street culture
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What to expect? 7 editor's letter 9 around us
the buried life
26 places rebirth
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32 interview
souls of society
40 band in town too many zooz
48 travelz
hangin' around
54 event
lollapalooza
70 happening
blu cancels his art in bologna
78 storytelling
take it eaaasy manifesto
— sidewalkers — magazine powered by new deal skateboards sidewalkers.com our team: nicoletta de pace simone d'onofrio martina galofaro giovanni lombardi angelica musitelli kseniia obukhova alberto piazzalunga
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'the great man of tomorrow' project, milan, italy
ART, LIFE AND STREETS Deer reader, We know you probably won't even read this page cos there’s a lot of other mad stuff to look at. We’re taking just a few seconds to tell you what’s this thing that you’re reading. BECAUSE YOU ARE READING IT, RIGHT? Goodboy. So I'll tell you what, we’re the Sidewalkers (yeah I know, cool name) and here are three things we really really like: art, life and streets. Art, as the expression of human (also non-human, google “pig paints”) creative imagination. Life, a.k.a. unknown-length period of time in which you try to figure out what the hell are you doing here and what for. But what’s life if not a series of experiences? The more insane your stories are, the more you have lived dude, trust me. Last but not least, streets: that’s where life happens, and where art is made. I mean, what better place to meet nut people? Those kinda guys usually have the best ideas. FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS BECAUSE IN THIS MAJORPUBLISHER-WORTHY PUBLICATION WE WILL TEACH YOU THINGS WE LEARNED FROM OTHER PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING WITH THEIR LIVES. SO STAND UP, SIT DOWN AND ENJOY THIS 58 PAGES MIND-BLOWING EXPERIENCE. Have a good one, the Sidewalkers.
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e h t d e i r u B u 8
e f i L u
it all started with a question...
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Around us The Buried Life started in a garage in 2006... When guys were graduating from university, they asked themselves an obvious question, that any other student would. They looked at their peers, who were ready to start a career and jump into a crazy world of adulthood. "Am I ready to do this? Am I ready to dedicate the next 10 or 15 years to a career?" Then something happened, that changed the whole perspective, what they thought was important. Duncan's friend drowned by accident and that's when all four of them gained together and started talking about life and death. They realized that they were all going through similar things at the time: uncertainty, levels of depression or just this desire for more from life. They felt like they were in a void and they needed something to shake them out of that void. Then the question appeared "If we could do anything, what would it be?" So they decided to make a list of a 100 things to do before they die. Fed up with apathy, Ben, Dave and brothers Duncan and Jonnie hit the road in a borrowed 1977 Dodge Coachman RV to try and cross off as many "Things to do Before You Die" as possible. For each item they accomplished, they would help a stranger accomplish a dream of their own. They've just thought of everything in the world that they could do: from planting a tree to playing basketball with a president. 10
#91 get married in vegas
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One question unites us all...
david lingwood
ben nemtin
Dave is our one-man party, which you will understand when you meet him. Loved by all, he has proven to us again and again that adventure awaits any who look for it. He has been courted by Cirque du Soleil and others in TV and film, but we hold on to him as ours.
Ben is our mover and shaker, the purr in our V8 when things get cranking. He is a wellknown connector in the entertainment biz and a mensch to the n'th degree. In his own time, Ben loves music festivals, time with friends and leaving the door open... so that anything could happen.
Before I die I want to:
Before I die I want to:
«Host Late Night with Dave Lingwood»
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«Leave a legacy»
jonnie penn
duncan penn
Jonnie is our resident philosopher and ideas man. He enjoys 8mm photography and DJ'ing at his friend's weddings. In 2015 Jonnie received a Masters in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge. He knows Plato from elementary school.
Duncan is an award winning entrepreneur. He enjoys driving motorcycles and sailing in high winds. Never short on a brave new project, Duncan has become our our inhouse Shackleton; a keen guide to the thrill of distant shores.
Before I die I want to:
Before I die I want to:
«Direct a feature length film»
«Fly a biplane across Africa with my dad»
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#85 throw the most badass party ever
t ' n o d u o y f I . t s a f y t t e r , p e l i s h e v w o a m n e i ÂŤ Lif nd look around once . t i Âť stop a s s i m d l u o you c "Ferris Bueller's Day Off":
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d i a r f a s i e ultur c r u O ÂŤ eath. But it actually. of d u an ultimatum Âť gives yo
"The first thing on our Bucket List was to become a knight for a day. You know what we've noticed? The most amazing thing was that everyone was there to help us. And people would send us their list items of things they wanted help with. We came back from this 2 weeks road trip and we realized this was bigger than us. People on the streets felt buried and we decided to keep going. We never thought of succeding in doing some of the aims, we've just put them on a list because we wanted to try. Now we've issued a NYTimes bestseller and one of the most watched TV-shows." Guys always jump into someone else's life and help people around with something they want to do before they died. They've recently helped a guy to meet his son, which he left 17 years ago, but not one day passed for him without regretting on what he has done. That man said that these 4 folks helped him to find a courage and not being scared of moving forward in a search of something better. The ability to conquer your fear and go after something is something that guys hold so true. 19
#35 sing a national anthem to a packed stadium 20
That 2 weeks road trip evolved in a way of life... So how to cross off your list anything you want to? Firstly, you have to think of what's important to you. Not what society thinks, not what your parents want, but what your heart feels is better. If it scares you - that's good, if people say you're crazy - even better. Secondly, write it down. By doing it, you effectively making it real, because you see the steps for achieving it. Thirdly, talk about your List. If you don't talk about it, no one's going to help you. You' ll be surprised, but people will help you in the most unexpected situations. Fourthly, be persistent. You are going to hear no a lot, much more than you are going to hear yes. no doesn't always mean no, usually means not now. People fail just because they stop trying. Lastly, help others, because if you think about it, it actually helps you to get things done. If you're out there in the world doing good things and people see you, they're more likely to help you. There is a great quote from 'Into the Wild' film: "Happiness is only real when it's shared." 21
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«But ofte n, in the w But often, orld’s most crowded There rises in the din of strife streets, After the k an unspeakable d , nowledge of es our buried ire life.» 'The Buried L
ife', Matth
ew Arnold
, 1852
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reBIRTH The massive buildings that form the backbone of the world’s industry can be ugly, ungainly monstrosities. And when they’re abandoned, they can sit empty and unused for decades, becoming nothing more than an eyesore. Or, they can be repurposed into some pretty amazing things. Sidewalkers explores former industrial buildings creatively re-imagined for modern uses.
Places 26
It all began in 1846 when a threads and fabrics Company called “Companhia de Fiação e Tecidos Lisbonense”, one of the most important manufacturing complexes in Lisbon, Portugal, moved to Alcântara, a quarter located on the way to Belém. Alcântara was a busy place that time, but not anymore…
ies to discover with traditional restaurants, design shops and even concert halls. After much work renewing the whole space, the new factory was occupied by corporations, new brands, startups and wanna-be-artists. LX Factory is a creative mini-city. From architecture to music, it’s now the home of design companies, galleries, artists studios Now, and since 2008, a new urban fragment and one of the best ice creams in town. has been born again in one of the most industrial abandoned areas of Lisbon. The Definitely to check out on the next trip to LX Factory – It’s a giant atelier full of galler- Europe!
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NDSM wharf once upon a time played home to what was the largest shipbuilding company in the world. Between 1937 and 1984 many a gigantic cargo ship, tanker and passenger ship were built under the equally sizeable hangers that lined the wharf. Sadly the good times of Dutch ship building did not last, and once the ship industry had died, the wharf and hangers merged to became one giant, baron wasteland. Having
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gone bankrupt, the NDSM moved out and no one else moved in, not for a long long time. Of course someone new did eventually move in, and now transformed the NDSM wharf houses into live music venues, skateparks, student housing, cafes, bars restaurants, new offices, Europe’s biggest Flea Market and perhaps most impressively (or at least in our eyes), it will soon host the world’s largest street art gallery.
Southern Pacific Brewing took its named from the railway line that once ran through San Francisco in the early 1900s. At one time, it was almost constantly employed shipping San Francisco’s products to the rest of the country, a lifeline for craftsmen and industry workers alike. Now, the brewery has taken an old warehouse that was once home to a machine shop and, in an inspired example of adaptive reuse, turned it into a brewpub with seating
for up to 300 people. The entire project was an amazing testament to the idea of reuse and reclamation, with many of the features constructed from reclaimed materials that the architects and builders found when they first took a look at the space they had to work with. Other reclaimed materials came from a nearby barn, an abandoned church, and structures that were still standing in the old machine shop, torn down to make the wide-open space of the interior of the pub.
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Interview
S L U O S SO F O TY E I C
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e v o l I eople »
Hi there, I’m Dijon. The first thing to know about me is that
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'Souls of San Francisco' is the 1st chapter of the international 'Souls of Society' movement.
The mission is to connect communities by telling stories that increase compassion, empathy, and spiritual awareness.
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Since 2011 I’ve been walking the streets capturing thousands of stories for my ongoing street photography project 'Souls of San Francisco'. 'Souls' is the story of San Francisco told by the people who are the cultural fabric of the legendary bay area scene.
It’s developed a lot over the years; when I first started, I didn’t know how to take pictures. The first one I thought was really good is a picture of a rabbi in North Beach. It’s very ethereal; he looks like he’s in motion but also has a profound stillness about him.
t r a e k a m o t y a w a t s u a o w t i s i t h «T frequently and ge . » e l p more o e p f to a lot o 34
This awakened me to something deeper in what I was doing, so I went searching for more of it— more of that magical presence.
r u o d n a , l l a b e m u t s o c . a » e e m k i u l t s s o i c e r f i u L « human shell is o But even behind masks we can still recognize our partners—we know their eyes. And so that’s what I do, I go around the city and recognize people inside their shells. It’s like, “I see you in there.”
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>
Every time I interact with someone, it propels me further on my own journey. Someone tells me something I didn’t know, and then I go and pass that on to you, and you go and have a conversation that piques someone else’s interest, and on and on, down the rabbit hole.
Once I took a picture of “Sweet Willie” in the Tenderloin. He lives on the street in that hood. I used to live there too and it’s a very intense place. A lot of crack, a lot of prostitution, a lot of demons. I used to walk by Sweet Willie and he was always beaming. I stopped to talk to him and he was so alert, vibrant and conscious. The picture we got together really captures his essence. His eyes are shrouded in darkness but you can feel the un-extinguishable light coming out of them. I asked him why he was so cheery and he said, “We’re homeless but not helpless, and we don’t let a situation turn into a shituation."
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S L U O S XT NE US TO
Sidewalkers browsed the 'Souls of Society' latest posts and found some amazing folks out there with ideas and thoughts we would definitely share. Check them out!
e l p o e p t n a w « I back and say le look goo d examp I set a y community. » for m “I want to leave a legacy of positivity and creativity. I want people look back and say I was someone who was down for the community, someone who was kind, caring, dependable, open minded and set a good example for my community. Some people have made assumptions based on the way I look, thinking I smoke ganja or drink etc, but I’ve never done any type of drugs, nor have I ever drank alcohol, and it's not a big deal, I'm just not into it. I like to show people that you don’t need anything outside of yourself to have a good time, my happiness or “being high” comes from inside."
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“I’m a connector. I have a really strong ability to travel between worlds and instigate things. My degree is in anthropology and I’ve always had a deep interest in culture. We’re all on a similar mission. The more we can connect and help each other, the more we can achieve that collective mission.”
Z>
"I’m a big nerd. A big dweeb. I like science, I like history. I like to know what was here before what is here now. That’s what gets me fizzing. Another thing is art. People here are really creative. One thing about San Francisco that I really like is that it’s vibrant. I feel really alive here."
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y p p a h m Âť . ' e b o ÂŤI t e s o o h c I because
One of my greatest strengths... maybe versatility. I feel like I do a lot of different things and enjoy doing that. Sometimes I feel like if I focused on one thing I would go further with it but I'm pretty happy to trade that for bouncing around doing different stuff. 38
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O O T NY
A M OZ ZO
The hottest thing in NYC music is these subway buskers
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SO, WHO ARE THESE GUYS? As the Union Square subway station fills with commuters Monday afternoon, a woman stops at one of the busking bands, pulls out a $10 bill in exchange for the group’s CD, then runs to catch a Q train. Except the band hasn’t played a single song yet. Before they even finish unpacking their instruments, a small crowd begins to form. “Are you guys playing soon?” asks passer-by Weston Hatfield, a 26-year-old commodities trader who lives on the Upper East Side. After a band member nods, Hatfield says: “I’ll be back later to watch.” Meet Too Many Zooz, a local band whose vibrant, heart-pounding tunes and impressive dance moves have turned them into the
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city’s newest musical phenomenon, thanks in part to a YouTube video of their performance that went viral on Reddit, accumulating more than 700,000 views to date. Trumpet player Matt Doe, baritone saxophonist Leo P. and drummer David “King of Sludge” Parks have been rocking the subways since August. Doe, 21, and Leo P., 22, first became friends while attending the Manhattan School of Music, while Leo P. and Parks played together in another busking band, the Drumadics. They all came together with a simple goal: to make some extra cash.“I remember the first day that we played, I thought, ‘Wow, there’s something here,’” recalls Pittsburgh-born Leo P., who declines to give his full name. “If we had a recording of that first day, it would be so different. It’s taken so long to evolve into what it’s like now.” With no vocals or supporting effects, their acoustic instrumentals are a breath of fresh air in a world ruled by One Direction and Miley Cyrus. Their influences include rock, jazz,
EDM and African drumming — all of which they’ve combined into a unique genre they have dubbed “brass house.” “There’s really no one out there who’s not using electronics,” notes Doe, a Foxborough, Mass., transplant who first took up the trumpet when he was 10 years old.
(due to both safety reasons and fear of alienating fellow subway performers), they have sold more than 5,000 digital albums since its January release.
Parks, originally from Portland, Ore., spent years living in East Harlem be«I remember the first fore recently relocating to The Passers-by seem especially Bronx. Shortly after the move, day that we played, drawn to sax player Leo P., his former residence exploded whose pompadour and Mi- I thouqht, ‘Wow, there’s in the March 12 gas leak that chael Jackson-esque dance killed eight people. That same something here!» moves make him stand out. week, Too Many Zooz’s You“The saxophone player, he has a lot of Tube video went viral. Parks says busking style,” says Daniela Marquez, a 25-year-old saved his life, as he paid for his new digs Venezuelan who purchased the group’s CD primarily with tips from the subway. “That halfway through their first song. “He looks was one of the impetuses for me going like a rock star.” While the members won’t down [to the subway] and having to play share how much money they make in tips every day, to move,” says a thankful Parks.
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But their unique sound didn’t leave them with many other options, as clubs hesitate to book bands that don’t conform to the clichéd pop-music formula. “It speaks to the changing New York club scene,” explains Parks. “Roseland Ballroom and other famous clubs are closing. Club owners aren’t trying to facilitate any new kind of music.” Instead, Too Many Zooz has built a strong community with commuters and fellow buskers. “I donate every time I see them, and I stay until they’re done,” boasts Serena Alleyne, a 15-year-old who passes through Union Square daily while shuffling between school and her Flatbush home. “I could see them being on MTV!”
With the world seemingly at their fingertips, Too Many Zooz is taking their time with big decisions. “Instead of us having to look for publicists or managers, people are coming to us, and that comes from being in the subway,” Doe says. And since all three members play in other bands, for now they’re content with keeping it in the subway, where they can connect with fans. “We have a test market: the people standing right in front of us. They like it or they don’t. They stop or they don’t,” says Parks. “We have the largest nightclub in the world.”
«Instead of us havinq to look for publicists or managers, people are coming to us, and that comes from being in the subway.» 45
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' n i g n a H nd u o ar
my original plan was to travel for one year. that was 6 years ago.
I haven’t always been a world traveler though. With a college degree in business, I found myself working as a freelance nightlife & event photographer in Miami. It was fun, but something was missing... In the fall of 2010 I quit my job, sold everything I owned, and bought a plane ticket to Guatemala. My family & friends didn’t understand what I was doing. They thought I was losing it — and I wasn’t sure either. Following my dreams at all costs was my new goal. Becoming wealthy with new experiences was my mission.
Matthew Karsten tells Sidewalkers what exactly travel has taught him through this long, strange trip. 48
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« Slow down your thoughts and pay close attention to the details around you. The smells, the colors, human interactions, and sounds. It’s a kind of meditation — and you’ll see stuff you never noticed before. » laugh at yourself
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You will definitely look like a fool many times when traveling to new places. Rather than get embarrassed, laugh at yourself. Don’t be afraid to screw up, and don’t take life so seriously. Once a whole bus full of Guatemalans laughed with glee when I forced our driver to stop so I could urgently pee on the side of the road. Returning to the bus and laughing with them gave me new friends for the rest of the journey.
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keep an open mind
Don’t judge the lifestyles of others if different from your own. Listen to opinions you 50
don’t agree with. It’s arrogant to assume your views are correct and other people are wrong. Practice empathy and put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Embrace different possibilities, opportunities, people, suggestions and interests. Ask questions. You don’t have to agree, but you may be surprised what you’ll learn.
don't be afraid
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The world is not nearly as dangerous as the media makes it out to be. Keep an eye out for sketchy situations but don’t let that be the focus of your whole trip. Use common sense and you’ll be ok. Most people are friendly, trustworthy, generous, and willing to help you out.
challenge yourself
pack a scarf
Break out of your comfort zone, try things that normally give you anxiety. The more you do this, the more that anxiety will fade away. Not a hiker? Go on more hikes. Have trouble talking to strangers? Talk to everyone. Scared of weird food? Eat the weirdest thing you can find. The reason this works so well while traveling is because everything is already so different, what’s one more new/ uncomfortable experience?
I happen to use a shemagh, but sarongs also work great. This simple piece of cotton cloth is one of my most useful travel accessories with many different practical applications. It’s great for sun protection, a makeshift towel, carrying stuff around, an eye mask, and much more. I can’t tell you how many times a scarf has come in handy around the world.
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Couchsurfing.org is a large online community of travelers who share their spare rooms or couches with strangers for free. If you truly want to experience a country and it’s people, staying with a local is the way to go.
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ÂŤ I dreamed of
m with advent ore â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a life filled ure. One da y I just decided to s top dreamin q, and start do ing. Âť
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Event
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L L LO AL
AP ZA OO
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« It's crazy to think that this event has been around longer than most of the teenagers in attendance. » «
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If you grew of age musically in the “alternative” era just like we did, you probably consider Lollapalooza a pretty big deal. And that would be because it was born as a pretty big deal. Lollapalooza is three days of non-stop music, vibes and good times. Drawing a diverse crowd from crop top wearing, flower crown toting millenials to longtime fans and festival veterans, one thing's for sure: with such a unique and impressive history, once you have your first Lolla experience under your belt, it's unlikely it'll be your last. alternative nation
If you're wondering what Jane's Addiction, rap, and Shaolin monks have in common, they were all key components of the first Lollapalooza, which also included alternative music, hosted freakshows, and virtual reality games. It's been more than two decades since Perry Farrell, of Jane’s Addiction, founded Lollapalooza wayyyy back in 1991. It was to serve as the band’s farewell tour, as well as a venue for a few like-minded bands. In the era of grunge, the event rejected anything mainstream, and created a place for counterculture to thrive, which at the time, was a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately without a headliner in 1998, Lollapalooza fizzled out almost into oblivion. After failures to revive the tour during the 2003-2004 season, Farrell made the executive decision to reintroduce the event as a destination festival in one of his favorite cities in America - Chicago. It has been an iconic summer event in the Windy City ever since. Today the festival brings in more than 100 bands every year and celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2016 with a four-day blowout on July 28-31 at its longtime home in Chicago’s Grant Park. around the world
As a festival that began as a touring event, it only makes sense that they'd want to keep the tradition alive. Now you can find it in Chicago, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Saõ Paolo and Berlin. 57
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THE BIRTH OF LOLLAPALOOZA NATION Perry Farrell, Lollapalooza shees, etc. Stephen and I «Lollapalooza was co-founder and lead singer were talking and we said, of Jane’s Addiction: By mida beacon and a sort of “Why don’t we put on some1990, I wasn’t getting along thing like Reading Festival symbol for the with the other members of as our going-away tour?" changing musical culture.» We went back to the hotel Jane’s Addiction. I was sad and depressed. I tried to cowhere Perry and the rest of operate and be democratic, but I’ve always the band were and we pitched the idea. Perhad a difficult time being in a group. I rery said, “Fantastic!” I immediately conceived fused to dummy down and become a pop the structure of it and asked everybody to act. I wanted to say what I wanted, and I put down their favorite artist that they would would suffer the consequences. want. I started to chase down the bands. Marc Geiger, Lollapalooza co-founder and agent for Jane’s Addiction: We: me, the band and manager Ted Gardner, went to the Reading and Leeds festivals in England. Jane’s played a club show the night before they were supposed to play Reading. It was like 300 degrees in the club and Perry ended up losing his voice entirely. They had to cancel their Reading show set for the next day. Jane’s drummer, Stephen Perkins, and I went down to Reading fest anyway. We spent all day there with a bunch of cool artists: The Pixies, Siouxsie and the Ban58
Stuart Ross, tour director, Lollapalooza, 1991-97: Perry said, “Listen, it’s going to be our last tour. Let’s go out, we’ll have six opening acts and we’ll get a bunch of art and we’ll get political booths—we’ll have the NRA set up next to PETA; we’ll get army and navy recruiters; and we’ll get crazy huge burritos and enormous drinks." Geiger: One night Perry called me up at one in the morning and said, “I got the name! lollapalooza.” I said, “What the f*ck is that?!” He told me it was from a Three
Stooges episode and I thought it was great. We went off and built it up.
and a sort of symbol for the changing musical culture.
Farrell: I wanted to pick the best groups. I wanted them to have the best time. It was of such importance for the groups to enjoy themselves. So I got my friends together. I went to people that I thought had extreme credibility and talent and were important: Henry Rollins, Butthole Surfers, Siouxsie and the Banshees. These groups to me signified my generation.
Henry Rollins, rocker and former Black Flag frontman who played the first Lollapalooza in 1991: On the first day, the amps that powered the PA were threatening to overheat. There were dry-ice blocks being fanned into them. We were the first notes struck at Lollapalooza. The mood was a constant, “Well, let’s see what this will do today.” It wasn’t Lollapalooza Inc. yet. We had no idea that all the shows were going to get done, much less become what it did. However, the shows were so good and the audience was so enthusiastic as they were plentiful, you could tell that Perry had really invented something unique and spectacular. It was one of the best breaks I ever got. I owe Perry plenty.
Geiger: We felt strongly we had to take the music to the people because there was a shift starting to happen in music and music culture. It was a really bad time in music: MTV was still playing hair bands and yet the underground and the indie world were very strong. It just didn’t get any mainstream attention. The business side of me realized this is a market that should have happened a long time ago. Kids in America should have a festival experience like kids in England. Lollapalooza, from a timing standpoint, was more than just an exciting show and potential experience. It was a beacon
Farrell: Henry went out there in a pair of shorts that were ripped. His balls were probably hanging out. He understood that if he hung in there with everybody he was going to have an audience that he wouldn’t normally have.
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henry rollins, the first performer at the first lollapalooza,
1991
The decision was made to turn Lollapalooza into an annual touring festival, and with each passing year its size and scope increased.
By the mid-’90s Lollapalooza had become a cultural institution. Headliners in 1994, from Green Day and the Smashing Pumpkins to Beastie Boys, reflected its evolving scale.
Ross: Perry had recognized that alternative music was far bigger than the radio stations represented. And at exactly the same time these bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana were getting huge.
Ross: As Lollapalooza grew, the career arc of the alternative bands also grew. But as the bands got bigger their fees got higher. There was a certain point where it was starting to get unaffordable to build a show that we could charge a reasonable ticket price to.
Geiger: We were also really the first to put hip-hop in a place that kids could see it without the fear of thinking they were going to get shot. It was Ice-T, Ice Cube and then we had Wu-Tang Clan with Rage Against the Machine. All of those started the live hiphop in what I’ll call suburban white America. Farrell: When Kurt Cobain and I were at Lollapalooza together one year we looked at each other and Kurt said, “We’re going to do this. We’re going to make it!” I gave people faith to be genuine and original and authentic and not have to follow the prescription that the record company had set. 60
Farrell: All of a sudden you had these managers of groups starting to get greedy. These groups didn’t have the same sense of community we had at the beginning. It started to become every man for himself. It was all about the money. Geiger: After we did the “indie Lolla” in 1995 with Jesus Lizard and Hole and Sonic Youth, we were disgusted. We thought the alternative music scene was shit. I couldn’t handle it. Perry and I had a big disagreement about the ’96 run, so that by the end
«These groups didn’t have the same sense of community we had at the beginning. It started to become every man for himself. It was all about the money.» of that year’s tour, ’97 was almost an afterthought. The energy was gone. We all thought the scene had eaten itself. And that was the start of the break.
ice
-t
living colour
After five years away, Lollapalooza attempted a comeback as a traveling festival in 2003, albeit to mild success. A subsequent 2004 tour was canceled due to poor ticket sales. In 2005, however, the festival found a permanent home in Chicago’s Grant Park, where it remains to the present day. Geiger: We had a proposal from what became [Lollapalooza partner] C3 Presents. They said, “We think there’s something here. We’ve done some testing and we think the Lollapalooza brand is fantastic. We’d like to explore.” We said, “We’ve already been exploring changing the model. You guys want to do it?” So we cut a deal and scouted six cities for locations. Chicago was never premeditated. It was just one of the markets that we thought had a great park. Farrell: We got Chicago. But Charlie Jones, co-founder of C3 Presents, was getting pressured by his partners to say “Lose Perry because you can’t depend on him.” They were going to call it Chicago City Limits and they were going to exclude me. I broke down and I begged Charlie and said, “You can’t do that to me. My heart’s going to die. You got the property because you said it was Lollapalooza.” He was the only one who stood by me — he went up against his company to stick up for me. So back to life I came.
nine inch nails
butthole surfers
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«Good music wasn’t trapped in one definable alt-genre. And so Chicago became a much broader palette for more artists of more types.» Geiger: When Lollapalooza came back in the Chicago format, in 2005, the internet was already exploding musically. The finite parameters on what people wanted to define Lollapalooza as — which bands were “Lolla bands” and which ones were not — we thought was really stupid and narrow. Good music wasn’t trapped in one definable alt-genre. And so Chicago became a much broader palette for more artists of more types. And we got attacked for taking risks. For example, when we put up country acts like Sturgill Simpson or Eric Church people got all wonky. We really didn’t give a f*ck. We just want to program it well and expand. Farrell: We need each other more than ever in the music business. For the middle-ofthe-bill bands it means you’re going to be playing in front of 20,000 to 50,000 people. You would never get that anywhere else. But now you’re going to be exposed to a new, large audience. In recent years Lollapalooza has been a leader in embracing a wide variety of music, most notably from the pop and DJ/EDM realms. It’s now one of the highest-grossing festivals around and has expanded internationally, playing to crowds in Germany, Chile, Brazil and Argentina. Farrell: In 2010, Lady Gaga headlined the festival and we had to build the biggest stage we’ve ever had at Lollapalooza to contain all of her production. But we did it gladly. So her show was amazing. But what was even more amazing was the following day she went out onto a small stage — a very, very small stage, where she had first performed at Lollapalooza [in 2007]—and did a stage-dive into the audience wearing a body stocking. And the crowd basically devoured her. They were grabbing her boobs; they were grabbing her tushy; they were grabbing her hair. She was on top of them writhing like an earthworm.
Geiger: When we recrafted Lolla we created a dance area and called it Perry’s. We made it an anchor tent and in a weird way we hit the timing right again and stuck with it. The DJ culture hadn’t exploded yet and we were out in front of it. And then as it really started to look like it was coming to papa and getting big we were really well positioned. We were really the first festival — before Coachella — to emphasize DJs and dance music. We didn’t know it was going to play up that big when we created Perry’s, but we definitely were into it for a long time before. Farrell: Not disco. Dance music. House. The good stuff. [Laughs.] It’s just so sensory. I just love it. I look a lot of times to my boys to see how they’re receiving the show. And my boys were rocking out to Deadmau5 when he performed in 2011. He hits really hard and he’s amazing. I just need music to have heart and not be afraid. Be authentic and the young people will love you and hold you up. Rollins: Lollapalooza was a game changer. It affected MTV, FM radio, labels and what they signed. Most importantly, it gave young people a way to experience their peers with music as the attractor. These are people who now decide with their votes who the next president will be. This is not small stuff. A lot of people go through their lives without events that socialize and culturalize them, and I think they are not well served by that. Lollapalooza gave young people a chance to have a great understanding of the live-music experience and how it could be so much more than just seeing some bands. On that level, Lollapalooza was and is profound. 63
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ÂŤ Lolla is like a band: Eve rybo dy invo added some t It was neve hing to the mix. W lved has e r a b o u t m aking a ton cared. It was alw ays about p of money. ushing the and making envelope the experie nce better. Âť
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LOLLA·LINEUP brian fallon
–lead singer of Gaslight Anthem, who played Lollapalooza in 2009 and 2012– Every musician has boxes that they tick. For me growing up in the ’90s, Pearl Jam was like my version of the Who. So to get to play the same festival that they did was a huge deal. I remember in 2009 we were flying in from Europe and someone called me and was like, “You’ve got to get off the plane and go play Lollapalooza tomorrow.” I was like, “I don’t care. We’re going!”
mick jenkins
–Chicago-born rapper who performed at Lolla in 2015– There’s a picture of me at the edge of the stage in front of like 1,000 people with my hands up. It was a crazy experience. Getting to that level where you’re playing festivals is an important step to take in your career. When Outkast played, that was my first Lollapalooza experience and the next year I was playing. It was dope.
bloc party
–veterans of Lollapalooza, in 2016 with only two original members left they still rock the scene– We are pretty fortunate to have a venue like YouTube, where we've found our drummer. Now we've played all together at Lollapalooza, which was our biggest concert so far, and we don't expect there to be only Bloc Party fans; but it's always a great opportunity to perform in front of such a huge audience, that maybe never heard of you before.
Spotify.com is a digital music streaming service that gives you access to millions of songs, podcasts and videos from artists all over the world. You can easily find all the bands we talked about and listen to their music unlimitedly!
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Happening BLU ARTIST REMOVES HIS OWN STREET ART FROM BOLOGNA WALLS IN PROTEST OF A MUSEUM EXHIBITION if you’re a fan of blu artist and you’d like to see his street art, you’ll have to go mexico city, or new york, or berlin, because bologna is no longer the place where you could do that. in yet another case of artists having difficulties in this northern italian city, blu decided to remove all of his artworks from its walls, as a protest against an exhibition announced by a powerful cultural institution, genus bononiae. accompanied by a group of activists from the xm24 and crash community centres, the celebrated italian creative covered the pieces he created over the course of the last twenty years with paint and spray, sending a clear message against “private predators” who are institutionalising street art without permission.
After having denounced and criminalised graffiti as vandalism, after having oppressed the youth culture that created them, after having evacuated the places which functioned as laboratories for those artists, now Bologna’s powers-that-be pose as the saviours of street art. 71
«We are faced with arrogant landlords who act as colonial governors and think they’re free to take murals off our walls.» On March 18th 2016 an exhibition called Street Art: Banksy & Co. – L’Arte allo Stato Urbano opened in Bologna, Italy. It is promoted by Genus Bononiae, a cultural output of Fondazione Carisbo, ie the most important bank foundation in town. Some of the exhibited works of art come directly off the streets of Bologna. They have been removed from walls with the stated purpose of «salvaging them from demolition and preserving them from the injuries of time». why blu is erasing his work?
With his radical response, Blu refuses to comply to the trend of turning urban arts into museum pieces. ”This ‘street art’ exhibition is representative of a model of urban space that we must fight, a model based on private accumulation which commodifies life and creativity for the profits of the usual few people,” it is said in the statement. He adds that he is unwillingly featured in this show, which is being ”prepared in the posh rooms of Palazzo Pepoli”, and so he is removing potential gallery work from their natural habitat. The patron of this project is Fabio Roversi Monaco, a former member of the Zamboni – De Rolandis masonic lodge and former Rector of the Università di Bologna from 1985 to 2000, as well as former president of Bologna Fiere and Fondazione Carisbo. Currently Roversi Monaco is the president of Banca Imi, president of the Accademia di Belle Arti and president of Genus Bononiae. More than any other in Bologna’s recent history, Roversi Monaco’s name evokes power, money, politics… and the ensuing repressive policies. When the university celebrated 72
its Ninth Centenary, he refused all dialogue with the students who protested the high costs of the grand gala. During the inaugural ceremony, the police kept protesters out of the hall. The event ended up with 21 demonstrators indicted. That was in 1987.
Thus, it is not surprising to see Roversi Monaco backing those curators, conservators and promoters who, heralding their love for street art, found a good opportunity for their careers and now are using the work of other people with patronising arrogance.
Three years later, when students occupied the university to protest a law which opened up the gates for private investors, 127 students were charged and taken to court for several alleged offences.
It isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t surprising, either, to see the former president of the most powerful bank foundation in town promoting the umpteenth privatisation of more and more pieces of town. This exhibition will embellish and legitimise
feb 4 2016, "f*ck street art" and "no street art" phrases appeared on blu murals, shows cyclicality of the street art walls
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the hoarding of art taken off the street, which is only going to please unscrupled collectors and merchants. It isn’t surprising to see the good friend of both “centre-left” and “centre-right” politicians pretending to solve the contradictions of Bologna, a city which on the one hand criminalises graffiti, puts 16-year-old writers on trial, praises “urban decorum”, and on the other celebrates herself as the cradle of street art and wants to recuperate it for valorisation on the market. It doesn’t matter whether the pieces removed from the walls of Bologna are two or fifty. It doesn’t matter whether those walls were part of condemned buildings or part of the landscape in the northern outskirts
of town. It doesn’t even matter that seeing street art exhibited in a museum is paradoxical and grotesque. Let’s just agree that street art does not need to be “saved” and really should just be left alone. "We are faced with arrogant landlords who act as colonial governors and think they’re free to take murals off our walls. The only thing that’s left to do is make these paintings disappear, to snatch them from those claws, to make hoarding impossible." 74
The people who take this action don’t accept that yet another shared asset is appropriated, they don’t want yet another enclosure and a ticket to buy. The people who take this action aren’t willing to give up their work for the benefit of the same old bosses in exchange for a stool in the cosy club. The people who take this action can tell the difference between who has money, power and the highest offices, and who deploys creativity and intelligence.
THE PEOPLE WHO TAKE THIS ACTION CAN STILL TELL WHAT’S RIGHT FROM WHAT’S EASY.
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Storytelling
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t i e k a T aasy a E
h
What would the Dude do?
That is the central spiritual, if not theological, concern of the Church of the Latter-day Dude, the totally not-fake religion based on the ethos of Jeffrey “The Dude" Lebowski, the slacker savior of Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1998 cult masterpiece “The Big Lebowski.” To actually help you understand what is it about, Sidewalkers found the official manifesto of the Dudeism, written by the “Arch Dudeship” rev. dwayne eutsey ill. goni montes
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HEY,DUDE
HERE’S A RELIGION for its time and place…It fits right in there, helps us abide through all the strikes and gutters, the ups and downs of the whole durned human comedy. It really ties your life together. And the religion for our time and place is Dudeism. Of course, nihilists and reactionaries will probably dispute that — when they’re not throwing marmots into your bathtub or coffee cups at your forehead. That’s why you need to know how to respond when someone who is un-Dude asks you what the hell you’re talking about when you tell them about Dudeism. Now, it’s a basic tenet of the Dudeist ethos to just say “F*ck it,” or “Yeah, well, that’s just, like, you’re opinion, man,” when someone micturates upon our faith. But we’re talking about unchecked theological aggression here, drawing a line in the spiritual sand, Dude. Across this line you do not — also, Dude, “faith” is not the preferred nomenclature — “worldview”, please. so what am i talking about?
Lost my train of thought there. Anyway, in defending whether Dudeism is really a religion, worldview, or what-have-you, a Dudeist must first address a very basic question: What makes a religion? Is it being prepared to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Isn’t that what makes a religion? Or is it that along with a pair of testaments? Well, Dude, we just don’t know. Religion is a very complicated thing. A lotta scriptural ins, a lotta
ritual outs…a lot of ecclesiastical strands to keep in your head, man. There is a lot about religion that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to us. It can be quite stupefying, in fact. But there are some basic tools that can help put you in a unique position to confirm or disconfirm whether Dudeism is a religion. First off, it’s good to define what in God’s holy name we’re blathering about when we say the word “religion”. A wiser fellah than myself once said that “religion” has its root in the Latin word “ligo,” or “to bind together.” That’s a good place to start, I guess, because the tenets of Dudeism do indeed bind its diverse adherents together in one big round robin. all right, let’s get down to cases
The beauty of Dudeism is its simplicity. Once a religion gets too complex, everything can go wrong. That’s why the “To What/From What/By What Means” method of identifying a religion is a great way to summarize the Dudeist ethos for your un-Dude friends. For example, if you apply this method to Buddhism (a compeer of Dudeism), you can easily answer what the point of it is. From what is Buddhism trying to liberate us? Suffering To what state of being is Buddhism trying to bring us? Nirvana By what means does Buddhism attempt do this? The Noble Eightfold Path. Isn’t that interesting, man? Now let’s apply it to Dudeism. 81
«Racially we’re pretty cool and open to pretty much everyone… pacifists, veterans, surfers, lady friends, video artists with cleft as*holes, dancing landlords, enigmatic strangers, brother shamuses... And proud we are of all of them.» From what is Dudeism trying to liberate us? Thinking that’s too uptight. To what state of being is Dudeism trying to bring us? Just taking it easy, man. By what means does Dudeism attempt do this? Abiding. Now, that’s ingenious, if I understand it correctly. if you define it, it is a dreemms
But what do Dudeists believe? Well, although you have your story and I have mine, there are certain things that bring us together and root us, like the aitz chaim he, in a shared community. To help me clarify what I’m blathering about, I’ll use the seven dimensions of religion identified by Ninian Smart (another wiser fellah than myself): Doctrinal, Ritual, Ethics, Experiential, Myth, Material, and Social…or, in the parlance of religious studies, DREEMMS). Doctrinal (the systematic formulation of religious teachings in an intellectually coherent form): Like Zen, Dudeism isn’t into the whole doctrinal thing; we prefer direct experience of takin’er easy, and often contemplate two indiscernible Coens to achieve that modest task. Perhaps the closest Dudeists come to 82
having a systematic formulation of our religious teachings is: “Sometimes you eat the bear, and, well, sometimes the bear, he eats you.” Is that some sort of Eastern thing? Far from it, Dude. Ritual (forms and orders of ceremonies): Dudeists are also not into the whole ritual thing, but there are some things we do for recreation that bring us together, like bowling, driving around, the occasional acid flashback, listening to Creedence. Some Dudeists are shomer shabbas, and that’s cool. Ethics (rules about human behavior): Although this isn’t ‘Nam, there aren’t many behavioral rules in Dudeism, either. However, we do recognize that we may enter a world of pain whenever we go over the line and we are forever cognizant of what can happen when we eat too much chilly sauce. Experiential (the core defining personal experience): Abiding and takin’er easy. Myth (the stories that work on several levels and offer a fairly complete and systematic interpretation of the universe and humanity’s place in it): The Big Lebowski is our founding myth; just as the Christian Gospels, based on the Jesus of history, provide
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a portrait of the mythical Christ of faith who “died for all us sinners,” the film, based on the Dude of history (Jeff Dowd), presents the mythical Dude of film (Jeff Bridges) who “takes it easy for all us sinners.” Material (ordinary objects or places that symbolize or manifest the sacred or supernatural): That rug really tied the room together, did it not? Social (a system shared and attitudes practiced by a group. Often rules for identifying community membership and participation): Racially we’re pretty cool and open to pretty much everyone…pacifists, veterans, surfers, lady friends, vaginal artists, video artists with cleft as*holes, dancing landlords, doctors who are good men and thorough, enigmatic strangers, brother shamuses…And proud we are of all of them. Those we consider very un-Dude include: Rug-pissers, brats, nihilists, Nazis, human paraquats, pederasts, pornographers, damn fascists, reactionaries, and angry cab drivers. Friends like these, huh, Gary?
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aw, hell. i done innerduced dudeism enough
Although Dudeists may lack three thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax, we do share the great spiritual insights espoused by many great Dudes throughout the ages. As our Dudely Lama once wrapped it all up for us: “Life is short and complicated and nobody knows what to do about it. So don’t do anything about it. Just take it easy, man. Stop worrying so much whether you’ll make it into the finals. Kick back with some friends and some oat soda and whether you roll strikes or gutters, do your best to be true to yourself and others – that is to say, abide.” Knowing that, now you can die with a smile on your face without feelin’ like the Good Lord gypped you. And that’s what Dudeism’s all about. See ya later on down the trail.
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â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Every page of this magazine has been specifically engineered for being ripped-off, carefully folded multiple times and properly placed to stop that annoying swing due to the unreasonable shorter leg of your table. We kindly ask you to not rip this magazine, thank you.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;