Yes i AM wearing a fur coat, it was cooold, and my hair is a mess...
Due to the lack of food onboard, Elle decided to eat Jennifer!
So then we arrived, and we found out Grace missed her flight!!! I was fucked!! I was meant to be staying with Grace so then I had to stay with Elle and Jennifer, we pushed the beds together but i kept falling down the gap in the middle. I consoled myself by getting drunk in a local bar...
The next day we went to BBB and it was muchos fun. The whole place was fucking boiling hot and there were so many Eurotrash people there it was a joke. Me and Elle caused much excitement with our matching yellow trousers. Everyone was in a good mood, we looked fresh and we were on our way...
The cheesiness of some of the exhibitors was unreal...we couldn;t resist posing with Nelly...
sexy bitches...
more sexy bitches...
However there were loadsa cool stands in one corner surrounding the *untitled stand. A jewellery designer called Hoon who I had seen before on the excellent Cliquenmove check the archives for full interview with the Hoon designer.
ewwwww, i've just noticed my fingers look like ALIENS in this pic! My hands are really nice, I like em! However i'm not gonan be vain and delete it because I wanna show you this guys jewellery. The one on the left is a two finger train car in silver. Dopeness!!! In the same area was Jeff Staple, Addict, Pointer shoes, Barnzely's Special Needs and lots of other good stuff. We peeped the skate section (lots more good womens stuff coming from Vans) and the New Era section, which had the SICKEST HATS!! OH MY DAYS, I need more hats!!!
Then we found the most HILARIOUS STALL!!! - THE NEW NEGRO!!!! Now i've only been to Spain before when I was 14 to play football and I didn't especially notice any racism, but there were shitloads here!! I don't know if its just the location (its closer to Africa than most Euro countries so probably had more reason to begrudge em) but there were so many racist things that literally made me laugh because I couldn't believe the absurdity of it! We found some blackface sweets, a book called "Black Ladies" and tons of crusty ugly African prostitutes that we nearly had a fight with (more down below) they were proper like second class citizens. It was all pretty surreal.
Blackface sweets
Lemme get back to THE NEW NEGRO. We were lauging our heads off and taking lots of pics outside this stall. I was just cracking up at it. Then the owner sees us and exclaims "AH!! YOU ARE A REAL NEGRO!!" oh my daysssssss, I could not stop laughing. Was this FOR REAL?! I'm not especially pro-black or anything. I grew up in mixed cultures and never ever thought one race was better than another. And I have been extremely fortunate in that i've never really experienced direct racism. However this was just too much. I was not offended. I don't offend easily, I just couldnt stop laughing. Clearly the guy loved black people, you shoulda seen the way he was dressed, but he probably didn't realise that his label might be offensive. Also, I think he was Italian, so it was more than likely a language thing. But surely you would know that an international market might not respond so well? And anyway, whats wrong with the old Negro?!
The day was pretty exhausting and when we got home I was happy to hear that Grace at the Crooked Tongues posse had arrived. I packed my bag and went to our apartment which was dooooope! Huge and airy and right off La Rambla (imagine Oxford St). Elle and Jennifer were gonna come but due to confusion and phones not working, it was too much hassle, but they were literally only round the corner so it was alll good in the Spanish hood. We got ourselves ready to go out to the Vice party, which was incidentally were I got drunk the night before. It was tons of fun and I bumped into a dude I met last year in Paris for Graces birthday, which was nice. In fact, the place felt just like London! Jammer was performing, Sinden was Djing, there was crunk n grime n hip hop and all the same fucking people from London was there!! Everyone got drunk and it was muchos funos.
The next day we were joined in the apartment by Nash (MHI) and Seb (Nike SB) and Will (Loki) so it was getting more lively in the place. We all went out again to the Dave White/Nike exhibition and party, which was great! We all met Futura, he was loving me and Grace. He is one of the politest, nicest people I have met. so friendly and sociable.
I also saw Mode2 outside Trust Nobody, a dope skate and sneaker store. Trust Nobody was round the corner from our place and wa the spot to hang out in if anyone got lost of anything. The boys who work in there are really cool and friendly and its a must stop if you are ever passing through. Plus, the owner of the store, Ricky, has a few other spots of equal mention. ask them where they are!
Me and my bodyguard Charlie outside Trust Nobody
The second night was a bit of a blur because I was so tired, i kept having to take naps...or should i say siestas....during the day. But basically we went to Nike party, tried to get into the second Vice party, but it was too rammed, ran into Scottie (Mike) and the Trust Nobody boys at 2am, got into a fight with some prostitutes who stole some furry handcuffs outta Seb's pocket, then had a party back at ours where two random Spanish girls showed up and sat in a corner.
I didnt take a camera so all these pics are other peoples an I'm still waitin for more, but the next day I went to Bread and Butter again with the CT crew, Will, Nash and amazing American tattooists BJ Betts and Bert Krak. again it was boiling hot and I couldn't take much more. Ivan from Nike SB Spain gave us a lift home. He was such a smooth gangsta! Lovely guy, and I was well grateful cuz my feet were hurting. Nash was taking forever chatting to everyone but eventually we made our way home.
after another nap we all went for dinner....
Nash was ruining all my photos...
and then I GOT A FUCKING TATTOO....Oh dear lord, it was the most painfuL, PAINFUL thing I have ever done. this was a trip of "firsts" indeed. Bert Krak, who specialises in classic American designs was so nice and patient with me, the sweetest guy ever. Everyone was in the room watching, which i didn't mind, they were all my friends, and Grace had to hold me hand because the pain was too much. I was screaming! 3/4s of the way through Bert went to have a cigarette, and I think my body thought it was over because when he went back and did that last bit I started bawling my eyes out like a baby!!! I was crying so much. I was trying really hard not to cry but I have awfully tender skin, especially down by my stomach. I was wailing and it was shameful, but just like a kid who has a tooth out, when i looked in the mirror, i was sooo pleased. They are fucking beautiful and just what i wanted! THANKS BERT XXXX
I felt like I had just had a baby! my stomach is killing me! no pain, no gain...
The next day was boiling hot. I went to the beach and saw the fishes, and I went to Gaudi Park which was amazing!!
Then homeward bound. The whole trip was so much fun. I met so many people, got my business stuff sorted, and saw some amazing places. Can't wait til summer....
For more pictures and news, go see Charlie and Garys superb post at Crooked Tongues
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