Citizens Of Shred - Stayin' Crisp

Posted by Justin Ward on 15 June 2010 | 1 Comments

Tags: Snowboarding, Interviews

If you had fuck all to do with your day, I guess you could sit around the city with a pack of smokes and ask one thousand fools rushing to work in pin-stripped business attire, "What is the meaning of life kind sir?"...

Chances are you're going to get the same dismal response. "Life is about working 9-5 young lad, you know making the dollars tick over. Get a house, paying it of," the poor dude claimed, " oh and whilst you're at work make sure you have a long perve on the slutty secretary because once you're married and reach my age you're going to be wishing that young sheila would replace your dull, dried up wife! Oh and life's about eating pies and chips for lunch...stuff the wife, beers and kilos, that's what life's about son. Remember that and you'll go places!"

Stuff that for a joke. Office Jocks don't know shit besides the day of the week and numbers. The real people who can offer some quality life advice are those living the shred life. The crew you see down at the local skate park attacking coping, the salt rats you see paddling out solo at notoriously sharky reefs sitting 100 metres off shore and the crew who would prefer to cruise around the globe with a cold beverage taking each day as it comes and wondering where their next dollar is coming from. I met a few blokes in Perth a few years back and we hung out, went skating and drank piss. We didn't grow up together or attend the same schools, but we became mates because of commonalities that make life a whole lot of fun. I haven't seen the pair of brothers in a few years now because Blake and Zak Kennedy saved their dosh, packed their bags and legged it for the nearest airport with intentions of spending their future days travelling to rad places throughout Europe and the United States, meeting random like-minded people and having a shit load of fun. Whilst on the road, the Kennedy brothers created Citizens Of Shred and they have been sending updates about their movements and I thought you'd be interested in hearing what they have been getting up to. I'm stoked to bring you this interview with two cats who are well and truly finding out what life is all about. It's dope seeing them taking the road less travelled, one we all in some way or another wish we were pushing ourselves along everyday.  

 

Yo, cheers for taking five with us. First up, everyone wants to know if European women take to Aussie accents like American girls apparently do? 

Blake (B): Um euro women don't mind the accent and are incredible, the seppos froth harder but you can definitely go ok with the euros. Just gotta let them know that your not some Bundy drinking meathead.

Zak (Z): Haha it definitely makes it easier but I don't think its quite as easy as the american girls.

 

Comp Hang

 

When did you depart Australia to take on the winter joys of snowboarding?

B: I first went snowboarding in 2005 in Fernie BC took me a while to fully love it, thought it was fun at first but never thought it would change my life so much. then i was just hooked. its the best

Z: In 2005 I wanted to quit my apprenticeship and go to Canada with my bro, I got talked out of it. So I stuck it out for the remainder and finally left in November 2008. Ill never regret staying the extra years for the apprenticeship it is making it a lot easier and better paid with work these days.

 

Chill at Lake Thun

 

Where has your hard earned dosh taken you so far around the globe?

B: I've been to LA, Canada, the UK and a fair chunk of Western Europe and also to the Czech Republic. Definitely a lot more place I wanna go. Would love to live somewhere overseas again soon.

Z: England, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, USA and I'm not finished yet... 

 

 

Zak London Bridge - Reppin' for Citizens of Shred

 

Blake, can you provide us with some gold about your childhood days?

B: I got my first skateboard at 3yrs old, first surfboard at 6. When I was in pre primary we had to make porridge, I hated porridge and when the teacher tried to make me eat it I vomited on her.

 

What place have you dudes rated highest?

B: Pretty hard to go past Switzerland overall, but Berlin is pretty dope aswell and I thought LA was sick but I wasn't there long enough.

Z: The place I've fallen in love with most is Switzerland...every where else is great for a holiday, maybe even an extended one, but Switzerland just feels like home to me...some times even more than Australia...the people are amazing, the country is beautiful and the snow is epic. What more could you want?

 

Zak - Front Board

 

Can you recommend/remember any solid drinking holes for Aussies who want to leave the desert and snowboard around area's you have visited?

B:  Tachelles in Berlin, Hurricanes in California, Highways in Kitzbuhul and Fabric in London

Z: That's a tuff one I've been to so many loose pubs over my travels....If your in Switzerland you got to go to Balmers, it's a seedy little pub with bad music but there are Americans everywhere... if you go there with your mates its amazing and easy to score girls. If your in Austria then you got to go to highways in Kitzbuhel, by far the loosest bar I've ever been to...just don't wear anything you like cos its unlikely to be the same when you leave. And if you're in Whistler then you can't go past Garfinkles, they are open late and they always have great music and live gigs.

 

Somewhere in Switzerland

 

And has coopers made it on tap at any of the pubs?

B: Nope

Z: Hahah if you had asked me this before I travelled I would of said there's no way there would be Coopers over there. But its actually in quite a few places, they have it in bottles...Coopers, Tooheys, V.B and of course Fosters are normally never too far away, especially when in Europe.

 

So what clowns are providing company on your trips?

B: I travelled mainly with my mate Skinny, in actually flying trains driving etc. But met up with too many buddies along the way. They know who they are and how much fun we've had.

Z: There is so many and the list changes all the time. We meet people and people go home but this year the people that were hear the longest were Tyron, Ryland, Skinny and Wado. Plus our Swiss friends Kaspar and Menk. Ot an Mail Man are expected to join us for our future travels too and the list only gets bigger.

 

Hill Hang ...Good Times

 

You must have met heaps of interesting cats on the road. Who takes the cake?

B: Um tuff question. Met some really loose units in Canada and London is sweet for weirdos but i guess our landlord in Switz would take the prize. Pazzing Peter Paul is his name, he is seriously one of a kind. One time we got really boozy and Gor and a few other boys burnt this girls bra that someone had brought home the night before. Peter came round the next day holding the burnt bra that they had left out the front. He was convinced that terrorists had attacked the house with a petrol bomb cause they had used kero to get it burning, hence the nickname PAZZING PP.

Z: Squid is definitely the most interesting unit I've ever met. He comes from a pedigree of Austrians and they breed them loose over there. Spending 5 months sharing the same room as him really opened my eyes to the meaning of the word (loose). But he is an old boy now, 30 this year and he can't back up those loose nights with riding in the morning hahaha

 

Have you managed to avoid serious injury throughout your trip besides your crooked feet?

B: Yeah up until this season I had been pretty lucky, but I tore my ACL this March so I'm back home floating around Perth waiting to go under the knife in July. Hoping to have the knee functioning by February to catch the last half of next winter. 

Z: For the most part yes. Snowboarding and skateboarding is tuff on your body. I've definitely got some swore knees and ankles but I've had nothing that has ever made me miss out on more then a day or two which I'm grateful for. 

 

Attractive Spring Feet - Suss tow bendin' on the left 

 

Scoped any pro crew in action?

B: A heap of tearers ride the local resort. Reto Kestenholz and Gian Simmen are probably the most well known there, Gian won the olympics in 98 for halfpipe. Also saw Shaun White ride at a slopestyle contest, he won with back to back 1080s but his style was a bit whack compared with some of the other dudes who were riding. 

Z: Yer all the time. Our local park White Elements Grindelwald is the stomping ground for a few pros...from gian simmen (won pipe in the first ever Olympic games for snowboarding) to Reto Kestinholtz. And over here in Canada its even crazier...some times you could find your self riding chairs with the likes of Danny Kass or Todd Richards.

 

Above and Below - Kaspar Hosli BS 7 Corked As Shit

Thomas Schiffmann

 

So, is there a highlight to your trips so far, or are there too many to mention? At least throw us a few.

B: Every winter is a highlight, but I guess a few standout moments were the Euro road trips I did in 2007 and 2010, Bought cars in London those years and drove down to Switz stopping in a few spots along the way. Having Zak there the last few winters has been dope and a handful of days at Meiringen in 2008 and 2009 stand out a lot. Bottomless pow, epic terrain, bluebird and no one around.

Z: There are so many...watching Strung Out with all our Swiss friends was amazing. Watching Ryland throw up on the London Bridge. Old school day. Just park laps with my good friends. And definitely the line I did with Skinny at Meiringen this year.

 

 

Top of Pipe

 

I heard rumours of you both never returning to Australia? Any plans on heading back for a beer with us desert dwellers?

B: Yeh im down for a beer even though i'm trying to be good to my leg.

Z: Hahaha I'll be back some day but hopefully just for visits. Australia is a great place but my heart is here in the snow. Having said that the trouble with being Australian is you cant live anywhere except Australia for extended periods of time. So we will see. My dream is to one day be able to live and work in Switzerland.

 

Blake- 50-50 Mayrhofen

 

Haa well you better get your stick in the ditch and drop ya knee then dude. Enough of the snow talks, I know your roots lie with skateboarding. Have you managed to clock any hours on 4 wheels since your departure from Oz?

B: Yeh I love skating still, sux not being able to go for a roll at the moment. Used to push to work in London and went for a few in Cali and Canada. But I've really been getting back into it the last few years when I've been chilling at home. As you know Perth got some sick parks so hit them up a few times a week at least normally Leedy or Nedlands and Carine's just down the street

Z: Well it's been hard. The weight restrictions on Qantas all changed recently, so instead of being able to take a 23kg bag plus a sports bag on the plane it was mellowed out to just one 23kg bag plus 8kg of carryon. With snowboarding gear, avalanche gear, camera equipment, computers and lets not forget cloths, its made it so we have to be very cautious of what we bring. Going to Switz this year being winter so not many places to skate, plus the snow takes up most of our time meant that the skateboards stayed at home. But now I'm in Canada and just did a recent trip to Vegas where I came home with a brand new set up for only $130. So I've been trying to get as many hours on the shred plank as possible. To say I'm a little rusty would be an understatement but the good news is Canada has many great skate parks and the local park is going to be under cover by next winter so I'm going to get plenty of practice in. Keep your eye out for new skate edits in the coming months on the citizens site.

 

Zak- FS Lip

 

You've gone through a fair few still and film cameras. What's going on? Did someone poach all of your luck?

B: I'll let puff answer that one and to him I'll say I'm sorry. Sorry doggy

Z: Hahaha. Yer definitely had some bad luck but that's part of it. Putting your camera so close to people on moving planks of wood and metal there is always going to be some risks. My good camera the VX 1000 broke, then my old Mac Powerbook broke soon after which with not much money for replacements left us a bit stranded. But now I've got a new Mac and I'm working on getting a HD camera this month. So everything will work out for the better in the end.

 

Crew- Good Times in '09

So, let's wrap it up here. What's the meaning of life fellas?

B: Just having fun and checking out what the world has to offer i reckon.

Z: For me the meaning of life is no doubt shralping on some sort of board. Whether it be skate or snow, traveling and having good times with mates...nothing else matters. I could have all the money you want in the world but if its not getting spent on these things then I'm not having fun.

You said it. Cheers for teeing up with us fellas. Blake, rest up and keep drinking and Zac keep slayin', but dude stay off your knees and when you're in Oz drop in for a coldy. 

 

Blake FS 3

All Photos Courtest of Zac and Blake/citizensofshred.blogspot.com