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bryanzvaldivia · 3 years ago

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Hope this sees the light of day.

“Ya vamos” is what I can remember my mother yelling as we prepared to head to the mall. She would always drag one of us or all of us to accompany her. It was known in my family that my mom was always the flyest and also….a shopaholic. I can remember being bored out of my mind just wanting to either go to KB Toys, Toys-R-Us, or home while my mom was trying to get flee. When I think about those trips to Del Amo Mall or The Galleria, subconsciously I wonder if that was the catalyst of everything my life/hobbies/career has turned into.

In my family recording shows, wrestling ppvs, concerts, etc on VHS was a big thing. Some of those VHS tapes are burned into my brain because we would rewatch them over and over again. “The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" episode 6, season 12 of the Simpsons has a significant impact on me. I can remember being mesmerized by how much Homer was fiending over a pair of the ‘Assassins.’ Velcro straps, a water pump on the tongue, reflective side walls, and a retail price of $125 is something I can never forget. I can still remember Homer drooling over them as soon as Ned Flanders was rocking them shits. Thinking back on how my life has panned out, its funny to see where I’am in life because of fuckin’ sneakers.

The year was 2000, I was in 8th grade. A lot of family secrets were finally getting revealed to me. My father was not only cheating on my mom but had been since they first got married. Music by that time had already been consuming my life and shaping the youth I was. Nirvana - Nevermind really opened the door and my mind to so many new ideology, subcultures, & different types of music. Standards that I still hold true to this day. As much as it was opening things up for me personally it was also shutting me off completely from my family. That Seattle sound, style wise, started shaping me in a way you can still see to this day. If you know me I’m still rocking a flannel and some jeans but mixed with my love for Triple 5 Soul.

My mom would drive me to school and there were two stations that we’d listen to. Power 106 and KROQ. The first time I heard Deftones - Change (In The House of Flies) was on KROQ. The ambient sound, mixed with heavy guitars, piled with Chino Moreno’s vocals on top really struck a chord with me. I ended up recording it on cassette and played that shit until even my friends were annoyed with it. Then, the music video came out and it was over. I was completely obsessed with everything about them. I had a visual to go with the song I couldn’t get out of my head. I ended up recording the music video that played on MTV and ran that back a million times. As a Latino it was powering to see these guys playing in a heavy band on MTV. Another thing that I took notice from them was their style. Still to this day Chino Moreno is a big influence on me and my style. I wanted to dress exactly like him. I had to go buy Dickies jackets, pants, Adidas Campus, FUCT zip-up hoodie, & those belts that back in the day only gang members would wear(I’ve never worn another belt but those). I was entering a new chapter in my life and really started discovering the early DNA of the person I would become.

I had graduated high school and was already heavy into sneakers. The golden era of Nike SBs that I couldn’t afford and my parents wouldn’t buy for me. I lived vicariously through my homies who were fortunate enough to be able to afford them. Where I grew up the Filipino foos were ALWAYS the flyest. I basically held every Nike SB that goes for thousands of dollars now, in my hands when they came out. I ended up having a pretty good collection myself once I got my first job at Best Buy. I ended up selling it to my older brother for a crazy price that I still regret to this day. He actually still has them all which makes me happy. I signed up for Fullerton College, I went for about a semester. Granted I would skip class, smoke weed in the parking lot, and hang around the area. My store at the time was Active and that's where we’d go get fly and cop Nike SBs. One day walking around smoking a blunt I stumbled across this boutique sneaker store called Beatnik on S Harbor Blvd. First time I walked in they were bumping Big L featuring Fat Joe - The Enemy. It was something new and I could feel it in my bones. I knew I had found my spot. I can’t even begin to tell you what the guy working at the counter name was but he took a liking to me. We started talking about all the ill brands at the time and they carried most of them. This was 2006 so The Hundreds, Stussy, LRG, Crooks and Castles, etc. To someone who obsessively dives into shit, my life was changed. He introduced me to his boy that went to FCC too. This mfer was the flyest and literally had every Nike SB, Ice Cream, Bapesta, Bape Hoodie gear. He’d show up every day in some new shit. The classic every girl wanted him and every guy wanted to be him. Rumor has it he was cool with Pharrell. At the time Clipse and Pharrell had a choke hold on me. They had just put out ‘Mr. Me Too’ and I was anticipating Hell Hath No Fury. I remember going to the library to sign into Myspace so I can put that song as my profile song lol. Still to this day I reach to look as fly as Clipse and Pharrell. It’s funny because for a quick second I worked for PlayClothes that my dear friend Megan hooked me up with.

Sitting here writing this and looking around in my apartment in Washington Heights filled with sneakers, gear, action figures, & musical instruments all laid out in front of me. I’m looking at my Morrissey pillowcase, Boondocks DVDs, my record collection, Mitsuharu Misawa action figure, & Ralph Lauren bed sheets. All these things are an equation that when you add them all together, they equal me. Even years after discovering these things I’m still totally obsessed and in love with them. I’m glad I never stopped liking what I liked and being true to myself.

Sincerely,

Soul Burn Slow.

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bryanzvaldivia · 8 years ago

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