Chuck rocks with you

From basketball to Rock 'n' Roll: that seems a long way to go, but Converse has achieved a popularity that goes beyond these kinds of boundaries.
It is not about purpose anymore, but style and symbolism rather. We don’t say ‘basketball trainers’ any longer, but when we say your  ‘Chuck Taylors’ we know exactly what we mean: they haven’t changed, it’s the same colored twill flat that you were wearing when you were 16 and it’s the same you are still allowed to wear at 40. Because like Coca Cola it has become so universal that it’s made history! Affordable, it’s been reworked to suit all narcissistic needs of our ‘fashiony ‘ society: from leather to sequins to limited editions and studs.
And even designers have become worried as we see Louboutin, Choo, Martin Margiela and Jacobs coming up with their own version of the ‘Basketball’ flat to tap into this Converse universe.
Well, the smartest thing to do might then have been MAG's idea to work collaboratively with the trainers’ brand guru to create dedicated Chuck Taylors for the music industry and not quite any music: Rock and hard rock.  That seems to make perfect sense given that most of the performers already wear them: no way you could fly like Ashba with cowboy boots, that’s for sure!
I love the last edition of Richard Fortus

Rock ’n’ Roll still rocks

I made one of my dreams come true when I managed to buy tickets to the Guns n’ Roses gig at the O2 in London. As a super last minute buy I cannot tell you how much my hope to see Axl was long gone.

On that Friday morning I had the great idea of checking out Ticketmaster and was lucky enough to grasp a few tickets.

When I entered the O2 I couldn’t help but smiling: like a kid queuing to get in at Disney World (I still do get excited about that). I was very curious to see those ‘old generation’ guys who nevertheless marked the era of Rock forever: musicians motivated by a quest for perfection and experimentation and a lead singer playing with his voice and pulling on extraordinary energy.

Axl is now the last one remained from the very original band, Slash is gone, but Bumblefoot remains and the last two additions are certainly no mistake, in every way! Dj Ashba and Richard Fortus have an amazing stage presence and you wouldn’t believe one is 45 already and the other close to his forties..

They obviously love what they do and definitely know what they are doing! I was mesmerized by their solo performances and the numbers of Gibsons carried on stage: a ‘Guitar runway show’.

Dj Ashba relies on a caricatured look: big hat, torn jeans, very sparkly guitars, black khol, striking blue eyes…Richard more on the Ronnie Wood's side of things: very skinny and fit, shorter hair, great smile, laughing eyes,..

And there it goes: it all helps me remember why I love Rock so much! I am now definitely going to take those guitar lessons I’ve always wanted to.

They are truly inspiring artists: looking for perfection, they are not signed exclusively with Guns’ , but they also play in other bands, showing their quest for perfection in what they do. They are not ‘tabloid junkies’, they are professional inspiring artists who make me respect what they do even more.

Growing in small towns and coming from almost nothing and very modest backgrounds they perfectly embody the American dream, but they are also the proof that one needs to believe in his/her dreams. The only true questions are: ‘How bad do you really want it? How hard are you ready to work for it?’. Nothing is impossible.

Thank you Guns n’ Roses for this very inspiring moment!

Noah and The Whale

A Monday night at the Royal Albert Hall is a great alternative to any Monday night.

Watching Noah and the Whale perform at THE historic hall was quite touching as well: I discovered them three years ago in Berlin while doing the opening of the Phoenix tour and Charlie’s voice has been unforgettable since.

They have grown up, Charlie’s brother has left the band and their looks ensured they would come out as the “Noah and the Whale” accomplished generation: from tie dye jeans to tailored suits, waistcoats and red socks. Charlie’s baby face is also gone to reveal sharper cheek bones; his confidence is the one of a proper lead singer and his voice? The voice of a winning talent. The young band from Twickenham found a true niche for themselves: an inspiration from Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Chris Rea that perfectly ties together an indie rock and folk style. Definitely a band inspired by different form of arts and we know it because of the drawings projected at the back of the stage as a surrealist movie during the gig. These guys are a new generation success and I can’t wait for the next album: well done to NATW!