At the FAT Gypsy Party at the Wanderlust a few weeks ago, I met a photographer, Nico Sautet, who asked me if I’d participate in one of his photo shoots. I obliged and after numerous cancellations, mainly due to the general puffy-beach-ball-face look I seem to acquire at week-ends, we managed to hook up on Sunday and hit up a few spots around Paris.
Soirée FAT GYPSY PARTY jeudi soir au Wanderlust Paris !
-FAT line-up avec : Irfane des Outlines, Lil’ Mike du crew BIRDY NAM NAM, les DJ R-ASH et Manaré
-Diffusion du docu sur les légendes du Skate 80′s “Bones Brigade : An autobiography”
-Défi de bras de fer Sailor Jerry
-Entrée gratuite !
We are hosting a big FAT GYPSY PARTY at the Wanderlust this Thursday ! The line up for the evening : Irfane des Outlines, Lil’ Mike from BIRDY NAM NAM, DJ R-ASH and Manaré - First screening of the skate documentary Bones Brigade in France - An arm wrestle organized by Sailor Jerry (win a wrestle, win a shot !) – Free Entry !!
I was recently asked for an interview by a small production company, WRFilmed, here’s the web clip :
Récemment, une jeune boîte de production, WRFilmed m’a demandé une interview, voici le clip-web :
This week-end, just a few hundred yards from Jemappes skatepark in Paris, a small group of students organized a festival dedicated to the culture of skateboarding.
Views on Skateboarding, associated a photographic exhibition, projections of skate films and an amateur skate contest over the course of the week-end.
The organisers, who go under the collective name of Nollie exhibited paintings and photography from professional skate photographers, such as Cedric Viollet to those of the pro- skater, Samuel Partaix who displayed a personal collection of shots, documenting several skate trips with his friends.
My personal coup de coeur was came in the form of a tomb shaped skate board courtest of the collective WoodiArt.
The court-métrage Qui Sera le Maitre produced by by the French skater, Sylvain Robineau, was shown in a small downstairs cinema, alongside a series of short films by the skate brand Oxelo, shot in India, Miami, Berlin and Morocco, courtesy of by Capsus Films.
Views on Skateboarding was a super initiative from Nollie, who successfully brought the art of skating without any pretense, to the public for a week-end.
The incessant dump of snow we’re currently witnessing here in Paris has brought the french Capital to a stand still and caused havoc for the high-heel wielding fashionistas here for the fashion Week.
For those of us that have taken this meteorological outburst as a blessing, ie; the snowboarders, skaters and skiers amongst us, it was time to improvise with various ‘riding’ paraphernalia we’ve been stocking – in Charlie’s and my case a wakeskate, and get to the streets.
Here’s our video and some photos of our session :
One hundred years ago, when the legendary tattoo artist Norman ‘Sailor’ Collins wrote his perfect rum recipe on a piece of paper, never would he have imagined the drink he’d just created would later become synomynous with burlesque, tattoos and rock and roll. The recipe was found years later and re-concocted- the original recipe was notably highly spiced to hide the taste of the bad rum that would accompany sailors on their voyages at sea.
Always faithful to it’s naval and alternative image, when Sailor Jerry is involved in a soirée, you know it’s invitees are going to be spicy and outrageous as the drink itself. Needless to say, going home sober from a Sailor Jerry party is as likely cutting your own hair and thinking ‘fuck, I should get into hairdressing’.
The kind of party you walk into dressed looking like a raver at Creamfields circa 1994 and you find yourself next to Pin-Up babes. All too familiar with that feeling, so I got out my special Primark dress for the occasion, (looking more like a bloody 50′s librarian) although with all the healthy gastronomic delicacies on offer I later regretted not wearing a pair of respiration-restricting Spanx.
With all the glamour, rock and weirdness associated with the brand, this years party was no disappointment. An obscure performance was put on from a red, tattooed mentaliste dancer, Yannick Unfricht accompanied by Hey! La Cie and the glamour came in the form of burlesque dances from Lala Morte and the Sailor Burlesque Girls.
Hotdogs, popcorn and an open bar serving cocktails, and shooters all night to good music, Le Divan du Monde pulsated like a throbbing bicep in an sailors arm wrestle. Which is an appropriate metaphor for the pain in my head the next morning.
Bisous x
Two burgers in one week. There goes my annual average consumption in ONE WEEK. I’ve got a long way to go until I hit the American food connaisseur, Cristian from fastandfood‘s record, burger a day’, but If I’m honest, I’m not a huge fan of the humble burger. However since it’s extreme make over, from the coolest hipster joints to Michelin-starred restaurants, anything that currently comes out of McDonalds looks like a poor, under-nourished version of what’s currently proposed on menus around Paris. If you’re not into the hipster vibe or don’t have a wallet steaming with cash, then there’s always an alternative, FOOD TRUCKS- you know, the ‘gourmet‘ take-aways that propose a hot, filling meal and at a reasonable price.
Not much would make me venture out in 2°c temperature, except maybe a powder session or a vin-chaud, but the prospect of hitting up one of Le Réféctoire’s famous burgers made me move quicker than a girl de-tagging herself in an ugly Facebook photo.
So, what’s all the fuss about, I hear you cry (or not…) Well, all the burgers are the chef-d’oeuvre’s of Valentine the founder of Le Refectoire and who’s CV states ‘The Ritz’ amongst her previous work-experiences. Take the BIBI Burger for example, composed of : confit of mushrooms, a piece of melted raclette cheese, a big fresh-from the butcher burger, fresh lettuce and tomatoes, home-made mayonnaise and fries. That’s what I’m talking about. Ronald’s crying in his oversized-red clown boots. Now get thee…
Le Réféctoire :
Tuesday midday- 2 pm @ 107 Blvd Richard Lenoir, 750011
Thursday midday – 2pm @ 204 Rue des Pyrenées, 75020
Friday midday- 2 pm @ 107 Blvd Richard Lenoir, 750011
Sunday midday – 3pm @ 305 Rue des Pyrenées, 75020 ( great for brunch )
For someone to go ahead and call their crew Violence Collective is particulary audacious, especially if they’re far from resembling the Bloods or the Crypts or any other such notorious gang. The crew in question is a Paris based collective, made up of several international members; a Brazillian artist, a Danish skate clothing brand entrepreneur and Swedish graffiti artist are just a few of the adherents.
Violence Collective is the brainchild of a French art director, motivated to assemble the creative minds he met in Sweden, France and New York, Violence Collective has been quick to make its mark as a fresh, innovative collaboration that has already proved its worth, with an official launch party at the Tape Bar in Bastille, last week, to a packed out crowd.
Decked out in photos and framed graffiti paintings, the nights entertainments came in the form of a burlesque show, courtesy of Valentina del Pearls and a projection of their works on a huge screen and even proposing their own cocktail – le Viol. But I’ll let you translate that.
Their clientele is as diverse as their 15 members and has ranged from the French luxury clothing brand Barbara Bui, to video production of the global break dance event, the R16 and a clip for the Bordeaux rock band, Kid Bombardos. Their last opus was an acclaimed portrait on the BMX World Champion, Matthias Dandois that went viral: Matthias Dandois X VLNC.
Violence Collective maybe not the most appropriately penned name for the chilled crew, but these boys definitely aren’t here to fuck around.
I just found an article I wrote 3 years ago for the online magazine, Cellardoor Magazine on the american brand Rodarte’s collaboration with the Parisian concept store, Colette.
Whilst over-priced concept nights are cropping up in alternative bars all over urban hot-spots in an attempt to attract the new breed of 2.0 hipsters- table tennis bars, tattoo nights.. the contre-partie have in turn reverted to more traditional ‘home-made fun’. You know, that old-fashioned amusement that one would probably hash-tag #DIY for an instagram photo, is back and my girlfriends and I didn’t waste any time in coming up with our own ‘soirée’ an invariable post-modern Avon Party: hair-dye and karaoke.
Like Sonny and Cher, Amadou and Mariam and gin and tonic, who would have thought Bonnie Tyler and hair dye would be such a complimentary duo..?
My friend Sylvia asked me if I was up for going to Rock on Seine with her, to give her a hand with the interviews she was filming backstage for Disney. I accepted and took photos of the week-ends festivities.
Ed Sheehan goes to Jack's Fish and Chip Shop #fact
Birdy Hunt totes chillin'
Canned laughter.
Stuck in the Sound
Probably in a rock group
Part of the extra-concert activities
Sylvia
My new tattoo
Birdy Hunt
Sylvia air guitarin'
Team Sluts
Back in 1997, the standard garb for any Lagwagon /NOFX / Pennywise loving punk rocker consisted of a pair of extra baggy Carhartts, a grey DC hoodie, a pair of Etnies and a skateboard, which was all attainable for a fair price down the local skate shop. Legitimate were those who’d hum along to Kill all the White Men whilst relentlessly trying to pop shove-its up a curb.
However, those who’d be caught huddled up in the aforementioned attire, smoking a roll up around the back of the Peel / West-end Centre with a perfectly new skateboard, that had effectively never had and never would be ridden came the penned word ‘walk-board’ which basically meant it would never actually serve as more than just an accessory.
I thought I’d heard the last of this derogative phrase at the end of the 90′s, however just recently, thanks to a launch of an ‘old-school’ plastic board, I’m all of a sudden reminded of this ludicrous terminology, although no-longer applicable to 14 year old FAT Wreck- Chord fans, but 20- something working Parisians.
This is all down to the production of a company saving toy, the Globe BANTAM. The brightly colored mini plastic cruisers that has become a regular feature in the hippest of hipster Tumblers.
Here are 10 more reasons hipsters LOVE the BANTAM (and why you shouldn’t buy one) :
1. Because it has no grip, so when they carry it, their Lacoste poloshirts’ don’t bobble at the hip.
2. Their plastic surfaces are easier to clean, so they can wet-wipe all those nasty germs off after an Instagram session alongside the Canal St Martin
3. The multiple colour boards give more of a colour range to work with and to match their brand new limited edition Kenzo Vans with.
4. Because it’s plastic, there are no tale-tale wear and tear signs, so no one can say you haven’t ACTUALLY ridden it.
5. Because the advert was on FUBIZ.
6. Because in the aforementioned advert, there are also some bowl riders who look totally rad, skating the guys in Lords Of Dogtown, which is totally vintage and totally now.
7. It equally features hot american babes chilling around a pool in thongs drooling over the skaters, and you want to create the same effect when you cruise along the Grand Plage in Biarritz on your holidays
8. Because when you go on holiday to the Biarritz, you look a bit more credible if you rock up to your beginners surf lesson with a skate.
9. Because it’s always cooler to say ‘I skate’ to your surf instructor, as a way of convincing him you’re ‘extreme’ and you know what foot forward you are.
10. Because they’re ONLY 99 euros (a LOT cheaper than a fixed-gear).
And a bonus reason:
# Because girls come up and speak to you in English, because they OBVIOUSLY think you’re an Australian surfer. Therefore cool.
Some classics :
