Monthly Archives: February 2009

Kaws. Opening night. Honor Fraser.  

I showed up half an hour before opening and the distended line had already snaked its way around the entire block.  The sidewalk was buzzing with anxiety, honking horns, swelling chaos… I’ve never seen a commotion like this for an art exhibit. The crowd was mottled with Kaws’ diverse fanbase: from adolescent hypebeasts to elderly connoisseurs, tastemakers to socialites.  …Ashlee Simpson spotting, but then you had legendary graff artists in the house as well.  

Kaws was in attendance, and what’s cool, he made himself available to his fans the entire night.  And patiently smiled through rounds and rounds of photographs.  

The art speaks for itself. Unabashed pop art, with bizarre, yet intelligent color schemes. Familiar cartoon visages re-imagined and re-appropriated.  The big picture is overwhelming, but close up, the details and lines are intensely pure and clean.. It’s a tour de force of precision, seamlessness, and continuity.  

I can just imagine the artist deciding, at the last minute, to drop the third head and hire an attendant to stand over it all night.

I would never conceive of juxtaposing these colors. In theory, seems like a recipe for visual disaster. But the way Kaws works with it, it really couldn’t have been done with any other combination.

Darren Romanelli gets Chum-my.

Kaws brings the heavy hitters out.  Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Lupe Fiasco.

I am a big fan of Mark Lee and Sharon Johnston, of husband-and-wife architecture firm Johnston Marklee.  They not only designed this gallery, but the Kaikai Kiki merchandise room at MOCA’s Murakami show and the Margiela store in Beverly Hills. 

Keith (DC) and Miguel (Barracuda).  Oh, and a life-sized Chum.

It was kinda crazy to see so much The Hundreds out tonight.  

There’s more where that came from.  Part 2 of Kaws’ opening reception being served shortly…

by bobbyhundreds

They have this saying in New York, “brick,” for cold weather.  The first day of our New York Sale, it felt like a truckload of bricks fell on my head.  30 degrees Fahrenheit? In Cali-speak, that might as well be negative 15.  I put everything in my suitcase on. If it was socially acceptable, I would’ve worn the suitcase also. 

Anyways, the first kids in line were out since 4am. I don’t know how they did it in the cold, maybe they’re reptiles.  Some of the Boston kids didn’t even have jackets, just a tee and hoody on.  My jacket was so big, it looked like I was still wrapped in my down comforter from the hotel bed.

These guys were good dudes. Plus, skaters.  The one on the left has been down with TH for 4 years and spread the word to his friend and brother.  He gets a little bummed when he sees random heads wearing The Hundreds now, but understands it’s part of the process.  They’re all stoked on our Johnson shoes though.

Talk about 4 years. This is one of our earliest shirts, this guy picked it up off Digital Gravel almost 5 years ago and never looked back.

This guy was complaining about being late for work. Where’s work?  ”I work for a gameshow.”  Yeah? What gameshow? “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”  Rad. What do you do there? “I research the questions.” Impressive. He was still an hour late for work though.

And speaking of jobs, this fella’s in the Navy.  And because of the sale, missed his flight today to be deployed to Iraq!  I asked him how he felt about being in Iraq for the next year, far from his hometown of San Diego.  The answer wasn’t enthusiastic.  Thanks for your service my man and good luck out there.

This dude was inspired by The Hundreds to launch his own brand, Only Ones.  

Awesome backpack art.

So this couple hails from Ohio. It’s his birthday tomorrow, the big 23.  She recently moved here to New York for fashion schooling, so he went and did something pretty intense.

!!!

Dude here is from Denver but going to NYU.  Avid reader of the blog, says he checks religiously on the daily.  We talked about college life and other stuff but I wasn’t listening because I started daydreaming about college life and how my life has gone downhill ever since.

This is Martin, and Matt Cohen on the right.  Matt asked me for an interview for his website, It’s Bongo Boy. And, a video interview at that.  If you’re aware of my history with this, over the past couple years, I haven’t been too keen on lending out many interviews. Mainly because I don’t feel like I have anything fresh to contribute that people can’t already find online in a past article or video, and honestly, I’m not that exciting and have a tendency to ramble about nothing in particular. 

But then Matt told me about his project, and his current posted interviews with the likes of Russ (SSUR) and Ron English.  And the kicker, he told me he was 13 years old. Of course, I had to do it. You can already check the interview from just a few hours ago, posted on Matt’s site HERE. (I made a mistake in the interview, see if you spot it.)

There’s Something About Abby. 

THSF heads might recognize Nick and Tony.  Jen brought us some food. Ben ate most of it. Thanks, I’m starving.

Have you seen that movie Step Brothers? 

Allll day.

Don’t forget, The Hundreds’ New York Sale continues through the weekend at Reed Annex, next door to The Reed Space at 151 Orchard.  Saturday morning, we’ll be opening at 11am instead of the 9 as posted. Don’t sleep.

by bobbyhundreds

by bobbyhundreds

Life is like a box of New York cabdrivers. You never know what you’re gonna get.

Like our homey here who professes his outright love to Ben, who’s in the passenger seat. Sometimes, reality is stranger than fiction.

by bobbyhundreds

See you bright and early New York.  9am. The Reed Space Annex, 151 Orchard.

by bobbyhundreds

The last time I sat in DJ AM’s booth was right here in NYC, so it was befitting to be back here again.  Deep in a hole-in-the-wall spot off Rivington, AM brought out the bangers..  It blows me away, this guy’s library and comprehension of music.. traversing genres from all ends of the soundscape, strung together by a beat and a musical storyline.  He’s put in so much work, nevermind all the recent celebrity-dom.  Remember when we did the Chronicle on him years ago, sifting through an entire garage of crates, all the most obscure records stacked wall to wall?  

Quite arguably, the best DJ alive? Some say so.

by bobbyhundreds

Dropped the bags off.  First stop on a Wednesday evening in New York City.  The homey Jay’s night at a bar on Essex and Delancey. 

Then onto Dre Day, a West Coast rap-themed night.  Yeah, strange?  Mainly the mainstream though, Dre, Snoop, Cube.  Lots of white guys C-walking too.  

Long time no see, Alex.

Purple haze.

The night has just begun.

by bobbyhundreds

New York. New York.

by bobbyhundreds

A new mousepad, The Hundreds coasters, and stickers are dropping at both The Hundreds LA and The Hundreds SF this Thursday morning at 11am, along with 11 brand new Spring 2009 t-shirts, including “Primitve” by artist Steve Nazar:

“Blind.”  A commentary on colorblindness.  Both literally and figuratively.

“Muerte.” 

Best Sting movie ever.

Parky the Kangaroo was created in 1952 as Los Angeles’ Department of Parks and Recreation‘s mascot.  Cartoonist Lloyd Hutchison originally intended for his name to be “Trashy,” so we took it back to his origins.  ”Help Keep Your Parks and Picnic Areas Clean!”

“Narco.”

And of course, Adam Logo tees…

*psst. The Hundreds Spring 2009 is now available in our ONLINE SHOP…

by bobbyhundreds

Got in these Santa Cruz x Skullcandy headphones.  Jim Phillips FTW.

Bones and Powell sent over old’scool sticks.

..bearings.

Eric Ricks mailed me these vintage Race wheels in mint condition.  I put them side by side with some current Adam Dyet Bones wheels for comparison.  Remember how small skate wheels used to be?  During the ’90s, it was like gravity had gone haywire, and everything dropped lower to the ground. Your deck, pants, backpack, tagger belt, snapback, hoody…

by bobbyhundreds