A Fateful Rainy Day

It all began one dark and stormy night. Amidst a torrential downpour, MAG finds himself traversing the dark streets of New York City. Despite the blinding water obscuring his view, MAG observes a man in a red beret. Closer inspection reveals that this is none other than Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels and radio host of AM970/The Apple. I know, right?

And so, naturally, MAG introduces himself. But, alas, Curtis at that very moment, receives a phone call. Technology, psh. Now, this might seem like the end, but no. Curtis tells him to hold on a minute, and MAG waits. Phone call ends. Cue pleasantries, maybe just a tiny bit of brown nosing, and the pitch. Curtis says it all seems cool and that he’ll give him a call.

Next day.

Director of Promotions, Eric Krauss, contacts MAG and they set up a meeting at none other than the radio station for AM970/The Apple located in the Empire State Building. Everything is going so perfectly, wouldn’t you say? With the shoes finished and no doubt a certain spring in his step, MAG gets ready for the meeting. But wait. Another setback. Curtis has been called away and they have to reschedule. A new date was set for April 1st. To make an already long story not quite as long, MAG gets to the studio and runs into to a rather familiar foe. He can see the looks and the uncertainty that follows, so he decides to start off with the shoes. Once in Curtis’s hands it is apparent that this is not just some weirdo off the street. This is an artist, with talent and, in hindsight, a very normal off-beat style. Talent can come in any shape.

After the initial shock, Curtis confessed to his preconceived opinions. “A lot of people contact us, and I thought you were just some schlog off the street, I didn’t realize how awesome the artwork and shoes were.” What followed were pictures and a ten minute interview. The interview information will follow in the next post, right now they are still editing and all that fun techno stuff. And more importantly, he loved the shoes.

For those who don’t know, this is really big. Sliwa’s fan base is huge, and it is just an added pleasure that he turned out to be such a nice guy. I was told that the entire experience was very cool and exciting. Which I can believe, but I would also add well deserved. More to come on this story, we will be adding links and all that to the video later. Looking forward to more exciting things to come. Until then.

Shoots and Scores (Haha, get it?)

Okay, so the concept of professional sports has always eluded me, but I will give this a try. With that being said, and hopefully your understanding, punkyourchucks.com had the awesome opportunity to paint for Chris Andersen of the Denver Nuggets.

A special bonus was that Andersen hooked MAG up with tickets to a game in Madison Square Garden. Nuggets vs. New York Knicks on March 23, 2010. At the game, which I assume was a blast but I wasn’t there, MAG got to hand Andersen the sneakers personally, and they even posed for a few pictures. Also available for pictures were Punkass and Skyskrape from TapouT, the world’s leading mixed-martial arts apparel, gear, and lifestyle brand on the market.

So, basically awesome! And that’s it for this entry. More to come, always more…

Twilight Cover Comes to LIfe: Kimbra Hickey

So, we’re still catching up on old, but no less awesome, news. Punkyourchucks.com has had the great privilege to paint custom pumps for Kimbra Hickey, the hands of Twilight. The picture to the left, taken by Steve DeCanio, is Kimbra and her shoes.

It’s an iconic book cover, which I’m sure even those who are not fans, would recognize. The two hands extending an apple toward the reader, the apple representing forbidden fruit and, as the author Stephenie Meyer claims, to her it speaks, among its many implications, choice. But what most readers, myself included, rarely consider is what lies beyond the image. What went into making that cover instantly recognizable as Twilight. Thanks to Heidi Bennett, who runs the largest official Twilight facebook fan site, punkyourchucks.com came into contact with Kimbra Hickey, a hand, leg, and arm model who posed with the apple for the cover of Twilight.

Kimbra, who has done a number of things since and before Twilight, even brought MAG in for a photo shoot with her and the apple. Well, probably not the same apple I assume that one is well past its sell by date. Needless to say, you bring an NYC bred graffiti artist/painter and put them in front of a camera, a few high jinks are bound to ensue.
This awesome picture was taken by Bill Diodato, and despite MAG’s consumption of the apple needed for the shoot, they were able to continue. The rest of the pics are on MAG’s facebook page for those who want to check it out. How cool is that, though? Well, opinions are always varied, but to me that screams way cool.

You can check out the shoes painted for Kimbra at punkyourchucks.com and a visit to her website is highly advised. You’ve probably seen Kimbra a hundred times before on a billboard or in a magazine, although it might have only been her hand or foot. With the growing popularity from her work with Twilight, which she had no idea was going to blow up so huge at the time, Kimbra has went on to create her own product designs and they’re totally worth checking out. Big things can come from the smallest opportunity. I think that’s why they tell you to open the door when it comes knocking.

We’re bringing this new post to a close and MAG, as far as I know, is still in contact with Kimbra so this might not be the last we hear of her at punkyourchucks.com. It certainly won’t be the last we hear of her in the Twilight community and beyond. More to come, oh so much more…a blogger’s work is never done, I guess.

Taking Over: First up- Samuel L. Jackson

Wow, it’s been a long time. Does reliability mean nothing anymore? It’s about standards. Now, let’s see if we can jump start things into a new kind of trend. I have A LOT of catching up to do and I have recently started correspondence with the artist behind punkyourchucks.com, MAG. I’ll be asking him questions about what’s going on with the shoes and keeping up with new stories and the latest buyers.

For now, let me inform you of a contact by Amanda Tracey, she runs Samuel L. Jackson ’s production company UPPITV, about shoes for Jackson. Yeah, you read that right. Samuel L. Jackson was given a pair of Air Force Ones with his production company’s logo on them. Jackson has starred in films from Pulp Fiction and Jurassic Park to Ironman 2. I guess he’s just one of those names that you know. And he is totally sporting a pair of custom Punk Your Chucks Nike’s. Tracey also ordered a pair of custom Chucks for her colleague Eli.

The shoes took about two days to complete and according to MAG, “Nike's are harder to paint than Converse. I enjoy painting anything new, different is cool, the same is monotonous.” I’ve taken a crack at drawing back in the day, and I can tell you…to paint the same thing over and over, well, I don’t know that I could do it. That takes a special kind of talent and patience that eludes even more devoted artists. It’s a skill in itself. So go check them out at punkyourchucks.com. Now. Just kidding, at your own leisure or whenever. But seriously. Check it out.

So much more to come, how many months worth? Yeah, enough said. Look for updates soon.

MAG gets personal with Tokyo Love-In!

Last month we had the AWESOME privilege of meeting Michael Chin (Tokyo Love-In) and Pete Longworth. They are from Australia and met MAG at the recent New York Film Festival in NYC.

Mike and Pete are two of the most talented photographers I ever met. They came over to our apartment and took over 2,000 photos, as well as video footage of MAG and his studio! Check out one of the videos below!

Keep an eye on these guys. Their photos are so beautiful. I don't know how they do it. Mike is also a talented composer (he composes the music on his videos and I have to confess I play it over and over just to hear that beat!).

Be sure to check out their websites to see more of their work (Mike's site and Pete's site). You will be impressed!

Oh, and don't let me forget about Kerry Payne. Another gifted photographer. We hung out with her, Mike and Pete on her rooftop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Now those who know me know I'm deathly afraid of heights. But I have to tell you, it was a gorgeous view! And Kerry was so warm and friendly. You feel like you know her instantly.

MAG Paints Sneakers for Noah Tepperberg

MAG just finished a pair of really cool custom sneakers for Noah Tepperberg.

Noah Tepperberg is the co-founder of the Strategic Group and the Strategic Hospitality Group. He is also co-owner and operator of Avenue and Marquee in New York City, LAVO in Las Vegas, and part owner of Tao Las Vegas.

Noah's assistant Ashlee ordered this pair as a birthday present for him. He loved them.

MAG went downtown to meet Noah today and was very impressed!

MAG with Noah Tepperberg
MAG with Ashlee

MAG Paints Sneakers for Toby Rand of Juke Kartel

Remember that show called Rockstar Supernova? It was Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke (Guns & Roses) and Jason Newsted (Metallica).

Well if you did watch the show you no doubt remember Toby Rand. He didn't win, but left a lasting impression on everyone.

Toby has a new band called Juke Kartel and MAG was so excited to paint a custom pair of sneakers for him.

Check out the photos...MAG personally handed the sneakers to Toby in California last month. And MAG says Toby is one of the best performers he's ever seen on stage. So if you ever have a chance to see them, be sure to check them out. Right now they are on tour with none other than Slash!