Good Times in the Front, Kicktail in the Back.

6. July 2015

I’ve literally been going on skateboard tours for half of my life now. Ever since I got my drivers license back in 1990, I have constantly been on the road in search of skateable terrain, regularly leaving my hometown with a trunk full of equal-minded skateboard folk.

The first tour I remember saw me and two local homies going North in my tiny Fiat Uno. Not only did we put many miles on the Uno during our adventurous three-day stint into the unknown, we also slept and cooked in it. That kind of road life was absolutely normal to us back then; mostly because we didn’t even think about it. We were inexperienced, hyped on riding Canadian maple boards, and still healthily ignorant. The entire tour had nothing “professional” about it. No strings attached. No trick-manual or to-do-list.

Laif Draasch – FS Boardslide

Nevertheless, I did bring my camera on tour to cover our 50-50s, boneless-ones and early grabs for an upcoming issue of the Zine I was publishing at that time, called Read and have Fun. That was not only the name of my DIY-magazine, but our overall motto back then: To “have fun” skateboarding. We still knew nothing about the concept of ABDs (“Already Been Done” tricks) and other media politics – probably because they just didn’t exist back then. We were just a couple of Freebirds. Absolutely.

Many years, and several ”Freebird Tours” later, I gave up some of my freedom for voluntary captivity by starting my own skateboard company. Of course, I didn’t know at the time that I was about to get my wings clipped. In the early days of company ownership, everything still seemed to be just fun and games. Nothing ”professional” about it. All sessions – no meetings. No pre-book line catalogues. No Fall/Winter collections. No Spring/Summer season – to us, that was just ”Skateboard Season“.

Now fast forward 15 years. Fast forward to today. I still make a fly-by-night living by selling skateboards, but after 15 years of doing this professionally, I know which way most of the cookies crumble in the skateboard marketplace. They crumble mostly at the thin line between caring and not caring. As a skate company, you have to be in the peoples’ eyes, ears and brains – which ultimately will lead you into the comfort of their open wallet. That’s how you make a living selling almost anything – including yourself if you’re a sponsored skateboarder. You need to show off your brand. You have to get people hyped. And one way to reach your target group is by going on a skateboard tour with your teammates.

As opposed to Freebird-style touring, there is actually something professional about it. Here’s the set formula behind how skateboard company tours work: Travel to exotic destinations and get the adrenalin-fueled action covered. Bring home still and moving images. The bigger the stunts, the better. Then get your tour featured in a major magazine. Ten pages. No less.

Simultaneously, blog, post and Instagram the shit out of the footage you and your team gathered. Edit some video clips. Make sure to keep them under three minutes. Release them within the next two months in conjunction with blogging the second tries and alternative angles on tumblr. Then wait a month – and do it again. And again. And again. It’s like you gotta stir ‘em good if you wanna move ‘em!

People know me as Captain Cracker, and I have never have been a captain known to exploit his own crew. I’m not out there pushing the performance of my team overboard for the sake of publicity. Probably because I’m still clinging to that feeling I had back when I went on those early Freebird trips. Good times over bangers. BBQs over ABDs. But for a skateboard company owner in the digital age, that kind of sentiment is quite romantic. Nothing but an analog luxury, if you look at it from the modern business perspective of things. The omnipresent Internet of today is a multi-headed Hydra always ready to toss its wireless tongue relentlessly at the potential customer. The Internet is the major player in almost every business now – and in order to stay in the Game of Skate you, as a brand or branded skateboarder, have to feed this hunger.

Alex Ullmann – FS Wallride

You have to supply for the demand for anything by everyone. Your brand has to stay afloat in those social timelines, blogs, posts and Google rankings – otherwise you’ll be sinking to the bottom of the digital quicksand and, ultimately, slip into digital oblivion. Millions have already become hooked, so millions of us are feeding that beautiful beast on a daily basis trying to stay within the highest favor of its audience. We all want “Likes” by the thousands, let’s admit it…

Alex Ullmann – FS 5-O

The online world is the Golden Calf of the digital age. Most of us just haven’t yet realized that we have begun to worship it almost above all else. This ignorance of reality is what puts the pressure on us all to perform in the digital realm. We put on a performance, an act, trying to stoke the wireless masses. And in the process, we tend to forget all about just having a good time exclusively by and for ourselves; at least every once in a while. Myself included. In 2013, after a King of the Road-style tour for a major skateboard magazine, I found myself feeling that this had definitely been my last skateboard tour.

The ”Mission Manual”, the book containing our daily challenges for this tour, was the essence of what I had begun to dislike about the status-quo of skateboarding. Always try for the impossible. Not because it’s so much fun but because the gnarlier it gets, the more “likes” and followers your content will be generating. Until ultimately, it will go absolutely viral – get insanely hyped throughout cyberspace – and satisfy millions of people momentarily with a little bit of something.

So when Archie, our team manager, mentioned organizing another skate tour, I wasn’t exactly all gung-ho about it. I even had doubts about going at all. I didn’t want to see the boys smashing themselves to pieces again for hours on end trying to land that one trick – the one that had never been done before at this spot. ”Can’t we just have stupid fun for once?” I asked myself and then thought: “Yeah! We could, but it would NOT go over so well in the magazine feature of the tour if we didn’t even try to stoke the shit out of the skateboarding world with our performance.”

”Why not?” the Freebird twittered in response from the left half of my brain. ”We’re fucking skateboarders. We can do whatever we like!”

So that’s what we did! The team and I agreed on going on another tour under the premise that we would keep this tour strictly about having a good time. Thus the title, “Good Times in the Front, Kicktail in the Back!” That was our motto, all the way to Alicante, Spain. And look at us now: Here we are! Full tour feature in a major magazine! Ten pages! No less! And all we did was have some simple stupid fun, just for once in a while.

Watch out for the footage of this trip – edit dropping tomorrow!

by Cpt. Cracker
Photos: Danny Sommerfeld

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PLACE 53 – Coming Soon

1. July 20151. July 2015

The brandnew PLACE issue 53 just arrrived at the office and will be available through skateshops, selected retailers and newsstands on next Monday, July 6th. For this one we tried to think inside the box and question ourselves: what does perfection mean and does skateboarding need to be perfect at all? What do you think? You’ll find our point of view in the newest issue of all time featuring the following:

Cover: “It could have been you” by Danny Sommerfeld

Think Inside The Box

MOB in Alicante – Good Times In The Front, Kicktail In The Back

Giorgi Armani – Qartulli Stili

The Death Of The Robot – Vans In Rotterdam

Behind The Scenes – Isle Skateboards feat. Nick Jensen & Paul Shier Interviews

8 Days A Week – Pleasecharge in London, Paris & Berlin

Where Have You Been, Madars Apse?

Dutch Light – Cleptomanicx in Groningen

California, California – Cameron Strand

Watch out for the official launch event on wednesday, July 8th.! More infos soon.

Place Presents

Converse presents #Pleasecharge

25. June 201516. September 2020

#Pleasecharge comes with the skating of Remy Taveira, Harry Lintell, Felipe Bartolome, Jerome Campbell, Paul Grund, Greg Cuadrado, Kevin Rodrigues, David Stenström, Javier Mendizabal, Carlos Cardenosa, Danny Sommerfeld, Daniel Pannemann and latest addition from france: Sylvain Tognelli. Enjoy a trip through all over europe:

More about the project in issue # 53 – coming soon!

K-rod wallrid this spot in London while filming for #Pleasecharge.

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Go Skateboarding Day Berlin – Battle At The Bänke 5

22. June 201522. June 2015

Let’s call it a day! Go Skateboarding Day 2015 in Berlin was a blast. The crowd met at Civilist store in Mitte to get their goodie bags while Nike SB donated money towards a new local Skate-Spot-Project for every kilometer that was pushed on a skateboard through the streets. The route took us to the “Bänke”, the famous street spot at Warschauerstr. where another issue of Battle At The Bänke was about to go down.

This 5th issue of BATB went to the history books as Alex Mizurov and Denny Pham did so many lines, they could have filmed a whole Bänke-part on one day. It was just stunning! Also the homies like Louis Taubert, Patrick Rogalski, Sylvain Tognelli (and many more) did their best to show amazing skateboarding at a fully crowded spot. Thanks to everyone who came along to join this epic Go Skateboarding Day!

Here’s our photo recap, shot by Burny.

Civilists

Kids loving goodies.

Sebi MC

Sylvain did one of the best lines of the day. Unfortunately he disappeared during the final.

Always a pleasure to watch Sami Harithi skating.

To give you an idea of this still image – Louis` fs bluntlside was fast as hell.

Joscha, Mario & Farid

Probably Denny couldn’t believe how many lines he filmed in one day.

Patrick was on point, flippin’ into fs crooks.

Bänke-legend Jan Kliewer hanging with Topdog Danny Sommerfeld.

Check!

Alex, Michi, Vladik and Patrik checking the news.

Michel Funky, Andre and friend.

Alex Mizurov filmed 13 lines – just in the final!

Justin, Denny, Colin, Sami

Best Trick winner Louis going for the long way.

Kerem Elver likes this a lot.

Free stuff!

In total 3850 Euro got donated for the realization of the new skatepark project. Cheers Bo!

Happy winners with cash – Denny got 2nd, Alex 1st and Louis 3rd, he also won the Best Trick.

Watch out for the final video dropping this week!

Place Presents

Converse presents #Pleasecharge: Trailer

22. June 201516. September 2020

Here is the first real trailer für Converse Cons’s new euro squad video #Pleasecharge featuring: Remy Taveira, Harry Lintell, Kevin Rodrigues, Paul Grund, Daniel Pannemann, Danny Sommerfeld and more. The release date will be thursday the 25th of june.

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New Love – Jonas Heß

19. June 2015

There is not a lot of newcomers out there with the ability to jump as high as him. Meet Jonas, the rather shy but mature young-gun from Kassel who doesn‘t really care about the business side of being a sponsored Skater. He can make a talent scout cry, let me tell you.

When I first met him about one and a half years ago, watching him do his thing, I knew right away that he has what it takes to join our gang. Not too tall, not too small, he’s a winsome guy who doesn’t force things and never shows too much ego.

So we exchanged numbers. Met up, met up again, I even gave him a little present, but when I invited him for a proper gangbang with the whole crew, he nevertheless cold-shouldered me. Maybe it all went down too fast for him; maybe I stupidly asked for too much – although I’d taken extra care not to rush things.

Jonas is the kind of guy who only wants to have fun. No demos, no elaborate marketing strategies, no after parties with all the other pros and hoes. Being as humble as they come, he really only asks for one thing: a board made out of the best possible wood – for a long lasting pop.

And yet, it did happen eventually. For some reason this one girl managed to butter him up. She’s gorgeous, visually a great match, and all the homies seem to like her as well. Love was in the air whenever you saw them together. He was already in a relationship before they met; that one was his first. But apparently it never felt right anyway. She lacked motivation, something was wrong about her style. In short, the whole thing was destined to fail from the beginning.

Well, now he’s with the girl everybody was after. A perfectly shaped body, great skin. But there is a downside, unfortunately, as he certainly knows where the shoe pinches him: She wants to get entertained, get shown around and meet all his friends and family. It’s only the beginning of their relationship, so maybe he’ll get used to it without burning his fingers. I just hope he knows when to stop so he doesn’t get footsore. As some wise man once put it on a cloakroom wall: “No matter how beautiful she is, there is someone out there who’s fed up about her.”

I hope he’ll find a way to walk that thin line between jerking off and sex for money. And that he won’t get cold feet when it’s time for the big gangbang.

Love,
Danny Sommerfeld

Question Mark: Cpt. Cracker & Valentin Cafuk

16. June 201516. June 2015

In this column we ask one question and usually we’ll get one answer. It’s that simple. Whether it’s a quite essential thing to ask or plain nonsense, one answer can tell a lot about a person. This time we have Germanys Valentin Cafuk and Cpt.Cracker (Owner of MOB Skateboards) and here’s the two talking about what happend:

Splitting up: MOB Skateboards parts ways with Valentin Cafuk.

Valentin Cafuk’s side:
“I started riding for MOB Skateboards when I was around 16 years old. My buddy [MOB team rider] Johannes Schön sent Danny Sommerfeld, the brand’s team manager at that time, some footage of me and that’s how it all began. Without Joey, I probably wouldn’t even be sponsored today. He was the one who gave me an opportunity to go out filming and shooting photos. Since I was always skating with him, he brought me along to the team meetings and took me on a couple of trips. For me it was a dream come true to be on the same team as my homie. I instantly got along with everyone and really liked the whole vibe at MOB Skateboards.

In 2013, all of a sudden Joey got booted from the team. That was really unexpected and came out of nowhere. It really made me think about my future. On the one hand, I wanted to stand behind my buddy, but on the other I was getting major support from MOB. I was undecided for quite a while, so I literally waited it out. I was hoping that it wouldn’t change my mind about the team and the company. But to be honest, the MOB wasn’t the same without Joey. At least in my eyes.

The relationship slowly started fading, with less contact with [MOB owner] Captain Cracker. And I stopped showing up for team meetings, which kind of felt wrong as well. I didn’t fell good about it. I got boards from a company that I didn’t really stand behind any longer. The whole process was pretty slow because I simply wanted to let it happen organically. In the end, I thought it would be the best for all of us to part ways, although it always hurts to let something go. I was lucky that Captain Cracker took the decision pretty mellow. At first, I was afraid that he wouldn’t understand the whole thing. I was really lucky to get sponsored by MOB and I am really thankful for each and every board. It was a fun ride while it lasted – now it’s time to say good bye!”

Captain Cracker’s side
Well, as far as skateboard teams are concerned, I always looked up to companies like Girl/Chocolate or Alien Workshop/Habitat. If you got on Girl for example, it seemed like you were never ever going to quit a sponsor like that. For two reasons mainly: first, you are sponsored by a true, no-bullshit skateboard company. And second: it seemed like you weren’t simply sponsored by a company, but you became part of something like a “skateboard family.”

The family aspect is what I appreciated the most about those companies and that’s what I wanted the MOB team to be like. I always wanted our team riders to feel like they are part of something bigger. The MOB family, which goes way beyond just getting your monthly boards in the mail. I wanted everyone involved to become friends with each other, which makes things like touring and hanging out that much more fun. A lot more fun than if you’re just a bunch of “athletes” held together by the monthly paycheck from your sponsor.

I never had a rider quit the team in 15 years! We all stuck together through thick and thin – some riders have been with us for almost as long as the MOB has been up and running. Some riders outgrew semi-professional skateboarding over the years and pursued careers outside of skateboarding, but I still hook them up with a MOB board if they need one. I call it the “MOB Retirement Plan,” because those dudes put in a lot more than just riding for the MOB as a sponsor. They are part of our family. We never had any budget for anything really and most of the time, while on tour, the riders had to pay for their own food – because there’s no such thing as per-diem on a MOB tour. That calls for a special understanding of skateboarding and what it means to be sponsored on the riders’ side. And most of all it requires a lot of dedication for your sponsor.

This dedication is what I always looked for in a team rider, because that’s the way we run the company; with dedication for skateboarding and not necessarily for just hyping a product with bangers and jaw-droppers. This low-budget mode of operations in return means that we will most likely crash on someone’s floor while on tour and not stay at any hotels. I see every MOB team rider as an exceptional personality and not just as a human commodity that can be discarded once they are not performing at the top of the game anymore. I did have to lay off some riders over the years for different reasons, but it always felt like breaking-up – and it sure never was an easy thing for me to do. It always made me sad.

Now, over the years skateboarding has changed and the company has changed as well. Nothing is set in stone, especially not in the skateboarding scene, and while I still hold on to the idea of having a “skateboarding family,” it might not be what some younger skateboarders are looking for in a sponsor – or a company. What they want is even “hipper” parents, or maybe no parents at all. Young skateboarders today are living way more in the “fast lane” than we did when we started the MOB in 2000. By those standards, we are pretty old (school). So, yeah, now it happened – our youngest and latest acquisition left the MOB after three years on the team because he felt like couldn’t back up completely what we stand for. He couldn’t identify with our version of skateboarding.

But I fully appreciate his honesty and there’s no bad blood over him quitting the team. To be honest and true to your heart is always the best way to go. It’s like if someone gave you a painting as a present and you absolutely didn’t like it, but you feel like you have to put it up on your living room wall every time that certain someone comes around. It feels totally fake and weighs down your heart – if you have one – because you’re not being honest. I always want the door to be open for welcoming new members to the family, but also for bidding farewell to those who feel like they have to leave that home.

If the shoe doesn’t fit, go barefoot. It’s neither the shoes’ nor the foots’ fault – it’s simply the combination of the two that doesn’t fit. So, Golden Boy: Best of luck to you for the future. Stay true. Stay Gold.

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A Bankers Diary – A Film By Severin Strauss

10. June 201522. June 2015

Yesterday we had the story plus photo-gallery and now we would like to present to you the short-film. Alex Ullmann, Valentin Cafuk, Daniel Pannemann and Jonas Heß skating in Frankfurt am Main. The city of Goethe, skyscrapers and despaired business men, filmed and edited by Severin Strauss.

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A Bankers diary

9. June 20159. June 2015

I was drunk last night. Drunk and high. It wasn’t too crazy, but enough to make me talk shit about my boss to one of his closest assistants. I’m sure this won’t cause any trouble for me, but it’ll definitely make me feel a bit uncomfortable at the lunch meeting later on today. A wall of six screens, various desks, neatly arranged in a room the size of a swimming pool. 12 people in dark suits competing over today’s biggest deal. I’m here to put them in their places.

I like my job, I really do. I couldn’t see myself working anywhere else right now. I work as a banking administrator in the Corporate Finance Department of a big bank that’s based in Frankfurt am Main. Born and raised in London, I’ve always been able to hold my liquor. My siblings and I were born drinking, my whole family drinks. What is a hangover anyways? Isn’t that a city in Germany? I usually wake up early, I need to be in the office at around 7 a.m.

The first meeting is on at 7:15 and the last one usually around 8:30-ish. That’s normal. I’m not complaining. I love it! If I could, I’d probably sleep less and drink more. Having a successful career is a family tradition. When I look out of my office window I can see the “Silberturm”, also known as the DB Tower, and its marble entrance plaza. Some days you can watch the most fucked up things happening down there. Pure entertainment!

Although I have a pretty terrific car collection back home in London, I never really use my own car out here. Frankfurt is small, and I can take a cab in less than a minute if I really need a ride. Since my new apartment is only a block away from my office, I often take a quick walk instead. Probably the only time I actually spend outside. I’m sure I’d catch the flu if someone threw me into the woods, or even just close to a tree. I rather smoke a cigarette; they do me better anyway. Life is what you make of it, right? Nature only makes me nervous.

As a kid you have a different view on things; I always thought of myself as someone who goes on a journey to discover the planet. I wanted to plant a seed on every single mainland, help people, feed those in need, maybe become a doctor or a professor, just to do some good. That was before I went to college and everything. Before girls, money, drugs. I was wet behind the ears, a real virgin. So after I discovered my strengths, I slowly started to forget about all that good-will bull crap and became a businessman. I do business!

So, today I arrived pretty late. It must have been around 7:14. That means not much time to actually prepare a meeting, although that’s something I usually don’t do anyways. My job is to chair the meeting and talk about yesterday’s numbers and today’s forecasts. My secretary is this 23-year-old German girl, born and raised in Frankfurt. Married to a policeman. No kids. So, why not? I mean I would, and maybe I will at one point.

I saw her once, at an office party, making out with the younger brother of my boss. They left the room for a good 15 minutes. Whatever it takes, I always try to get what I want. Since I was a young kid, I walked my own path in my very own shoes. My father was a cold-hearted man and I taught myself how to take a shit on the toilet, ride a bike and smoke a cigarette. My mum died when I was two years old and I never really learned to love my stepmother. What I’m trying to say is, I’m good.

Sometimes, when I look out of the window, down to the DB entrance plaza I see grown men on skateboards. Guys around 20, 25. Playing with a toy for kids, in the streets. I always wonder what their parents might think about that. Do they still have a parent that tells them to get a life? Skater-punks, prostitutes, drug-dealers, all kinds of crooked people and in between you have us: good-looking men in suits. What a contrast! Like there is only black and white. Rich and poor. Clean and dirty. Day and night. Call me whatever you want, but this is pretty fucked up and I kind of like it. I feel like I belong in a situation like that. I was born for this. Give me more of that.

This meeting is useless. Every single banker in this room is looking at me as if they really care, as if they like what I’m saying… they want to know, they want to get a raise and I am the one in charge. Bullshit. Don’t look at me like that and stop kissing my ass. You pricks don’t know shit. My mood is on a low. This might be the closest I ever get to a “hangover”.

All these thoughts come to mind as I sit here and I talk about millions of Euros. It’s easy for me. After ten years in the business and three years in a position like this, it’s a fucking breeze. God, how I love it. Actually, I do three things at once. 1: Talk about yesterday’s Indonesian stock market. 2: Make fun of my colleagues. 3: Picture my secretary butt naked while screaming at me – maybe that makes it even four. This place is like hell and I seem to be the devil.

Words: Daniel Pannemann
Photos: Danny Sommerfeld

Skaters: Valentin Cafuk, Jonas Hess, Alex Ullmann

ONE STAR LAUNCH / #PleaseCharge Video Premiere

9. June 20159. June 2015

This friday Converse Cons launching the brand new skate version of the One Star, coming in black or yellow. Next to the re-release of the classic model, there will be the first video screening of #PleaseCharge. See the Cons Euro Squad skating in Madrid, Paris, Berlin etc., filmed and edited by Ben Chadourne. Check out the Launch/Video-Premiere event in a skate-shop close to you:

Civilist/Berlin; friday 12th of june 6pm-10pm
Pivot/Cologne; friday 12th of june 5pm-8pm
SHRN/Munich; saturday 13th of june 5pm-10pm
Mantis/Hamburg – contact shop for info
Stil Laden/Vienna; friday 12th of june 5pm-10pm
242/Lausanne – contact shop for info

Nike SB Spot Bus Photo Recap

8. June 20158. June 2015

When we arrived at the Nike Store located at Ku’damm, we had our iced coffee’s ready. The sun was out and spirits high up. Nike gave us the possibility to do the city tour that we always wanted to do. Not once did we drive past tourist traps like Unter den Linden, but we got to see skate tourist locations like Kulturforum and others. Our hosts were telling us about the ABD’s, while at the same time hollering at almost every person we drove past.

Three spots were on our menu – when we got to the first spot (Spot der Visionäre) the show really seemed to start. Not just for us as skaters but for all to see.
The best thing about the Nike SB bus tour was that it not only showed skaters around the city, it showed other people the many ways skaters use the city. Win-win situation.

Winners:

Spot 1: Valentin Ott (Spot der Visionäre)
Spot 2: Casper Brooker (Gleisdreieck)
Spot 3: Quirin Staudt (Nationalgalerie)

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New Face – Roland Hoogwater

3. June 2015

There’s always new people coming to the German capital. Some of them leave, some of them stay. Roland Hoogwater made his way from Groningen, The Netherlands, to Berlin and is definitely here to stay. Time for a short introduction…

Roland, please give us some basic information about your person.
My full name is Roland Jacques Hoogwater and I’m 28 years young. I was born in the city of Groningen, The Netherlands, and I’ve lived there for about 28 years. I have been a skater and a skate nerd for about 15 years. I also have a background in the arts. My first skate video was [Toy Machine’s] Welcome to Hell.

When did you come to Berlin and what were the reasons?
I came to Berlin on my birthday, the 28th of January. The reasons for the move aren’t really straightforward. My girlfriend and I both finished art school in my old hometown and I was working at the skate shop, Stigmatic. I guess my girlfriend thought we needed something – a change of scenery, perhaps of rhythm – so out of the blue she said, “Let’s move to Berlin.” I replied in a positive manner and now we are here. It was very spontaneous and we really hadn’t planned anything, but we knew some people here and I thought it might be good for my creativity.

What do you do for a living?
I’m living the artist dream, working in the Mall of Berlin as a stock boy. “Started from the bottom, now we here!” At the same time, I’m doing odd jobs for PLACE mag and I’m helping Carsten “Barney” Beneker with a project on which I am illustrating.

We heard about your T-shirt label, Jacques – what’s the story behind that?

It’s a project I started in the winter of 2014/2015. After I finished art school, I suddenly had the urge to make stuff with Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Which was actually kind of stupid, because I should have started doing that while in art school, that would have made things so much easier. I wanted to make a book containing some of the artwork I had made, which is coming out soon under the title, Doe maar normaal dan doe je al gek genoeg (English: “Just act normal and you are acting crazy enough”). But at the same time, I had these ideas that just didn’t connect well with my other works of art. So I created a different outlet for those ideas, which became Jacques. The logo I use is a garbage bag, because I like to buy vintage clothes and turn them into one-off pieces. At the same time, all the stuff I make will either be in a second hand shop or in a garbage bag someday. And Jacques is my grandfather’s name, that has been passed on to me. At the moment I’m working on a couple of new pieces like shirts, hats, coats, and possibly some bags. I’m sewing things myself, and am hands-on with the screen printing. I try keep the quality of the product as high as possible and have the stuff be fair trade; some of the stuff we do is certified Earth Positive climate neutral. I have been getting a lot of support and good feedback on the products, so as far as that goes, I’m extremely grateful. It’s a wonderful feeling to have people wear your stuff, and as for the future, I am opening a Jacques Web store, and also hope to be in some stores by the end of the year. Fingers crossed!

Who are your favorite people to skate with?
My all-time favorite person to skate with is probably my old roommate G-Dog (Gerben Scharft), but he recently quit skating and started boxing. Nowadays, the people I call to go skate with are Dr. Lensing, Danny Sommerfeld, Tjark Thielker, Nils Brauer, and Daniel Pannemann, who all play a part in making Berlin my new home while simultaneously making me feel like I suck at skating (laughs).

Photos: Danny Sommerfeld
Interview: Pille Pop

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PLACE HIGHLIGHTS / APRIL 2015

30. April 2015

Die Zeit rennt. Immer. Unaufhaltsam. Und schon ist der April fast vorbei – eine willkommene Gelegenheit für uns euch nochmals die Highlights des Monats zusammengefasst ans Herz zu legen. Was los war, lest ihr hier – viel Vergnügen:

Die 10 besten Kommentare zu Denny Phams Full Part.

Robinson Kuhlmann und der Drink des Sommers

Slapstick vom Feinsten in dieser coolen Session, Alder.

Wer kann eigentlich alles über Autos springen – ein Best-Of.

Skateboarding könnte so einfach sein, wenn da nicht diese 8 Dinge wären.

Erik Groß erzählt, wie er zur Fotografie kam und zeigt einige Bilder von Danny Sommerfeld.

Es gibt viele gute Gründe Tricks zu verlernen – wir sprechen aus Erfahrung.

Das große Leo Valls Interview.

Ein Interview mit dem New Yorker Fotografen Marco Hernandez.

Hannes Schilling hat die eingetrampelten Pfade verlassen.

Wer hatte eigentlich alles einen Part zu Musik von Kurt Cobain?

Wir haben ein Interview mit Malte Spitz geführt, ohne ihm dabei Fragen zu stellen.

Die besten Aprilscherze, die leider keine sind. Reingefallen?

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Greetings from TPDG Gallery

23. April 2015

Silvester auf Malle ist nur einmal im Jahr, dachten sich die Oberhunde von TPDG Supplies und nutzen die Gelegenheit um sich ein paar schöne Tage im und um den Bierkönig herum zu machen. Drake war auch dabei und DJ Herzmann hat die vielen Busfahrten mit Hits am Fließband musikalisch unterlegt – gut aufgelegt.

Bestellt euch ‘ne Cerveza oder einen Café con leche por favor und genießt die folgenden #picofthedays mit ein paar klassisch schwarz-weißen Postkarten-Momente! In diesem Sinne #greetingsfromtpdg und welcome to the great outdoors.

by Danny Sommerfeld

Feature

Eine Frage an: Erik Groß

15. April 2015

Der Name Erik Groß steht für stilsicheres Skateboarding, auch wenn es in jüngster Vergangenheit ein bisschen ruhiger um ihn wurde – zumindest was Coverage angeht. Erik hat in einem schleichenden Prozess die Fotografie für sich entdeckt und ist bei seinen Reisen mittlerweile verstärkt hinter diversen Kameras aktiv – irgendwo zwischen Skateboarding und Portraits, Hauptsache analog. Grund genug für uns, ihn einfach mal erzählen zu lassen: Na, was denn jetzt Erik, Skate, Portraits oder Skateboartraits?

Alles begann vor knapp vier Jahren, als ich mir zu Weihnachten eine Canon AE-1 schenkte. Und was fotografiert man als Erstes, wenn man selbst Skateboarder ist? Richtig… Blumen. Nee Quatsch, natürlich seine Freunde beim und neben dem Skaten.

Irgendwann schnupperte man dann auch mal in die professionelle Skateboardfotografie, wenn man als Skater für Magazine Stufen runterflog oder Handläufe entlang rutschte. Ich begann zu verstehen, was der Fotograf da auf dem Boden eigentlich mit den ganzen Blitzen und einer fünf-hundertstel Verschlusszeit machte.

Letztendlich habe auch ich mich immer mehr mit dem Schießen von Skatefotos befasst und ich habe riesigen Respekt vor Leuten wie Henne (Herzmann), die am laufenden Band perfekte Shots abliefern. Aber sich um drei am Pennyrail für einen
Backsmithfoto zu treffen, war nie meine Art zu fotografieren. Ich mag mehr alles drumherum – das Pushen, die blutigen Hände und natürlich erst recht den Fahrer selbst. Ich habe angefangen, alle Skater, mit denen ich unterwegs war, zu
portraitieren und habe dabei gemerkt, dass ich mich beim Entwickeln der Bilder genauso auf das Portrait wie auch auf ein Trickfoto gefreut habe.

Dadurch wurde für mich alles persönlicher und interessanter. Nach und nach habe ich auch Leute außerhalb von Skateboarding fotografiert und fand es total spannend, die unterschiedlichen Gesichter auf Film zu bannen und sie gleichzeitig näher kennenzulernen.

Diese Serie von Danny ist für die Place #50 entstanden und beschreibt genau meinen Stil zu fotografieren. Wir waren zwei Tage zusammen unterwegs, skateten im Regen auf dem Tempelhofer Feld, fotografierten uns gegenseitig und hatten jede Menge Spaß. Dabei ging es nicht um einen bestimmten Trick an Spot XY, sondern eben um alles andere.

www.erik-gross.net

Feature

Behind the Scenes: Lousy Livin – Stefan Marx Interview

26. March 2015

Hinter jedem guten Brand steckt immer ein guter Art Director. Alles geht durch seine Hände und prägt die visuelle Identität der Marke. Unsere Rubrik Behind the Scenes gibt Einblicke in die Arbeit der kreativen Köpfe bei den aufregendsten Brands. Heute wollen wir eine durchaus bunte Company beleuchten, die viele Skateboarder rund um den Globus und seit Jahren fast täglich ganz nah an sich ranlassen: Es geht um Boxershorts und ja, ihr liegt richtig, wenn ihr jetzt an Lousy Livin denkt. Wir haben Stefan Marx und Pitt Feil in Hamburg besucht und uns über die Company, Arbeitsteilung und das World Wide Web unterhalten…

Stefan, wie kam es eigentlich, dass Lousy zur Boxershorts-Company wurde? War das von Anfang an der Plan?
Nein, das war natürlich nicht der Plan. Als ich damals mit 16 mein T-Shirt-Label The Lousy Livin’ Company gegründet habe, war der Plan, immer mal wieder Lieblings-T-Shirts für meine Freunde und mich zu veröffentlichen. Das habe ich auch eine ganze Zeit lang gemacht, in Hamburg dann während meines Studiums parallel mit Pitt an Cleptomanicx gearbeitet. Bei Cleptomanicx hatten wir Boxershorts in der Kollektion. Ich fand es immer super, Stoffmuster zu entwickeln, für Boxershorts und Bettbezüge.

Als wir in den letzten Jahren mit Cleptomanicx markenrechtliche Probleme in Europa bekamen, aber die Boxershorts bei Skatern weltweit beliebt waren, diese uns auch unterstützen wollten, aber parallel dazu große Textilsponsoren hatten, war dies ein Grund von vielen, nur für die Boxershorts ein eigenes Label zu gründen. Auf der anderen Seite ist unser Produkt unabhängig von der halbjährlichen Kollektionshysterie der Modeindustrie und „never out-of-stock“, was eine andere Arbeitsweise erlaubt. Der Name lag dann einfach nah, Lousy Livin Underwear und The Lousy Livin’ Company begleiten sich nun gegenseitig.

Was ist denn dein Aufgabenbereich bei Lousy Livin?
Ich beschäftige mich mit der visuellen Seite des Labels, alle Stoffmuster, Anzeigen, Kataloge etc. Aber auch ein großer Teil an Kommunikation mit den Labels, mit denen wir Collaborations entwickeln, das Abwickeln der Grafiken für die Produktion. Außerdem auch die ganzen Grafiken für unsere Videos, die wir mit Lucas Fiederling erstellen, und dann male ich noch ab und zu ein neues Lousy Livin-House-Obstacle an, die immer von meinem Bruder Michael gebaut werden.

Beschreibe uns doch mal deinen typischen Tag!
Kaffee, Studio, Arbeit, Telefon, Zeichnen, Scannen, Leute treffen.

Und wenn es an die Fertigstellung einer Kollektion geht?
Dann wird nur daran gearbeitet, aber da wir aber tatsächlich mehr neue Produkte über das ganze Jahr veröffentlichen und uns aus dem sechsmonatigen Kollektionsrhythmus-Wahnsinn ausgeklinkt haben, gibt es auch keine Kollektions-Nervenzusammenbrüche.

Welche Rolle spielt Social Media in der Markenkommunikation?
Unsere Lousy Livin-Supporter haben in den letzten Jahren viele Clips mit Lucas Fiederling und Torsten Frank gedreht, diese werden online gezeigt, sowie natürlich alle Neuigkeiten zu Lousy Livin, neue Produkte etc.

Arbeitest du eher on- oder offline?
Online leider! Aber ich plane Offline-Zeiten!

Du bist ja auch als Künstler tätig, hast Ausstellungen und bereist die Welt. Wo laufen die Verkäufe besser – im realen Leben oder übers Netz?
Ich bin froh, in Galerien Ausstellungen machen zu können, mit Öffnungszeiten und Ausstellungsdaten. Diese Praxis hat das Netz noch nicht abgelöst. Auch Studiobesuche und so weiter sind komplett offline! Aber natürlich spielt das Netz immer eine Rolle, klaro, 2015 eben. Die Leute ziehen sich alles rein.

Kann man sagen, dass du dich und deine Kunst über Social Media präsentierst und vermarktest?
Ich habe viel Spaß daran, ein paar Arbeiten digital über Instagram zu zeigen, parallel spiegle ich dies auch auf FB. Es gibt eben immer so verschiedenstes Feedback in den Kommentaren, das macht mir schon sehr viel Spaß. Wenn ich eine Zeichnung dort poste, wird diese wohl von mehr Leuten gesehen, als in einer Ausstellung in einer Galerie, die einen ganzen Monat dauert. Meine Sonntagsdepression behandle ich gerade mit einer Sundaayyyssss-Kolumne, ich versuche jeden Sonntag eine Sundaayyyssss-Zeichnung zu zeichnen und zu posten. Mein Traum wäre eigentlich eine Sonntagszeichenkolumne in einer Wochenendausgabe einer großen Zeitung, Feuilleton der FAZ am Sonntag wäre das Tollste. Back to print!

Vielen Dank für deine Zeit!

by Danny Sommerfeld

Feature

Full Length: TPDG – Street Jazz

5. March 20155. March 2015

Endlich hat das Warten ein Ende: TPDGs “Street Jazz” ist online – exklusiv und in voller Länge, von New York direkt auf euren Bildschirm. Der knapp 15 Minuten lange Kurzfilm erzählt die Geschichte von Danny Sommerfeld, Felix Lensing und Kai Hillebrandt, die sich gemeinsam mit Filmemacher Gerrit Piechowski für einen Monat nach New York begeben haben, um die Stadt aus eigener Kraft zu erkunden. Schnell wird klar, dass die New Yorker Straßenverhältnisse alles andere als perfekt sind – so ist “Street Jazz” zu einer audiovisuellen Postkarte, einem Zeugnis des “Beautiful Struggle” geworden. Eine Hommage an den Big Apple, musikalisch kuratiert von Falk Schacht.

Am 24. April 2015 erscheint der zugehörige Soundtrack mit exklusiv für den Film produzierten Instrumentals von Busy, Dexter, Suff Daddy, Figub Brazlevic, Morlockko Plus, Brisk Fingaz, Kova und Kinski. Er wird das erste Release auf Falk Schachts neu gegründetem Musiklabel Catch the Beat sein und ausschließlich auf Vinyl (mit Downloadcode für die MP3-Edition) erhältlich sein.

Die Platte könnt ihr euch hier vorbestellen.

Tracklist:
01 Dexter – Draw
02 Suff Daddy – Money Get Made
03 Figub Brazlevič – Unknown Kings
04 Dexter – Gorka
05 Morlockko Plus – Hole In The Soul
06 Brisk Fingaz – Whenever I’m Rollin’
07 Busy – October Gold
08 Kova – Scratch Regulator
09 Kinski – Bring It On
10 Kova – Do My Thang

Feature

Eine Frage an: Cpt. Cracker

2. March 201523. March 2015

Dass Christian Roth immer voll Bock hat, wisst ihr ja allerspätestens seit unserem “Behind the scenes” mit ihm – und er macht einfach immer weiter: Heute kredenzt uns der Cracker einen amüsanten Clip mit dem kompletten Mob Team und wir fragen uns… Ach, fragen wir ihn doch einfach selbst:

Bist du eigentlich reich, Cpt. Cracker?
Ja. Ich bin so reich, mir reicht’s quasi. Um ehrlich gesagt zu sein und finanziell konnotiert: nein. Kohlemäßig bin ich weit entfernt von einem Vieraugengespräch mit meinem Bankkundenberater. Mein Leben ist reich an Erfahrungen, Freunden, Kindern, Schallplatten, Büchern, Inspirationen und psychsomatischen Krankheiten. Ich bin glücklich und zufrieden mit meinem Dasein, meinem Dispokredit und einem Fahrrad für jeden Tag. Skateboarding war und ist für mich das passende Spiegelbild zu meinem Lebensentwurf: mach’ was du willst, so wie du es kannst und versuche immer besser darin zu werden. Für mich reicht das meistens zum überleben. Schliesslich habe ich Sinnvolleres zu tun als Geld zu zählen – nämlich Skateboards verkaufen.

Nike SB Shelter – Mondays #6

9. February 20159. February 2015

In einer neuen Folge #Mondays feuern Farid Ulrich, Denny Pham, Danny Sommerfeld, Giorgi Balkhamishvili und viele weitere Akteure durch den Nike SB Shelter. Besonders freut uns der Auftritt von Alex Siegfried, der sicherlich einer der most underrated Skater in der Republik ist. Auch Martin Gregor aka Monkey gibt ordentlich Gas, wie sollte es auch anders sein. Clip ab.

Daniel Pannemann for CONVERSE CONS

5. February 2015

Jeder, der über eine halbwegs stabile Internetverbindung verfügt, sollte mittlerweile mitbekommen haben, dass Daniel Pannemann offiziell im Team von Converse CONS gelandet ist. Gemeinsam mit seinem neuen Teamkollegen Danny Sommerfeld und dem Filmemacher Severin Strauss hat Daniel diesen Clip an einem Wochenende in Berlin gefilmt – den passenden Artikel zum Clip findet ihr übrigens in der aktuellen Ausgabe des Lodown Magazines.