SpokesCast
An interview show focused on the individuals that make up the NYC cycling community. Guests include bike-packers, endurance athletes, messengers, alleycat racers, and many more.
SpokesCast explores the human element of NYC cycling and highlights what makes the people, the community, and the hobby so special.
SpokesCast
Stay Alive - Cordell Murray, Founder of Stay Alive Studio
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We spoke with Cordell of Stay Alive Studio about establishing his clothing brand, his experience as a bike messenger/dispatcher, and being a NYC employee.
--------------------
Host - Mathew Tyler Johnson @nycspokesstack
Co-Host - Stuart Chapin @bikeriders.radio
Producer - Anurag Papolu @nowatermarks
Music - Aaron “Butta” Stewart @dammbutta
My friends that know me know that my entire life. When somebody tells me no, that makes me do it even more. Like, if you tell me don't do it, that's a bad idea, I'm gonna do it anyways. You know? Cause I have my own brain, my own thoughts, my own walk, my own path in life. Who the hell are you? The true reason why stay alive started because that was my saying, that was my phrase. Over the air, over phone calls, over the radio, through a text message. I would just tell people to stay alive, man. Don't not kill yourself for this job, bro. Like, I'm an artist outside of this job. I'm a photographer outside of this job. I'm an aspiring videographer outside of this job. I'm not trying to just deliver a package for $20 an hour and get smoked, and my future is over, you know.
SPEAKER_00You're listening to the Spokescast. I am your host, Matt Johnson. I'm your co-host, Stuart. And producer Anrag. We are here today with Cordell, founder of Stay Alive Studio. How are you today?
SPEAKER_05Um doing good, bro.
SPEAKER_00Explain to me what Stay Alive Studio is.
SPEAKER_05Stay Alive Studio is my uh invention of creating a lifestyle brand to house my lifestyle, which is urban cycling. Cycling in the big city, and it seems like it's cycling specific, but I would say it's more just you know, just being young, being whatever color skin you are, and being in the thick of the urban jungle, you know? It doesn't have to be bikes, it could be a skateboard, it can be rollerblades, it can be whatever you got. Because uh when you live in a big city, it's different from living in the suburbs. Um, so stay alive is my invention, and it's literal stay alive.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, how did it get started and where did the name come from?
SPEAKER_05Uh not to get too deep, but stay alive started because I was working as a bike messenger. I started in Williamsburg around like 2012, 2013 by uh delivering pharmacy for a random company that put their um ad on uh Craigslist and they just said bike delivery guy needed. I I went that the interview was like three blocks away from where I lived, so I was like perfect. I started working for them and riding a bike doing deliveries. I met a bike messenger by the name of Massi, and he told me he also delivers pharmacy, but he also works for a messenger company, and he's throwing an alley cat, and I was like, What's that? And he gave me a flyer, and the name the alley cat came up. I went to it and I was blown away because I never seen anything like that in my life, like like cool bikes, cool outfits, young kids, especially black kids that look just like me, uh, racing, you know, and I was just there to watch. Seeing that inspired me to like ride more and be more stylish and get more involved in the scene, a scene that I didn't even know existed. And then what happened after that was I started, I got like a little mentor. You started telling me how to be a better bike messenger, stop working for pharmacy, start like cold calling companies and tell them that you're a professional that can deliver a package within an hour for a certain rate. And I started doing that, and after like maybe like 50 phone calls to 50 different companies, nobody really called me back until one random day, I was getting blown up left and right, architect firms, like different places that needed a package to be picked up and dropped off because of some special notary republic type of like little letter that needs to be signed and brought back, shit like that, you know. So once I started doing that, that's when I started meeting the homies like that actually did it as well. And then we started working together, and we worked for a company that I'm not gonna name the company, but those who will listen to this and know me, they know which company it is. Uh this company was cutthroat, bro. Like, they wanted, I mean, just to be straight up, like they were trying to kill us, man. Like, they were like telling us to deliver packages, like, do this and do this, do this, you know. So I got injured and I thought I was gonna get fired. And the boss at the time was like, We don't have no use for you, you don't have any other skills. And I was like, Um, I'm good with computers, like all this dispatching stuff, I could do that with my eyes closed. And he was like, Oh, that's perfect, because I just fired a dispatcher. So he showed me the spreadsheets, and I started killing the spreadsheets, and he was happy with that, and doing the spreadsheets, incoming orders, all that stuff. I started meeting everybody because instead of being a messenger on the street, now I was a delivery dude at a desk, and they were coming to me for orders, and I wasn't as cutthroat as the bosses are, so I would tell people like, yo, I'm gonna give you this route on your way home, so you don't have to come back and then go home. Like, I would hook the homies up because you know they were my friends. I was one of them, and that's the true reason why Stay Alive started because that was my saying, that was my phrase. Over the air, over phone calls, over the radio, through a text message, I would just tell people to stay alive, man. Don't not kill yourself for this job, bro. Like, like I'm an artist outside of this job, I'm a photographer outside of this job, I'm an aspiring videographer outside of this job. I'm not trying to just deliver a package for $20 an hour and get smoked, and my future is over, you know? And I believed in that for myself, and I believed in that for my homies. So I would always tell them the same thing. Like, stay alive, bro. Like, do not get your ankle like destroyed because you're trying to force this stupid $50 box 10 blocks, you know, like within 15 minutes. Like, don't do it, like do it, but you know, like come out safe on the other side so you can, I don't know, build your brand, or I don't know, get married one day, like you know what I'm saying? Like, stay alive.
SPEAKER_00I guess everybody's kind of different in terms of what workload they could kind of handle, but as a messenger, what is a workload that makes sense, especially when you were working in dispatch? Like, what what is like an amount of mileage or an amount of uh distance or amount of I guess whatever they're capable of carrying that at least makes sense for you?
SPEAKER_05I would say I would say the answer to that question is unlimited because the guys that I was working with, these guys were superheroes. Like, you got guys like Ninja, um, rest in peace, that was a literal superhero. This man dressed like he was Batman, like he had phones, beepers, he had like four jobs. He was a true Jamaican. He had big bags, small bags, he had like a holster, he had all these locks, he had a chain around his waist, he had a Bluetooth in his ear talking to his wife at all times. Like he had like the the the the what do you call that thing? The palm pilot with all his to-dos in it. Like he was literally a superhero. He there was nothing he would say no to. So because of that, I would always split the work because if there was a hundred packages going a hundred blocks, he's the type that would be like, give me all of them and be and take the work away from everybody, like, bro, share the wealth. And and rest in peace to Ninja, of course, but like that's just one person. There was so many, bro. And a lot of the homies that are still out here, too, that don't really do it anymore, but they can. Like, like one person, or he's gonna get hype when I name him, but Ricky Fifth Av, right? He don't do deliveries no more. But the other day, um, he came to visit the studio, and I had a package for a client that needed to go into Manhattan, and I was like, damn, how am I gonna get this package into Manhattan today, man? Like, maybe I can call an Uber because I'm not gonna bring it myself. I need to stay in the studio and continue orders. I can't be acting like I'm a bike messenger again, like that's the only. And he was just like, Oh, I'll do it. And he like came back with his bike, his bag, the shoes, the helmet, the whole fit, and I was like, damn, look at that. He snapped back into messenger mode. So it's always in you, you know, when you do it, you have all the gear, all the equipment, it's nothing.
SPEAKER_01Of all those people that you saw, you saw a ton of messengers come through you. What what stands out is like some characteristics that they all share?
SPEAKER_05Oh well, damn. I did a project called the Messenger Study, also known as the Courier Collection, where I photographed basically any person that did deliveries I can get my hands on. And the project consists of me getting up to a high location, and I would take a photo of them from above, and I would lay them out where their bike is on the left, the person is in the middle, and all their bag and all their gears on the right organized. And I probably took like 360 of these photos of messengers here in New York, uh bike messengers in Minneapolis, bike messengers in uh in London, in Spain, and in um France, in Paris. And looking at all the photos to this day, the one thing that I say that everybody has that's crazy is just like their this like this swag, man. Like they all look the same, but they all look totally different. But they all do the same exact thing, you know, pick something up and drop it off. And of course the industry's dead now because the food companies, the the apps, the Ubers They killed the industry, like, especially Amazon. Like whatever messenger logistics company that was getting clients to call them to deliver a package, those companies have either been phased out because of Amazon or whatever, or they either sold their concept to the highest bidder. So Amazon either put them out of business or purchased their logistics, and that goes for 90%. Whatever logistics bike messenger company is still around, I'm I promise you it's like a handful and probably like five companies, you know, that are in like a small little competition with each other, but it's not like it used to be. And none of these messengers would ever get e-bikes, right? No, hell no, because an e-bike is high maintenance, a track bike is low maintenance. It's I wouldn't even say it's low maintenance, it's no maintenance. Because the companies that we worked for, getting a flat wasn't a thing that you like that stops you from doing your job. Getting a flat was something you updated is currently happening, but I'm gonna fix it in the next five minutes. You know? If the package is really gonna be late, then can you send somebody to me that's gonna arrive within five minutes that's gonna get this package and get it to where it's going? Because most of the messenger companies are like they're like uh they're like a hive. It's like if there's eight people working there and there's thirty packages, everybody gets paid the same. If we all get all thirty packages within the next four hours, if we all eight of us get it done together, then we all get a big payday. It's not like, oh, I get three packages and I'm just gonna do these three, and then I get paid for three. It's no, I do three and everybody gets paid. So it was always like a kind of I got your back kind of thing, but I'm gonna have your back because you got a flat. Like, no, fix the flat right there on the spot, you know. You better have the gear in your bag to fix it too, and the skills to fix it, and a little pumps you can, you know, like some bubblegum, whatever you got, like make it work.
SPEAKER_01Um so people watch out for each other, but at the same time, you have to be good so that you can watch out for other people.
SPEAKER_05Exactly. So you can, you know, like in low maintenance, no maintenance. Like if your chain falls off on a track bike, you can fix it. Uh if you get a flat, you can fix it. If your wheels are out of true, you should have the little key. So you can spin it real quick and and and and key your nipples real quick and make sure it's lined up again and keep riding. If uh if a screw is stripped, I I never walk had another seat post collar, but some people did. They had like five seat post collars in their bag ready just in case, you know, like that's how these dudes were. They were never like out of commission. It was forever like, like, whatever you need, I got it, you know?
SPEAKER_00I'm curious about so you yourself were a messenger. How long were you a messenger before you started working dispatch? And also, along with that, you said that many other dispatch workers are more cutthroat than you are. So, how was your management style of that perceived by others who may be used to the more cutthroat style?
SPEAKER_05I would say I was uh when I first started working, it was like when I first started working and meeting everybody was 2014. That's when I started working and meeting everybody. 2015 is when I started doing dispatch. I started writing and co-calling and doing deliveries way before that, like two, three years before that, but I wouldn't call that the me because that was me learning. The 2014 me was that was like the birth. That was like I was I had my bike, I had my bag, I didn't have a jan sport, like I had like a messenger bag. I had I didn't have like a little Foley bike or a little, you know, a little a tricycle. Like I had like a bike with like 4815, like it was dialed in. So I became like the guys that were mentoring me, so that when I became a dispatcher, everyone instantly respected me because they knew that I fit the bill, you know, and I would ride to work, like other dispatchers would take the train, you know. So they don't know what it's like to ride a bike. So to receive work from somebody who's telling you to hurry up, chop chop, and they took the train to work is like, come on now. I don't respect you, you know. There's always arguments, there's always clashing. But to me, it was never that. And if it was, I would stand up for myself because you know I'm I'm from Brooklyn. A lot of other people say, oh, I'm from the Bronx, oh, I'm from Queens, I'm from, you know, nobody says I'm from Manhattan. People say I'm from Harlem, you know. But I'm from Brooklyn. You don't you if you if you come at me, we're gonna be arguing real quick. And not to say that I'm I'm willing to fight people, but what I'm saying is if we fight now, then we'll get it over with and we can be friends, you know? Let's not like have angst towards each other for like three weeks. Like, let's just go fight the fair one right now. You say what you gotta say, I say what we gotta say, get it out, and then we sit there like damn, I'm tired. Yeah, I'm tired too. Let's go get some fried chicken, bro, and be friends. Like, that's that's how I handle business, and because of that, uh it may be problematic, but I'm friends with everybody. There's maybe like two or three people I'm not friends with, but because we were friends and they did something shady to me, so you know I tell them to their face, like, yo, I don't like what you did, bro. And they can't handle it, so we're not friends no more.
SPEAKER_01So you're a creative person, but you're also an active person. What came first and how do the two mix for you?
SPEAKER_05I would say I was I've always been active and always been creative. Damn, I don't know how to answer that because they've always been together.
SPEAKER_01Have they always been like united? Yeah, always. They're like one goes with the other. Like you do photography, you were saying, do you have you always brought a camera on the bike?
SPEAKER_05Well, my first stab at being active was I was 13 years old. I got um in trouble in high school because I got into a fight and I knew how to fight. That was the problem. I knew how to fight, and I got into a fight, so I was whooping this dude's ass, and you know, I got in trouble for it. Like, so they kind of like wanted me out of the school. My mom was working for the city, so she had a little um pull with the school where they wasn't just gonna expel me. They talked to her, she was like, all right, I'll transfer him to a different school. So, because of that, we moved to a different neighborhood, and I was mad because I lost all my high school friends because there wasn't no MySpace, there was no Facebook. It was like you have to do face-to-face once you leave the school, it's like they're as good as dead. I'm never gonna see you again. Oh, you know, it was sad. New neighborhood, new high school. The first day I moved in, knock, knock, knock. This kid named Benjamin is just like, yo, come outside and play. You just moved on the block, right? And I'm like, uh, yeah, he's like, come play basketball. I'm like, I don't know how to play basketball. He's like, I'll teach you, don't worry.
SPEAKER_01And that was it, basketball, instant. Wow, we need more Benjamins.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, word. Benjamin's just like, get the hell outside, bro. What are you doing? Inside playing siphon filter? Like, what is that? PlayStation, like, get outside, dude. Freaking Benjamin dragged me outside, and that's activity, that's when it started, 13. Creativity now. I've always been sketching and drawing, but when it comes to photography, equipment, my grandfather, he had a Polaroid camera, and he would tell me, Go outside, take this camera, and I want you to go and take pictures of all your friends and bring me back the photos, because I want to see who your friends are. And I would do that thinking he is being a strict parent. But I think now that I'm older, I think he was tricking me to be an artist, you know, because I would do it. I would go outside and be like, My grandfather says I have to take a picture of you, and they'll be like, Okay, and they would like, you know, just squat up. I take the picture, protect the Polaroid, you know, flap it, put it in my pocket, bring it back, and he'll be like, Alright, good, good, good. Now I know who your friends are, just in case anything happens to you, I know who to come. And I would just be like, Okay, can I go back outside now? Like, that's how he was. So that's when creativity started for me. Like, taking photos is a crazy feeling, you know? Like it is it's weird. And as a kid, it was even weirder because you don't know what you're doing. Now, kids are different now, they got iPhones, you know. How old were the kids you were taking photos? Don't get their pictures taken, right? So it must have been a raw situation, yeah. I don't really remember it, but I just remember the camera because I still have it. Yeah, and you don't have the photos, um I imagine. No, I don't have the photos, no, yeah. But I still have the camera. The Polaroid is this old Polaroid LAN camera with the accordion. I I remember it, like I see it, and it's like the memory just hits me, like, oh my god, like I just opened up a new part of my brain. It's crazy, man. You know? Because your conscious doesn't kick in at those ages, so yeah, you don't really remember. You need like items to help you remember. But when it comes to creativity, that's what I remember. Grandfather forcing me to do that, and Benjamin forcing me to play basketball.
SPEAKER_01Uh flash forward, I I don't know how long, but when did uh when did fashion become an aspect of your creativity? I would say movies, man.
SPEAKER_05Like my my mom remarried and I met my stepdad around like 13, 14, and you know, we didn't have a relationship. Because he was my stepdad. He's from Harlem. We lived in East New York. And when they got married, we moved to Omill Basin, close, real close to King's Plaza. And we didn't really have a relationship because, you know, he's not my dad. But he really wanted to be my dad. So he would just do things like, yo, let's watch this Kung Fu movie. I just got a new movie. I just got a new Western. You want to see it? And I'll be like, no. And he'd be like, all right, maybe we'll watch it one day together. And like I just fell for his tricks, man. And like we just watched the coolest movies together. And it was really cool. And he worked for the city too. So he was like really just like a community man, you know? Because when you work for the city, there's a thing that happens to you. It's just a job, but you're forced to be there for like 12 to 16 to 18 hours. So when you're working somewhere for 18 hours and you cannot leave, it's like forced community. Um, so when you come home, your house is like super community because it's like your second family, and now you're with your first family. So no was not an answer for him. He wasn't on some like, ah, this kid's lame, he doesn't want to watch a movie with me. He's like, Alright, not today, alright, maybe tomorrow. Alright, not tomorrow, all right, maybe next week. Like he will not say no for an answer. He's just community man, you know. So watching movies with him just introduced me to fashion, like James Dean with the motorcycle in the jeans, like in the white shirt, who knew? Yeah, in the jacket, like what the hell? You got like these Black Panther movies that he would get, like, even like watching the Warriors, like that was crazy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, there's a lot of good fits in the Warriors.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, like what is this? What are you showing me? Like, is this movie a crime? Like, are we allowed to watch this? So young and like what? Like, so cool, man. I forget some of these movies. There's another really cool movie you he showed me. Um, I love those vengeance movies with Charles Bronson where he's like, his whole family dies, and he's just like, I'm gonna catch the teenagers that did it. And it's just him in a hotel with like this this big long gun, this handgun, and he's just like walking around the bad neighborhood looking for somebody that looks similar to the person that killed his wife. It's like crazy movies, man. But like fashion, yeah. There's fashion in those films, man. When you watch it, it's crazy.
SPEAKER_01How would you describe the the look, the like the aesthetic, the silhouette of the stuff that you that you make, and like how does that compare to the stuff that you saw like in those movies?
SPEAKER_05I would say the influence of Stay Alive, if I had to just pick one brand, it would have to be watching N1 mixtapes growing up. Because I grew up in the Kaza LimeWire, like, you know, like you get a computer and you rip songs, you get instrumentals, and it's like, yo, like we're gonna rap on these instrumentals. You download Fruity Loops and you think you can make beats, you know, it's like it's like that era was like I'm a creative, you know, like I'm gonna be creative. So doing that at like, you know, young, like 15, 16, 17, when you graduate and you're like and you're like now free, you can like roam the streets. Of course, it's like go to college, but you know, you in college with your hand on your shoulder on your on your chin, waiting for freaking three o'clock to come, so you can just go roam the city. Being in Manhattan, being in Union Square, like with my little map quest printout, like like I'm far from home, oh my god, like I'm hanging out in American apparel, I'm meeting other people my age, my space starts coming out, like you start to communicate like like I'm a I want to be a photographer, but I don't have a camera. What cameras to get? Oh shoot, DSLR? What's that? Like digital single lens reflex? Like what? Like, you know, this girl, she let me borrow her Nikon D80 in college, and I went into Manhattan and I went ballistic, taking photos of everybody I knew, and taking photos of people came from my grandfather, forcing me to take photos of my friends, so I was like, like that was always my vision. I never wanted to take pictures of landscapes, I always wanted to take pictures of people. Um bringing that infusing that with my space and like just being creative with downloading music and downloading movies, just talking about this made me forget the question. Do what was the question again?
SPEAKER_01Describe the aesthetic and the silhouette of the stuff that you design of stay of the stay alive like lines.
SPEAKER_05And I brought up N1 because I wasn't downloading N1 mixtapes because these guys were really cool because they were guys that could make it to the NBA, but instead they chose to be just freelancers that would just like travel with this brand instead of the NBA playing for the city, and the city plays against other cities, and one is like the underground city that plays against the underground of other cities, and their outfits, cool, their swag, cool, the way they talked, cool, like the way they acted on the videos. It was like I don't know who was the cinematographer, but it was just like raw. Like seeing that at that age and all and playing basketball with Benjamin all the time. I just wanted to be just like them. So all of that has just been in the back of my mind. Hip hop, of course, the evolution of like the clothes, the Averex jackets, the baggy jeans, everything. Like I was wearing like 3X, 4X tall T's from Footlocker. Like I would get my little Jordans, I'd be playing ball in Jordans, everybody'd be like, yo, you must be nice, and I'm like, yo, no, I'm not you know, just because of the sneakers, and it was crazy, man. Like, so when it was time for me to push my brand forward, I instantly just knew the urban direction of a brand you either have it or you don't. Most brands try it, and I feel like they uh they can't do it because they just don't have the the direction, they don't have the inspiration, and they don't have the ability because you know, like they look at themselves in the mirror and they're like, damn, I'm not I'm not an urban youth, so I can't I can't promote being an urban youth brand, you know? Yeah, so there's this there's a lot of elements to it, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I'm curious about the formation of Stay Alive specifically, like how did it all come together? Like, what was day one of I want to establish this brand and how do you even go about doing that?
SPEAKER_05Well, I would say for me, the very beginning was meeting Sharty from Tracker Die because there was no internet, there was Tumblr, but you had to know about somebody to find their Tumblr, and I didn't know about anybody, so how am I gonna find this Tumblr? You know? So I got invited to an Alley cat, and everybody said it was the track or die summer Alley Cat. And I was there just like a kid in a candy shop, 200 bikes, track bikes, fixed gear bikes, treks, and dolens, and all the best companies just piled up on top of each other, like like whoever owns the bike doesn't care. And I'm looking at the bikes like, oh my god, like kid in a candy store, you know. So to meet the person behind track or die is like, whoa, like that guy must be the craziest dude ever. You must be so nice. Everybody had on their track or die shirts, you see it, you see the community, but you also see the people that rep it hard. They got the hats, the shirt. How are they wearing a hat that says track or die on it when you go to the website and there's nothing for sale, you know? Like it's underground, like oh my god, you know, like you you feel those feelings. So a new bike shop came into town called Mott Street Cycles, and everybody was getting a Mott Street Cycles, so I went to Mod Street Cycles to check it out, and boom, guess who was outside? Tracker die, Mr. Shardy. So I walked up to him, and he's gonna laugh when he hears this, because this was like 2013 or some shit like that. I walk up to his bike, and I was just like looking at his chub hub in the back. I was looking at his his whole fast pedals, I was looking at his his drop bars, I was his Easton fork. I was like, yo, he got the EC90. I was like hype. And then he walked over, and I didn't know who Shardy was. So when he walked towards me and I saw him, I was like, oh shoot, that must be Shardy. He walked up to me and I said, What's up, bro? Are you Shardy? He looked at me and said, No. And then he took his bike and moved it. He moved his bike away from me. And I was standing there like, oh shoot, this guy is treating me like I'm about to steal his bike because I was, I was, I was fanboying, you know. And when that happened, I was like, damn, maybe I shouldn't be out here fanboying like this, you know. I was like, maybe I'll go, maybe I'm a little bit too hype, maybe I'll I'm gonna chill out a little bit. But just being hype about track or die was like my first instance that there's something here, you know? Because you got the guy, you don't know who he is, you got the brand, you see all the people wear the brand, you see the events that are promoted by the brand, and you see the turnout in the events, and from afar, you're looking in and you're just like, yo, this is amazing. Especially when there's no ads, there's no promotion, it's it's just happening with or without you, you know? Being young, seeing that, is very impressionable. Um, so I would say that's the that's the true beginning.
SPEAKER_01Have you told have you told Chardy that? Yeah, oh yeah, yeah. Okay, good friends, yeah. Good, good, good, good, good.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah, we we um right now I'm helping him make a flyer for one of his events that he's got coming up. So yeah, we we talk all the time. Hell yeah.
SPEAKER_01And uh, how did the how did the brand kind of grow? Like your your logo now is the Bibendum, the Michelin man, but he's riding a bike, you know. When when did he come into the picture?
SPEAKER_05Uh let's see. Babendam came into the picture because you know, I grew up watching Rocket Power. Uh likewise. Uh, you know, hey Arnold's, yeah, like mascots, characters, good character design that actually relate to us because like we live the life and to see the character doing the things that we like to do. Like as a young mind, like Toonami, the Toonami guy, like just those those characters. When whoever is behind those designs, like they're genius.
SPEAKER_01That was an amazing era for character design.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, like Goku, and it's more universal, but still, it's just like good, like good character design, man. So I've always been inspired by that. So when it was when I had my brand and it was time to you know design a logo, I had to make a decision. Do I make a logo with words? Like everybody, or do I make a character that kind of houses the brand in his existence? And I was thinking about a couple different characters, but Babendum, the Michelin man, spoke out to me mainly because he's a hundred years old, because I was worried about copyrights, and um, there is no copyright with him. The only copyright with him is the newest version of him, which is new. And if you look at that new version, it doesn't look anything like the older versions.
SPEAKER_01It's like super cutesy, right? It looks more like the State Puff marshmallows.
SPEAKER_05Exactly. He's cute, he's smiling, he gives you a thumbs up, he's very simple.
SPEAKER_01The original Michelin Man was literally just a human man wearing a bunch of tires.
SPEAKER_05Exactly. He he was a human man, but there was no human inside of it. So he was kind of like possessed. The original Michelin Man. He was kind of like kind of evil inside. Like a haunted suit of armor, but it's all tires. And I liked that about his character because I feel like fixed gear, track bikes, bike messengers, we're like nerds, we're like raw punk. You know, like most of my bike messenger friends that I met, like I'm a black dude from East New York. All my friends are Caribbean. When I started meeting bike messengers, they're like white dudes from Minnesota who like kind of smell, you know, and it was kind of just like there's a smell, yeah. You know, and it was kind of just like, yo, like, who is this guy? Like, these were my mentors, you know, like they were they were cool, but growing up, I would have never crossed paths with that dude with tattoos, like, yeah, right, you know. So because of that, the whole industry is punk. So I wanted a character that kind of like has that like F you, you know, and the Michelin Man wasn't that at first, but really the truth of the story, I'm not gonna name the brand, but there was a brand that had the Michelin man, and uh I said, man, like that's a cool character. I want to do something with him too. And the owner of this brand told me I can't. He said, No, you can't use him because I'm using him. Uh and it's the Michelin man. He I think you can use him, yeah. And my friends that know me know that my entire life. When somebody tells me no, that makes me do it even more. Like, if you tell me don't do it, that's a bad idea, I'ma do it anyways, you know, because I have my own brain, my own thoughts, my own walk, my own path in life. Who the hell are you? So when he told me that, I was like, say less, bro. So what I noticed about him is that he took, maybe he didn't take, maybe he got a designer as well, but they know who they are. They took the Michelin man, they didn't change anything about him, and they just put the name of their brand in the Michelin man's sash that he wears across his chest. They only changed the words. Too easy. Too easy. So what I did was I took pen and paper, I researched images of the Michelin man. I went deep and I found a picture of him on a motorcycle riding three-quarters. So I took that same three-quarters, like the what do you call the body when it's like you know the hips and the knees and the ankle proportions, right? I took the same three-quarter proportions and I changed the motorcycle to a bicycle, a track bike, and I removed all the components, and I changed like his hips a little bit and his legs in a little bit, and arched his back a little bit, and kind of made his arms kind of like he's like hunched over the bike. I gave him a smirk, I put like a beanie on his head, and I changed the proportions dramatically and made him my logo, and that same logo is running strong to this day. Mainly because I don't know, I put some thought into it, you know. So the brand that told me to not do it because it's theirs, I give props to them because they're the ones that drove me to go that hard, you know. If it wasn't for them, I probably would have taken the easy route as well. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Do you know where they're at now? Have they folded? Yeah, they folded. They scorpion folded.
SPEAKER_00I'm curious about just the evolution of Stay Alive and how you learned how to embroider. You were talking about that a little earlier, and maybe some products that you've sold that you're most proud of. Just just how has the journey been and how how has it evolved?
SPEAKER_05Well, you know, stay alive started with just the saying, stay alive, and then uh messenger world championships game in Paris in 2016, and starting the photo project with bike messengers, putting it on Instagram, and not really selling a t-shirt or anything like that. I didn't know anything about that, but traveling out there with the saying stay alive, the level of oh shit, you're the guy. Like, can you take my picture? Let's hang out. Like, do you have a place to stay? No, come, you'll stay with me. Like, the level of that was insane in Europe. That blew my mind because I forgot why I went to London. But I didn't go to do Messenger World Championship. I went for a different reason. I think I went to visit family, but I brought my bike as well. And doing that was a good move because riding around, I'm telling you, I didn't last 10 minutes in London. I built my bike, started riding within 10 minutes.
SPEAKER_04People are like, yo, stay alive, and I'm like, what? How do you recognize me?
SPEAKER_05Like it's crazy. So that level of community and people bombarding me with yo, do you have any t-shirts? Do you have any hats? Do you have any? No, no, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't. It was crazy, like it was a missed opportunity, but inspiring because I taught me like there's something here, you know. Not like, oh, I can make a bunch of money, more like the homies that live the lifestyle want to rep something that you've created that defines the lifestyle, you know. Like I feel like that community building, you you either have it or you don't, and that's what Stay Live became outside of my doing. So they were just like, they put it in my head. Like, we wanna wear your shirt, bro. Uh so when I came back to the States in 2016, I I like I hit the ground. That's when it truly started. Where I was like, I gotta make t-shirts, okay. I gotta buy the blanks, okay. I gotta give it to the supplier. Okay, they print them. Damn, the print is bad. Now I gotta learn how to vector. Uh, you know what? I'm just gonna screen print myself. I buy all the equipment. My girlfriend is like, what are you doing? Why is there plastic sol in the sink? Why is there plastic sole thumb prints on the fridge? Okay, maybe screen print is not for me. Uh okay, I want to make some hats. I want to do embroidery. Boom. I go down to the embroidery spot in Manhattan. The lady says, What is your design? I tell her, I want a Ford, I want a Range Rover logo on the front, but I don't want it to say Range Rover. I want it to say stay alive. I want a flag on this left side, I want individual race numbers numbered from one to one hundred of eat all one hundred cats. I want each and every hat to have a different number, and on the back, I want it to arch stay alive studio. She looked at me and said, You're crazy. Like, we cannot do individual designs on each hat, like go somewhere else. When she said that to me, I was like, Well, you you don't like money? What's wrong with you? So I I while I was arguing with the lady on 36th Street, a messenger came out the back. You know, he had the cleats on, and he said, What up? I was like, Yo, what's good, bro? He left. And then she was like, Next. So when he came out the back, I was in my full, my my full fit. I wasn't doing deliveries, but Still, you know, I got my shoes, I got my bag, I looked apart. So while she was talking to somebody else, I went into the back to see what was back there. And embroidery machines, as many, as many as I can see. Like 10 head machines, 20 head machines, single head machines. And this Mexican guy was back there. And I was like, I was like, yo, hermano, like, like, like, what's going on? And he's just like, what's going on, Bappi? And then and he's just like, you had to pick up a package? I was like, no, I'm just I'm just hanging out today, you know. Um, I was like, but I love embroidery, I love what you do. And he was just showing me the ropes. He's just like, yeah, today we're working on this, we're working on this, we're making these hats, we're doing these hats. Yeah, man, if you're ever interested, man, I'll I'll I'll help you out, you know. I was like, yo, I'm actually want to buy one. And he was like, Oh, they're expensive. But here, here, I'll write down which ones you should look up. And he just hooked it up, bro. And I was there just acting like, all right, see you later. You know, like, but that information was key. Because I went home on like this lady called me crazy. I know what kind of hats I want. I'm gonna just do it myself. I go home, you look up embroidery machines, how much is it? 16 grand. Oh my god, that's not happening. Like, you call the number and you're like, hey, I want to buy an embroidery machine. Can I get like financing? They're just like, Do you own a house? Do you own a car? The only way you can get financing is if you put your house and you you you basically, you know, like lease it, and then if you don't pay, we take what you put on it. I'm like, bro, you're gonna take my house if I don't pay. That's crazy. Like, y'all some sharks. So going through that taught me quick. Like, I'm not a big credit person. I was like, I'm just gonna buy it out right, you know. So I decided at the time I was gonna get into direct to garment printing because those printers were coming out. And I think it was 13 grand for a direct-to-garment printer. And I just started saving up, I started doing odd jobs, I started cold calling again, but instead of cold calling companies that needed deliveries, I would cold call people that needed design work. Um, so logos, flyers, illustrated graphics, videography, headshots, wedding photography, uh party photography, uh, your kid is getting a quincineta, like you name it. I would just see another photographer doing it, and I would just tap into their industry. And I saved up the money, and long story short, COVID. Boom! COVID. Like, oh my god, the world's coming to an end. I finally got enough money to follow my dreams in making my own goods for my own brand. But what is what is what was that joint called? 28 Days Later. It's like zombie apocalypse. Oh my god, like this money's worthless. We're all gonna die. And then my girlfriend, my girlfriend, now wife. Um, I was gonna say girlfriend at the time, but that would mean we broke up. No, we actually got mad.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, your your ex-girlfriend, now wife.
SPEAKER_05My ex-girlfriend, now wife, oh shit. Uh freaking, she was just like, she was just like, get it anyways. And I was like, why the hell would I spend that much money on something that's not gonna mean anything if the world doesn't function? And then she was just like, her parents live in Montana, and they are the type that are like, who cares about the world ending? Like, like like the the government don't affect us, like we're gonna be fine. So listening to them, I just I just bit the bullet and spent the money. Not on a director garment printer, I spent it on an embroidery machine because I figured embroidery was a lot harder. Because when I would research embroidery, I found no results. It's gate kept, heavily gate kept. Even the lady denied my money because she thought my embroidery idea was too crazy. So it being so heavily gate kept, it being not something you can learn on YouTube, it being something that you would have to get a job at a place that does embroidery and learn from them by doing the stuff that they want you to do. That's pretty much the only way to learn. Knowing that information helped me decide no one's gonna be able to sneak up behind me and take this from me. So I made the hard choice and bought the embroidery machine, knowing that when I master this, I'm gonna be in a world of my own.
SPEAKER_01I think that was also another instance of when somebody told you no, it made you want to do it even more.
SPEAKER_05Exactly. She was like, You you're you're crazy. Next, I was like, Oh, now I have to do it. You don't know who you're talking to, lady. Uh so getting the embroidery machine and the world on some like work from home, don't go outside, don't talk to nobody, gave me the opportunity to just make wild mistakes. The ugliest hats, the worst graphics, like crazy.
SPEAKER_01Do you keep any of those old um early ones around?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, my wife still wears them, and I'm like, yo, take that off. You're just showing me how bad I am. And she's just like, you came a long way. Uh uh. Funny stuff, man. But yeah, I mean, I just said all of that to say this to anybody who's listening, like, follow your dreams for real. Because tomorrow's not promised. Meaning, what you think is gonna happen tomorrow isn't gonna happen. And I have the perfect example for that. I tell this to everybody. You get home from work, you eat dinner, you um wait, start over. You get home from work, you take your coat off, and you hang it on the coat rack in the hallway. The coat rack has let's just say 40 jackets on it, right? A lot of jackets. It's in the hallway. It's a coat rack, whatever. It's one it's one of those ones on the wall. You go inside, you eat dinner, you watch the Knicks, the Knicks lose, you know, and you're like, damn, you know? Well the Knicks are winning right now, but you know, you go to sleep, you wake up, work is at 7 a.m. You wake up at 6, you make your oatmeal, you leave the house. Because you do this every day, you leave the house with just enough time to get to work, right? You open your front door, your front door doesn't open. It's stuck. Almost like the door is hammered closed. You're hitting it, you're hitting it. You're like, yo, why is this door not open? So you take your foot and your elbow and you really push the door, and as you squint to look through the crack, there are 40 jackets on the ground blocking your door because the coat rack, the nail holding the coat rack up, has been giving away for the past two years, and it finally gave away. Now, guess what? Your idea of just another day is now you can't get out of your apartment, late for work, and you gotta pick up all the coats because they're all in the ground, and you know it's like tomorrow's not promised, you don't know what's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_01Is that a true story?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, it's a true story when I was late for work. I was just like, what the hell? Like, I thought I was what the hell's wrong with my door? Like, who's on the other side of this thing? The freaking coats, man.
SPEAKER_00That was too specific to not be a real story.
SPEAKER_05Straight up, like, tomorrow's not promise, bro. Anything can happen, you know.
SPEAKER_00How did you get better at embroidery? You said there's no real like YouTube tutorials, it's really heavily gate kept. It was it truly just trial and error, just yeah, just pressing. How long did it take you to really perfect that skill?
SPEAKER_05I would say the thing, just off the top of my head, without thinking about it too hard, I would say other brands. Like, I'm a firm believer that we're living in an open book test today. Let's use Supreme as an example. Supreme does a lot of his embroidered goods, right? And there's websites called the Supreme Archive, the um, I forget to know the name of the website, but there's a website that basically buys every single thing Supreme and they possibly return it, I don't know, but they buy it, they take a picture of it, and they catalog every single thing Supreme has ever made, they put it in a drop list, and this website goes back to the beginning of time of Supreme, it goes back to like 2012 or something like that, and it has every single thing they have ever made in high definition photographs. So seeing a Supreme hoodie with high def embroidery, seeing those examples helps you to make sure that your stuff looks somewhat as good. And most people, what do they do when they have a brand? They take a blank and they talk to the supplier, they take a picture and they tell, hey, supplier, can you make my hoodie look just like Supreme's hoodie? Supplier does their best job, whatever they give you in return, you decide if you're gonna use the supplier again or if you're gonna look for another one. A lot of brands don't have the ability to go through six suppliers until they find the right one, you know? Um, so when you own your own equipment, you don't have to do that. You just keep tweaking the settings until you get it right, you know? And that's what I do with photography, with video work, and now with embroidery, because I don't look at embroidery like it's just a thing to make money. I look at it as an art form, kind of like everybody in their house has a cup filled with pencils, you know? And then when you decide, you take one of those pencils out and you use it to make art. That's what their embroidery machine is to me. It's a it's a pencil in a cup, you know. I use it and I tweak it to just make something that wouldn't exist if I didn't lean into it. Yeah, so over time, that's how I got better and better at it. Just looking at real-world examples and also walking past people. Like, I'm the type when a guy is with a girl and she's wearing a baseball hat and I'm staring at her, I don't care about your shorty, bro. I care about the hat that she's wearing. And he's looking at me like, yo, what are you looking at? And I'm just like, I'm sorry, bro, I'm sorry, excuse me. It's the hat, I swear. Can I see your hat because that hat is cool? Like, who made it? And she's just like, oh my god, it was my friend. Uh uh-uh. And he's look, he looks all salty, and I'm there taking notes. Like, okay, what from where? Michigan? Okay, Michigan, what really? A bakery made this hat? Oh, that's crazy. I gotta find out who this company is. And then I do the research, and then it's like, you know, like I that's how I am. I'm I'm I'm forever seeing stuff, and I reference it to figure out how I can make my own stuff better, you know.
SPEAKER_01It's hard not to believe that a uh a stay alive catalog exists somewhere. Have you have you been doing that? Have you been taking photos of everything? I have, yeah.
SPEAKER_05I try to make one on my website, but I haven't been updating it because of computer issues. But I finally got a new computer because uh someone told me, Little Birdie told me that there's a RAM problem problem right now with AI. Um, AI companies are buying up all the RAM, so there's a RAM shortage because production cannot keep up with that amount of need. So now the laptop companies are trying to figure out how to make cheaper laptops and make the more expensive laptops even more expensive. Um, so seeing that, I was like, alright, I gotta get the laptop I've always wanted now before it's too late. Um, so I got like the big boy now, the you know, the M5 chip, all of that bullshit. So now I can start working heavy with my website. Oh, so like I want to.
SPEAKER_01A new era in the stay alive studio, new era, and a better camera too.
SPEAKER_00When were you able to get a like physical space and how has that changed the process for you?
SPEAKER_05Oh my god, the physical space. Right now, as I sit near this window, I am wary of an assassin taking me out. Your space is that great? No. The reason why I'm wary of an assassin just hitting me with a sniper rifle through this window is because I have a space now, so I'm able to get my work out a lot faster. But there are still people that before I had a space have ordered from me, and I have not gotten them their orders yet. And I swear these people are out to kill me, bro. Like, and it's like if you're listening, call off the hit, okay, please, because I'm working hard.
SPEAKER_01Let this man stay alive.
SPEAKER_05Yes, I'm working hard to fulfill your orders, and having the space helps me do that a lot more because I don't know if you know what it's like, but I'm just gonna say you know what it's like to live in the place that you work is bad, man. You don't get anything done. Like a time just flies, distractions, video games, the PS5 just goes beep, and it's like you're your your body goes, huh? Like, oh uh like hell divers, you know? It's like it's so many distractions. Oh my god, don't even get me started, bro. And that's how I started. It was the embroidery machine was in the kitchen. My sewing machines were in the living room, the bedroom, and the bathroom. I told you before about my girlfriend complaining about the plastic sol ink. It was in the house, like I was screen printing in the damn kitchen table, like you know, like that's how you start, man. Like even DJs, DJs start with all their equipment, all their records is like in the shower with them, you know, like this stuff takes up space. So I've been in my apartment for a long time, just cracking up on equipment, facing marketplace, just learning this equipment. So now that I got a new space, finally, and I'm able to house everything in that space. I feel like it's a different me now. Um, because when I get there, all I do is work, I grind, I got my UPS guy. Yo, shout out to my UPS guy. I went to high school with this guy. Can you believe that? Like, I met him and I'm like, yo, Dennis, my boy, what's good? He like texts me, he's like, yo, want to go to the gym? Like, yo, I got a package for you coming tomorrow. Uh-uh-uh. Like, this guy is a saint, man. Like, I cannot believe it. Like, stuff comes to the studio and he makes sure that it is in a safe spot so I can acquire it. Like, I don't have to worry.
SPEAKER_01That's good karma from your messenger days. For real.
SPEAKER_05For real.
SPEAKER_03For real.
SPEAKER_05Delivery man that holds it down, you know. Having the space is crazy. Like, call off the hit, please. He's working on it. I'm working on it, man.
SPEAKER_00Stuart had asked before about developing kind of a catalog. Now that you've developed a catalog, how do you stay inspired?
SPEAKER_05Hmm. The way I stay inspired is hard. I'm gonna tell you that right now, because the internet is like it's so weird, man. Like the way the internet treats us nowadays makes you feel like you're not good. And I feel like it's designed to be kind of like a drug, you know? It's designed to make you you know like how in the wire they sprinkle baby powder and bacon soda in the drugs to make it watered down so that you get your high, but you're kind of like, come on, man, like I need more. That's how the internet is right now, and it wasn't always like this. So now sometimes I fall for it and I wake up and I'm just like, stay alive is dead, nobody cares.
SPEAKER_04Like, uh, like, you know, like I'm wasting my time.
SPEAKER_05I'm just gonna go work for the Navy. I'm just gonna just I'm just gonna sign up for the Navy. Go get a real man's job. Like, like, what am I doing? You know, that's how I feel. Um, sometimes I wake up like picture day. I did it, I'm doing picture day, you know.
SPEAKER_01I can't tell us what that is.
SPEAKER_05Uh basically, picture day for the psyching community is I just pick a location. I bought a backdrop, I bought legs, I got my camera, and I use the sunlight as my lighting, and I just set up in any city, any location, outdoors, and then I message the community on my platform or someone else's platform, and I just say, basically, picture day for the cycling community all day, pull up to this location, get your picture taken for free. Like, every time it's time for me, well, it's I tell myself I'm gonna do it on this day. Every time before I do it, I say to my wife, like, man, nobody's gonna come. I'm gonna stand out there all day in the cold, I'm gonna be wasting my time. Like, like, what if nobody comes? And she's always like, dude, shut up. Like, are you crazy? Like, literally, 200 people's gonna come, and then you're gonna take 200 photos, and you're gonna have to edit 200 photos, and I'm gonna be here editing photos with you instead of going out on a date. And I'm like, no way, no way. And then what happens? Picture day comes, mad people show up, it's a party, and I'm there, like, oh man, yo, like y'all so dope. Uh-uh. It's so crazy, it happens every time. But the mental, I just bring that up to say that the mental of the the internet makes you feel uninspired, man. Like, I've been trying to stay inspired, but online just like it's it's like very defeating, man. I don't know how to like fix it either. Like, it's tough. So, what I do is I just stay in the real world. That's my way. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I want to say, I want to add to that because I have been in that headspace as well with Spokestack, and I feel like the people to acknowledge is you say your wife has been there for you. My fiance has been there in the same regard. Where I go to put out a story, I'm like, nobody's gonna read it, nobody reads anymore, nobody's gonna listen to this podcast. And she's like, every time you say this, you have fun doing it. She's like, just enjoy the process, she's been there every second, and so we gotta, we gotta be grateful for these women in our life, too.
SPEAKER_05That's a fact, bro. Yeah, that's a fact, and also remember that I will always remember when this guy, Massey Locotrac, came up to me randomly while I was doing the delivery.
SPEAKER_01That's the coolest name I've ever heard.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, Massi Locotrak.
SPEAKER_01You gotta be kidding me. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_05This this young Mexican bike messenger just came up to me. He was like, Yo, you do deliveries, right? I was like, Yeah. He was like, There's an Alley cat happening in a couple days. You should come. And I was like, I bet. And he was like, Here's a flyer. He gave me the flyer, and I was looking at this like it was the Willy Wonka golden ticket. I was like, What? And he's just like, see you there. What's your name? I bet, my name's Masi. Rides off. And I'm just like looking at this flyer, like, wow, like 420 race? What the hell? I go to Facebook, I type in 420 race, nothing. I go to Safari or what is it called? Firefox, and I type it in, nothing. This thing does not exist in in the digital world. And but when I showed up, everybody and their mama was there. Like it was crazy. That is what I say is the real world, you know. The real world is an inspiring place. As long as you have patience, you'll find some inspiration, you know.
SPEAKER_01I want to talk about the real world now for a second. You you work for the city, you have been in this city your whole life, you've done many different jobs that like kind of work for the city, you know, as a dispatch, as a messenger, what you do now, and through like the brand and stuff representing the people who work in the city, who live in the city. How does that change?
SPEAKER_05I would say it changes my relationship to the city because living in the city you learn to hate the city because the city doesn't love you back. NYPD, I got arrested for the dumbest thing and went to central booking. And I was in central booking mad, bro. Like when they close those, when they close that ching, ching, ching, ching, ching, bong, and then you hear the echo, and the CO walks away, and you in there with a bunch of hooligans and a peanut butter sandwich as a pillow. It's like, what the hell? This place exists. And you know, you're only there for 16 hours. Because it's not jail, it's just holding. You know, being young and going through that eye-opener. Like, that's living in the city. Like, you get robbed. First time I ever got robbed. I'm not gonna explain the whole story, but basically, I just had a bunch of change in my pocket. These kids were like, yo, run your pockets. They found all these quarters. They was like, damn, what was you going to the you robbed the bank? And then they were like, What's your name? I was like, My name is Cordell. And they was like, nah, from now on, your name is Quarter, bro. I see, I see you all the time, bro. I see you all the time. You quarter from now on, bro. And now, these kids walked me home after they robbed me. They robbed me and bought chips for themselves and for me. And we sat there and ate the chips together with my money. And then they walk me home, they're like, see you later, bro. And I'm like, no, I'm telling on y'all. I told my uncle, he's laughing at me. Um, the next day, guess who's outside my house with like uh uh one of those scooters and like a uh uh uh playing soccer, and like these same kids, they're like, yo, quarter, come outside, and I'm like, I don't want to play with y'all. Like, you know, you end up hating the city, but you love it at the same time, it's a love hate. So just getting older, you know, and working. Um, I started working for the city, and life got crazy with that because working for the city, being a New York State employee, you see the inside of the city, you see the way the city operates, and to some people that'll make you hate the city even more because you see that as corrupt. Because the old me was afraid of the NYPD because, you know, they see you and they target you. The work for the city me, like the agency I worked for, is shoulder to shoulder with the NYPD. So when I'm in uniform, you know, doing my job, and they show up on scene to do their job, they see me as a city employee. So they don't they don't mess with me. And seeing that is crazy, like wow, the same agency I used to be afraid of is now on some like what's up, bro? Like, what y'all got here? Oh, really? Oh, that's messed up. Yo, you see that game last night? Uh-uh. And it's like, what the hell? It's crazy, man. You know, being on that side of it. And then the family side, um, like you really start to develop a family when you work for the city. You know, whether you work for NYPD, which is crazy. I don't know why anybody would do that. But like, you know. But you know, there's cops everywhere. So, you know, a cop, you know, people do that. But whether you work for NYPD, whether you work for the fire department, whether you work for sanitation, whether you work for um Department of Transportation, once you start working for these agencies, like you become a family, it's crazy. Because like I said before about my dad, you spend all the time there, you become a community person. That interagency community is undefeated. Like, there's birthdays, there's you spend holidays together, you rotate shifts together, everybody is your your your your brother. You do trauma bonding, like the city agency I work for is a traumatic agency. So, you know, trauma 24-7. Every single 9-1-1 call is like trauma, trauma, trauma, trauma. So doing it with your homies, you know, is is like it's nothing to us. At the end of the day, now we kind of like have this bond where it was like somebody, you know, they driving their car, the car flipped over, they're inside the car, they're crushed, like a crushed can. Who's showing up on scene to save that person? Not the NYPD, you know. You know, so you know, we show up, we get inside the car, get the man out, now he's good. Now he's looking at you like, yo, thank you. And I'm like, yo, don't thank me. I'm just doing my job, man. You know, it's crazy. Like having these stories in my head and having the family members that can also remember. Like, there's a guy that I talk to all the time. Um, no, I actually don't talk to him all the time, but we did a lot of work together when I first joined the city. And now that we don't work together, I don't see him as much. But whenever we talk on the phone, it's almost as if we like it's almost as if we pick up right where we left off, you know. And I never knew this guy before I started working with him. So why are we best friends, you know? And it's gotta be because of just being fused together for five years, you know? It's crazy, yeah. Um, so yeah, a job is a job, but I don't know, working for the city, it does something to you, man. Uh, it turns you into a community person for real. And what what was the other part of the question?
SPEAKER_01Working as dispatch, working as a messenger, like being on the ground, or like helping people who are on the ground, you know, see the city differently. There's a you've you've seen the city in a lot of different ways. How does that also like impact even through the like the lens of the of the camera as well?
SPEAKER_05Oh, yeah, facts.
SPEAKER_01How does that impact you and like your creative vision?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I would just say that it impacts me positively because um I used to like think that having a job was all life was about, you know. Um, but now I've learned from working for the city and starting my brand and pumping hours into my brand, like it's not about working anymore. Now it's about time management, you know, because there's not enough time in the day to achieve everything you want to achieve. Working for the city is honestly made me sad because now I realize that I'm gonna die one day not achieving my goals because there's not enough time to achieve them, because my goals have gone crazy. It's not just like simple things anymore. Now it's like this book in front of me, this book in front of me says 5,000 years of textiles. What the hell? I'm only gonna live to be 80 if I'm lucky, bro. What are you talking about? 5,000 years of textiles, like there's so much to learn, there's not enough time to learn it, and I'm I'm seeing that now. So it makes me excited and makes me sad because now I'm realizing that it used to be, oh, I gotta go to work to make money. Now it's like I gotta figure out how to gain more time because time's running out. I need more time, and I'm trying to achieve some goals that well, as we're running out of time on the episode, see what I'm talking about.
SPEAKER_00I'm gonna let you go so you could achieve some of those goals quickly. Yeah, it's been really great talking to you, man. Thank you for your time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, thank you so much for doing this.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, this is part of it, man. I feel like this is part of gaining more time, right? Because speaking uh is beautiful, but speaking and recording it and being able to listen to it again and actually gain something from it, hopefully 10 years from now I can listen to this and hear something that I didn't hear, you know, like in the past. Like I look forward to those instances where you can kind of make things eternal. Um like taking a photograph. Like taking a photograph. So technically, this is like this is right within the stay alive ballpark, man, like keeping things alive.
SPEAKER_00It's been all archiving.
SPEAKER_05Word.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for your time. You've been listening to this postcast. I'm the host, Matt Johnson. Co-host Stuart and Podias Anadov. Thank you for listening.
