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Issue 67
august | september 2015
#ONTHEMISSIONsa JHB | WHO SHOT YA? | CHRIS CAB
THE C O L E
LITE 3
WITH DUALLITE \ SUPER SUEDE \ SUPER STITCH \ ORTHOLITE®
SEE CHRIS COLE’S NE VER BEEN DONE V I D E O AT D C S H O E S .C O M /C O L E L I T E 3
CHRIS COLE \ BLABAC PHOTO
DCSHOES.COM
67 Contents 08
Redial
12
#onthemissionSA jhb
34
who shot ya?
44
Chris cab: two minutes to midnight
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KDC: Buck Tour 2015 George
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Young and lazy
58 closet envy 60
TK modise: one day in PTA
front coveR: Juan Smit is a now a fully qualified fireman for the City of Cape Town. He had to endure hours of grueling physical exercise during his training, but luckily he’s as tough as nails and is a master of adapting to difficult situations. Jansen van Staden shot this image of Juan’s frontside blunt on an awkward seaside bank, making a difficult situation look easy.
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Louis Taubert bought this old Mercedes to get around the Western Cape, one last backsmith before giving it away. Photo - Jansen van Staden
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INTRODUCING THE
Š 2015 adidas AG. adidas, the trefoil logo and the 3-Stripes mark are registered trademarks of the adidas Group.
MARK SUCIU BACKSIDE NOSEBLUNT
adidas.com/skateboarding
REDIAL
Editor’s banter
parklife bolts on your trucks, as it was easier when setting up the next one. Unknown to me, one of the mounting bolts must of snapped and I didn’t see it, so when I dropped in the back truck swung sideways and I literally dropped-in onto my face. I also remember Greg Finch learning kickflip indys there and missing the grab, basically doing a perfect 4ft kickflip to fakie. Clint van der Schyf,
Hennie Claassen, Kev Love and Brandon Marsh were also regulars at the ramp back then. The fact that it’s still there and is still being skated much the same (only with a new crew) is rad to see. It’s one of the longest standing public ramps in SA and in 20 years she hasn’t aged a day, what a beaut! - bod
mclachlan
15 years ago we used to skate ‘Green Ramp’ all the time, it was one of our local spots to either warm up at before going to skate downtown or on the way home with a few beers. I took one of the hardest slams I can remember at the ramp, it was the time when boards were really skinny and you would go through them fairly quickly, so often you would just put two mounting
Trae Rice on the mission at Green Ramp.
Editor in Chief
Photographers 67
Physical Address:
Brendan Body
Sam Clark, Jansen van Staden, Grant Mclachlan, Tyrone Bradley, Joubert van Staden, Werner Lamprecht, Ryan Janssens
Session Magazine, 2nd Floor, Earlgo Building, cnr. Kloof & Park Rd, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001.
brendan@sessionmag.co.za on the MISSION
Adrian Henderson Web Editor / Finance
Luke Jackson
info@sessionmag.co.za photo Editor
Clint van der Schyf
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PRINTERS: CONTRIBUTORS 67:
Riaan van Biljon
Paarl Media - Paarl
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Session Skateboarding Magazine is published independently 6 times a year. Session will welcome all letters, e-mails and photos. We will review the contribution and assess whether or not it can be used as print or online content. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the magazine, its owners or its management. Session Skateboarding Magazine is the copyright of Session Magazine cc. Any duplication of this magazine, for any media or sale activity, will result in legal action and a warm pair of ears.
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USTRIES BOD WEARS THE “UNDERSTATED” COACH JACKET AND “SALTY SAILOR” BEANIE. SEE THE ENTIRE RANGE AT DOPEIND.COM
The Cons One Star Pro
Made by Mike Anderson
Made by you
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city of GOLD
#ONTHEMISSIONSA in Jhb presented by Monster energy
‘Back in the day’ Mango Groove were one of the few major South African music groups with both black and white band-members. They would get to a club and half of them wouldn’t be allowed in because they were ‘of colour’. Kinda like rolling with your homies in matric when the half of you have ID and the other half are winging it. You know there is a chance you’re going to be left outside while the legal homies go get pissed, but you take that chance and argue with the 7ft Congolese bouncer in the hopes that human reasoning will prevail over laws. But of course, the cold, pile-inducing pavement is where you’re most likely to find your ass planted, after such an altercation. Be you in the multi-ethnic band or simply an awkward 17yo. Words: AD Henderson Photos: Grant Mclachlan Intro Photo: Joubert van Staden
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Shuaib Philander backside flips downtown, X marks the spot.
Originating from Johannesburg, the band toured extensively, touching hearts and wallets all over South Africa with the fusion of township and pop music. As they were becoming a household name, a South African soap opera made its debut on our infantile television networks: Egoli - Place of gold. As the gold mines in JHB were by then extensively raped, they might have considered calling it ‘the place where there was once gold’. Nonetheless, the country was riveted to their screens each week as drama after drama unfolded in subtitles and terrible acting. Housewives ensured that the heirs to the Twinsaver company would be well and truly spoilt
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brats; while their ‘domestics’ finished the supper, ironing and feeding of little Timmy as they listened to the catchy pan-flute melodies of Special Star through an AM/ FM radio. Equality was apparently just around the corner – whether or not your ouma was backing it or not. Over 20 years down the line and that same foot-tapping melody is all but forgotten by the pubescent plank-pushers and confused 20-somethings of today. We too had only vague memories of the commercial pop group until ‘Moments Away’ began lulling us to sleep on the hectic Joburg highways, courtesy
of Jacaranda FM. Despite the over-exaggerated features of the SUV we had commandeered for the trip, it took us 3 days to figure out the bluetooth capabilities and allow Yann or Joubert to DJ our trail between spots. That evening Yann searched out the other beauties that the mixed-race group had laid down and ‘Special Star’ got us all jiving in the cold as we smoked cigarettes and tried to minimise our impact on the Dyamond’s family home. It was funny how we could all appreciate a song we’d hated during our teenage years. It seemed fitting as we toured JHB to have this tune ringing through our skulls.
“The city truly should become more renowned for its urban exploration than anything else.�
Brendan Dyamond, front five-o pop out at Ellis Park.
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Yann Horrowitz backsmiths in the burbs, Fourways.
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I cite these pioneers of multi-cultural arts by way of an introduction to the main difference between the JHB skate scene and the CPT skate scene. Simply and un-politically-correctly put, the white dudes in Joburg sound like black dudes, and black dudes in Cape Town sound like Afrikaaners. The JHB lingo became a huge thing as the trip progressed – “LIIIIIVE”, “YOUNG FLEX”, “SHAP” and “ME, I’M GOING IN HARD BOI”. Once again the usage of Jozi slang became as addictive as the need to session all the famous JHB spots we found on the trip; and as our crew expanded almost day by day, it aided in keeping the flame burning bright in front of Joubert and Grant’s cameras. While the gold mines may have been long depleted, the ‘skate gold’ JHB has to offer has only been increasing in value.
“LIIIIIVE”, “YOUNG FLEX”, “SHAP” and “ME, I’M GOING IN HARD BOI”.
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The city truly should become more renowned for its urban exploration than anything else. As one drifts between absolutely appalling abandoned tenements that are over-run with rats and the upmarket hipster eateries, one is profoundly conflicted in understanding which sort of area they are in. Maboneng specifically, is like a petting zoo in the middle of the jungle (as Dyamond says), which is exactly what it feels like. It seems like the people are in harmony with the polar opposites of wealth and disparity. The common respect between people was far more noticeable in the city centre than anywhere I have been in SA - except when there was authority involved. The ogre of a security guard that kicked our 30-man crew out of the Standard Bank spot was a complete ‘Majigilaani’. A term we were introduced to that refers to the fact that a security guard is in a lower end position with fake authority.
“one is profoundly conflicted in understanding which sort of area they are in.”
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Dyamond backside five-o 270 in, PTA ditch mission.
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Yann plants a bean in Centurion, before pissing in his own mouth.
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Thank all the gods above that no one pulled that one out to this ogre’s face or we would most definitely would have lost a member or two inside the belly of this boer. “You’re all just a bunch of barbarians!” he shouted, as we all started leaving. To which we responded with a symphony of hooting and shouting as we vacated the scene. It was more taken as a compliment than anything else. The element of survival is always a factor on the streets, but you’d be a fool to not take extra care around JHB. Even the dude who’s angling to steal your shit is going to be your best friend before he makes a call on whether to jump you or not. A huge crew definitely deterred more than one street-entrepreneur. Roaming the streets gives most skaters a sixth sense for bad situations. Not for TinkTink however. I kept telling everyone to help watch out for Grant’s stuff because the amount of times that dude would open his bag on one side of the spot and leave it lying open while he walked to setup a flash somewhere else, was far too worrying for my liking.
“Having ‘The Horowita’ and ‘PieterSTREETS’ along on the mission add both hijinx and focus.”
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Daniel Miltiadou 50-50 to 50-50 at Standard Bank.
Thankfully the Jozi awareness rubbed off on the kid and he made it through the trip without incident. Even getting to skate the many transitions we found ourselves skating perhaps a little too much. Transition seems to be a very big part of the Jozi skate scene right now. And no it’s not just the white kids. TK Modise is a prime example of the all-rounded skateboarder Joburg is producing. John Manyala is another one.
John Manyala, feeble in the headlights.
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Dyamond gets lippy with security and on rails.
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“Transition seems to be a very big part of the Jozi skate scene right now.” At the ‘One Love Skate Expo’ Maboneng warehouse session the quarterpipe ‘best trick’ was by far the most fired up of the obstacles. Everyone wanted to win their share of the R4000 cash Dickies put up in the ‘cash for tricks’ jam. Kids were charging, snaking each other and going in hard! It was probably the best single obstacle session of the trip, with this semi-circle of packed audience cheering on each land, slam and collision. There were so many people milling around that warehouse and creating so much dust that we were forced to take breathers in the car, while watching the madness unfold and praying that the SABC 1 TV presenters would fall as they wobbled on any skateboard they found lying around. It made for some epic light to shoot and film in, special thanks to Dickies and Monster for the free product they gave away to an ecstatic mob. Funds for transport from Dickies meant that ‘One Love Skate Expo’ were able to bring in 67 kids from Vosloorus for Mandela Day and the heavy crowd turned the product toss into a stampede of note.
Bryce Rheeder switch backlips at the volcano, Fourways.
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Khule Ngubane experimenting at the Wits science lab, switch frontside flip.
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Having ‘The Horowita’ and ‘PieterSTREETS’ along on the mission add both hijinx and focus. Pieter is usually in charge of the missions he does, so this time he could just follow along and enjoy himself. That didn’t stop him from getting agitated over any delay before getting to skate. His persistence to get out and skate helped get the younger goons up and ready faster. And with Yann along we were treated to a host of mad makes and ever-increasing hilarity. The highlight of which (and the highlight of the trip by our siff standards) was when he ran out of the ditch mid-session, giving his phone to Sid and said, “Film me, film me” and then proceeded to assume the piss position and aim up… all the way to his mouth. Bubble Boy just hit SA shores. For those of us who had not bet him that they would buy him drinks all night if he pissed in his mouth, we were in shock-stiches. You know, when something’s so WTF all you can do is hose yourself. It became a perfect example in a discussion later about the definition of ‘crazy.’ In any normal situation, someone pissing into their mouth (he didn’t swallow and had only been drinking beer and water all day) would be a reason to call the asylum and strap the lad into a jacket.
“The bounds of what is defined as abnormal behaviour are thrown completely out the window.”
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“Towards the en era, Mango Groo only major So g
nd of the Apartheid ove were one of the outh African music groups with both.�
Khule frontside flips the Boskruin double set.
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AD Henderson transfer to tailslide for 50 cents.
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Trae Rice Y’all, front blunt in Maboneng.
However, on a skate session – even without a bet – it simply adds to the hype and memories. The bounds of what is defined as abnormal behaviour are thrown completely out the window and Horowitz embodies that attitude while still somehow maintaining a salt-of-theearth reputation. Equally entertaining and essential to any heavy crew is the ‘piggy-in-the-middle’. Although it was hilarious watching Shuaib chase the soccerball around between everyone after a heated Green
“We didn’t drive around JHB so much as we glided.” “We ride on our skateboards and we glide in our… SUVs”.
Ramp session, that’s not the ‘piggy-inthe-middle’ I’m talking about. No, I’m talking about Trae Rice Y’all. Trae Rice Y’all is definitely the piggy-in-the-middle of the VeG squad. He takes the most shit from everyone, for everything. CakeBoi will tease and jibe him the worst, catching and squeezing him in a bear-hug if he gets hostile. Trae Rice Y’all takes it pretty good though and he’s got stories for days. One of the gnarliest things I’ve heard were from him, about how his face got shredded. Look out for his interview for that story and even more.
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Then it comes out that he’s some sort of ‘Stepping’ dance champion. The dude has moves boi! Yann edited a brilliant clip of him at diferent spots, jiving like a happy puppet. Find it on Instagram, you won’t be disappointed. All it needs is a Mango Groove soundtrack. Driving in Zoo City is like an intense group survival project. You can’t slip or someone else is going to get hurt. My lackadaisical Cape Town approach was aborted from the moment we got out of the airport. We didn’t drive around JHB so much as we glided. “We ride on our skateboards and we glide in our… SUVs”. It felt wrong. The vehicle of choice for every affluent mommy in Sandton was used to transport dirty and sweaty skate rats around to ditches, abandoned buildings, ghetto spots and rundown warehouses. We even had seat-warmers! Which were all too comforting on the early, cold drive back to the airport. We glided all over JHB. North, South, East and West, and we know for a fact that we didn’t skate even 5% of what there is on offer. We’re not worried though, with the amount of kids we saw on a board in Jozi, there is going to be more than enough fresh spot footage in the years to come. I’m just hoping that one day Zack Griffiths will make it into SA skate history for more than a backflop off a knee-high spineramp, wearing a teddy-bear on his helmet… LIIIIIIIVE!
“we know for a fact that we didn’t skate even 5% of what there is on offer.”
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Miltiadou crail backtail shuv, Angles. SEQ Lamprecht sessionmag.co.za | 31
Adrian Henderson fS wallride - Photo GRANT MCLACHLAN
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Ryan Janssens On ‘Go Skate Day’ photographer Ryan Janssens was rolling around the Durban harbour looking for something to hit with Calvin Davie, when they came across this random slab of concrete. Calvin banged a couple kickflips while Ryan got the shot.
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Who Shot Ya?
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gavin scott The annual Barcelona excursion used to be a regular event for local skateboarders. After a few years on hiatus, Wes Coertzen and Daniel Miltiadou finally resurrected the tradition and headed to Europe for a few weeks. They visited Barca, the Basque Country and Manchester. Gavin Scott just happened to be in Barca at the same time and shot this Wes Coertzen smith grind.
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Werner Lamprecht Werner Lamprecht is one of the most motivated individuals in the local skate scene, always frothing to be out shooting. He shot this image of Charl ‘Skippy’ Steyn’s kickflip on a Pretoria rooftop. Spots pop up everywhere, look around you.
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Sam Clark The local adidas skate crew are quietly working hard on their upcoming video. Sam Clark is out shooting with the boys on the regular. This backside flip by Allan Adams was apparently shot during an opportunistic moment inside Cape Town’s infamous Bellville Velodrome. You don’t pass up an opportunity like that without getting something good.
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Joubert van staden Joubert van Staden is a videographer, he doesn’t shoot photos all that often. He’s also one of the most travelled skateboarders in SA, constantly on the road filming for AV Video Magazine. Recently he’s been shooting stills a bit more and it seems to be paying off, he shot 4 of the photos in this issue. He shot this image of Kalvyn Macmillan floating above a private backyard bowl, reportedly on a plot of land somewhere near Pietermaritzburg in the KZN midlands.
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werner lamprecht Fox Street bank is a classic downtown JHB spot. The new generation of ‘all-terrain’ rippers coming up in JHB are annihilating all the old spots, when they’re not finding new ones that is. Daniel Miltiadou is one of the guys killing it right now. Werner Lamprecht snuck in from Centurion to do some surveillance of this backside nosegrind.
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Chris Cab
two minutes to midnight Photos: Tyron Bradley Interview: Bod
Chris Cab has been showing up at random skate events around Cape Town this year, bringing hype and energy. At both Superbowl Saturday and The Pit Party he was charging around like a man possessed. A lot of people in the skate scene don’t really know all that much about him, his African roots or where he suddenly showed up from. Therefore, we decided to sit down with Chris and find out his full story.
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Your mom is South African and your dad is from Zimbabwe, how did you end up growing up in a small village in the Austrian Alps? The answer is pretty simple. My dad was the First Officer on a ship, like a big tanker ship. My mom joined the ‘crew’ to be with him every now and then. They spent many years on the sea traveling the World. They ended up in Austria for a skiing holiday and pretty much never left. Growing up in such a snowy mecca you got into skiing and snowboarding before you got into skateboarding right? You skied competitively and later became a pro snowboarder, tell us a little about that part of your life? Yeah, I pretty much set foot on snow at the age of 3 in toddler style. I got into competitive skiing quickly and ended up competing for Austria at several events. At the age of 13 I decided that the regulations and rule books in skiing was not cutting it for me anymore. I started rebelling by rocking up to ski events with my snowboard, quickly swapping to skies for my timed run, just to return to the shred stick right after, hitting the jumps next to the gates. It used to piss my trainers off big time. I was a bit lucky and one thing led to another. I competed at several World Cups for the FIS, chasing sponsors. I ditched that too, due to regulations, and ended up being what you would call here a ‘Free Surfer’ in snowboarding world. I was traveling, blogging, doing shoots, projects and just shredding. That was a fucking rad time in my life, but it only lasted half a decade. When and where did you first step onto a skateboard? In Munich, in front of this huge sports store. I got a board as a gift from my parents who knew that skateboarding already had my full attention. That was at the age of 10, I believe. It really started taking off though when I got my first ‘trick deck” at the age of 13, causing havoc at my boarding school, trying to slide anything and everything. Yeah, so that was in 1995. You’re definitely more comfortable charging bowls, pools and transition. Why do you prefer that type of skateboarding as opposed to street skating and what got you into transition so heavily? It just seems to come more natural. I’d rather fly through a bowl, pumping the trannies for speed without putting a foot down to push. I push when I use my plank as a form of public transport you know, getting from A to B. Also, having a worldclass bowl in the valley that I grew up in and the lack of street spots made the decision of street or bowl real simple.
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Layback air in Hout Bay. 46 | sessionmag.co.za
Frontside over the channel, The Shred.
The Cradle skate park in Tirol became your local park, the first park in the world to have a cradle. Was this where you spent most of your time skating while in Austria and what went down on an average session? I tell you, the home of the Cradle Pirates is not for sissies. Look, I guess we just adapted to what we saw. Our Idols were the Dreamland Crew out of Portland, Oregon. You know, the guys that founded, built and shred Burnside. It’s a rough area with rough skaters and rough rules, but the concrete is as smooth as a freshly shaven pussy. That was given to us and we surely try to live the myth. Skate sessions are always hesh and heavy. We had beers, loud music, meat on the braai and even chicks giving blowjobs around the bonfire. Haha! Padless vert skating dressed up as pirates and well overhead airs in pajamas, movie shoots, kids workshops, you name it, it probably already went down at the cradle! I believe you had your own taxi business with a fleet of cars and drivers, let’s talk about that, is that where you got the nickname ‘Cab’? Yeah, for like 4 years I ran a small Taxi biz by the name of ‘Chris Cab - The Easiest Ride In Town’. I had 3 cars, some employees and a ‘real career’. There were some good and some bad times, but it surely formed a lot of who and
what I am today. It was rad, except for the fact of eventually having to close down due to bankruptcy and it left me in heavy debt. So that is how ‘Cab’ started. The name fully stuck after the Thrasher crew came to visit for a weekend during a World Cup at the cradle. After the event I ended up taking the Phelper, alongside TNT, Hitz and some other heshers to the train station 40min away. They knew I skated the comp and so we kinda of hooked up, enough for me to be mentioned in their travel article. Yeah, that is now 10 years ago and it stuck. You seemed to have a lot on the go in Austria - you were married, had a dog, owned your own businesses, snowboarding and skateboarding. What made you pack up and move your life to South Africa? First of all I wanted to follow up on my parents’ roots. After my bankruptcy case, I also felt like giving it a completely fresh start. I was pretty much fucking it all up. My marriage failed, I somewhat failed in my ‘real life’ business venture, I was getting too old for competitive snowboarding and I was tired of the ‘stuck up’ central European behaviour and thinking. So I figured that because surfing has always been a passion of mine and I wanted to be surrounded by the open ocean rather than enclosed in mountains, I started planning. I found an awesome girl who thought it was a rad idea and she decided to join me on this venture, so here we are.
Where are you living in SA and what are you currently doing for work? Fuck, I dare say it out loud, as I know I am blessed and gifted to be lucky enough to call Llandudno my home base. I’m pretty much right on the beach. To be able to pay the bargain for our humble abode, I currently pour coffee, grafting as a barista for Deluxe Coffeeworks in town. Hands down the best coffee and a perfect fit, seeing as I am a total coffee addict. But you know, I always keep my eyes and ears open for new projects and new adventures. So who knows, I might just be making you a leather pouch, selling you a skateboard, or serving you a burger at Steers next time you see me. Whatever pays the bills and whatever rocks my boat I guess. You have done some pretty extensive traveling in your life, spending a fair amount of time stateside, in San Diego especially. Tell us about that time in your life, skateboarding and riding Harleys up the west coast? SD is my secret love. Yeah, I have many good memories from there, especially the Washington Street Park (The Californian Burnside). That’s as raw as it gets. In 2008 I flew over once again, bought a baby blue Harley, took it apart, did some customizing like painting it flat black n’ shit. Then I pretty much toured through Cali, Arizona and Nevada for a good 6000km.
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5 weeks of riding my bitch and skating trannies. All accompanied by my homie and photo-G Michael Hügel, who captured madness. Two of the many insane moments I can share here - #1 I randomly got invited by a Victoria’s Secret Top Model Marissa Miller to her birthday bash in Santa Cruz where I met one of the original founders of the Hells Angels and got to hang out with him for the night, one of Sonny Barger’s closest homies. #2 was being drugged and dragged to a Halloween Porn Party in Happy Valley. It was fucking weird; everyone was naked wearing animal masks, old and young, fucking all over the show. I bailed - it was just too intense for my state I guess. Haha! But again, I’ve had so many sick adventures so it’s hard to pick the standouts. You are definitely more ‘hesh’ than ‘fresh’, I know you’re into Thrasher, ink, Vans, Anti Hero, Metal, going fast and getting gnarly. Who are your some of your influences in skateboarding? I got to spend some time and got to know a bunch of the Hesh Crew in SD. Whitedog, Hitz, Navarette, Hewitt, Ponts and Galicia. They surely inspire and keep you amazed at how one can skate, with their way of life and their attitude to skating. So yeah, my influence surely comes from them and as I mentioned earlier, the Dreamland Crew around Red, Sage, Tavita, etc. They all did their fair share to influence my skating. The first tat and the last tat you got? My mom got me my first tat at the age of 15 at the local Tattoo Shop. It was a sad sun with a hint of a smiley face, on the top of my back. The last one I got was the continent of Africa on the back of my left hand. I also got the letters ‘TIA’ as shading and the Noon Gun on my thumb. You seem to be a person with a large skillset who’s not afraid to make noise, especially behind a mic - how did you get into hosting skate, surf and snowboarding events and list a few worth a mention? I spoke at one surf event for like two minutes before I happily passed the mic. It’s just not my show. Well, at least not yet. It sort of started as a drunken move at a snowboard event. I didn’t make the cut so I started partying and then I took over the mic. I guess I get my talent of speech from my father. Shot for that dad! Again, it’s hard to pick the most memorable ones, but there are standouts. I interviewed Millencolin for TV, hosted Ken Block and his Gymkhana World Tour kick off with +/- 60 000
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peeps. Fuck I just remembered, for the cash I once even commented the Aerobic World Cup Finals. Shit, the most 3 boring days of my life. But yeah, it kind of got more serious when Double D said I had a talent for the mic and I should give it a go. I have my own way of putting things and I like to call it out for what it is. No beating around the bush, especially in skateboarding. Skating is raw and my mic is too. That makes you either love me or hate me, but then again, I really don’t care. It is what it is. They say snowboarding is what you get into when you’re too buggered to skate anymore, any truth behind that and are you compensating with surfing now, with the lack of powder on Table Mountain?
time to get back to one’s emails and I run out of hardware. But whatever goes on in the skate industry does not have an impact on my personal froth to go out and skate. Seeing as I am surely not the only one thinking this way, the core cannot and will not die in my opinion. If you’re killing it and getting to drive a Bentley then good on you, but I can guarantee you one thing, it feels just as good to kill it and get rinsed after a session without the bling bling. Skateboarding in the Olympics is fucked though. I see no room for politics in skating. But again, whatever, I don’t really care, as the next mini ramp Session is on, either way. With the lack of concrete parks and bowls in CT, where have you been spending most of your time rolling?
Haha classic! I can’t really relate to that, because I basically started skating really hard when I eased off on snowboarding. So visa versa. When it comes to shredding Table Mountain, I must admit, I’d rather go for a paddle these days. I traded one passion for the other I guess, so thus far, no regrets.
Mostly down Llandudno Hill, haha. Also, at the private bowl sometimes. There is the old Sport Unlimited mini ramp (now privately owned) in Hout Bay too. Sometimes the Mill Street Park in town and obviously the new home for all skate rats - The Shred. Yeah, I dig The Shred lank!
You have spent a fair amount of time pouring crete and building skate parks, how did you get into building skate parks and what are some of the parks you have helped build locally and around the planet?
What’s your plan going forward, are you staying in SA or are you only here until another destination comes calling?
Here in SA I was recently involved in two projects. One is a huge private bowl near Cape Town and the other a public park with street elements and trannies that’s in Krugersdorp, up Jo’burg side. I just love working with concrete and I am happy to just stack and trowel all day. I wish I could join more projects. I need to go to Indigo, they live it - TIA so DIY! Overseas I just tried to get my hands dirty and collect experience where I could. I’ve mostly done DIY stuff, some at our park, but also some public projects. Through Dreamland and what they taught us, Tirol in Austria has truly become a mecca for tranny and bowl mullets. Skateboarding nowadays is bigger than it has ever been, tons of mega parks, major footwear brands, a gazillion pros, Street League, huge prize money, huge salaries and car sponsorships, etc. Do you think skateboarding is slowly losing its core identity by becoming mainstream or do you reckon it’s just a natural evolution to where it is going? I guess it is kind of natural and evolutionary, but I actually don’t care, except for when the so called ‘big players’ in the biz don’t even have
I sail where the wind blows me. But for now I am happily anchored here in Cape Town and I don’t see myself setting for the horizon any time soon. For now I just keep on keeping on in faith that it will be good for something. What is your ideal skate session? Listening to loud and fast music, swearing, laughing, falling with homies who shred and are not shy to push each other, blood, sweat and beers. Skating concrete transitions and pool coping with the braai smoking at the same time. Last Words? Thanks to my family for supporting me at all times! Thanks to my lady for just being the babe she is! Thanks to my awesome friends, they know who they are. Thanks to Brick Beanies Austria for the continued support of Beanies. Thanks to Pat and War from Vans for the Waffle support. Thanks to OOZL Eyewear for keeping my eyes safe from the heavy African UV rays. Thanks to Robby from Vudu for hooking me up on the Surf side of life. Thanks to Mitch from Board Hub for taking care of the skate side in my life. Thanks to my friend Ty Bradley for having the radest shooting days and the funniest laughs when together. Also, a shout out to my old Shop, the XDouble in Innsbruck & Awe to the S:H:Y Tribe! Thank you Skateboarding - I owe you everything, you owe me nothing!
Backside grind two minutes to midnight in his secret Hout Bay bunker. sessionmag.co.za | 49
VOLCOM BRAND JEANS: EVOLUTION IN MOTION Denim designer JJ Gonzales has spent the last two weeks practically living in Volcom’s Los Angeles wash-house testing materials and dialing in the final details for the re-launch of Volcom Brand Jeans. “Everything is new,” he says, “basically, we started over.” With dark, shoulder-length hair, a wide smile, and wearing a pair of jeans he hasn’t washed in 3 months, JJ explains the reset, “I’ve been working on denim here at Volcom for over ten years, and I’ve always tried to set us apart by doing things a little different. In the past we did a lot of weird angles, asymmetrical yokes, different seams and flourishes—always experimenting, keeping it a little weird and left of center. And that was all cool, but looking forward, I wanted to do something new.” And as the brand introduces its Real Life Happening campaign, the timing for a denim overhaul was ideal. Creative Director Mike Aho calls Real Life Happening an effort to “make the brand more inclusive—the idea is to remind people, just get off your phone & go do something. Anything. Get out on the road, start a band, climb a mountain, go skate—basically just participate in life. The whole idea is about growth and an openness to explore new things.” For JJ and the denim team, this was a green light to start fresh. “We wanted to follow the brand history but also evolve,” he says, “and the inspiration comes from a lot places. I look at the past and try to modernize it. Sometimes I’ll see a record cover or an old picture that gives me an idea. Some of it is trial and error, and also I’ve been doing this awhile, so it comes down to how to evolve it: new fabrics, different tints and processes.
It’s my job to look forward. And we’re not just doing that with design & detailing, we’re also doing that with fabrication. I’ve been working with our denim vendors to actually develop new denims that have the characteristics we want to put out there, like stretch and anti-microbial properties.” Bottom line, he explains, “I just want to make stuff that everybody can wear and that I’m happy with. I’m not trying to chase trends. I don’t try new stuff just to do it; I do new things with the skate team in mind. And If I can’t see those guys wearing it, it’s not going to happen.” And with more than 20 years of cumulative experience designing jeans made for movement, it’s a proven formula that directly reflects the brand’s True To This ethos. Veteran skate team rider Dustin Dollin sees it this way: “Volcom jeans fit right, they look good and they stand up to the abuse, what more could you ask for?” For the new line, it’s more with less. That means a cleaner approach to timeless style and streamlined utility that leaves no detail unchecked. JJ breaks it down, “We pushed for a super clean look: Basic 5-pocket styling with all the trims upgraded to classic copper and matte black; rivets, zippers, and the buckle button—which is something I’m really stoked on—it’s indestructible. There’s super-clean embroidery that looks like a label, double-needle stitching and we kept signature Volcom features like the patented hidden cell-phone pocket, the split coin pocket & the V belt loop,” he says, then, pausing his enthusiastic inventory of features, adds, “It all comes down to detail. And we don’t cheat on the details—that’s something we really take pride in.” volcom.com #TrueToThis #RealLifeHappening
Young & lazy With Anees Petersen
Young Manie, Front Smith
What is Young & Lazy? We started off as a fashion brand, taking most of our influence from street-wear and urban clothing culture. In the beginning it was just me (Anees). Basically, after college in 2009, two friends and I opened a store, which meant that I needed a brand and ‘Young and Lazy’ seemed like the most honest and authentic reflection of my vibe at the time, so I just went with it. Today, 5 years down the line, I see it as a platform for all the shit I want to do. I really see no point in pigeonholing the brand. Even though the skate thing is a massive part of the brand and the lives of the individuals involved, and it has been received really well (and we are really ridiculously happy and kind of in awe of the response), we wouldn’t call ourselves a skate brand necessarily. Young and Lazy is a brand run by and surrounded by dudes who skate. Who is Young & Lazy? For quite a while it was only me, but for the last year or so I’ve had a really amazing business partner who deals with the numbers side of things. My friend Luke has also come on board very recently to help out with a bunch of different things. Manie has been around the brand forever and was the first dude we officially started hooking up, but unofficially the skate team has always consisted of Ismaeel, Luke, Manie, Luc and I. Dennis has been such a tight addition to the squad, he’s
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come into the fold seamlessly and is really good friends with everybody. Young Stulinski is a strange one who’s also been around the brand for ages and we’ve always been keen on having him around, hence his recent addition. The Y&L Crew are always rolling together around Cape Town. Have you all known each other for a long time or did the collective come about more recently with the development of skate spots like Salesians? Ismaeel and I have been tight since high school but I met the rest of the homies through skating around town at spots like Salesians. We went from skating together to catching onto all the other kak together, and the rest just happened organically. The fact that we are really just a bunch of good homies is very important for me, as opposed to a group of people put together because of their skills or marketability, or whatever. Skateboarding has always been closely connected to fashion and you come from a fashion background. Do you find that most of your inspiration for Y&L comes from the existing fashions within skateboarding or are you looking more outside of that realm? In the past I’ve always looked to skaters and skate brands for influence and try to adapt certain aspects to a higher
fashion market. Now it’s almost the other way around, where I find myself aiming to bring aspects of higher fashion and my various other influences and interests, into skateboarding. I know it sounds weird considering the fact that we’ve only really done graphic tees and hoods so far, but in the near future we will definitely be producing more considered pieces that showcase all of our influences and our abilities. Skateboarding will always influence everybody in clothing, whether they know it or not. I mean, it might be a cliche to reference a brand like Supreme or Palace as an influence, but it’s almost impossible not to. The hold that these and similar brands have on the international market, on visual culture and pop culture in general, is just inescapable. There is a tendency for local skateboarders to start their own brands, but they often just print logos on items they can find. By contrast you actually custommake your own stuff, do you have any formal training or did you just teach yourself? I studied fashion at Cape Town College of Fashion Design. The fact that we produce all of our own garments is of course a big part of our strength as a brand, but there are so many ways to add value to your brand, even if you are ‘untrained’. Just play to your strengths you know. If your strength is that you can produce amazing images or you come from a graphic
design background, or even if you are just really obsessed with clothing, make sure that comes across in everything you put out. Every aspect of your brand adds value to every single garment - don’t forget that!
who know what’s good right now so we just have to find ways to infiltrate the really important scenes.
There is a movement to support local brands and local skate initiatives. Do you feel like local skateboarders are supporting your brand?
For me it’s pretty simple. It’s about being original and wild and whatever else you want, while remaining aesthetically appealing and tasteful. Some people get it and some people don’t, its just one of those things.
People in South Africa, and in Cape Town especially, have always been very supportive of local clothing brands. Of course, in the minds of most people the international brands still hold a place of higher regard, but the lack of access to most brands, coupled with the growing strength and reach of various local brands has meant quite a large shift in this mindset, so we’ve always enjoyed really good support from local consumers. As far as the local skate scene goes, we’ve always seen it as quite a close-knit family, with ourselves kind of on the outside, so the response to what we’ve done so far has been quite surprising. Our stuff has been doing really well in Baseline and while we know that it’s not necessarily only skaters buying the product, we do hope that more and more skaters are learning about the brand, whether it be through seeing the actual clothing or just by engaging with the content we produce.
Define ‘good style’ in your own words?
Why do aesthetics skateboarding?
matter
in
Aside from competitions and stuff, there is really no way to judge skating besides on the way it looks. It’s not like I’m spitting out a revolutionary concept here, it’s a pretty well recognised idea. It’s really the best because it’s very hard to pinpoint what makes something visually appealing, so
Do you think we’ll ever see a time where a local skate brand can realistically make an impact on the international scene, what’s holding us back in SA? Of course man! We’ve recently seen brands like Sol-Sol make a massive impact internationally. Obviously, it’s a little harder for a skate brand to make an intense impact because it’s one of those industries where there are still literally physical locations like LA and London that massive and very important parts of the international scene exist in. Without access to these locations it becomes very hard to access the broader international market. Money, supply and production are also a factor. We have enough dudes
To be honest, everything we do happens very organically. We don’t plan too far ahead. Not to say that we are so cool and we just wing it, every move is considered, planned and executed to the best of our abilities at the time, but plans always change and so does what is possible and appropriate, so we try not to think too much about the distant future. Small runs are obviously a part of what makes clothing desirable and it’s a model that has worked really well for us. We are also very lucky to have the resources to produce small collections very quickly. As far as wider distribution goes, coming from a place like Cape Town, unfortunately it’s not possible to survive on small exclusive runs - we have to spread out as much as possible while still remaining quite particular about who we distribute through. Your favourite international skate brand right now, from a fashion perspective?
Why do local skate brands matter? Each brand occupies a separate niche within its respective scene. Individuals relate to certain things that certain brands portray, which helps them to form an identity as a skater within their own scene. This is the kind of thing that makes most scenes in pop-culture a lot more interesting than say, ‘sports’ for example. You can choose to represent whatever you feel represents you. It’s not like I’m saying that brands are 100% necessary for this kind of thing to happen, they just make it a lot easier! Overseas brands obviously play a similar roll, but the accessibility of local brands and the realistic possibility of repping those brands makes the connection between individuals and the brands they choose to identify with much stronger.
A lot of fashion trends seem to be visible in the skate world before making the way into the mainstream. Skateboarders are often regarded as early-adopters and many brands try and leverage that. Are you aiming to keep your brand quite core with small select runs or are you hoping to try and ultimately get it out with a wider distribution, with the skate alignment?
As far as the content they put out, who they choose to represent them and the way they portray the lifestyle that their brand embodies, together with how they portray the way in which all of these aspects relate to fashion, it’s got to be Supreme. I just don’t think anybody else uses skateboarding to deliver a fashionoriented brand vision as well as they do right now. the possibilities for what looks good, and therefore is good within skateboarding, are endless. Online videos have become the main format for expression within skateboarding and also become an interesting part of visual culture in general, as they both influence and are influenced by popular visual culture. Your favourite era of skateboarding fashion, and why? It’s got to be the current trend of heavily referencing 70s silhouettes and colour palettes. It’s just so much more interesting than contemporary techwear and is a great response to the trap phase monochrome aesthetic that dominates broader pop culture. The worst fashion trend you’ve seen in skateboarding, and why? There are too many. I’m not a huge fan of cut-off jeans but the worst has to be the massive shoe/untied lace steeze, it’s so bad and impractical.
In your opinion, who has the best style in skateboarding? It’s such a tough one man. As far as overall style goes it’s got to be dudes like Dylan Rieder and Sean Pablo. Before them I was into Chet Childress, but now there are just too many to choose from. Ben Raybourn, AVE, Dill, Alex Olson, Donovon Piscopo and Dolan Sterns. There are too many aspects that make up a skater’s style, so it changes depending on what I’m feeling on any particular day. Where can somebody reading this find Young & Lazy? We’re in Baseline and we’ve also just completed an order for Superbalist, so a bunch of stuff will probably be available on their site by the time this comes out. We also just opened a flagship store in Woodstock with 2bop and Sol-Sol, called ‘Corner Store’. That space should be really tight because we have control over everything with regards to our own brand and we’ll be able to literally do whatever we want and put it straight into the store.
sessionmag.co.za | 53
payday
Contests and events.
Moses floats frontside into third place .
BUCK TOUR 2015 - GEORGE On Friday the 3rd of July, 16 of us left a cold and rainy Cape Town, bound for George. This is the 15th annual ‘Buck Tour’ up the coast from Cape Town. The festivities on the bus started right away and it looked like it would be another one for the books. We arrived at our accomodation across from Skate Lab and everyone settled in, had a afternoon skate and then went right into the highly regarded bowling contest. Marius de Kock walked away with the coveted bowling trophy this year. On Saturday morning we woke up to a cold but clear George, feeling a bit rough but ready for the day. ‘Skate For Hope’ kicked things off, with the kids from Moreson. The contest featured the likes of Alan Marola, Enwin Gelant, Moses Adams and many more, competing for the ‘Buck Tour’ title. In the ‘13 and Under’ division it was Aya Gericke that impressed the judges, taking fist place.
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Words : Riaan van Biljon PHOTOS : sam clark
In the ‘14 and Over’ division it was Shuaib Phillander, Enwin Gelant, Alan Marola and Moses Adams that stood out, to name a few. In the end, Alan Marola walked away with yet another ‘Buck Tour’ podium finish. All in all this was yet another awesome trip and we hope more will join us next year. Thanks to all the parties involved - Kimberley Diamond Cup, Vans, OSP and NSA for holding down this historical South African skate event. See you next year! 13 and Under 1 Aya Gericke 2 Rory Boorman 3 Dylan Lamb
SENIORS 1 Alan Marola 2 Shuaib Philander 3 Moses Adams
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7-10 October 2015 Kumba Skate Plaza Kimberley 25 July 1 August 5 September 11 September 12 September 5 October
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for more information visit KimberleyDiamondCup.com
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CLOSET ENVY Threads for shred
vans / Chucka low
vans / Gilbert CrocketT
etnies / jameson vulc
etnies / jameson vulc
DC / Nyjah 2
converse / one star
DC / Mikey taylor grey
converse / one star
adidas / SILAS
adidas / Busenitz
vans / Lindero 2
Etnies / jameson elite
DC / Mikey taylor black
element / Vernon
adidas / Donnelly
vans / TNT SG (Antihero)
etnies / Jameson MT
DC / Switch
huf / CLASSIC LO
adidas / SUCIU
pikedreamz / Beanie
vans x Antihero / Flannel
DC / Wolfbread backpack
element / cypress backpack
Etnies - Jameson Vulc Etnies hooked up Baseline’s David Shiffman with a pair of the new Jameson Vulc and he took them for a text drive. David’s impression: These shoes have really good board feel, the Vulc sole makes them grippy and responsive. I like the narrower toe too, gives you good flick. The classic simple silhouette looks dope!
Session Suggests 56 | sessionmag.co.za
dc / carver cap
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adidas / SIlaS JaCKET
adidas / dONNEllY JaCKET
adidas / SpITfIRE T
EMERICa / SKaNN JaCKET
vans x transWorLd / dIll T
eLement / aSSORTEd dECKS
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vans x tWs / avE T
RVCA / ADRIAN DAY X EDDIE
dC / STRaIgHT dENIM
the bizness On the road again...
Leon Bester was randomly on a weekend trip to PE and bumped into Alessandro Burzacchi who was also randomly on a separate trip to PE. They discovered this ditch with the help of locals and came away with this shot of Alessandro’s frontside nosegrind. It was meant to be.
The adidas RSA skate crew are stacking footage for their video release, scheduled for year end. Between Yann visiting every town in the country and Dlamini cruising around the USA, spot diversity is sorted. Khulu is off to Germany too. The RVCA USA team are bringing out Kevin “Spanky” Long, Julian Davidson, Greyson Fletcher, Curren Caples, Josh Harmony and Jeremy Leabres to tour South Africa from 20 - 31 August 2015. They will be hitting up Joburg, Durban and Cape Town, doing skate jams in each town as well as a signing at Baseline Skate Shop. MakeProduct_Shorts_0021.tif sure you follow
RVCA on Instagram @RVCASouthAfrica to see where they will be going and when.
some of their international contingent popping into your local town this summer, more info on that soon.
KDC are busy with their ‘Packing The Heat 2’ tour to Swaziland and Mozambique. Khule Ngubane, Alan Marola, Anton Roux, Josh Chisholm and Trae Rice are surely dropping hammers that you can look forward to seeing in our next issue. Joubert van Staden and Sam Clark are documenting the crew and even Juan Smit tagged along too.
Rumour has it that the Vans SA crew might just be hitting the road in the coming months as well. That’ll surely be another banger, and more killer photos on the pages of Session.
Monster Energy have one last grand finale #OnthemissionSA tour planned for December and we just may see
Remember to click the ‘VOLCOM WITP’ tab at sessionmag.co.za and submit your 1 minute video part - The part with the most votes wins a trip to the USA to skate The Berrics.
Win a Dickies Hamper Tweet a pic of your favourite Dickies item to @Dickies_Africa and you could win a Dickies hamper.
Dickies US Team Vincent Alvarez, Stevie Perez, Jon Scianneaux, Ronnie Sandoval, Peter Hewitt
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ollie into bank | photo: oliver barton
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one day in PTA Faces and Places
tk modise
PHOTOs: Joubert van Staden
Nollie backside nosepick.
How old are you and where are you from? I’m 20 years old, I’m from Kibler Park. It’s in the south side of Jozi. Why do people call you TK and what’s your real name? My real name is Lebogang, but I got the name TK from homies calling me ‘Teko Modise’. I was really good at playing soccer back in the day and we share the same surname. Do you work for a living or are you studying, if so, what? I’m kinda studying at the moment. I’m busy with a young photography course.
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Where do you usually skate and who do you usually roll with? I skate the city a lot for sure (JHB). Just link up with the homies at LBGs and just cruise around from there. I normally skate with the locals and anyone who’s down to skate, mostly with the WASTED crew homies. Shout out to my niggas man, always holding it down! Describe the skate scene in JHB? The skate scene in Jozi is growing and becoming better I rate. There are homies putting in work and a lot of kids skating more street rather than skate parks, guys are getting gnarly!
Who hooks you up? Funisu Skateboards and Converse CONS. Give us 5 video parts that have influenced you? Antwuan Dixon - Baker 3 Andrew Reynolds - Stay Gold Ishod Wair - Chronicles Vol 2 Dylan Rieder - Gravis Dlamini Dlamini - Forget About It What’s the best thing about spending a day skating in PTA? PTA is so rad because you can hit all the gnarly spots without getting bust. You can get a lot done in one day.
Wallie at Skinner.
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ROWLEY [ SOLOS ]
F E AT U R I N G D U R AC A P D U R A B I L I T Y D E A L E R E N Q U I R I E S : 0 21 7 0 9 0 0 8 4 - Ava i l a b l e a t s toc k i s t s na t i onwi de
GEOFF ROWLEY
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