The Hundreds - VOL. 02 / ISSUE: 01

» VOL: 01 / ISSUE: 03

» FALL / WINTER 2010

EDITOR’S NOTE....................................................................09 CONTRIBUTORS.................................................................. 10 FOCUS

The World Through Scott Caan’s Eyes..............................12

A WEEK In The Life of...

NATALIA BRUTALIA.........................................................................................14

Pop Goes the Easel

The Art of Mark Dean Veca.............................................................16

HORIZONS FALL 2010......................................................................................20 FALL 2010................................................................................ 30 BETWEEN THE STRIPES

Sitting Down with Jim Davis, Creator of Garfield..38

FALL/WINTER FOOTWARE 2010.........................44 JESSICA LOWNDES............................................................ 46 Animal’s House

The Iconic Photography of Paul Chan.................. 50

STREET LIGHTS

WINTER 2010................................................................................52

WINTER 2010........................................................................ 60 SOUND OFF

WHERE IS MUSIC HEADED?.................................................... 68

The Hundreds LA, SF, NY.......................................74 RETAILER LIST......................................................................75 15 ALBUMS THAT I LIKE

with Raymond Roker...........................................................76

EAT WITH ME

SAN FRANCISCO..........................................................................78

THE DIRTY DOZEN

WITH MICHAEL RAPAPORT..................................................... 80

LAST OF THE BUFFALO PLAID

GARFIELD EDITION.................................................................... 82 8 » THE HUNDREDS MAGAZINE

COVER: JESSICA LOWNDES IN THE “PAINTER HOODY,” PHOTOGRAPHED BY BOBBY HUNDREDS AT THE HUNDREDS STUDIO

» There’s that old Thrasher t-shirt, you know?

“Skate and Destroy.”

We had this old tee graphic, we flipped it to say “Create and Destroy.” I patted myself on the back for that one, how oh-so clever. But it was a mantra that well-served our brand ethos.

Get out there, be proactive, make stuff. And break down the walls.

If you’re reading this magazine, there’s a great possibility that you’re the creative type. Maybe you doodle naked girls in your spiral notebook or write raps in the confines of your office cubicle. Or maybe you don’t even realize it yet, you’ve just always thought it was weird that you were oddly talented at constructing Lego portraits of American Idol contestants. Whatever.

Our cover girl Jessica Lowndes is right there with you. The stunning actress is most noted for her TV credits, but she’s also coming into her own as a singer/songwriter. Mark Dean Veca is another example, if not the archetype. The post-pop artist is as detailed with his fine brush stroke as he is with the substantive story behind his prolific works. In this issue, we also bring in our musically-gifted friends Mike Shinoda, Nipsey Hussle, and Mickey Avalon, to grant us their own perspectives on the future of sound. In a business where numbers are down, how can we keep the creativity flowing?

And then we have Jim Davis, the hand that introduced Garfield to the world. This man could very well be the most influential person in my career, and countless others’ lives over the past 3 decades, and it all came from his willingness to create. He was inspired, and that inspired others. It all kind of progressed from there.

That’s really what it’s about, isn’t it? Progress. Without creativity, we can’t move forward, we can’t .. build.

Argh, that t-shirt should’ve said “Create and Build,” huh?! FOR THE LOSS.

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Natalia Brutalia: Natalia takes you through a day in her life for this issue’s pictorial. » Natalia is a 22-year-old kitten lover born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She enjoys taking photos, blogging, picking her nose, and driving around LA in her white Saturn. She is currently saving her money to make the upgrade from manual to automatic windows.

Top 5 Work Songs:

01 » “Mysterons” – Portishead 02 » “Don’t Bother Me” – Bad Brains 03 » “So Bored” – Wavves 04 » “It’s Not Going to Work” – SoKo 05 » “C.R.E.A.M.” – Wu-Tang Clan Maria Carmel: Maria shot both the Fall 2010 and Winter 2010 fashion features. » Maria Carmel likes to take pictures. She likes photography almost more than anything else she can think of: more than sleeping, more than ice cream and tacos, and more than hanging out at the beach. Fortunately, she gets to do it for a living, because she probably wouldn’t be able to afford a camera if she made a career of sleeping under a taco stand at the beach.

Top 5 Work Songs: 01 » “Knife In My Back” – The Delta Fiasco 02 » “Gravel Pit” – Wu-Tang Clan 03 » “Telephone” – Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé 04 » “Drop The Pressure” – Mylo 05 » “Sexual High” (Radiohead vs. Marvin Gaye) – Go Home Productions

Quang Trinh: Quang shot our Fall and Winter 2010 Footware collection for this issue. » Quang Trinh is a photographer who relies on innovative thinking to get the most out of a photo. His photos posses creative concepts with limitless possibilities by adding the elements that can make a great image.

Top 5 Work Songs: 01 » “Feel Good Inc.” – Gorillaz 02 » “Juicy” – Notorious B.I.G. 03 » “The Red” – Jaylib 04 » “Crazy” – Gnarls Barkley 05 » “B.O.B.” – Outkast

Raymond Roker: Raymond wrote about 15 life-changing albums for this issue. » Raymond Leon Roker barely graduated from Fairfax High eons ago but he still lives in the ‘hood. His tags and pieces are long gone from the alleys around the school where he made his name as a graffiti writer in LA’s first wave. He’s probably better known as the founder and publisher of URB Magazine, the longest running electronic-based music and culture magazine in America. He blogs about media, race and politics on the Huffington Post, Mediaite, Facebook, or at www.raymondroker.com. He also spends his time photographing street culture, music and urban landscapes.

Top 5 Work Songs:

01 » “Wheels of Confusion” – Black Sabbath 02 » “The National Anthem” – Radiohead 03 » “Let It Be” – The Beatles 04 » “Ten Crack Commandments” – Notorious B.I.G. 05 » “War” – Bob Marley 10 » THE HUNDREDS MAGAZINE

PUBLISHERS Benjamin Shenassafar Robert K. Kim EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bobby Hundreds » I just wanted to tell Bobby thanks for his post on the May Day rally. I was looking forward to him posting something about the march, and I wasn’t disappointed. I like how it’s all straight from the heart, from someone who truly believes in the cause. Not afraid to against public opinion on a controversial matter. That’s why I like The Hundreds (even if I can’t afford the clothing right now!). It doesn’t just represent the LA aesthetic, it also represents the people of LA too. It’s cool that even with the success of the brand, we see through the blog that he’s still grounded and has ideals. Wish you guys lots of prosperity and keep doing what your doing!

Peace! La lucha sigue!

— Abraham

TH » SI SE PUEDE Abraham! » I just wanted to message Ben and Bobby Hundreds and say great job to you two. I have been a long time follower of not only your site but your apparel as well. My name is Arthur, and I just really wanted to ask, “How did you do it?” You inspired me in countless ways, I created my own clothing line in following your footsteps. Thank you, you two gave me a lot of hopes and dreams, and you guys should be rewarded. Please keep up the good work. You guys rock.

Thanks so much, — Arthur TH » Thanks Arthur. How did we do it? Passion, perseverance, and purity. We worked hard and continue to do so, we haven’t lost our faith and enjoyment in the project, and we believe in brand integrity. Basically, whether or not anyone is buying or reading The Hundreds, we’d still be doing the same thing every single day. Fortunately for us, we have fans like you to keep us going. » Hi, I was wondering if The Hundreds would ever consider bringing back your women’s line TENS. — Sami

TH » I’m sorry, but TENS is on an indefinite hiatus. So, unfortunately not anytime soon Sami... » I’m on a thin line, thinking maybe I look like a groupie sending in a picture, but I can’t help myself. I’m showing BIGGGG love from the East (Woodbridge, VA) and I keep posted with the blog. Love you guys.

Bring the Tens baccckkkk! LOL — Emily

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Ben Hundreds MANAGING EDITOR John Hall CONTRIBUTORS Maria Carmel, Paul Chan, Natalia Mantini, Raymond Roker, Quang Trinh, Maurice Pendarvis DESIGN 530medialab THE HUNDREDS HQ: Ben Hundreds, Bobby Hundreds, Scotty iLL, Jon Hundreds, Corgishoe, Benjie Escobar, Baby D, Tony Rodriguez, Patrick Hill, Vito Nguyen, Switch, Brien Mo, Maria Vergara, Nathan Nice, Robert Velasquez, Lil’ Mike, Wallace, Charlotte, Kimiya Ayubi, Keith Marzo, John Hall, Kristin Findley, Natalia Brutalia, Boss, Micha 1729 S. Wall St. Los Angeles, CA 90015 thinfo@thehundreds.com THE HUNDREDS LA: Mike Enriquez, Julian Smith, Alexander Spit 7909 Rosewood Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048 (323) 230 -7421 shop@thehundreds.com THE HUNDREDS SF: Micah Davis, Dorian Hood, Kahim Smith, Bryan Gabbac 585 Post St. San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 440-7700 shop@thehundreds.com

www.thehundreds.com TH » OKAY MAYBE WE WILL CONSIDER BRINGING TENS BACK.

Published by Mixed Media Productions, a division of The Hundreds is Huge, Inc.

» I’m researching for my college degree to design clothing and merchandise. I would like to know what major did you guys fall into to begin The Hundreds?

— Justin TH » Majorly sucking at life. Seriously, there was no major to prepare us for The Hundreds. This has been a learning process in itself, everyday is like a giant exam for us, and we count our lucky stars if we barely pass. » HEY WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF U GUYS CHANGED UR GODDAMN CLOTHING BRAND NAME TO “THE DOZENS?” Would you get scared? You know I would!

— Charles

TH » We are definitely scared right now.

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WORDS » MAURICE PENDARVIS » PICTURE » BOBBY HUNDREDS

» Scott Caan. You might recognize him from the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy, or Gone in Sixty Seconds, Boiler Room, Varsity Blues, and Entourage. But here’s a few things you might’ve not known; he went to high school with Angelina Jolie, was a roadie for Cypress Hill and House of Pain, and in 1993, formed the rap group, “The Whooliganz,” with The Alchemist.

The son of legendary actor James Caan, Scott Caan has not only become an established actor, writer and award winning director, he can now add another accomplishment to his already impressive body of work: photographer. And all it took was a gift from his father (his first camera) and spending time with a photography legend.

“Jim Marshall was one of my favorite photographers,” Caan relates, “He was a rock n’ roll photographer. I knew a lot of people in bands, so I started mimicking what Jim Marshall did.. but I never was really any good at it. Most of my rock n’ roll shots pretty much sucked, but I loved taking photos and loved doing it. So, I kept shooting, and I found out what I liked to shoot. I found out what moved me to shoot, what I thought was actually good. But, it started just from buying art from Jim Marshall and talking to him about photography.”

Caan’s photography has been well received, so much in fact that last year, he released a collection of his photos: Scott Caan Photographs Vol.1, chronicling his work from 2003 to 2009 and displaying the raw, voyeuristic, life-in-the-moment attitude that encompass his photography. This style has become his modus operandi with who, what, and how he likes to shoot. “...My friends, and going on trips, and shooting documentary style. On the streets of whatever city I’m in, just catching little moments.” He continues, “You know, driving cross-country, and going into little towns and shooting people…girls that I know that I think are beautiful.”

In this day of digital cameras and Photoshop, picture-takers can manipulate photographs with a few simple clicks of the mouse, but Caan prefers to stay true to photography’s origins by only shooting film.

“I mean, I think it’s cool that people use digital. I don’t have anything against it, it’s just not me. I never got into photography to make money, it was never a business to me. So, for me to use digital, it would be pretty stupid. I love film, that’s how I got involved in it... Look, I love loading film into a camera, I love looking at proof sheets, I love shooting a roll and going, “I hope I didn’t fuck this up!,” going home, wondering what’s on my roll, taking it to the lab, and seeing it for the first time...

Another reason I like photography so much, it’s the purest art that I do. Everything else I have to appease people, and work with other people. But with my photography, I shoot what I want to shoot. I don’t really care who loves it or not. I want people to like my photos but at the end of the day, I’m not getting paid for it.”

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»

My little cousin Sophia, aka Midget Hobo Rison aka Midget aka Hobi Wan Canobie, is my everything. We kick it on the regular. « My fiancé/ best friend Billy Roper.

He’s hot.

»

This is my homegirl Paloma, the bass player of my favorite local band ever, Bombon from San Pedro, California. I’m their groupie.

»

I don’t know if you know but I love kittenz more than you know. This is my boy Swag.

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»

»

Two of my best friends Ren and Danae. Together they are Renee. I swear I was friends with Ren before I knew she was on ANTM.

This is my roommate/muse Lauren skating in front of our ghetto pad.

» See, there’s Swag. « Some good friends gathering at a barbeque at Bill’s in beautiful Echo Park. Look how glorious they are.

»

»

I’m constantly taking pictures of my girlfriends cos they’re hot like this one here Mia. She rules.

Sometimes I take pictures of boys and usually it’s these fools, Torey, Billy, and Carlos. Getting toasty.

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WORDS » JOHN HALL » PICTURES » BOBBY HUNDREDS

» MARK DEAN VECA IS AN ACCOMPLISHED LA-BASED ARTIST WHOSE WORK HAS BEEN EXHIBITED IN GALLERIES AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE GLOBE. Born in Louisiana and raised in Northern Cali’s East Bay, his art school experience led to his painting of one of LA’s iconic freeway murals in the early ‘80s. In 1996, he unleashed his own iconic wall art alongside Barry McGee in a group show at the Drawing Center in NYC. Today he’s best known for his surreal references to pop culture, reinterpretations of traditional decorative patterns, and his impressive installations. We caught up with him to chat about his project with The Hundreds, while he prepares for his upcoming When the Shit Hits the Fan show at Western Project in Culver City, opening September 11th.

TH » how did the project with the hundreds come about?

MDV » I did a show at UCSD last year, it was sort of an overview of a lot of stuff I had done in the past. We had reproductions of a lot of the major murals and installations that I’ve done, plus I did installations there, onsite. And we had some paintings, and drawings, and a lot of T-shirts as well - stuff that I’d done with Recon, Original Fake, Nike, and Burton.

Keith [Marzo] happened to be at the opening and he emailed me and asked if I’d be interested in doing something. I came by and met Bobby, and talked about doing some shirts, a skateboard, and some sneakers. I always liked the idea of taking the work out of the elitist kinds of venues, and getting it out there in different ways.

I think a lot of people really don’t go to museums or galleries. I know I never did when I was a kid. I also like the idea of having my work exist in a different form, like doing a drawing, and then having it realized on some other kind of object.

Some of the work that I have done for quite a long time, is based on18th century French Rococo toile de Jouy wallpaper and textiles. I was taking something out of a decorative arts tradition, something functional and utilitarian, and making fine art paintings out of it. So the idea of taking that back into its original context was interesting to me, to do fabric and textiles with it.

TH » can you talk about the artwork for this project?

MDV » Well, the Adam Bomb was a no-brainer, as far as relating to what I’m doing in my paintings - taking a cartoon-y or pop image and using a little brush, and India ink, improvising on that structure and allowing these forms and shapes to evolve out of that, while still retaining the overall image. Then, “The Hundreds,” just the words, is similar to stuff I’d done back in the ‘90s, when I was doing some word paintings. My techniques have developed over the years, so it’s interesting to see what it looks like now, using that same idea. And for the 3rd shirt, I was working on a painting for the show in September, and the Presidential Seal was the icon that I was playing with. I thought about doing a detail of that painting, as a drawing, and putting in “The Hundreds.” It has a sort of biker kind of feel, or a tattoo feel to it. I’m totally happy with it.

For the skateboard decks, we’re taking a painting that I had done a few years ago, and dividing it up into three skateboards that will fit together to make the whole. That painting is called “Psycho Farm” and it’s based on 18th century WWW.THEHUNDREDS.COM « 17

French decorative art, just using that as a structure. I was just sort of letting the shapes and forms take shape, through some sort of stream of consciousness.

For the sneaker, we’re doing a toile de Jouy pattern. We’re taking details out of some older drawings and, because they originated as a textile pattern, we’re doing them on the canvas shoe as a pattern. From a distance, it looks like a real traditional pattern, but if you look up close, you’ll find imagery in a more hallucinogenic, psychedelic, pop, cartoon, underground comic kind of look. Maybe that’s a Bay Area ‘60s-‘70s influence.

TH » Is the Presidential Seal reference indicative of a political statement?

MDV » It’s funny because I’ve never really done any kind of political art. In the past, it’s been more about art about art, where I’m putting together the high art and the low art, with the idea of blurring the boundaries and saying that pop images are as valid as anything else. Politics is something that I feel strongly about, it is something that is on my mind, so in that way, it’s important to me. I started feeling like it was important to me to be putting more content into the paintings as well. As a straight white male in the 21st century, this is something that really relates to me and my world, because it just seems like that’s been the dominant culture, and that so much is being pissed away. And I don’t expect my work to change anything, but I feel like it adds another layer and another level to my work.

People see these things and they interpret things, but I kind of like that as well, because it does add another layer that you can read into.

TH » Art played such a massive role in Obama’s campaign; do you think some artists might feel responsible for the current government?

MDV » I don’t think so. I wasn’t involved in the campaign. Obama was the first candidate that I really felt strongly about in my lifetime. I think for a lot of people; that’s why he won. He was able to make it happen, against all odds. It’s crazy. It was amazing. I’m still a huge fan, and I really still believe in what he is doing, and I trust him. Even if he’s doing something that doesn’t sound like something a Democrat would do, he’s got my trust. His idea was to work together, and if you’re working together with the other party that means you’re going to have to make compromises. Hopefully he’ll be around for a while. I really want him to be around for 8 years. I just don’t want to get another Republican in after 4 years, and ruin everything.

The other thing I was going to say about the Presidential Seal painting, is that’s the same image that the Ramones use for their logo, and that’s why I used a black background on that painting, whereas normally I’ve been using really bright red, or other colors. So when you see it, maybe it looks like the Ramones logo, but it’s really the Presidential Seal, which some people don’t even realize. But then I thought some people are going to see it as the black President, you know? They might see it as me being critical, I don’t know. People see these things and they interpret things, but I kind of like that as well, because it does add another layer that you can read into. That was more just by chance than by design.

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Photographer » Maria Carmel Hair/Makeup » Sarah Hawkins Wardrobe » Sarah Hawkins & Patrick Hill Photo Assistants » Thomas Yuan and Keelin Murray Models » Nick Bentley and Adam Murray

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NICK: MEDICAL » TEE » BLACK Johnny » crewneck sweatshirt » athletic grey Benton » SLIM » DENIM » GREY Johnson » LOW » BLACK

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ADAM: Frankfort » TEE » athletic grey PALMER » JACKET » BLACK Johnson » LOW » BLACK

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NICK (top LEFT): Phoenix » sunglasses » BLACK State Bird » TEE » WHITE DOC » LONG SLEEVE WOVEN » BLACK KRUGER » PANTS » KHAKI Johnson » LOW » BLACK

ADAM (top RIGHT): SUBTLE » CREWNECK SWEATSHIRT » ATHLETIC HEATHER ORANGE » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO VALENZUELA » LOW » ROYAL BLUE

LEFT: WAVERLY » SLIM » DENIM » BLACK WAYNE » HIGH » BLACK

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NICK (TOP LEFT): PHOENIX » SUNGLASSES » BLACK GRIFFITH » FLANNEL » BURGUNDY BEEZ » TEE » WHITE

ADAM (TOP LEFT): GRID » BEANIE » BLACK DUCK » JACKET » NAVY/BONE BEEZ » ZIP-UP HOODED SWEATSHIRT » ATHLETIC GREY

RIGHT: PHOENIX » SUNGLASSES » MATTE TORTOISE

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NICk (lEFT): PAtCh » TEE » Ash hEAThEr hoUnD » snAPBACK hAT » BLACK WAVErLy » sLiM » DEniM » BLACK WAynE » high » BLACK

ADAM (RIGHT): GrIFFIth » FLAnnEL » BLACK CLAssIC » sLiM » DEniM » inDigO

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NICK: 5TH PERIOD » TEE » BLACK CHAFFEY » SHORT SLEEVE WOVEN » BLACK WAVERLY » SLIM » DENIM » BLACK

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ADAM: GRID » BEANIE » BLACK PHOENIX » SUNGLASSES » TORTOISE GRIFFITH » FLANNEL » BROWN HALF TIME » TEE » BLACK DIVERT » JACKET » BROWN

NICK: WOOLNUFF » JACKET » BLACK BRAWNY » FLANNEL » BURGUNDY WAXY » TEE » WHITE WAVERLY » SLIM » DENIM » BLACK WAYNE » HIGH » BLACK

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ADAM: CINCO » SNAPBACK HAT » BLACK PHOENIX » SUNGLASSES » TORTOISE BEEZ » ZIP-UP HOODED SWEATSHIRT » athletic grey SHIP » TEE » WHITE CLAYTON » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO

NICK: PHOENIX » SUNGLASSES » MATTE TORTOISE GRIFFITH » FLANNEL » BLACK VERTICAL » PANTS » BLACK POPS » TEE » athletic grey WAYNE » HIGH » BLACK

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andy » Tee » black

brigade 2 » Tee » athletic heather

united » Tee » hunter green

johnnies » Tee » burgundy

hugo » Tee » purple

hard daze » Tee » black

logo » Tee » royal blue

mania » Tee » athletic heather

swoop 2 » Tee » purple

medical » Tee » hunter green

pops » Tee » athletic heather 30 » THE HUNDREDS MAGAZINE

sugar tooth » Tee » burgundy

plot » Tee » athletic heather

smile » Tee » royal blue

ship » Tee » navy

moon » Tee » black

the view » Tee » white

cinco 2 » Tee » royal blue

angel devil » Tee » white

simple adam » Tee » black

state bird » Tee » hunter green kidsplay » Tee » charcoal heather

waxy » Tee » royal blue

nuclear » Tee » black

spirit » Tee » white

dip » Tee » hunter green

les » Tee » burgundy

offset » Tee » purple

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BIFF » TEE » BURGUNDY

FRANKFORT » TEE » BURGUNDY

PATCH » TEE » BLACK

5TH PERIOD » TEE » PURPLE

HAVTA » l/S SHIRT » BLUE

DOC » l/S SHIRT » BLACK

ALPHA » FLANNEL » DARK PURPLE

CHAFFET » S/S SHIRT » ORANGE

SUBTLE » CREWNECK » BURGUNDY

YESTERDAY » CREWNECK » BLACK

LANKY » CREWNECK » STRAIGHT TEAL 32 » THE HUNDREDS MAGAZINE

GRIFFITH » FLANNEL » BLACK

CASCADE » TEE » ELECTRIC BLUE

BRAWNY » FLANNEL » BURGUNDY

JOHNNY » CREWNECK » MUSTARD HEATHER

SOLID » CREWNECK » NAVY

ELEMENTARY » hooded sweatshirt » CHARCOAL HEATHER

BRIGADE » zip up hooded sweatshirt » TRUE HUNTER

BEEZ » zip up hooded sweatshirt » HEATHER

PAINTER » hooded sweatshirt » HEATHER

TRILLY » zip up hooded sweatshirt » ELECTRIC BLUE

SQUARE » zip up hooded sweatshirt » BLACK

DART » hooded sweatshirt » NAVY

BROOKHOUSE » CARDIGAN » PURPLE

DUCK » Jacket » GREEN/ORANGE

DIVERT » Jacket » BROWN

PALMER » Jacket » KHAKI

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SCOTT » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO

SCOTT » STANDARD » DENIM » INDIGO

CLAYTON » STANDARD » DENIM » INDIGO

BENTON » SLIM » DENIM » GREY

BENTON » STANDARD » DENIM » GREY

CLASSIC » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO

ORANGE » STANDARD » DENIM » INDIGO

WAVERLY » SLIM » DENIM » BLACK

WAVERLY » SKINNY » DENIM » BLACK

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KRUGER » PANTS » KHAKI

VERTICLE » CORDUROY PANTS » BROWN

CINCO » HAT » BLUE

SHOW » HAT » BLUE

MONKEYFACE » HAT » PURPLE

CIRCLE » HAT » NAVY

HOUND » HAT » NAVY

SIDE ADAM OUTLINE » NEW ERA » DARK GREEN

PLAYER » HAT » BLACK

ADAM » NEW ERA » BLACK

SWOOP » HAT » BLACK

KICK IT » SWEATS » HEATHER

ADAM SNAP » HAT » BLACK

TOWN » HAT » BURGUNDY

BOGEY » HAT » PURPLE

TEAM » HAT » GREY

NEEDTA » NEW ERA » DARK PURPLE

GRAND SLAM » NEW ERA » PURPLE

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JAGS » bEANIE » HUNTER GREEN

TRIPLE » bEANIE » PURPLE

WARM UP » bEANIE » BROWN

BRUTUS » WALLET » BROWN/BLACK PHOENIX » SUNGLASSES » BROWN TORTOISE

GLOMGOLD » WALLET » BROWN/BLACK

COMFORT » SCARF » VARIOUS COLORS

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TAYLOR » BELT » VARIOUS COLORS LEATHER STRAP » KEYCHAIN » BROWN/BLACK

ADAM » TRI-FOLD » VARIOUS COLORS

JON » BACKPACK » GREEN

PAIGE » MESSENGER BAG » OLIVE

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WORDS & pICTURES » Bobby Hundreds

» I can’t search far within my childhood memories without running into tabby orange fur and black stripes. As a product of the ‘80s, Garfield was ubiquitous. Not just in the Sunday comics, but on Saturday morning television, the bookshelf, and everywhere else in my bedroom. To this day, I still can’t eat lasagna without feeling a little bit Garfield.

Garfield not only inspired but also taught me how to draw cartoons. And decades later, it’s painfully obvious that much of my sense of humor came from the fat cat as well. So I got on a plane and flew across the country to Muncie, Indiana, to visit Garfield’s headquarters, Paws Inc., located in a massive wooden complex, oddly reminiscent of an Indiana farmhouse. This is the house that Garfield built, all at the hand of his creator, Jim Davis. The cartoonist still lives not 100 yards away with his wife Jill. His brother across the road, his daughter next door.

In 1978, Davis started drawing a small, unknown comic strip about single guy Jon Arbuckle and his sarcastic pet cat. 32 years later, he’s still doing the same, although Garfield has now manifested into a household name that’s as recognizable as, let’s say, Mickey Mouse (No, really, Garfield’s familiarity is 94% amongst Americans. Mickey’s about 95%. Chevrolet, by comparison, is 76%). I think it’s fair to say that Garfield is a big fat hairy deal. »

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TH » How important is the comic format for Garfield? Is that still integral to its life?

JD » You’re talking about the 3-panel strip? Yeah. It is for my timing and style.

To me, working on the animation stuff is much easier than the comic strip because you can let Garfield run, he can try to stop, there’s music, sound effects, all kinds of things. But with the comic strip, there’s no audio, no animation, plus you have to freeze-frame the character in the perfect position with the perfect expression to get the idea across. You have about 25 words or less. You only have about 7 inches within which to work. You have to set up the plot, twist it, and resolve it in that space, so it’s very tough. I love the challenge of using the economy of not only words, but of line, to get the point across. If you ever read a comic strip to someone, you realize it’s not as funny when you say it out loud as it is when you say it to yourself, in your head. So I write it for performing in your head, plus I try to get to the punchline an instant before the reader does.

That’s the trick. That invokes the involuntary laugh response. If they see the gag coming, you’re dead on arrival. If it takes too long for them to get the gag after you’ve hit them with it, now they’re struggling with it or give up on it. So, it’s great fun.

In newspapers, there was only so much real estate. Obviously with the internet, we could do animation, all sorts of stuff if we wanted. Fortunately, the 3-frame, 4-frame comic is still alive and well, because the young cartoonists have (like you growing up drawing Garfield) started with that style. I think we have this honeymoon, at least for the rest of my career, of being able to work in that style. Who knows what the comic strip’s going to be. If you add sound effects and you actually act it out, you’ve lost that kind of timing (Not that comics won’t be animated in the future).

What I like about it as well, even with everything being digitized, you still have to be able to draw. It still takes an artist to draw the line. That’s going away as well.

JD » Actually, I don’t really talk about it very much, but I originally created the strip to be about Jon. I was going to call it Jon, about a single guy who’s kind of shy, not socially adept, so I gave him this cat. Obviously humor comes from contrast, humor comes from conflict. If everyone’s agreeing and they’re all happy, there’d be no more jokes. So I did, I created contrast to Jon, in the cat. But every time we got to the punch line, the cat had the funny line, just zinging Jon. So as many other characters as I tried to add, Garfield literally took the strip over.

I worked for T.K. Ryan at that time on the Tumbleweeds comic strip. I was his assistant. I did his backgrounds, borders, and things like that. When I showed it to Tom, I said, “Every time I write this strip, the cat’s got the punch line.” And Tom said, “He’s telling you something. Go with it.” So I did. I changed the name of the strip from Jon to Garfield. I ran it in a local weekly paper to see what it looked like (I don’t think they paid me). And he was right, the cat had the funny lines, so I started focusing on the cat. More often than not, when we laugh at a gag, it’s because we’re saying, “Isn’t that true?” I just hold a mirror to the reader, is all I do, so that’s what Garfield does, particularly these days, when we’re made to feel guilty about overeating and oversleeping. Garfield says, “Hey, that’s the way we’re made.” He’s cool with that. He’s not perfect, but that’s ok. He’s really comfortable in his own skin, which I think sends a good message. He doesn’t have the best habits, but none of us do. But he has the courage to openly be that way.

TH » My wife tends to believe I grew up a Garfield fan because of his dark humor. Have you ever considered the comic to have darker undertones?

JD » He takes great delight, yeah, in a lot of other people’s pain. He’s a bit of a sociopath in that respect. Interesting thought, I never really thought about that, because I personally laugh about everything, but that’s not what I put in the strip.

It’s the edgier, the funnier me, but the trick is to make everyone laugh. One day

One day I want to write the gag that makes the whole world laugh, I think that’d be cool.

We actually have software for kids, on our website, which allows them to create comic strips by simply picking shapes, eyes, ears, you know, all the stuff for the avatars. They can create their own without having to draw it out, at least the way we’re doing it. It’s still preserving the art because cartooning, and the comic strip, is a uniquely American artform. We created it, with The Yellow Kid, and then the Katzenjammer Kids, so that’s something that needs to be preserved.

TH » On the topic of running the joke in your head, I was probably reading Garfield for three years as a kid before I realized that the cat was just emanating thought bubbles. Once I figured that out, it totally changed my perspective. That’s something that’s just uniquely Garfield.

JD » That’s true. Snoopy actually never talked. I didn’t do it because he didn’t talk but I always felt like you watch pet owners and they talk to their animals like they understand. I always thought that was funny because people attribute human thoughts and feelings to cats anyway. You can’t really read them. Dogs, you can read. You know what’s on a dog’s mind. If he wants to bite you, it’s painfully obvious. Or if he’s done something wrong, you know, they’re terrible liars. But cats, they’re pretty special when it comes to that, so I figured I could get away with it.

Garfield is a human in a cat suit.

TH » Why did you focus more on Garfield instead of investing in the other characters?

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I want to write the gag that makes the whole world laugh, I think that’d be cool.

I don’t get too dark with it. Plus, I think, that’s the easier laugh. It’s really easy to make people laugh at bodily humor or a shocked kind of a laugh, or an embarrassed kind of laugh. A lot of people are doing it. South Park, obviously, is a great example. I try to do it through situational humor. Have them overeat.

Now what’s funny about that? Send him up a tree! What, in that situation, is really funny? So he reacts to things. But you’re right, he just randomly kicked Odie off the table and he said, “I’m not known for my compassion.” So I guess he’s not compassionate, which opens him up to a little…yeah, he’s certainly got a dark side.

TH » There’s something to be said about the cross-generational appeal of Garfield…

JD » In the 21st Century Comics Poll, this really big poll that was taken by the National Cartoonists Society, and it was newspaper editors finding out what people liked about the comics. One of the things they liked, the fact that there was something they could count on. They expected to see Snoopy on his doghouse and they expect to see Garfield go for the lasagna. In these days when there’s so much uncertainty, it’s nice to go to a place where you can go back.

And I think that’s why it was such a shock when Sparky [Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts] passed away. He’d been doing it for fifty years, he was supposed

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to do it for another fifty years. For me, it was terrible, it was just crushing. Fifty years! That’s not like a sitcom that goes two seasons, or has a great run of 8 years, it’s like fifty years, that’s your life. You grow up, you learn to read, you get married, you raise kids, reading the same comic, you know, with Snoopy laying on the doghouse.

sion. We were still in several hundred papers, but I opted to end the series just because of all this stuff going on. I didn’t want to do a second-rate job on Garfield, so I just had to end it, but I loved doing it. The shows still run today in syndication.

People still know the characters. We had more fun with Wade the Duck, panaphobe, afraid of everything…

It’s interesting, though, because of your interest with The Hundreds. There was a teen study and the biggest appeal to teens for Garfield, he makes them laugh, one, and two, he’s hip. It totally caught me off guard. There’s nothing hip in his dialogue, because nothing will date you any quicker than if you use “tubular.” So I avoid that, because people will be eating and sleeping a few generations from now. I guess it’s his attitude, so it’s not the way he says it, but what he feels. He resents authority and that’s always going to be in. He doesn’t obey Jon, who is the parental figure. He’s hip in that respect, so that’s cool.

Actually, they’re going to do a little cameo appearance in our TV series coming up. We’re gonna go find Thom Huge out in Wyoming and bring him back to do Roy, so it’s gonna be fun to get that crew back together. Actually Orson is Odie, so some of the voices are still doing the Garfield voices anyway because it’s a repertoire group. He’s been doing Odie since day one, since 1980. So that’s neat.

We’ve got a lot of the old crew still together. Mark Evanier, he did the CBS series years ago.

TH » On somewhat of a tangent, I was as much a U.S. Acres fan as Garfield in the ‘80s. But it always seemed like the redheaded stepchild, and it disappeared as quickly as it came about. Can you tell us the story?

JD » I’ve never actually told this story. It was Sunday morning, I was reading the Sunday paper, and my son James goes, “Dad, what’s a transvestite?” “Pardon me?” It was in the comics. I forget what the strip was. At that point, it occurred to me that the comics were done for adults, by adults, by and large. I’ve always tried to do the Sunday for kids as well, by letting the pictures tell a story, and let the dialogue go where the dialogue goes. A lot of times, kids and adults will both laugh at our Sunday strips, but for two different reasons. Sometimes if you just look at Garfield’s pictures, he’ll tell a story or do something funny to make a preschooler laugh. I like to keep something a little kinetic in the Sunday, just for kids. That was

So the U.S. Acres was just for the kids. Did it for my son. Today he starts Ball State University, in the art department. He’s in his first class right now. I’m really proud of him.

TH » I want to talk about brand integrity, ‘cause I also read Bill Watterson’s comic (Calvin and Hobbes) and the approach Watterson took to licensing and merchandising was obviously a completely different philosophy. He didn’t authorize Calvin to be on one product. Were you ever concerned that the amount of Garfield licensing would harm the integrity of the comic and brand? Obviously, it’s something that we ourselves deal with everyday just within our own brand.

JD » Oh absolutely. Doing plush allowed us to do them in 3D so I got to turn them over and feel them and things like that. Doing the books was the perfect venue for continuing the comic strip behavior. Obviously the TV shows are great.

If we take care of the cat, the cat will take care of us.

25 years ago. Even then, kids were moving away from newspapers because of Atari. The Apple IIe was out. I saw early on, newspapers were going to be in trouble.

I did it just to do something for very young readers and to do something big. I grew up on a farm, big and bright, and at that time, we had a very successful run with our primetime specials, you can see the Emmys over there (that was for the writing on four of the specials). CBS wanted us to do Saturday morning.

I said, “Half an hour is a lot of time with just one cat.” I think every Saturday, we’d wear them out, plus it’s a lot of material. However, if you put U.S. Acres in there, we could hop back and forth at least, and break up the monotony. Because Garfield has his unique pacing. He’s a little slow compared to the Warner Brothers characters, especially. And they said OK. So we put together a great cast of voice talent. We had more fun with the U.S. Acres characters and we did that for seven years for CBS. But I did it for the young readers. In fact, the strip only ran, I think, for three years. It started with a lot of papers, but I was sitting across from the editor of the Boston Globe, and he said he didn’t think he was going to be keeping U.S. Acres. I said, “Why not? It’s for young readers.” He says, “Kids don’t buy our advertising.” And that was the mentality. We were winning comics polls with young readers.

TH » Unfortunately, that’s still the mentality with newspapers.

JD » They’re really struggling with that, because now they’ve lost a generation of kids who just moved away from the papers. At any rate, circulation was down, Garfield was taking as much, or more time, and we just made a really tough deci42 » THE HUNDREDS MAGAZINE

The posters and cards, that’s taking his attitude and doing really fun stuff with it.

Doing office stuff just drives his personality further. He has the courage to say things people wish they could so they want stuff with him saying it so they don’t have to. That kind of stuff helps drive the personality of the character.

I thought if we could design Garfield to the product for the product’s market we would have something that would be good quality and be very appropriate. And also, would allow me to get to do things for the property that maybe I wouldn’t if I just did the comic strips. Because I thought, “If I do this, maybe I’ll get to do that, if I get to do that.” And as a result I had the opportunity to do lots of things. And certainly get to grow a staff.

That, for me, is a lot more fun and a lot more challenging: growing and logistics.

There’s a thing called the Aristotelian Mean, meaning just to stay where you are, you have to keep moving ahead. Because everything else is marching ahead. So just to stay where you are, you gotta keep growing. So Bobby, you’re an empire builder (laughs)! You can understand that everything’s relative. If I were to just rely on the comic strip and just do that, oh I’d probably be retired by now. I’d be a poor handicapped golfer by now, but wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun getting to this place. So, honestly it wasn’t so much the money as it was the challenge, the opportunity to do things. Just that part of me saying “Hey if you wanna do it, you have to do it right.” If we take care of the cat, the cat will take care of us. So we don’t worry so much about production budgets or end of the month statements as we do about something that’s really good for the cat.

Because if it’s good for the cat, then it’s good for us.

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» JACKSON low » SYNTHETIC » BLACK

» JACKSON low » SYNTHETIC » TEAL

» JACKSON low » SYNTHETIC » WHITE

» Johnson low » CORDUROY » BLACK

» Johnson low » CORDUROY » BROWN

» Johnson low » CORDUROY » PURPLE

» Johnson MID » SUEDE » BLACK

» Johnson MID » SUEDE » NAVY

» Johnson MID » SUEDE » WHITE

» Valenzuela low » SYNTHETIC » BLACK

» Valenzuela low » SYNTHETIC » BURGUNDY

» Valenzuela low » SYNTHETIC » ROYAL BLUE

» WAYNE HIGH » CANVAS » BLACK

» WAYNE HIGH » CANVAS » PURPLE

» WAYNE HIGH » CANVAS » GREY

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» JACKSON low » SUEDE » BLACK

» JACKSON low » SUEDE » NAVY

» Johnson low » SUEDE » TEAL

» Johnson MID » SYNTHETIC » BLACK

» VALENZUELA LOW » HEMP » GREY

» VALENZUELA LOW » HEMP » PURPLE

» JACKSON low » SUEDE » HUNTER GREEN

» Johnson MID » SYNTHETIC » BROWN

» WAYNE HIGH » SYNTHETIC » BLACK

» Johnson low » SUEDE » BLACK

» Johnson low » SUEDE » BURGUNDY

» Johnson MID » VALENZUELA LOW » SYNTHETIC » HUNTER GREEN » HEMP » BLACK

» WAYNE HIGH » SYNTHETIC » BROWN

» WAYNE HIGH » SYNTHETIC » NAVY WWW.THEHUNDREDS.COM « 45

» It’s hard to get past those smoldering eyes, but if you ever manage to do so, she’s in there. Amidst the aura of budding celebrity and under the glow of the simmering Hollywood spotlight, Jessica Lowndes is very confusingly girl-next-doorish in person.

The Canadian-bred starlet is front and center on 90210 and her upcoming film Altitude, but you’d never guess that from her warmth and personality. She has a hearty hometown laugh, a rustic Canadian charm,... but then again, those eyes. Those eyes are the dead giveaway. »

Words & Pictures » Bobby Hundreds

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Jessica’s coming into her own as the girl of the moment. Well, let’s be real, the girl of now and forever. We’re already aware of Jessica’s successes as an actor, having recently tackled controversial issues ranging from drug addiction to pregnancy to her sexuality as her character Adrianna on the Beverly Hills re-up. But did you know she sings? “Since age 3, I was singing and putting on plays for my family,” she tells me from her spot in New York where she’s recording her first album, “I’ve been in the studio, working with some amazing producers and writers...

It’s definitely another thing because with acting, it is very vulnerable but you can hide behind other peoples’ words. Whereas with singing, it’s your voice, it’s your words, and how you’re feeling.”

And that’s another thing about Jessica, she’s been using those words for as long as she can recall, writing her entire life, whether it be substantive poetry or sugar pop-coated lyrics about love and heartache. All these outlets, I ask her if she’s artistically inclined on a visual level, and she quickly responds, “I am a painter. I paint!” Of course she paints! “I always say I’m a very creative person, if this were all to go away tomorrow, I know for me to be fulfilled and happy, I would have to be doing something creative, and creating something.”

“I’m somebody who...” she pauses, “I’m obsessed with the challenge.”

And we’re obsessed with her.

Photographer » Bobby Hundreds Stylist » Caley Lawson Hair » Laini Reeves Makeup » Stevi Christine

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LIL WAYNE » This was taken on my first trip to New Orleans. Lil Wayne wasn’t a solo artist yet, he was in a group called The Hot Boys with BG, Juvenile, & Turk. He was 15 years old and driving a Lexus sc400 coupe on 20-somethings.

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WORDS » JOHN HALL

» Paul “Animal” Chan works for Will.I.Am at DipDive.com, and also runs Lurker Vision - his own online show on The Skateboard Mag website. Back in 1997, Paul became the Art Director at start-up hip-hop magazine Kronick. Badly in need of some good original photography to use in the magazine, Paul decided to pick up his dad’s old Nikon and do it himself. For the next seven years, he “lived the dream,” flying cross country, meeting his idols, and documenting it all along the way. The publication eventually crumbled, but his memories continue on through these photographs.

GURU » This photo was taken just after Full Clip was released. The gold door that Guru is standing in front of was the lobby of D&D studios.

THE NEPTUNES » They were virtually unknown at this point. This photo was taken in a parking garage outside the studio they were working at. I remember Kelis was there too and I was flirting with her.

SLUM VILLAGE » Taken around the corner from the A&M studios in Hollywood. I just remember thinking how cool the wall looked.

SNOOP DOGG » Snoop was on some weird home

NAS » Catching a flight from NY back to LA, Nas was sitting all by himself in first class. The stewardesses let us roll up to first class once the plane was high enough.

We showed him our ‘zine and we did the interview and took photos while sipping on champagne.

THE LOX » The crew, holding it down in front of the liquor store. It was the Lox and a bunch of their cohorts in Yonkers, NY. The liquor store was across the street from the laundromat that they used to hang out in front of all the time. I guess there ain’t much to do out in Yonkers.

makeover show about how he takes over someone’s living room and “Snoopifies” it, and we were supposed to interview him between takes. I get there early and his publicist tells me to hang out in Snoop’s trailer. As I’m sitting there, I notice people are coming into the trailer and dropping off huge aluminum trays filled with Roscoe’s. I asked the publicist if I could get on some of the grub and he said, “Sure.” As I’m going down the chow line piling on the food, the door opens up and Snoop stomps into the trailer, yelling “Who the fuck is this eating up all my damn Roscoe’s?!” I remember all the makeup girls, publicists, and my boss laughing at me as my face turned red and I felt hella uncomfortable.

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keith: STITCHES » JACKET » BLACK DOBIE » PULLOVER HOODED SWEATSHIRT » HEATHER GREY

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Photographer » Maria Carmel Groomer » Julie Murray Wardrobe » Patrick Hill and Sarah Hawkins Photo Assistant » Adam Murray Models » Nicq Hale and Keith Marzo

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NICQ: FIGHT BACK » TEE » CHARCOAL HEATHER ROMPER » FLANNEL » BURGUNDY/WHITE LEXINGTON » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO JACKSON » LOW » BLACK

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KEITH: WHY » ZIP HOOD » CHARCOAL HEATHER

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NICQ: BOSS » TEE » WHITE KACY » LONG SLEEVE WOVEN » BLACK JEEZE » JERSEY ZIP-UP HOODED SWEATSHIRT » ATHLETIC HEATHER FLANK » SNAPBACK HAT » BLACK ADAMS » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO

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KEITH: ELWOOD » CREWNECK SWEATSHIRT » ATHLETIC HEATHER/NAVY WOWIE » PANTS » OLIVE

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KEITH (TOP): SMOOTH » TEE » BLACK THOMPSON » LONG SLEEVE WOVEN » HUNTER/NAVY WOWIE » PANTS » KHAKI JOHNSON » MID » BLACK

NICQ (BOTTOM): ADAMS » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO JOHNSON » LOW » BURGUNDY

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NICQ (LEFT): FOLD » BEANIE » GREY BIG BLUE » FLANNEL » RED LEXINGTON » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO JOHNSON » MID » BLACK

KEITH (RIGHT): HALFY » ZIP-UP HOODED SWEATSHIRT » ATHLETIC HEATHER SANTEE » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO WAYNE » HIGH » BLACK WWW.THEHUNDREDS.COM « 59

logo » Tee » black

fight » Tee » burgundy

hobby » Tee » navy

dairy » Tee » hunter green

josh » Tee » black

killuminati » Tee » charcoal heather

dobie 2 » Tee » navy

push » Tee » royal blue

cali » Tee » black 60 » THE HUNDREDS MAGAZINE

plate » Tee » black

butterface » Tee » royal blue

pia » Tee » charcoal heather

smooth » Tee » hunter green

salute » Tee » WHITE

venus » Tee » black

starry » Tee » burgundy

wreckers » Tee » royal blue

boss » Tee » athletic grey

wallacide » Tee » athletic heather

rocka » Tee » hunter green WWW.THEHUNDREDS.COM « 61

THOMPSON » L/S SHIRT » RED

KACY » L/S SHIRT » BLUE

WHY » ZIP-UP HOODED SWEATSHIRT » HEATHER CHARCOAL 62 » THE HUNDREDS MAGAZINE

BIG BLUE » FLANNEL » BLACK HUNTER

JEEZE » ZIP-UP HOODED SWEATSHIRT

ROMPER » FLANNEL » BURGUNDY WHITE

» DARK PURPLE

DOBIE » HOODED SWEATSHIRT » ATHLETIC HEATHER

MUCHO » ZIP-UP HOODED SWEATSHIRT » NAVY

HALFY » ZIP-UP HOODED SWEATSHIRT » BLACK

YOUTH » L/S POCKET TEE » RED

DROWSY » CREWNECK » DENIM HEATHER

LELAND » Tee » BLACK ELWOOD » CREWNECK » CHARCOAL HEATHER BLACK

ONE TIME » JACKET » KHAKI STITCHES » JACKET » MILITARY GREEN

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LEXINGTON » STANDARD » DENIM » INDIGO

SANTEE » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO

adam » NEW ERA » CAMO 64 » THE HUNDREDS MAGAZINE

LEXINGTON » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO

ADAMS » SLIM » DENIM » INDIGO

STATE » NEW ERA » CARDINAL

WOWIE » PANTS » OLIVE

BAR LOGO » NEW ERA » BLUE

TEAM » HAT » BLACK

FLANK » HAT » BURGUNDY

PUSH » HAT » GREY

GRID » BEANIE » BURGUNDY

FOLD » BEANIE » BLUE

BRAID » SCARF » VARIOUS COLORS

FLAKY » BEANIE » BLACK

McGOTE » TOTE » RED

VIGO » WALLET » VARIOUS COLORS

PANIC » BAG » BLACK WWW.THEHUNDREDS.COM « 65

» Where is music headed? For generations, music and the associated subcultures stratified trends, social movements, and other determining cool factors amongst youth. But with the advent of Internet downloading, record label implosion, and MTV’s murderous turn on itself, we are left with a mere shell of what music once stood for. We caught up with 3 leading musicians in their own right, artists who have carved their own core niche, who continue paving the way for new means of sonic success. All on their own terms. Listen, they have the answer: »

words & pictures » Bobby Hundreds » off Ventura Blvd.

TH » What are you working on right now?

MS » Well, by the time this comes out, God, I hope our iPhone/iPad game has come out. It’s about to come out.

TH » What’s your iPad game?

MS » It’s called 8-bit Rebellion, and it’s a little bit of an homage to our favorite games growing up. The premise of the game is that, the world in the game was an 8-bit world, and this massive corporation came in and sold everybody on highres, and basically told you, “You can do better. Buy this. Buy high-res.” And they got everybody kind of addicted to that, and so as a character in the game, you’re trying to fight to bring the world back to an honest 8-bit version.

TH » That is really cerebral, and out there.

MS » And the funny part is, it sounds kind of crazy, and it’s not supposed to be this double-entendre, this weird metaphor for like, the music industry, or the entertainment industry. You can take it however you want to take it, but for me, it’s more about setting up a cool thing, like a cool theme for the game so that when you go in and you see all the 8-bit next to the high-res, that gives the game its character, visually. You go in, and you fight against high-res characters, and the more you win, the more you get stuff that looks low-res. So you’re basically working backwards. You start more high-res, and the better you get, the lower res you get.

TH » I think you guys are the only ones who really have this sensibility of game culture…

MS » We’ve made a lot of decisions with our heart that people on our own team don’t understand, necessarily. I don’t fault anybody for it, it’s not something I can expect them to understand. They can’t read my mind, and you can’t read Joe’s mind. To get specific about what I’m talking about, I think the next record hope-

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fully will be artistically the most consistent thing we’ve ever done. That’s our goal, to make this record a visual experience as much as it is a musical experience.

That’s happened, on and off, for us, but it’s never fully clicked. We can get into something really interesting with this.

Here’s the deal. On normal records, what happens is there’s an art director who designs the packaging. That guy does the packaging, and maybe he does a couple of other promo pieces, but that’s the extent of his involvement, or her involvement. Then after that, the merchandise gets done by the merch company, and the website gets done by a web company, and the tour posters get done by promotion/tour poster companies, etcetera. And that shit gets watered down. By the time the assets even get into the hand of the tour promoter in Singapore, it’s passed through three people’s hands who have changed it and manipulated it, and the vibe is lost. So what we did is, we built a nucleus team that will oversee and have their hands on everything from the album packaging, to the video, to the button on the website. We want our team, which is headed by Joe Hahn and me, to be involved. I don’t know that most people do that. If they do, hopefully I can start hearing about them. I know for us it’s pretty revolutionary.

TH » It just makes sense, though, right? Because it always feels so disconnected.

MS » For a lot of artists that’s the case, and coming into this world where, on the horizon, the artist is going to have more responsibility to be more and more in control of their community, I think that in the not-so-far-away future, where the artist sells their music direct to consumer on their website, the artist sells the merch direct to consumer, everything is direct, you’re gonna need to know how to do all that stuff. Fortunately for us, we definitely know how to do it, it’s just a matter of there’s so many people out there, that in the past we had trouble keeping up with the demand. We finally figured out a way to build a team that we know can handle the demand. So that’s new. And that extends to a lot of multimedia stuff. Not just prints, but video, and motion graphics, and web. We’ve got all the major artists and designers in place.

MIKE SHINODA: PHOENIX » SUNGLASSES » BLACK THOMPSON » L/S SHIRT » RED/NAVY

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words » John Hall » Pictures » Bobby Hundreds » in South Central Los Angeles

TH » I know you fell out of the music and got into hustling and at a certain point you decided to get back into music. What made you move back into focusing on music again?

NH » I feel like once I became a teenager, and started to grow up, I felt like I needed money. I needed the things that I felt was important, like cars and jewelry and spots, and you know, shit that, when you’re young, you feel like you need. So when I started grinding and getting into the streets and making money, I started getting that shit. And once I got everything I had envisioned for myself, I still felt like I wasn’t doing something, like I was missing out on something I was supposed to be doing. That led me to feel like it’s bigger than just me. I need to do music. I felt like I got back to what I was supposed to be doing.

So I made a decision, sold all the shit I had bought, sold my Lincoln, sold my rims, sold my jewelry, left my spot, moved back in with my Granny, and bought all the studio equipment. From there on, I decided I was going to go headfirst into the music. I was 18 at that point. From that point on it was Slauson Boy Records, it was emcee hustle fulltime, it was music. It was like an on-and-off type thing, but I never went a month without doing something music-oriented.

TH » What helped you get your name out there and build buzz?

NH » I mean, shit, it was just basically a full-court press. A decision I made was that I wasn’t going to try and take the whole country at one time. Number one, I wanted to start with my neighborhood, because I knew my neighborhood was important to LA. Where I come from, Crenshaw and Slauson, it means something to the city. I wanted to become known in my area first. Once I was known in my area, I was like, “I need to be the hottest nigga in the city now,” because LA means something to the country. LA’s the number two market in the United States. That was conscious, like if we just get the city, we’ll have the whole country, because LA means something to this country. And once you have America, you have the whole world, and that’s basically where we at.

TH » Is there one vehicle that really got you out there, or is it just a bit of everything?

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NH » I think it’s a little bit of everything. One of the big things was me leaking music through the internet and through the streets. I leaked a lot of music through the “Bullets Ain’t Got No Name” mixtape. That was kind of my introduction to the people, but it wouldn’t have been so respected if it wasn’t for the internet. So everything kinda went hand-in-hand. And the DJs that endorsed it kind of bridged the gap into the industry for me, and got me buzzing in those circles – the people that actually play the records and the people that actually set the taste of the entire industry. I got my name ringing in those circles through DJs and my industry connections with Big U, Steve Lobel, Johnny Shipes, Cinematic, Jen McDaniels…

TH » Is that how you ended up getting signed to Epic?

NH » Most definitely. The way that that transpired was just kind of like, we met half way. They were looking for somebody that was hot in LA, that had their own movement, that had a vision for what they were trying to do. And I was looking for a team of people who could take what I was doing and put it through a machine and basically increase the amount of people that we were reaching with what we were doing. So we kind of met in the middle. We both served each other’s interests.

TH » I wanted to ask about Twitter because you have a huge following. It seems like you use it to communicate with other artists and DJs and to take submissions for beats. How are you using that as a tool?

NH » Oh yeah, Twitter is excellent. Man, Twitter is A-1. It’s basically just like a network, it’s better than an email list because people are following you. They can choose who they follow. So it’s not like you’re just blasting out to random people who don’t care what you’re talking about. This is your base. These are the people who are interested in you. Anything I’m doing is relevant to these people. It gives me a gauge on who’s really interested, and who’s riding with us. Certain things we do, we’ll see a spike in the followers, like, “Ok, that worked.” It’s a good tool to test your temperature. When you leak a record, you can see the reaction on Twitter, like people loving your shit and quoting your lines. It’s an excellent tool to check where you’re at. And I get beats off Twitter, I leak records off Twitter, I get contacts – producers and DJs. Whoever invented that, shout out to them!

NIPSEY HUSSLE: TEAM » HAT » BLACK TH x SUPERMAX » BANDANA » BLACK CLASSIC » STANDARD » DENIM » INDIGO VALENZUELA » LOW » ROYAL BLUE WWW.THEHUNDREDS.COM « 71

words » John Hall » Pictures » Bobby Hundreds » Pulse Studios

TH » What do you think about the state of the music industry?

MA » First of all, I got in at the end of the old way. I think I probably got one of the last record deals that wasn’t a 360 deal. Record labels used to make a ton of money on the record sales and the artist didn’t really see any of that money, and then artists would make money on the merchandise and touring. Now record labels don’t really make so much money on record sales, so they’re trying to tap into artist touring and merchandise, which is all fine and dandy if they’re putting a bunch of money behind you and they’re making you a bunch of money. Then obviously share it. You know, a hundred percent of zero is zero, so you’re better off with people helping you and then taking the percentage.

But the thing is, if they’re not helping you, and you’re out there busting your ass, on the road, for you to have to send a check back to someone who’s not doing anything is pretty shitty. I don’t have a deal like that and I’m happy. But I think, for the most part, artists have been getting fucked-over since the beginning of time, so I think this, if anything, is screwing over the record labels more so than the artists. If you do something cool, and you get it out there, and people respond to it, then you don’t need a label. There’s more garbage out there, because, like I said, you used to have to go to a studio and be at least kind of serious and put out some money, so there wouldn’t be that much garbage, but now since anyone can do it, the internet’s just flooded with garbage. You don’t have to listen to all of it.

Only a few things are going to float to the top and if something’s good, people are gonna respond to it. I think it’s a good thing for music. I think the thing that kind of sucks, and I think that will come back around too, because I think enough people agree with me, is that with everything going digital, it’s nice you could have 1000 songs or 10,000 songs on your iPod, or whatever, but there’s nothing tangible. It used to be you get a record, it had a cool picture, you could hang it on the wall, you could roll joints on it, you could do whatever you want. I thought

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CDs were kind of a drag, but now looking back, that was at least still a tangible thing. Now it’s like a little thumbnail on your computer. I guess you could print out the cover, but I don’t think anyone really does that. So I think it will go from little hipster companies pressing records to more popular stuff for the masses. I don’t think vinyl will totally go away, just because people like listening to music that way. All it takes is some people liking that to keep it alive.

Right now I’m on a major record label, I wouldn’t necessarily tell other people to go in that direction. Those are kind of things they could think about after. If you like to make music and that’s something you want to do, just try to make it as good as you can. You know, burn some CDs, hand them out, play some shows, it’ll become an entity of its own, and you can make those decisions then. It’s like deciding you want to be a painter and then finding the galleries you want to be in when you haven’t even done a painting, you know? Focus a little on the work.

So many people are like, “I want to be a rock star,” or whatever, and you’re like, “Alright, do you play an instrument or sing?” They’re like, “I don’t know, I wanted to get a band together.” It’s like a fantasy, not something real.

Most people, if they want to be an actor, they actually go to acting classes, or try to act. So I think it’s a pretty straightforward process. Obviously it’s better for young people because it takes all your time and energy and if you don’t have bills to pay it’ll be easier. That’s why there are a lot of people that might play guitar in high school, and then kinda get over it. Especially us living in LA, a lot of stuff’s here, I’d say just make the songs and get them out there. Then go play the Viper Room, go play the Roxy, go play wherever. Once you see some faces in the crowd that aren’t your friends, and they’re mouthing the words of your songs, then obviously something’s starting to happen. And if that’s happening in LA, chances are, you can do that other places. I definitely would just focus on the work and then not really put any money in. Try to use other people’s money I guess, if you need it. I wouldn’t get in over my head with that.

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15

ALBUMS

THAT I LIKE ( BUT MUSIC SNOBS WILL HATE ME FOR ) WITH » RAYMOND ROKER

» Raymond Roker is the founder, creative director, and publisher of one of North America’s longest running independent music publications – URB Magazine, which he started in LA in 1990. The successful entrepreneur is also an accomplished DJ, club promoter, and graffiti artist. These days you can also catch him writing for the Huffington Post. Here are Ray’s 15 life-changing albums: 01 » GOLDIE » TIMELESS Timeless changed the game in jungle/drum & bass music and introduced me to a kindred spirit and fellow b-boy Goldie. Most hardcore underground music up to that point in 1995 had heavy reggae elements, R&B hooks or were simply techno overheated (not that there was anything wrong with that). But Goldie produced nothing short of soulful electronic cinema over a breakbeat frame. The title track marked the watershed moment where drums and bass took a giant evolutionary step into the future. The former graffiti artist and global hip-hop ambassador Goldie epitomized everything my magazine (URB) stands for.

02 » THE BEATLES » THEIR GREATEST SONGS I don’t have a “favorite” Beatles album. It’s impossible. Sure, there is Abbey Road, and The White Album, long players that are fantastic in their entirety. But there’s also “Let it Be” and “Hey Jude,” which sit better as amazing singles than on their respective LPs. I’ve always absorbed the Beatles as individual slices of a larger puzzle, one that spanned eras, moods and influences. And by extension, the solo work from Harrison, McCartney and Lennon has been on my playlist since I was a kid. You can discount some of the Beatles’ lore as bandwagoning hype or sheer momentum, but show me another band that delivered such a wealth of musical depth over their lifetime.

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03-06 » Black Sabbath » Vol. 4 (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Black Sabbath, We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll) Hard to find a Sabbath album or track I don’t like. At least while Ozzy manned the mic. It was the fateful loan of a We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll cassette that lured me to the dark side. The early Sabbath albums remain part of my musical diet decades after I was first consumed by their brooding beauty. The gothic riffs and bluesy melodies are some of the sickest doses of proto-metal crude that ever oozed out of England. And long before the Ozzman allowed MTV to lampoon his slurred speech, he was belting out classics like, “Wheels of Confusion,” “Paranoid,” “Changes,” “Snowblind” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” (perhaps their best ever). Black Sabbath still stands as my favorite all time band. Long since disbanded from their original line-up, I got a lucky glimpse in 1999 when they rejoined for a minute to play together.

07-08 » Led Zeppelin » Led Zeppelin IV (or Physical Graffiti) In the age long before iTunes, this was almost the only way to own “Stairway to Heaven,” and that alone meant every bell-bottomed cool kid you knew had a copy of the gatefold vinyl. But epic song-of-the-decade greatness aside, let’s talk nitty gritty. The satanic backmasking (hidden lyrics recorded into the mix in reverse!) and other Beelzebub nonsense also made this album package legendary. Think I’m kidding? Borrow your uncle’s copy and slowly spin Stairway backwards near

the beginning. “He is my friend Satan...” Then hold the open gatefold against the mirror and notice how the painted scenery comes together as a devil’s head.

Fucking A is right.

09 » PINK FLOYD » THE WALL Did you see Pink Floyd co-lead singer/bass player Roger Waters’ epic Dark Side of the Moon set at Coachella a couple of years back? If not, you can catch him doing The Wall this coming fall. For an old man, he still sounds incredible. And if none of this matters to you, then the words, “Hey, teacher, leave those kids alone!” won’t either. But for me, Floyd was a rite of passage back when I was learning how to smoke pot and discovering what acid was. And as a kid getting his first musical education in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, you had to at least once drop a dose while listening to this album. But I’m not recommending that to fans of The Hundreds. Drugs are illegal, you know.

10 » HAIR » Original Broadway Cast Recording Soundtrack My mom wasn’t technically a hippy but she had the tendencies. One of her gifts to me was this vinyl. Yes, this might be your parent’s musical, but it isn’t Cats or some bullshit. The music is by the genius Galt MacDermot (who was sought after by none other than the Stones Throw Records camp, Busta Rhymes and many others). And the lyrics are a time capsule of a nation at war. Hair was produced at a time when kids were dying daily for a bad war while a nation turned its head away from the conflict. The album tells stories of a changing guard where a new generation wasn’t playing by their parent’s rules. And where technology was demanding a new understanding of your surroundings. Sounds familiar.

11 » RUN-D.M.C. » RUN-D.M.C. This is the rap record that started it all for me back in 1984. Yeah, I heard Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” and Doug E. Fresh’s “La Di Da Di,” but it was “Rock Box” off Run-D.M.C.’s freshman album that turned the lights completely on for me. As a kid who was knee deep in heavy metal at the time, the squelching guitars of that track made me understand hiphop’s force and its ability to be a bridge. But you can’t sleep on the group’s lyrical power too, with cuts like “Hard Times” and “Wake Up” taking over where Kurtis Blow and Flash were leaving off. Fresh. For you.

12 » De La Soul » 3 Feet High and Rising Perhaps the most perfect and wonderful tracks ever birthed by the Native

Tongues, “Plug Tunin’” was the just one groundbreaking De La cut that set 1989— and my mind—ablaze over 20 years ago. I remember asking around trying to find out who did the song back when all you had was hip-hop on mix shows on the radio. Beyond that timeless classic, there is not a weak track on this album, from “Potholes in my Lawn,” “Jenifa Taught Me,” “Ghetto Thang,” “Buddy” to “Say No Go.” De La taught us all the emerging art of the sample (thanks to production wiz Prince Paul), which Wikipedia devotes considerable space listing. But, more than that, they introduced us, however somewhat unintentionally from the band’s point of view, to hip-hop’s softer, more flowery side.

13 » DAVID BOWIE » ZIGGY STARDUST A friend gave me a cassette of Ziggy Stardust back in college. I wasn’t knowing.

But after one listen to Bowie sing about the spiders from Mars, I was hooked. Even though it’s considered glam rock, there is a soulful quality to the music on this disc. The songs also blend together like an album should, which is why I almost always listen to it front to back. Sure, Bowie’s ‘80s hit “Let’s Dance” can still rock a party, but put this ‘70s platter on, light up a hookah and kick back on a bean bag chair for a really good time.

14 » ARCADE FIRE » FUNERAL Hearing the back story behind this album may have colored its meaning for me a bit. Supposedly, several friends or family of the band members had all died in the months leading up to the recording sessions. Funeral was an emotional and cathartic creation, one they aptly named lest they ever forget. When I first heard the opening strains of “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels),” I was immediately swept up.

And by the time I got to “Haiti,” my emotions were hitting their peaks. If an album can be incredibly uplifting and deeply melancholy all in one, this is it. Definitely one of my favorites from the ‘00s.

15 » Mötley Crüe » Too Fast For Love You can’t blame me, or any other ‘80s metal kid, for thinking these guys were European back in the day. I mean, they had the fake umlauts in their name (I guess biting Motörhead and other bands at the time) and the fancy “crew” spelling. But these were leather and stud clad long hairs from the Sunset Strip, dreaming up this masterpiece almost three decades ago. Few records from that hair metal generation are even listenable these days, much less full of hits. But tell me if “Merry-Go-Round,” “Starry Eyes” or “On With the Show” aren’t about as good as metal gets. Devil horns up!

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01

WORDS » BEN HUNDREDS

01 » FARMER BROWN Farmer Brown, you’ve never done me wrong! Everything on the menu is absolutely amazing, but their fried chicken tops the list. Don’t forget to use their in-house hot sauce.

02 » PEARL’S DELUXE BURGER LA may have 8oz, Umami and 25 Degrees, but it doesn’t have Pearl’s Deluxe Burger. It may very well be, my favorite burger… ever. Play it safe with the Phat Bobb and a side of onion rings. 12pm or 12am, this place is a 10.

02

03 » HOUSE OF NANKING I’ve waited in line for tickets… I’ve waited in line for shoes… I’ve even waited in line for hot dogs, but, I’ve never waited in line for Chinese food…until I went to the House of Nanking. I always wait in line at least 20 minutes, and forget every second once I get to the food. Between their sesame chicken and crispy sole, you can’t go wrong. Trust me.

04 » SAKANA SUSHI If I’m going to SF, I’m going to Sakana Sushi. No questions asked. I experiment a bit on every visit, but I always have my staples: Toro, Kani and Hamachi Negi Rolls. You can even come for a good meal without any sushi; their tonkatsu is the best in town.

05 » POSTRIO Wolfgang Puck’s, Postrio, has two things for going itself: it’s right by The Hundreds San Francisco, and it offers classic dishes with a sophisticated twist. Case in point: their roasted garlic, potato pizza. Who other than Mr.Puck himself fathoms putting potato on a pizza? Genius.

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04

Words & Pictures » Bobby Hundreds

» Mike Rap. You know him. If you don’t, he’s “Oh, that guy! I love that guy!” to you. He’s front and center in some of my, and should be your, favorite movies. True Romance, Beautiful Girls, Higher Learning. He was Phoebe’s boyfriend on Friends I think (I’ve never seen a full episode of that show). Anyways, that’s Mike. Here, off the top of his head, he breaks down his top 12 actors of all time: 01 » JOHN TURTURRO Alright my top 12 actors, first I’d say my first favorite actor, John Turturro.

Who’s been extremely inspiring to me for the diversity of his roles, the intensity of his roles, and just his commitment to doing various kinds of films and various kinds of roles. Independent films, small films, big films, quirky films, you know. Good guys, bad guys, always complex characters, always very human. He’s just been a huge inspiration to me especially when I was a little younger.

02 » ROBERT DE NIRO Secondly, I’d go with De Niro. Needs no explanation.

03 » AL PACINO And Pacino, needs no explanation.

04 » DUSTIN HOFFMAN So that’s three. Then I’ll go with Dustin Hoffman who is the quintessential New York actor although he’s from Los Angeles. You know, Midnight Cowboy, Kramer vs. Kramer, very very important movie to me. Uh Lenny, I mean everything that he’s done, he’s just a big inspiration and always been somebody who I’ve gotten something from watching. That’s four.

05 » ROBERT DUVALL Then I’ll go with Robert Duvall who is a giant. His whole entire career, The Great Santini, everything that he’s ever done, The Godfather obviously, but the icing on the cake for me with him was when he directed and starred in The Apostle. Just such a strong performance. He did a film called Angelo My Love, a small, small, small independent movie that I don’t even know how to get on DVD, that he directed. Not a lot of people know about that. Not that I’m a big smart alec or anything like that. Is that five, that five? That’s five.

But I just wanna just say if I was gonna do the, uh, what the hell is it with the presidents? The statues? The Mt Rushmore of acting for me? De Niro, Pacino, Duvall, and Hoffman. Obviously Marlon Brando, he gets his own mountain.

Because without Marlon Brando there is nobody in regards to the method acting, intense, brooding guys. Paul Newman as well. But I’m not gonna put Paul Newman and Marlon Brando in here because they get a separate sort of thing. They can’t even be grouped together. That’s how much respect I have for them.

06 » DENZEL WASHINGTON So then I’ll do Denzel, who I think is the best actor acting right now, who is one of the few people who can make a shitty movie good singlehandedly. He’s in great movies, I don’t wanna say that he’s not always in great movies. But I’ve seen him, he’s like a guy who can score seven points and make a shitty team win a game, that’s how good of an actor he is. You could put him in a bad movie and his performance can make you think it’s actually a good movie.

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07 » MERYL STREEP This is in no specific order. Meryl Streep, who is kind of like the method actor of actresses. Still fantastic, Sophie’s Choice, The Deerhunter, so many great performances and even something silly, not si-, yah I’ll say silly like It’s Complicated. She’s like a fine wine, she gets better and better with age, she’s beautiful. Kramer vs.

Kramer, you know she did with Dustin Hoffman.

08 » JOHN CAZALE Um, John Cazale, who was in The Deerhunter and The Godfather and Dog Day Afternoon, who passed away, if he was around would still be one of the greats. Great character actor, very inspiring, legendary, stage actor in New York. He’s in there. I think that’s seven or is that eight?

09 » SEAN PENN Sean Penn, who is just shockingly good. Always good. Variety in his performances.

Ever since Fast Times At Ridgemont High to Milk to everything in between. I mean, he doesn’t need any explanation he’s just, a monster, a giant, and uh, he’s just younger than the other guys. I know I’m forgetting dudes because I forgot my list. Shit.

10 » MUHAMMAD ALI My number ten favorite actor is gonna throw you for a loop but it’s Muhammad Ali. No better performer, no better, he’s probably the best performer ever. Best actor, best speaker, most charismatic, best looking, he inspires me as an actor just because when he was in his prime, the way he would talk and the insight and the cockiness, the bravado with which he would talk with, he goes in my top ten.

11 » CHRISTOPHER WALKEN I’ll go with Christopher Walken. Has his own way of saying lines. Has his own cadence. You know his grammatical way of speaking, the way he fucks around with periods and commas and pauses, it is just you know, you can’t even copy it. You could do an impression of him but you can’t copy it.

12 » MICHAEL RAPAPORT And number twelve is myself! And the reason why I say that is because in this business, you gotta be your biggest fan and your biggest critic. So as much as I have my self-hate I always gotta back myself up. So I’ll put myself in the top twelve, not that I’m as good as those dudes but that’s just what you gotta have if you wanna maintain sanity in this business. You gotta back yourself.

So I’m gonna squeeze myself in there. I could keep going on. I mean I could do Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, and I didn’t even go into any of the younger actors like the Javier Bardems and the Benicio Del Toros. Did I mention myself?

Anyways so there’s a lot more. I have a lot of respect for a lot of actors and actresses.

So that’s my top twelve favorite actors of all time.

[Editor’s note: About an hour after the interview, Mike texted me. “Jack Nicholson.

I forgot Jack Nicholson.”]

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