Off to Poland

I returned to London a week ago from Amsterdam. Tomorrow I will continue my whirlwind journey around Europe when I'm off to Poland. For those who don't personaly know me, I come from a mostly Polish family (as well as Ukranian and Russian). This will be by first time back in "Mother Poland" for anyone in my family since they immigrated to the US in the 1920s. Shit is going to be off the fucking chain... Chances are I won't be able to update this until I return in a week. BALLIN!

Crass - Feeding of the 5000 - London

On Sunday November 25th I was able to attend the closest thing to a Crass show, I will ever see. Crass is easily one of my favorite bands ever (oddly enough right behind the Smiths, go figure) and it was an experience. Steve Ignorant, the male lead singing of Crass, put on the "Feeding of the 5000", a 2 night event bringing the punkest people in the world to Shepherd's Bush, London, I am not a Punk, nor have I ever claimed to be but I am a huge fan of 80's Anarcho-Punk.
Feeding of the 5000 is perhaps the most classic of Crass albums, and it was performed in it's entirty. Fucking Hell, it was a good show, I would go as far as to say it was the "second" best show I've ever seen, beind seeing Morrissey in Tijuana (September Posts). The crowd was an angry mix of colorful spiked hair and leather jackets, easily the punkest things I've seen.
Opening up for Crass (well Steve Ignorant) were two of my favorite bands from that era- Zounds and Flux of Pink Indians. Here are some pictures I took from the show and some videos that were posted on youtube.










Big A, Little a


Bloody Revolutions


Shaved Women

Amster-GOD-Dam

I have speant a fair amount of time in Europe over the past seven years but regretully had never been to Amsterdam. I am an admitted pothead but had never made it to "Cannabis Town". This was an experience, I met up with two friends from the states, Adam and Vince aka the Diva and the Pussy (hahaha). It was a great trip to a beautiful city... the only glaring downsides to Amsterdam were - a lack of ATM machines, a lack of convenience stores, and "Holy Shit" good food is hard to find. Most every eatery sells the exact same disgusting old pizza and cheese hot dogs that look they have been sitting in the same glass case since '04 and then there was "FEBO" a Dutch fast food restaurant that look equaly as trife... a definite far cry from ye olde In-N-Out Burger. None the less, with all the city's shortcomings, the legality and readily availablness of weed more than made up for it.
Here are some flics that I had taken while walking the streets of this beautiful city.

Yes, Anne Frank!

One of the hardest things I have ever seen... not sure who the artist is but it is fucking sick. For those of you who are uneducated and/or slept through 7th grade history class. Anne Frank was a German born Jewish girl who flead Germany to Amsterdam along with her family. Where they lived in solitude in a hidden room in the attic of another families house. Anne kept a diary of her experiences before she and her family were snitched on by some nazi sympothising cunts.... Anne Frank was a G, Nazis were pricks.

Mike Giant and My First Moment in the "Red Light District"

Our very first night in Amsterdam as Adam, Vince, and I were wondering the streets of the city, we happend to come across this GiantOne tag... as I am quite the fan of Mike Giant's work I decided to stop and take a photo. As we sat admiring the wall of tags, I heard a banging (no pun intended) from behind. As I turned I was instantly confronted by a massive African beast of a woman behind glass with a big red light above it, hense "The Red Light District" (Oh, I get it). She went on yelling that we were blocking her window space, puzzled that we had completely disregarded her to take a photo of some writing on the wall.
Although, I knew being a hooker was a viable and legal profession in Amsterdam, I didn't expect to be confronted by it in such a way.... and, no I didn't fuck her nor anyother "Lady of the Night" for that matter... haha

20th Annual Cannabis Cup - Amsterdam

The week of November 18th (or Thanksgiving week to us Yanks) High Times Magazine presented the 20th Annual Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, Holland. A week long festival in the marijuana capitol of the world. Bringing potheads from all over the world together for a spectacular week of smoking, sleeping, smoking, and sleeping some more. For this week, all of the top coffee shops in Amsterdam compete for title of "Best Cannabis" (although I would say over all California has better weed, in my opinion). This years winner was a heady indica from Barney's called G-13 Haze follwed by my personal favorite Grey Area's tasty Chocolope... from beginning to end the event was fuckin amazing.












The Cup Winner "G-13 Haze".... WOW!

Pascal Noir

To all the ladies around the world. This is the man that puts me up when in Copenhagen as well as a fellow Street Machine emloyee... Danni Andreasen aka Pascal Noir is originally from a town in Denmark called Middlefart and now resides in Copenhagen.
Hes a fan of William S Burroughs, smoking copius amounts of hash, Charles Bukowski, skateboarding, vegatarian cuisine, and not leaving his house
Hollar at him...

Norse Projects Copenhagen

Norse Projects is the sister shop to Street Machine Copenhagen, located in a new location directly around the corner from Street Machine... a more fashion/art alternative to the more mainstream skate appealof STM. The place in Copenhagen to pick up that ALIFE, HUF, Edwin, PAM, Undefeated, Neighborhood, Original Fake, Stussy and numerous other brands including the Norse Projects line... but just a reminder the American Dollar is worth absolute shit... Danish Kroners shit on US Dollars, so it may be quite pricey for us Yanks.












Myself along with the man behind the shop and all around socialite Mikkel aka Manza... Holla!

PS. Shouts to Anton, the other Man behind Norse

to check out the online store visit norseprojects.com

Street Machine Copenhagen

As I have mentioned numerous times on this blog, I work for a skateshop in San Diego called Street Machine. We have three shops- SD, obvioisly, Paris France, and Copenhagen Denmark... I make a trip to the shop at least once a year to catch up with the crew and see how things are doing. The shop just underwent an entire remodle... if you ever find yourself in the CPH check it out. Located at Kronprinsengade 3, Copenhagen K...











The homie Mikkel hard at work


New Street Machine Copenhagen exclusive board series designed Copenhagen and all around "street art" legend- "Huskmitnavn" a name that translates into English as "Remember My Name"... hard as fuck.

My Photographic Journey Through Copenhagen

I am not a photographer, nor do I claim to be. I just like to take pictures... Here are some flics of the scenery of one of my favorite cities, Copenhagen, Denmark or "København" as the locals would say.

Back in København

If London is my home away from home, then I guess that makes Copenhagen, my home away from my home waya from home... if thats makes any sense... none the less it is great to be back in frigid North of Europe... Living in Southern California I've forgotten what being cold is like, this city was a quick reminder... now I'm gonna get a Tuborg.

Lakai "Belmont" - Danny Brady Edition

Here are some pics of the new Danny Brady "Belmont" shoe from Lakai that I designed. With Danny Brady hailing from a town in Northern England called Blackpool, I wanted to give the shoe a strong English feel. What could be more English than a traditional houndstooth tweed? The logos on the tongues were a concept by Dan Magee, mimicking street signs in London while the Palace Waywards reference refers to the trifest of London skatehouses / the manor of Brady himself. The shoe also features a photo of Greggs Bakery on the insole.... YES!