all things good magazine.

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JANUARY 2010 ISSUE

ALL THINGS GOOD MAGAZINE

Don’t miss our exclusive interview with Visvim’s Hiroki Nakamura Get a professionals recommendation for this summers must-haves Take a look into the history of American icon John Delorean

+ Much more


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Table of Contents 04. Holger Schubert’s Maserati Garage 06. 15 Summer Essentials for 2010 08. Interview With Visvim’s Hiroki Nakamura 10. Hans Wegner& His Chair With The Missing Leg 13. Q House by asensio_mah + J.M.Aguirre Aldaz 14. John Delorean American Engineer 18. Riding The It Factor 20. Porsche Factory Tour c. 1972 24. Inside The Mind Of Kanye West

all things good magazine


Overlooking western Los Angeles, Holger Schubert’s winning design has a setting more akin to an art gallery than a garage. Accessed by a separate driveway bridge, the sustainable structure allows the car to remain the focal point of the airy elevated garage.

For 2009, Maserati decided to honor the often forgotten protector of our beloved cars, the garage. The auto-makers Design Driven contest consisted of two categories, on for existing garages and the other for conceptual spaces. The winner of the existing garage category was Holger Schubert’s minimalist environment for the car, resembling more of a museum gallery than a space to park ones car. Located in western Los Angeles Schubert’s 1,200 square foot garage, yes this is just his garage, features a garage open living area, complete with couch and flat screen TV, a storage room, small kitchen a bathroom and a library. This place is seriously nicer than my apartment and it has a Maserati! To add

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additional lighting for those long nights alone with your car, when the wall to wall windows won’t help, there is recessed LED lighting all along the parameter of the space. In addition, there are floor mounted lights and spotlights along the center of the ceiling. To add that so chic green factor the space has 47 solar panels mounted on it’s roof, more than adequately supply energy for the families consumption needs. The best part of the space answers the question of how does this guy start his car without gassing out that baby in the pics. The space has a remote controlled floor, that raises enough of an angle for the car to slide outside while in neutral, the car is than started outside. How Batman is that! Page 4


15 SUMM ESSENTIA

for 2010

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1. Billionaire Boys Club Hunting Pattern Tee $90.00 2. Bowery Lane Bicycle $595.00 3. Limited Edition All6. Steel Blaze Watch $135.00 7. Remade Vintage Military Helmet Bag $72.00 8. Common Projects x Moscot 11. Rittenhouse Denim Shorts $150.00 12. Alexander Olch Wool Bow Tie $105.00 13. Fred Perry D-Ri

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MER ALS

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-White Leica M8 $10,000.00 4. Freeman Transport Pouch Set $100.00 5. A.P.C. Tennis A10 Sneaker $215.00 t Sunglasses $285.00 9. Glenrothes Single Malt 1879 $550.00 10. Rose 31 Eau de Parfum by Le Labo $650.00 ing Webbing Belt $65.00 14. Klein Leather Tool Bag $170.00 15. Field Notes Mixed Three-Pack $9.95

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INTERVIEW WITH VISVIM’S HIROKI NAKAMURA

Why did you start your independent brand in a market dominated by the big dogs? Visvim began as a reaction to a market of mass produced footwear, but more simply than that we just wanted to make the kinds of shoes that we wanted to wear. There were very few smaller footwear companies at the time of our launch, and when we first started we were simply filling a niche in the footwear market. There will always be niches that larger companies have some difficulty reaching, so I saw such an opportunity for the kind of products that I wanted to wear and make and launched the brand. Sneaker are just sneakers; they don’t have meaning. People mostly wear sneakers because, although designed for sports, they are comfortable in daily use. But we wanted something that was very comfortable, but didn’t look sporty and with a bit more meaning, and with a definite higher quality. Why do you think independent sneaker brands are proliferating these days? Could you speak on this for the Japanese and the US markets? I think when it comes to being a small company, the key point is this: being independent isn’t the key, making good quality product for the people who wear it is. Companies making good product will succeed. It doesn’t matter if a company is large or small, corporate or independent, it just matters if they are doing something well. People will always notice.

collecting footwear is trendy to do, but it might not be the same another day. Trends are fickle in nature. But I feel that people who understand quality in materials, design, and development will be attracted to brands who focus on those same things. As a company, we very much respect large footwear brands because in many ways they’re capable of doing things that we cannot do. We see incredible product being produced daily, product that we might never be able to produce. But at the same time, there might be something that we do that would be difficult for them. It’s up to the customer to decide which is more appealing. I do think, though, that customers are seeking something new and different and something that feels unique to them. The designer’s role is to design good product, that’s all. I just want to make our product better. Do you use your footwear as a fashion item that gets men interested in your entire line? That’s a very interesting question. We approach or clothing line with the same focus and development goals as our footwear, so maybe some of our customers have noticed this and started buying other product. As a shoe company, footwear always comes first, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see our footwear as a “gateway” product. It was a natural progression for us to expand from footwear into clothing and backpacks because, like the start of the company, we wanted to design what we wanted to wear. We like making really comfy shoes, and we think our tees or sweats or jeans are really comfy, too. I think people will always like designs that are basic or classic, so there will always be a market…Good product will last for a long time

Do you think that there is a reaction among trend savvy consumers today against brands like Nike, Adidas, etc? Again, honestly, I have no idea. The thing with trends and people who follow them is that change will remain constant. Maybe one day Page 8

Interview: Sky Gellatly


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HANS WEGNER& HIS CHAIR WITH THE MISSING LEG (CH07)

Hans Jørgen Wegner, (April 2, 1914 - January 26, 2007), was one of the most innovative and prolific of all Danish furniture designers that made mid-century Danish design internationally popular. His work belongs to a modernist school that preserves function. He is probably best known for his many chairs of genuine craftmanship. Born to a cobbler in Tønder, in southern Denmark, he got an early start working as a child apprentice to a carpenter. After serving in the military he went to technical college and then to the Danish School of Arts and Crafts and the Architectural Academy in Copenhagen. Even his earliest objects, like an armchair with sloping armrests like relaxed wrists (a 1937 design for an exhibit at the Museum of Decorative Arts), exhibited Wegner’s approach of “stripping the old chairs of their outer style and letting them apPage 10

pear in their pure construction.” Wegner worked for some time for Arne Jacobsen, another famous Danish designer. Wegner was in charge of the furniture in the Aarhus Municipal Hall, which Jacobsen designed. After some years under Jacobsen, Wegner started his own company. Along with fellow architect, he drew furniture for FDB (a Danish chain of grocery stores), spearheaded by Erik Kold - who founded an organization of Danish furniture makers that launched Danish design abroad. In his later years Wegner became more attached to PP Møbler (which produces most of his designs today) for whom many of his later designs were made. He remained active throughout his life, continually showing new original ideas and concepts. The Hoop Chair, originally designed in 1965 with a steel tube base and finally put into production made entirely in wood in 1985 (for PP Møbler) is completely without precedent. Wegner has designed furniture for PP Møbler, Johannes Hansen, Carl Hansen & Son, Fritz Hansen, Getama, Fredericia Stolefabrik and others. He designed over 500 chairs and re-

tired from publi last decade of hi

Wegner received honors given to the Lunning priz Grand Prix of the in the same yea Eugen medal in Danish Eckersbe he was made ho signer for indus Society of Arts in niture is part of museum collecti The Museum of N.Y., Die Neue nich and twenty

Wegner’s chair manufactured p Møbler and Car and were made w sculptural idea stand on their o as parts of a fu “Peacock” chair a slatted back to evoke the b inspired by the t sor” chair. His 19 was made to be and his “Shell” same year exp curving the woo sions to form the


ic life only in the is life.

d almost all major o designers, from ze in 1951 and the he Milan Triennale ar, to the Prince Sweden and the erg medal. In 1959, onorary Royal destry by the Royal n London. His furf all major design ions in the world: f Modern Art in Samlung in Muy other Museums.

r designs were primarily by PP rl Hansen & Søn, with the modern, that they could own, rather than urniture set. The r from 1947, with rest fanning out bird’s plume, was traditional “Wind949 folding chair hung on the wall, ” chair from the perimented with od in three dimene seat. The multi-

purpose “Valet” chair, designed in 1953, had elements for hanging up or storing each piece of a man’s suit. The backrest is carved to be used as a coat hanger, pants can be hung on a rail at the edge of the seat and everything else can be stowed in a storage space underneath the seat. In 1960 he came out with several variations on the “Ox” chair which came with or without horns, and was a fine example of the line Wegner could masterfully walk between elegance and playfulness. “We must take care,” he once said, “that everything doesn’t get so dreadfully serious. We must play-but we must play seriously.” In more recent years he has continued to design chairs and has also worked with lighting, such as the “Pole” lamp created in 1976 with his daughter Marianne. Wegner has stated that, “the chair does not exist. The good chair is a task one is never completely done with.” The Hans Wegner three-legged shell chair was originally introduced in 1963. A few limited series were produced, but the project soon came to a stand still. The chair was relaunched in 1997 and after 34 years of oblivion the

chair finally got its breakthrough. As a curiosity, it is worth mentioning that one of the original shell chairs from the 60s sold for $20,000 at Christies in London in 1999. Seat and back are made of formpressed plywood shells. The 3 legs consist of a laminated construction, the 2 front legs are made of one continuous piece and the hind leg is a separate element. To enhance the comfort, Wegner has added 2 upholstered cushions which are fastened to the shell with screws from the back. In spite of its three-legs it stands well on the floor and does not easily topple over. Although it is low and does not feature armrests it is easy to get up by seizing the front edge and pulling oneself up. It is elegant as a soloist as well as in groups of 2, 3 or more. In 1999 the chair was given the highest possible grade in The Technological Institute of Denmark’s test program.

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SCOTT SCHUMAN THE MAN BEHIND THE SARTORIALIST The Sartorialist is a fashion blog dedicated in documenting the different looks that people on the streets of New York (and other major cities around the world) were sporting. www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com


Q HOUSE ASENSIO_MAH + J.M.AGUIRRE ALDAZ

with differentiated characters. This deliberate geometric configuration affords multiple readings of the outline of the house while facilitating a rich experiential lifestyle within its volume and landscape. Specific organizational and material strategies were developed to produce different volumetric and perceptual readings that change with the different vantage points towards and within the house.

ASENSIO_MAH + J.M.AGUIRRE ALDAZ

Architects: asensio_mah & J.M.Aguirre Aldaz Location: North of Spain Project team: Diego Repiso, Jennifer Chuong, Kaizen Chen, Jon Aguirre Structure: Egitur S.L Project year: 2009 Photographs: Ricardo Loureiro

The house is a conscious exercise in developing an alternative domestic environment to the surrounding villas of the new suburban neighborhood. The solutions for the development so far have typically been compact villas located on abruptly leveled gardens, irrespective of the complex topographical condition of their sites. Our ambition for producing an alternative domestic atmosphere is developed by constructing a more explicit relationship between the house and garden with the existing conditions of the steep site. This organizational strategy for the house sought to register the difference in topography within the parcel by organizing a series of terraces that configure the framework for a landscape

The building is organized in three bands that are arranged around a central circulation core. These three bands maintain a prevailing orientation in the northeast-southwest direction to secure maximum daylight in every room. While the bands configure and organize the different rooms, the circulation core underpins a switchback pattern of shifting orientations with the gradual vertical movement through the house. The house is clad in dark “composite� panels that have been customized with digital fabrication techniques. These customized panels are used to articulate sections of the house volume in order to introduce legibility to the overall form. These panels offer a range of different surface consistencies and patterns to the house that reflect the sites changing light conditions in multiple ways, producing an ever changing range of texture and tones. Page 13


DELO REAN

A TRUE AMERICAN CLASSIC

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O N

JOHN DELOREAN American Engineer

J

ohn DeLorean never cared to fit the mold of a typical Detroit auto executive. He was a young, free-spirited maverick that revolutionized the auto industry as the major force behind America’s first muscle car– the Pontiac GTO. He was thought of as a hippie by his older peers for his longish, shaggy hair, and rebellious attitude. But what they didn’t understand was that DeLorean had his finger on the pulse of youth and trend in a way that no one else did. He had an uncanny ability to tap into the music, events and attitudes of the time and mine it for nuggets that translated to top-line success. As the young DeLorean’s star rose, he supposedly walked away from his $650,000 salary at GM and decided to go it on his own. DeLorean also became overly enamored with himself, the party scene and chasing women. He was soon rubbing shoulders with Hollywood celebrities like fellow auto enthusiasts Steve McQueen and James Garner. Johnny Carson and Sammy Davis Jr. later became investors in his new upstart– DeLorean Motor Company. Quite the accomplished playboy as well, he was romantically linked to beauties– Raquel Welch, Ursula Andress, Candice Bergen, Nancy Sinatra, Kelly Harmon and Cristina Ferrare. DeLorean seemed to have it all– but he was headed for a major crash. Production and deep financial troubles at DeLorean Motor Company, not to mention the resulting money laundering and drug charges, brought it all to a shameful end before the visionary could realize his ultimate dream. Mr. DeLorean, the son of an autoworker, reached the executive ranks of General Motors Corp. with an astonishing series of successes that revolutionized the industry. He attributed his rise largely to an acute cultural awareness missing in the older executives he saw around him, men he once described as “sitting behind a desk, wearing a pair of those old high-top leather shoes and packing a big wad of cigars” in their shirt pockets. His winning formula was strikingly simple and hip: Listen to rock and roll radio. From there, he said, one could gauge what young buyers wanted, what trends would develop. “It’s the cheapest education you could get,” he once said. He won acclaim by introducing sports-car sexiness to conservative Pontiac with his GTO muscle car in the 1960s. He also brought Pontiac its first compact vehicle, predicting a trend to more fuelefficient models. Ceaselessly inventive, he was credited with creating the overhead-cam engine, concealed windshield wipers, the lane-change turn signal, vertically stacked headlights, racing stripes and an emphasis on cockpitlike driver consoles. He said he had more than 200 patents.

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RIDING THE IT FACTOR

Yet even with bicycle commuting up in Ne from 2007 to 2008, according to the New Y of Transportation, there are still impedimen embraced by the city. These range from the do you lock your bike so it won’t be stolen 30 The Great Downturn may have its first real status symbol. nIt has more slippery issues of style. How should plenty in common with recent extravagances. Like the Range Rovwork? Which bike has an acceptable level of er or the Sub-Zero fridge, it has a solid frame designed for functricky questions. As the parade of 10-speeds tion. Like a Louis Vuitton trunk, it has a chic design and a patina more recently, fixed-gear designs knocked th of history stretching back to the 19th century. And like a bottle of bicycle off the road, accouterments like fend San Pellegrino, it evokes that genteel way of life that Europeans came to be seen — by men, at least — as ec are always going on about. ing to get on a bike, he wants to imagine h not Pee-wee Herman. This new It object is the glossy black Dutch bicycle, its design unchanged since World War II. Increasingly imported to the United James Vicente, a court attorney at the Kin States and starting to be seen on the streets of New York (and Court in Brooklyn, knows the quandary. Afte in the windows of at least one clothing store), it appears to have five years ago, Mr. Vicente was inspired to ri everything a good craze needs. That includes a hefty price tag — and tie. (He converted his road bike to a fixe usually between $1,000 and $2,000 — and a charming back story tachable fenders.) about how the bikes have been an indispensable part of the picturesque Dutch cityscape for decades. “I liked the perversity of it,” he said. “I liked do this. It’s normal.’ I never ride with a helm But can New York revert to New Amsterdam? Can the bicycle, the people are telling me I’m an idiot. Riding a bi urban answer to the wild mustang, slow down and put fenders and you shouldn’t have to wear a funny Styr on? Can the urban cyclist, he of the ragtag renegade clothes or shiny spandex, grow up and put on a tie? One day he collided with another rider, tear sleeve and another in his pride. Today his su Serious obstacles stand in the way. Even as bicycle sales and ridercloset, and he cycles to work in jeans and a p ship are up, even as the city becomes more bike friendly than ever, the extreme poles of bike culture are still in many ways hostile to Would he have gotten in the accident on biking as it is done in the Netherlands. There, where riding a bilaughed. “Probably not,” he said. “I was ridin cycle to work in a suit and tie is as notable an act as drinking a cup the guy came out of the bike lane. If I’d bee of coffee, there is no bike culture — all culture includes the bike. would probably have been going in more of The civilized pedigree of the Dutch bike is matched by its oldfashioned design: it comes with fenders, chain guard, generator and rack — standard, as they say in Detroit. With a bike kitted out like that, a man can wear almost anything he likes to work and not worry about getting grimy — no kamikaze messenger-wear required. Luckily, the new look of men’s wear, with its slimmeddown, sporty shapes (even in suits), is tailor-made for a bicycle commute. And since Dutch bikes are ridden upright, not hunched over, and you move at a safe, slow gait, sweating is not the issue it is when you’re careening on a road bike. So, with 170 miles of new bike lanes in New York, it makes sense that the Dutch Bike Co. in Seattle should be opening a branch in the city this summer, its third in the United States. Already, traditional bicycles with upright seats, fenders and chain guards — so-called city bikes — are the biggest growth area at stores like Bicycle Habitat in SoHo.

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The city government is addressing bikers’ p fast as it can. The Department of Transportat shelters, and is reviewing ideas for a bike-sh one introduced in Paris. two years ago. A 20 partment of City Planning found that the for ple cited for not commuting by bicycle was lack of secure parking, a problem that is bein two proposals now before the City Counci come to a vote this month, mandates that all residential buildings provide dedicated bike aims to open up bicycle access in older buil have been historically unfriendly to it.


ew York by 35 percent York City Department nts to its being widely e obvious — like, how 0 seconds later? — to you dress to bike to manliness? These are s, mountain bikes and, he upright, old-school ders and chain guards ccentric. If a guy is gohe’s Lance Armstrong,

ngs County Criminal er a trip to Amsterdam ide to work in his suit ed-gear bike, with de-

d saying: ‘Anyone can met either, even when bike should be normal, rofoam hat.”

ring a gash in his suit uits reside in an office polo shirt.

n a Dutch bike? He ng with no hands, and en on one of those, I a straight line.”

practical concerns as tion has installed bike hare program like the 007 study by the Deremost obstacles peos the fear of theft and ng addressed through cil. One, scheduled to l new commercial and e storage. The second ldings, many of which

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Porsche Factory Tour c. 1972

Professor Ferdinand Porsche founded the company called “Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH” in 1930, with main offices at Kronenstraße 24 in the center of Stuttgart. Initially, the company offered motor vehicle development work and consulting, but did not build any cars under its own name. One of the first assignments the new company received was from the German government to design a car for the people, a German: Volkswagen. This resulted in the Volkswagen Beetle, one of the most successful car designs of all time. The first Porsche, the Porsche 64, was developed in 1939 using many components from the Beetle. During World War II, production turned to the military version of the Volkswagen Beetle, the Kübelwagen, 52,000 produced, and Schwimmwagen, 14,000 produced. Porsche produced several designs for heavy tanks during the war, losing out to Henschel & Son in both contracts that ultimately led to the Tiger I and Page 20

the Tiger II. However, not all this work was wasted, as the chassis Porsche designed for the Tiger I was used as the base for the Elefant tank destroyer. Porsche also developed the Maus super-heavy tank in the closing stages of the war, producing two prototypes. At the end of WW2 in 1945, the Volkswagen factory at Wolfsburg fell to the British. Ferdinand lost his position as Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen, and a British Army Major - Ivan Hirst was put in charge of the factory. (In Wolfsburg, the Volkswagen company magazine dubbed him “The British Major who saved Volkswagen.”) On 15 December of that year, Ferdinand was arrested for war crimes, but not tried. During his 20-month imprisonment, Ferdinand Porsche’s son, Ferry Porsche, decided to build his own car because he could not find an existing one that he wanted to buy. He also had to steer the company through some of its most difficult days until his father’s release in August 1947.

The first models of what was to become the 356 were built in a small sawmill in Gmünd, Austria. The prototype car was shown to German auto dealers, and when pre-orders reached a set threshold, production was begun. Many regard the 356 as the first Porsche simply because it was the first model sold by the fledgling company. Porsche commissioned a Zuffenhausen-based company, Reutter Karosserie, which had previously collaborated with the firm on Volkswagen Beetle prototypes, to produce the 356’s steel body. In 1952, Porsche constructed an assembly plant (Werk 2) across the street from Reutter Karosserie; the main road in front of Werk 1, the oldest Porsche building, is now known as Porschestrasse. The 356 was road certified in 1948.


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INSIDE THE MIND OF KANYE WEST

K

anye West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, where he lived with his parents. When he was three years old, his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. His father was Ray West, a former Black Panther who was one of the first black photojournalists at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and is now a Christian counselor. West’s mother, Dr. Donda West, was a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as West’s manager. He was raised in a middle-class background, attending Polaris High School in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois after living in Chicago. West credits his feminine nature to being raised by his mother. When asked about his grades in high school, West replied, “I got A’s and B’s. And I’m not even frontin’”. West attended art classes at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and also enrolled at Chicago State University, but dropped out to focus on his music career. While attending school, West produced for local artists. He later gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B artists, including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Cam’ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, Scarface, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend among others. He also “ghost-produced” for his mentor Deric Angelettie, according to his song “Last Call”

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and the credits of Nas’ “Poppa Was a Playa”.

HIS EARLY CAREER West’s sound is featured heavily on Jay-Z’s critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, released on September 11, 2001. His work was featured on the lead single “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)” and a diss track against Nas and Mobb Deep named “Takeover”; West has worked with Mobb Deep and Nas since the track’s release. West soon became a major name in hip hop production following the release of the album, but struggled to find a way to get a record deal. Jay-Z admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that he saw him as a producer first and foremost. Multiple record companies felt he was not as marketable as rappers who portray the “street image” prominent in hip hop culture.

CONTROVERSIES West has had several controversies throughout his career. On September 2, 2005, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief on NBC, A Concert for Hurricane Relief, West was a featured speaker. Controversy arose when West was presenting, as he deviated from the prepared script. Actor Mike Myers, with whom West was paired to present, spoke next and continued to read the script. Once it was West’s turn to speak again,


he said “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” At this point, telethon producer Rick Kaplan cut off the microphone and then cut away to Chris Tucker, who was unaware of the cut for a few seconds. Still, West’s comment reached much of the United States. In January 2006, West again sparked controversy when he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. Later in 2006, West had his first of a number of incidents involving music award events. After the 2006 Grammy nominations were released, West said he would “really have a problem” if he did not win the Album of the Year, saying,

outlets worldwide criticized the outburst. On November 7, 2006, West apologized for this outburst publicly during his performance as support act for U2 for their Vertigo concert in Brisbane. He later spoofed the incident in the season premiere of Saturday Night Live. On September 9, 2007, West suggested that his race had to do with his being overlooked for opening the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in favor of Britney Spears; he claimed, “Maybe my skin’s not right.” West was performing at the event; that night, he lost all 5 awards that he was nominated for, including Best Male Artist and Video of the Year. After the show, he was visibly upset that he had lost at the VMAs two years in a row, stating that he would not come back to MTV ever again. He also appeared on several radio stations saying that when he made the song “Stronger” that it was his dream to open the VMAs with it. He has also stated that Spears hasn’t had a hit in a long period of time and that MTV exploited her do, I for ratings.

“I don’t care what I don’t care how much I stunt — you can never take away from the amount of work I put into it. I don’t want to hear all of that politically correct stuff.” On November 2, 2006, when his “Touch the Sky” failed to win Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards, West went onto the stage as the award was being presented to Justice and Simian for “We Are Your Friends” and argued that he should have won the award instead. Hundreds of news

On September 13, 2009, during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards while Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video, West went on stage and grabbed the microphone to proclaim that Beyoncé’s video for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, nominated for the same award, was “one of the best videos of all time”. He was subsequently removed from the remainder of the show for his actions.

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