Swindle issue 10! We actually made it to double digits. More importantly, this issue kicks ass, my bi-ass aside. Our cover subject
Henry Rollins was the singer for Black Flag, one of my favorite hardcore bands. He’s done a lot over the years… started has his own band, the Rollins Band, has his own radio and television shows, created his own publishing imprint and tours as a speaker and
lecturer with deep political knowledge. Rollins basically embodies all of the do it yourself creative and ethical principals that Swindle champions.

Issue 10 also features the SIRENS OF THE SURREAL, artists Camille Rose Garcia, Seonna Hong, Liz McGrath, and Adele Mildred who share their unique art and feminine perspective.

Remember when skateboarders wore pastel tee shirts and rocked Flock of Seagulls hair don’ts… I do because I was one of them. Well, we got together with the original members and some peripheral supporters of Powell Peralta’s BONES BRIGADE to talk about their influence on skateboarding in the 80’s and what they’ve been up to since then. You have all heard of Tony Hawk, but the entire BONES crew’s contribution to skateboarding, art, music, video games, signature shoes, etc… demonstrates their enduring influence.

Additionally, we’ve got designer Philippe Starck , art, fashion, music , and pop novelty galore… if you aren’t enticed yet you should move to Siberia, but write a story about your experience and submit it to Swindle. For more information visit swindlemagazine.com
-Shepard

Music is a huge influence in the design and overall aesthetic of OBEY Giant and OBEY Clothing since it’s inception in 1989. At this year’s SXSW in Austin, OBEY will release it’s fourth mixtape installment featuring DJ A-Trak, 5 time DMC World Champion and currently Kanye West’s tour DJ. With this launch, OBEY’s mixtape series continue to build it’s own musical catalog with tastemakers around the world.

A-Trak and Shepard Fairey had known about each other for years, but only actually met in the Summer of 2006 at a DJ battle in San Francisco. From that point on, they would run into each other in the strangest places, from airports to events in different parts of the world. They knew they wanted to collaborate on a project, and A-Trak was already familiar with OBEY’s mixtape series. So when he told Shepard about a new project he had started, which was a collection of remixes, blending new electro tracks with crunk/rap acapellas and added production, it felt like the perfect fit. These remixes started with A-Trak experimenting with ways to integrate more up-tempo, electronic tracks in his sets while keeping a gritty rap feel. Not satisfied with simple blends, he would chop up parts of the rap tracks and beef up drums here and there. Next thing you know he had 15 of these remixes and spent weeks assembling the mix itself.

When Shepard heard A-Trak’s concept for the mix, it seemed like a great opportunity to mix up a couple visual styles in the same spirit as the music. Shepard pulled from A-Trak’s love of subversive animals and poppy colors and mixed it with an electro/disco version of his iconic OBEY aesthetics. The result is something unique, but distinctly A-Trak/Obey.

This CD marks yet another step in A-Trak’s growth beyond the turntablist realm and into a party-rocking style that falls somewhere between electronic music and hip hop. He has just founded a new label with Nick Catchdubs called Fool’s Gold and is currently working on Kid Sister’s debut album, his own solo album, various remixes as well as his mini-line of collaborations with Streetwear brands, Sunglasses Is A Must.
Along with the Mixtape, OBEY will release a limited screen-printed poster and a limited t-shirt exclusively sold in premiere music and clothing shops/boutiques worldwide.

Due to the recent rise in number of OBEY prints found on EBAY we are reducing the amount of prints per household/customer to 1 from here on out. If there is one thing that bothers us worse than lazy complaint emails is the EBAY market. We have tried our best to hold on to the 2 limit policy for our true collectors but it seems like a portion of the “collectors” buying our prints are EBAYing everything they purchase. Shepard and the rest of us are overwhelmed by the stories we hear about how much people are paying for prints on EBAY the same day as they are released on our site. With this new limit we hope to increase the chance of everyone getting an equal shot at a print on Tuesdays, despite the increase in overhead and work we ultimately will take on. Nonetheless, we hope this helps some of our true fans… But be forewarned that if we find out who these compulsive EBAYers are we will have no reservations in banning them from future OBEY purchases. Thanks for all those that have stuck it out these last couple of months!

Detroit’s MC5 along with Iggy and the Stooges are the godfathers of Punk. The MC5 were also vocally political and involved in The White Panther Party, the white branch of the Black Panther Party. I’m a big fan of the MC5 and was recently honored to be asked by their bassist Michael Davis to do the logo for “Music Is Revolution”, a foundation to promote music education in public schools. Read more about it below. I also have a limited edition Obey/MC5 clothing collaboration coming out. It includes a tee-shirt and military style jacket. Look for it soon. And if you don’t have any MC5 music… go get some.
-Shepard

www.musicisrevolution.org

Okay, Yesterday was pretty crazy. It was my birthday, and more significantly it was the day Chuck D came to sign his print at Studio Number One. Public Enemy is my favorite hip hop group of all time and Chuck D is not only the founder and core of the group, but one of the most important figures in music, politics, and culture since punk. I was into punk and hardcore all through middle school and high school, but by 88 I was feeling they had run their course. I liked the Beastie Boys (who had coincidentally originally been a hardcore band) and RUN DMC, but not until Public Enemy did I feel Hip Hop was the new Punk. I love Public Enemy’s first record: “Yo, Bum Rush The Show”, but it was only the warm up for the sonic and lyrical firestorm of “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” and “Fear of a Black Planet”. These records are must haves. Don’t make weak excuses… get them if you don’t have them IMMEDIATELY. My design studio (Studio Number One) was named after the song Public Enemy Number One from which the group’s name was derived. Obviously, I endorse P.E. and Chuck to the fullest and am incredibly honored to have been able to do this collaboration. The image was originally created for the ICONS issue of Swindle Magazine and the illustration was a collaboration between myself and my very talented intern Ernesto Yerena. Chuck liked it and asked if a print could be made (officially this time as opposed to my unauthorized 2002 Chuck ‘n’ Flav prints). The Print is signed by Ernesto, me, and Chuck D. Chuck is getting a cut of the poster sale which is why the print is $50 instead of $35. The print edition is out of 400.

More than 240 people have signed a petition asking for the mural by American urban artist Shepard Fairey to remain outside the Trackside clothing and tattoo parlour in Heaton, Newcastle.

read the article here