquitous synth-bounce, "Dear God" encapsulates the musicality that has long been the tradition of the City of Brotherly Love. So next time Fallon's cringe inducing monologues draw your attention from one of hip-hop's greatest acts, remember, even the greats make mistakes. Stevie Wonder, "Part Time Lover" - ringing any bells?

Pops

2010-06-20T12:39:00.001-04:00

Happy Father's Day Pop. Thank you for teaching me how to be a man. I love you.

BK Bound

2010-06-18T13:47:00.001-04:00

photos: Jeff Hutton

See you in July.

Everywhere is War

2010-06-17T12:05:00.011-04:00

Several years ago, in the midst of a nocturnal search for some entertaining programming, I came across a riveting documentary on acclaimed war photographer, James Natchwey. While many artists are making a lot of noise singing their own praises shooting the rich and beautiful, Natchwey has been quietly documenting some of the world's most troubling
conflicts and complexities of the human condition. While this may not be work to uplift your day, Natchwey's dedication and talent for capturing defining images that describe this human experience must be saluted.

all photos: James Natchwey

Ace

2010-06-14T18:53:00.002-04:00

Gino vs ...... from Mighty Healthy on Vimeo.

Gino stays loose on the court when he's off the board - Mighty Healthy.

Bobby P

2010-06-12T23:54:00.008-04:00

photos: Mike O'Meally

Kings

2010-06-12T23:14:00.006-04:00

photo: Jeff Hutton

I Want To Go To There

2010-06-12T17:41:00.017-04:00

The Standard Miami .

"If you forget to mute your cell phone in the lobby, the ubiquitous signs requesting guests to keep voices and beeping gizmos hushed will remind you."

Nice Little Sunday

2010-06-10T18:01:00.005-04:00

Life is about good times with good people. Sunday afternoon at Garcia's.

Comedy's Chosen People

2010-06-10T15:42:00.005-04:00

We got this comedy game on lock.

Cows on Parade

2010-06-08T11:23:00.005-04:00

Check the good work of the homies over at Oitavo Estudio documenting the Cow Parade in Sao Paulo.

Vintage

2010-06-08T09:09:00.001-04:00

via Shawn Stussy

Sunday's Soundtrack

2010-06-06T22:58:00.012-04:00

Sam Cooke - Good Times

Michael, and Puma, and Duckie

2010-06-06T08:16:00.003-04:00

Feeling HI

2010-06-03T22:26:00.009-04:00

Maui
photo: J. Ites

Blue in Green

2010-06-03T22:15:00.006-04:00

Tuvalu Atoll, South Pacific.
photo: Peter Bennetts - Getty Images

Bella

2010-06-03T22:14:00.006-04:00

That Dude

2010-06-03T22:06:00.002-04:00

OG

2010-06-03T21:47:00.003-04:00

80 years old and still cool as hell.

Call Trump

2010-06-03T21:34:00.004-04:00

You're hired.

So Much Trouble in the World

2010-06-01T13:27:00.002-04:00

"It looks like a gateway to hell."

Favela On Blast

2010-05-29T12:34:00.001-04:00

Favela On Blast - Official Trailer from Mad Decent on Vimeo.

Releasing July 2010.

Shutterbug

2010-05-29T12:29:00.007-04:00

BIG BOI "SHUTTERBUG" on Vimeo.

There's still hope for hip-hop videos.

June 1st

2010-05-29T11:57:00.003-04:00

Hurricane Wilma, 2005. Miami Beach.

photos: Stevie Ites

...marks the beginning of Hurricane Season.

Meet

2010-05-28T23:29:00.004-04:00

Miranda Kerr

Photographs by Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin

Don't Stop, Get It Get It

2010-05-28T22:07:00.007-04:00

In addition to inspiring women of all ages and races to partake in a number of unlady-like behaviors and coining the beautifully innocuous, ¨don't stop, get it, get it,¨ Miami's own Uncle Luke contributes to the Miami New Times with his newly added blog. With topics generally being Miami-centric, Luke's presence is a welcome addition to the publication. As Miami prepares for Memorial Day Weekend, Luke shares his perspective on a day that is often loved and feared throughout the city. More often than not, those emotions tend to be tied to the race and experience had by those in attendance. And with Miami's checkered history, this holiday and the divide it causes serves as another reminder of a turbulent past.

Maestro's Moves

2010-05-28T07:28:00.004-04:00

Tour De Maestro - NYC from levi maestro on Vimeo.

"In this video check out Maestro as he sets off on his world tour in the spirit of this years 2010 World Cup. Follow Maestro & his intern Devlin from his digs at the Ace Hotel over to Complex Magazine, stop by to preview "Three Days In Paris" photo show at Milk studios by Philip Andelman and finishing of with adiCup NYC at Pier 40."

Jamaica Cyaan Cool

2010-05-26T15:23:00.003-04:00

Prayers go out to the people. Something has to change.

Ask Jason Lee

2010-05-25T21:47:00.002-04:00

En Francais

2010-05-25T13:50:00.002-04:00

Still Breathless.

Off The Pitch

2010-05-25T12:10:00.001-04:00

Guns and Drank

2010-05-24T20:12:00.003-04:00

photo: Peter Beste

Life

2010-05-24T20:01:00.003-04:00

Sometimes just when life feels like it's about to break all around you, you open your eyes and you're riding out of the whitewater.

Native Son

2010-05-24T12:45:00.004-04:00

To coincide with the opening of the new Orchard Skateshop and their non-profit art space, Extension Gallery, friend of T & T, Boston OG, and millennial renaissance man, Jahmal Williams, will be displaying an array of his artwork this Saturday, May 29. All you Boston and northeast heads would really be remiss to pass on this event. Go out and support an event that stays true to the heart and soul of what we love.

Siempre Fresco

2010-05-23T11:06:00.003-04:00

La Camaronera, OG Miami.

South Africa 2010

2010-05-23T10:22:00.002-04:00

June 11th, you ready?

Previously on Lost

2010-05-23T00:14:00.008-04:00

Undeniably the greatest pilo t episode in the history of television and a show that managed to raise the bar to whole new heights of what network television could be. A true epic.

Pon Di Bookshelf 009

2010-05-20T18:56:00.003-04:00

Spring Has Sprung

2010-05-20T17:54:00.003-04:00

photos: Stevie Ites

Idle Hands Are the Devil's Playground

2010-05-18T11:21:00.004-04:00

Unemployment rates:

Afghanistan 40%
Iran 14%
Iraq 18-30%
Jordan 30%
Saudi Arabia 32%
Lebanon 10%
Yemen 35%
Tajikistan 60%
Pakistan 15%

No work, no food, no options.

Mr. E

2010-05-18T09:47:00.007-04:00

"Hey, Mr. E, do you skate? Or you used to skate?"
"Why do you ask me that?"
"I don't know, it's just a feeling I have."

Out of the mouths of babes indeed. Coming out of the public school system and feeling less than enthusiastic about that experience makes my current situation that much more surreal. As my third year of teaching middle school Social Studies comes to a close and seeing myself in many of these kids, it has become only natural to reflect on my own school experience and the effect I have on my students. I'll admit, with neither pride nor shame, that I am the "cool" teacher. A title that carries two sharp edges. Being "cool" often leads the other teachers to think you let the kids do whatever the hell they feel like and with that comes a subsequent silent judgment from the faculty. Kids often associate the "cool" teacher with freedom, lack of structure, and an overall lack of supervision or expectation. Stepping into room 219 will cast those dispersions. I've had students tell me in the same breath that I am both the most strict teacher they have as well as their favorite. See, "cool" also gives me the ability to relate to the kids and therefore, get them to work or behave in ways they would not normally.

"How's Jon for you?' teachers ask.
"Good, no problems. I wouldn't even know if he was here or not. Barely speaks."
"Really? In my class, he's up walking around, talking back all the time."
"That's odd," I coyly reply.

In my first year teaching, without ever setting foot in a classroom, or a college level education class for that matter, keeping my head above water was a daily struggle. Trying to establish a teaching style of my own, manage classroom behavior, learn the curriculum, and maintain the bureaucratic standards put in place for first year teachers often resulted in daily afternoon naps on the couch just to retreat from a world of overwhelming responsibility and paperwork. In the midst of that struggle, I was given some advice by my administrator that forever changed my approach to teaching and I will be eternally grateful for. "Loosen up and be yourself." From that day on, this has been my philosophy. Wearing Jordans on a Friday, Vans lows during the week, and the occasional Weezy reference showed those kids that I know what it's like to be them. See, I haven't forgotten what it's like to be their age while many in this profession have. Sometimes school sucks. It's hard being a kid. And that's what separates me from the others - my ability to be both Peter and Pan.

"What was one of your best tricks?"
"Probably nollie flips or switch flips."
"You could do those?!"
"Could? I still can."

The New Sinatra

2010-05-18T08:23:00.001-04:00

"Saul, we were in the City today and saw that Jazzy guy. I got his autograph."

adi-Cup

2010-05-18T08:12:00.008-04:00

While the rest of the world smolders with anticipation for the upcoming World Cup, the fever for futbol is slowly catching on here in the States. To coincide with the Clash of all Clashes, adidas is putting on it's annual adi-cup competition in NYC, Tokyo, Berlin, Herzogenaurach, and London. Teams consist of representatives from the finest fashion houses, publications, music labels, retailers, and other artistically minded folks. It's all going down at Pier 40 in New York, giving you yet another reason to get in on some early summer fun in the City.

Can It Be That It Was All So Simple Then?

2010-05-13T15:11:00.001-04:00

Badmon Business

2010-05-12T17:35:00.006-04:00

Drake - Find Your Love on Vimeo.

Someone fi tell Drake, nah play pon the Gullyside...

Deep in the Cut

2010-05-12T13:05:00.003-04:00

photo:Stevie Ites

Pow

2010-05-12T12:44:00.005-04:00

How you like me now?

Pon Di Bookshelf 008

2010-05-10T17:45:00.008-04:00

"Supreme has great products, but what is really most unique about it is that it seems to be run artistically and philosophically. Supreme exists to make a profit, but also make things happen. It is a vehicle for artists and designers, and it also makes self-propelled vehicles for kids. Supreme spreads style, but it also spreads thought and information. Culture is its business. It's a brand that practices the arts of living and playing." - Glenn O'Brien, taken from an excerpt from the new Supreme monograph.

For Moms

2010-05-09T09:41:00.004-04:00

Thank you for putting a camera in my hands, for buying me my first skateboard, for the endless trips to every skateshop in the four corners of the county, for putting me on to The Beatles and Ray Bradbury, for tolerating me during those teenage years and all the "illicit" activities that permeated the garage, for always encouraging me and providing me with your wisdom, and most of all, for bringing me in to this world and giving me a life full of anything and everything I've ever needed. I am who am because of you and I am eternally grateful for that. I love you ma. Happy Mother's Day.

A Tribe Called Quest - 4 Moms

Recipe for Summer

2010-05-08T14:18:00.002-04:00

This Is Fly

2010-05-06T11:36:00.009-04:00

On to the next. Image courtesy of Thisisfly.com

Growing up in Florida, fishing is an inevitability - a birthright even. Having access to two long coastlines, the largest wetland preserve in the nation, and an entire state dotted with lakes, rivers, canals, and springs, there is no shortage of options. Whether it's the canal or lake by your house, a friend's boat for a deep sea mission, or the Jurassic Park style adventure of an Everglades expedition, fishing is a Sunshine State past time that is seemingly inescapable. It defies all boundaries whether race, class, gender, or socioeconomic status.

With this passion for angling comes a multi-billion dollar industry anchored by dozens of publications dedicated to the various niches of the culture. Fly fishing? Check. Bass? Yep. Marlins? We got you. The list goes on and on depending on your vice. Amidst these stacks of paper is a digital magazine with a decidedly different aesthetic, This Is Fly. Evident in the clever title, This Is Fly is far from the run of the mill magazines clogging up the newsstand. Taking design cues from skate and art magazines, the New York based publication is injecting some fresh into this polarized lenses, nylon breathability, Guy Harvey illustrated culture. Already 3 years and 23 issues deep, this online venture is available in print too at special request for all the purists out there. Catch up and stay fly.

Murderous Style

2010-05-06T10:57:00.006-04:00

Stussy Deluxe recently collaborated with London DJ, Al Fingers, and venerable English powerhouse reggae label, Greensleeves to release a capsule including a number of shirts and a book documenting Greensleeves' deep history of album covers. Stussy has long drawn on Jamaican and dancehall culture for a number of it's iconic designs since their inception, so this collaboration seems only right.

images via High Snobiety

Soho Style

2010-05-03T22:15:00.002-04:00

George Condo for Supreme.

Still Dreaming

2010-04-28T12:03:00.006-04:00

Chicago

Tokyo

Paris

D.R.

Bali

Mexico City

Rio

Maine

Live at The Fillmore

2010-04-26T20:30:00.006-04:00

all photos: Stevie Ites

Caetano Veloso, live at the Fillmore, Miami Beach.

Billie Jean/Eleanor Rigby medley

Cool, Cool

2010-04-25T09:04:00.003-04:00

Respect.

Pon di Bookshelf 007

2010-04-21T23:20:00.005-04:00

Rolling A Natural

2010-04-21T20:45:00.004-04:00

Sneeze Mag No. 7 is coming out swinging!
On shelves now in Miami at MIA, Books & Books, and Base.