the interview issue
featuring Dan & Dave Christopher Bettig John Jay Papa Manu Jess Price Eggpan & Noodlepot A Whale and more
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Number Two Issue Seven May Twelfth Twenty-Ten WK12 Year Six. Year One in the reign of Riswold.
All ideation by 12. Spread creation by individuals within.
Fifty days remaining with shared credit in all output. Delay
of this issue by two weeks and two days due to “No Place Like
Home� and necessary privileged client work. Please proceed with
caution. Not responsible for factual errors of any kind. Any resemblance
to actual events is merely coincidental. Cover photo and inside photo from
LIFE Magazine. Use for non-commercial purposes permitted. Number Two
should never be sold by anyone, at anytime, ever. We thank you for your time.
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We’ve shared more than a few stories about ourselves. It’s time to hear from some other people.
Table of Contents
PAPÁ in Da House.........................................................7 Egg Pan & Noodle Pot: the Interview . .........................9 There Are No Friendly Questions .................................11 D.I. Wieden + Kennedy . ...............................................13 Christopher Bettig ........................................................15 The New You . ..............................................................17 I Don’t Do Interviews ...................................................19 A Whale . ......................................................................21 Member ........................................................................23 John Jay ........................................................................25 Fun Nights ....................................................................27 Dead Hepburn ..............................................................29
TimeTable of Contents
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PAPÁ IN DA HOUSE My dad visited from Italy last week. 12 asked him 12 questions. Here are his answers: 1. Why did you name your son Emanuel? It was his mother’s choice. It means “God is with us”. 2. What’s your favorite number between 1-12? 8 3. What do you think of America? From an Italian point of view, this country is still a symbol for high standards, but many Italians do not like U.S. foreign policies. 4. What do you think of Portland? It’s a welcoming city. Very welcoming and livable. 5. What is your favorite NBA team? I don’t support anyone in particular. I don’t like watching the Lakers because they are cocky, but I do like Toronto.
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6. Who is the best basketball player you’ve seen play live? Mike D’Antoni and Manu Ginobili. 7. What do you hope for your son, Emanuel? To have a successful life and career with a lot of respect from friends and peers. 8. What was Manu like as a child? He was a little bit dangerous when he was playing around. But at home he was quiet. 9. What is your favorite Italian city? Verona. 10. Which U.S. city would you like to visit now? San Francisco 11. Best coffee in Portland? Caffe’ Umbria 12. What would you change in Portland? It needs more attractive girls.
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A YEAR AGO in the kitchen of a house I used to live in, I found Egg Pan & Noodle Pot sitting in a sink of suds. They’d been in there for I don’t know how long. After getting to know them, I tried to document some of their adventures in previous issues of Number Two. Recently, I sat down with EP&NP to discuss how they met and what they’ve been up to. Number Two: You two seem like an odd pair. Where did you meet? Noodle Pot: We met on the stove top. I’d been up all night and Pan showed up early in the morning. I hated him. Egg Pan: Yeah, but you hate everyone. #2: Do you still hate him? NP: Of course. But, I also love him. He’s the kind of pan you can’t live without. #2: Egg’s a morning person and it seems like Noodle’s an evening guy. How does this friendship work? EP: It’s an odd-couple relationship. I push, Noodle pushes away. #2: What’s your last year been like? EP: We left the sink at different times. For me, everything was just piling up. And I had to get out NP: I was drinking too much. I felt like I was drowning. EP: I came back hoping things would change, but eventually I fell right back into the same mess. Doctors told me my cholesterol was too high. NP: I dried out, but felt I was getting too soft. #2: But now you’re back? EP: Yeah, I love this place and I knew it’s where I belong. NP: It’s too comfortable here. #2: But you’re staying put? EP: I don’t know what’s next for me. NP: I’m getting soft here.
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Dan& Dave The Unauthorized Interview
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Christopher Bettig
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It’s 2010. What have you been up to? A lot! I was in Europe for a bit, I had a two person show at Here Gallery in Bristol, some design work with Winkreative in London, a new print being released by Analogue Books as well as an upcoming solo show in their gallery in Edinburgh, 4 shoe designs / releases with Circa, a bunch of T’s for 2K by Gingham, a new summer watch for Vannen Watches, bamboo iPhone cases for Grove, some store / window designs for Puma, blah blah blah... the best thing is that I’m taking a little holiday in Norway & Sweden in a few weeks and then heading south to watch the World Cup with my family in France. What is your process when creating, be in the in-store installation or a product (shoes, watches)? I never do anything on the computer. Everything is hand drawn from the beginning ideas to the final product and then everything is scanned in and redrawn in Illustrator and I may tweak the final layout / design at that point. As for inspiration etc, I don’t know. I’ve been making the same things, I feel, since college with very little change so, well over a decade of pattern / geometric shaped work. What has been your most exciting moment so far, in your career as an artist? Wow, I don’t know, so many things! Everything. I’m just amazed at how lucky I’ve been career wise so far. I really enjoyed being an art director
at Urban Outfitters for 8 years, all my solo shows - LA, SF, NYC and the UK, although I think I get the most hyped when I product sample shows up at my studio. When I saw my Vannen watch for the first time, I literally thought to myself, “Fuck dude, you have a watch out. Rad.”
What has inspired you most recently? A lot of my friends who are Illustrators from the UK, they are killing it over there. Simon Peplow, Supermundane, Lizzy Stewart, Jez Burrows, Verity Keniger, Jen Collins, Marcus Oakley, Nigel Peake, etc. Travel is also key for me, I’m usually only in LA for 2 weeks every month as the rest of the time I’m on the road for work. Where do you see your personal work going next? More installation based vs. individual pieces. I’ve always had an installation element to all my exhibits but I’d really like to transition into making large scale installations. I just need to get a benefactor. Check out Chris @ themountainlabel.com
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i was going myself, unavailable 15
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to interview but i was for comment. jess price
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Interview with a Whale
Jamie: Hey, whale. Thanks for agreeing to this interview. Whale: Weeeeeeoooooooorrwaaaaaaauuhhh Jamie: Um, right. Well let’s just get into it. Whale, I want to ask you-- it’s been said that certain types of whales and dolphins could possibly have the ability to detect cancer and other human afflictions, using their powers of sonar. Is this true? If so, how might you communicate such a thing to us? Whale: Uuuuuuuueeerrrrroooowaaaaahhhheeeehoooooooouuuuurrrrrww Jamie: (sigh) OK, look. Whale, are you drunk? Whale: I’m sorry. Jamie: This interview is over.
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With an attention to detail comes an ability to respect means as an end, in and of themselves. Such a level of awareness brings about sophistication. “You leave your wallet on the train, and it’s returned to you in the morning. That’s Sophistication. Young children taking the bus to school, walking on their own and safely. That’s Sophistication.” – John Jay
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Death will be a great relief. No more interviews. Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003)
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