VISIONS by Village Psychic

Michael Morey has designed some of skateboarding’s most thoughtfully crafted footwear – he’s designed signature shoes for pros like Kevin “Spanky” Long and TJ Rogers (yes, THE TJ Rogers shoe ) while working for Emerica and éS. Given these successes, it may be hard to believe that only a few years ago Michael didn’t have much connection to the skate industry at all. He was looking at it from the ou...

There’s a specific bond between people that can only be gained through time spent in a car together. I have a feeling that the listeners / readers of this platform have an idea of what I’m referring to – even if a full day of spot hunting with a friend or two is a bust, you each go back home with a better friendship than the one you started the day with. Even if you don’t know what I’m talking abo...

Trigger Warning: Drugs are referenced Today’s episode is a BIG one, and if you’re familiar with today’s guest, multidisciplinary artist Travis Spinks , you’ll know why. He’s a stunningly bright guy with a shining personality and lot to say. Originally from Houston, TX, Spinks has been living in Brooklyn, NY for the last decade, after stints in Austin and the Bay Area. His journey as an artist has...

New York or Portland?!? What happens when you get arrested wearing Half Cabs and miss a test at school?!? What the hell is Bosco and why is that your nickname?!? These questions and so many more are answered in today’s installment of This or That™. YouTube link is here for the visual learners among us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to...

Today we’re talking with Alexis ‘Bosco’ Picard, an artist designer whose work truly comes through as authentic in our current era of cookie-cutter visual media. His style lives in that interesting space between art and design—you can tell it’s grounded in a serious painting practice. He’s also spent about a decade working at Nike, along with doing graphics for Allitmers and Palace . So yeah, he sk...

We like talking to shoe designers (see our past episodes ), so it should come as no surprise that today we’re talking to Richard Stickney, the designer behind some of the biggest shoes of the past few years – the Alexis Sablone AS-1 Pro and the Louie Lopez Pro from Converse. Even more exciting is that he’s launching his own shoe brand, HRMNY Footwear . He’s also an amazing manny skater. See for yo...

Vince Skelly makes sculptures out of wood, oftentimes using a chainsaw. Some look like chess pieces, some look like furniture, some actually are furniture. They can be seen in a lot of interesting places , and we’ve been seeing more and more of them in recent years. Vince’s sculptures embody a timeless spirit, one that conjures West Coast energy into form – natural, clean, serene. One that’s clear...

The academic life - it’s pursuit of many. A lot of days, you get to be the smartest person in the room, and on other days you get to hang out with the other smartest people from other rooms. It seems great. In previous generations, the idea of a university professor who skates would have been out of the question. Isn’t that stuff for kids? More and more, as the dynamic of this whole world we inhab...

How do you know when you’re doing too much? It has to be hard balancing a career as a professional skateboarder while being the founder of one of our world’s best events (and, we truly do mean best), all the while finding time to complete endurance challenges that most of us, even at our respective peaks of physical health, would shudder at. Or is it? Today’s guest, Ryan Lay , does all the things...

We’re all creative in one way or another (especially the listeners of this pod) – some write, some build, some paint. However, there are times that even the most creative among us are stopped in their tracks by someone who truly creates on a different level. Today’s guest Scott Warneke is one of the rare individuals who could certainly engender such a response. Some kids played with trains, he bui...

Launching something new at this time, no matter what it is, is…hard. Doing it with conviction and an entirely new way of manufacturing that’s based on values rather than instant profit? In this economy? Impossible. Unless (wait for it..) you’re Unless Collective . They’re making high quality gear - hoodies, pants, tees - all of your favorites, made with organic materials, and zero plastic. Let’s s...

Mocean Skateboards of Portland, Maine grabbed our attention simply because their gear looks different (and, let’s be real, better) than what you’d expect from a clothing line based out of a skate shop. Their house brand features thoughtfully designed pieces made from high quality fabrics, made with skaters in mind and clearly referencing something different from the standard streetwear playbook. T...

UPDATE - Had the wrong audio on original post - here’s the right one! It’s not every week that we have the inventor of one of Time Magazine’s Inventions of the Year on the pod - but we do this week, AND he’s a ripping skater. Joe Hollier, co-creator of the Light Phone (check it out, it’s truly amazing and much needed in our current era) talks coming up skating in New Jersey, visiting the Brooklyn...

It’s not every week that we have the inventor of one of Time Magazine’s Inventions of the Year on the pod - but we do this week, AND he’s a ripping skater. Joe Hollier, co-creator of the Light Phone (check it out, it’s truly amazing and much needed in our current era) talks coming up skating in New Jersey, visiting the Brooklyn Banks back in the day, going from never hearing of art school to getti...

Getting into skating can expose you to a lot of interesting people and get you into a lot of things. Skaters tend to go all in on skating and then find a way to go all in on everything from woodworking, art, writing, real estate, or…podcasting. But olive oil? That’s a first. We had a very good chat with Theophilos Constantinou of Psyche Organic , a maker of pinnacle-quality olive oil, where we dis...

Today on the pod we’re joined by Leif Hauge , a footwear designer who’s currently making his mark at New Balance Numeric, as well as holding it down with own creative practice . Also, the dude rips . We get into starting with the goal of becoming a footwear designer, how unexpected projects can pave the way for your future, and why sometimes it’s great to just be a sponge. “I told myself I wanted...

It’s a big one today, folks! We talked to one of VP’s (and let’s be real, one of a lot of people’s) favorite skaters, Gino Iannucci . We talked his new release with ASICS, Long Island’s rich history of skateboarding, first try bangers, why indoor soccer shoes work for skating, and what it’s like to start new projects after decades in the game. Enjoy. 📸 by Cole Giordano “…as I continued skating, I...

One of the best things about bringing VP to Substack has been becoming immersed in an entirely new content ecosystem – people are using Substack for so many creative things :) A few months back our attention was caught by The War Report , a hilariously insightful Substack account that chronicles skate and skate adjacent fashion from the perspective of someone who definitely knows what they’re writ...

Since our original feature on Sexhippies in May of 2023 , the brand has experienced tremendous growth, as evidenced through their video output , Converse collaboration , and presence in some of the best shops . In celebration of their SS25 release , we felt inclined to re-release our interview with Ben Baptiste, founder of Sexhippies , as a podcast. Here’s the audio (it’s a great convo!), and stay...

Big one today folks: we’re announcing that VP favorite brand 18 East is (finally) launching a skate team. Since its inception in 2018, the brand has had more references and connections to skating than any non-skate specific brand we can think of, so it’s due time for them to announce a proper entry into the skate world. Today on the podcast we talked talked to Antonio Ciongoli, the brand’s founder...

The Brooklyn Banks - they’re on everyone’s minds after their (very) recent reopening, so we’re extra blessed to this week to talk to Steve Rodriguez. Steve has not only been hosting skate events at The Banks for many years, he’s also the co-founder of Gotham Park , the organization responsible for reviving the banks into their current form. We get into the spot’s full history, why it was off limit...

Today’s guest Fabricio Da Costa has lived many lives. He’s a footwear designer as well as an ex-pro skater who’s lived in Brazil, Portland, and New York City. He designed some of the most iconic silhouettes in both skate (including the VP favorite Project BA ) and running footwear (Nike Zoom Alphafly), and has expanded his reach into everything from apparel to snowboard boots. ”…it was hard to get...

We’re hitting everyone with the podcast version of a recent favorite - a conversation with Dane Nomellini, Griffin Gass , and Andrew Nedimyer of Pearl , a new clothing brand from Seattle. 🎧 Enjoy 🎧 “You keep watering it and taking care of it, and it'll grow.” “Dane and Griffin even screen printed some of our hang tags – at one point were poking holes in the tags, putting on them on all the shirt...

If you haven’t heard by now, all-around pro dude and swaggy skate world mainstay (We mean it! He’s so swaggy!) Curren Caples has a new pro shoe out with Vans . It’s clearly an updated take on classic Vans vulcanized sole stylings, but like…how do you even upgrade a classic? Well, there’s one guy to ask: Curren himself. Listen to our conversation above ⬆️, some key takeaways (yeah, that’s business...