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From Parrying Kicks to Making Kicks with MarkMan
106 Plays3 months ago
This week I welcome MarkMan to the podcast we talk about growing up in the FGC. Collecting sneakers at a young age, how he was a mall rat. How the worlds of the Fighting Game Community and Sneaker worlds collide. Also his involvement with the Moment 37 Air Force 1's. The secret fit battles that take place at video game tournaments. His career paths and how he learned how to be a eSport commentator. Plus much much more!
Where to find MarkMan:
Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/markman23/
https://twitter.com/markman23
Website: https://markman23.com/
Podcast Linktree: https://linktr.ee/myfirstkicks
Intro Music by The DoppleGangaz: https://thedoppelgangaz.bandcamp.com/
Outro Music by Gordon Bombay: https://thegordonbombay.bandcamp.com/
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Transcript
00:00:14
Speaker
Hey
Introduction to Sneakers and Fighting Game Culture
00:00:15
Speaker
Mark, man. Welcome to the podcast. How's it going? Very happy to be here. I know we've been trying to talk for a minute, but really, really happy that we're able to talk and just talk about sneakers. No. Yeah. Look, this is a long time coming. I remember first when ah the moment 37 dropped and me, I had just, I had a J five on the podcast and we were talking about you and how, how you've been able to melt the two worlds of fighting game community, the FGC and sneakers. And you know, that's one of those. The subcultures were the intersections where you don't really see a lot of it. Like even I've tried to reach out to like yipes and like other people because in New York, I feel like
00:00:58
Speaker
fighting game community is so it's hidden but it's also very loud at the same time too.
Cultural Crossover: Fighting Games and Sneakers
00:01:04
Speaker
Oh yeah and you know fighting game players, fighting game community when it comes to like people from urban youth, people that have been around since the 90s, since the arcade days in the 90s.
00:01:15
Speaker
There's a lot of culture there and it's a lot of culture that ah you know crosses over from many different things and one of those things that crosses over heavy is People's love for sneakers people's love for fashion and I think fighting game players and the community members especially from the older school And you know it kind of reflects on the new school as well There's that trickle-down effect a lot of them are just into the culture of sneakers in general so ah for a lot of these people when they go out to events when they show up on stream they want to they want to be dripped out. They want to be able to show up their best, not just in the game, but also how they look at the events. They want to, you know, and yeah we have this thing at Evo that happens like every single year, we call it the secret tournament. It's not really a tournament, but it's just ah where everybody meets up and takes pictures together of the sneaker head meetup. So that's ah that's how much we love it, is that we always keep that as one of the things on the checklist when you go to an event.
00:02:04
Speaker
and Next year hopefully me next year. I'm gonna pull yeah. Yeah, I'll be I'll be there Be drippy as hell just to just to get good top top form in there there you go you got ah eight that's i mean we don't do awards or anything like that We just take a picture we just talk for a little bit But think it'd be great if we could get it to that level one day just you know It's a side thing for the community. That'd probably be the only pool. I'll get out not Gotta give yourself more credit than that. You got to be able to grind it out and play. i you Once I pick up Tekken again, I'm definitely going to be like, all right, cool. But I mean, the game's been out. I haven't been able to buy it. So I'm probably way, way, way too like under.
00:02:45
Speaker
ah like ah Everybody's had the game for so long that I'm like, the the what's it? What's it? the the I'm trying to say. What's the word I'm trying to say? it's the Ah, I forgot. Everybody's just better than me at this point. They had the game longer. You got to start somewhere. There's a lot of people that start in the middle of the you know releases of these games. They're able to learn. I mean, you got to play you gotta to play and you got to learn. So that can happen at the start. When a game first comes out, it could be later on, as long as there's still people playing. And you know, we just had the biggest Tekken tournament of all time. There are definitely people still playing. Oh, yeah, for sure. um I'd like to say we are welcoming for the most part. So if you are down to play, I'm sure you'll find somebody to play with.
00:03:25
Speaker
All right, I'll pick it up. I'll pick it up next check. okay um So, you know, ah for people who are not familiar with you, my listeners are not familiar.
Mark Julio's Background and Role at Evo
00:03:34
Speaker
How about you introduce yourself? Sure, my name is Mark Julio, also known as Mark Mann. In my day job, I'm the director of business development for Evo. um Evo is the one of the longest running esports events in the world. It's primarily based around fighting games and competition. um So um you know we have two events a year, at least this year we had two events. We had Evo Japan and then we had Evo in Las Vegas that just
00:03:57
Speaker
ah Happened a few weeks ago, and I'm just been a fan of fighting games. I love fighting games um aside from that I love retro games. I love sneakers um I just love collecting stuff and I Like a to curate the culture and you know we have things like at Evo We have the art museum fighting game art museum we have the arcade stick museum but Which i'm I'm really heavy into arcade sticks and specialty controllers and stuff like that anything that gives people, a level of expression, that's the kind of stuff that's my jam. So I love that kind of stuff. So yeah, that's that's pretty much me in a nutshell. No, I mean, Culture Cultivator. There you go. I like that. yeah Put that on the tag, man. Put that on the resume.
Mark's Sneaker Journey Begins
00:04:37
Speaker
um But you're here to answer the question that I ask everybody each week.
00:04:40
Speaker
And that question is, what's your first kicks with that first pair of sneakers you absolutely needed to have? Oh, so this one this one is a a fun story because you know I know it distinctly and I remember it very, very well. um It was ah back in 95, I believe. it might it might be yeah i think I'm pretty sure it was 95 or maybe 96. I was still in middle school and the Air Jordan 11s came out. you know I started seeing people in school wearing them. I saw the concords at first, and then the All-Star Game came around in 1996. I saw people with the Colombias, which I think they call them Legend Blues nowadays. yeah And I wanted them so bad. They just looked so different from all the other sneakers that were out there. They had the patent leather. They had the nice, clean look. ah And I remember finally convincing my parents, all right, we're going to get a pair of Air Jordan 11s.
00:05:27
Speaker
but We couldn't find them. We couldn't find them in my size. You know, I was trying to find my size. And then, you know, that summer, the Air Jordan 11 low IEs came out. Yeah. And I was like, Whoa, what is this? This this one has like mesh inserts and everything. And it it feels like more aerodynamic and comfortable. So it has the 11 ID, the soul and everything like that. And because I couldn't find the concords, because I couldn't find the playoffs or the the Columbus were long gone. I ended up getting those. Those are the ones I really wanted. And, you know, we didn't have it at the first store. It was ah I don't know if you remember this story. It's called Sports Authority. It was, yeah of course, it was a big sporting goods store from way back in the day. um We went to Sports Authority. We went to Ashman's and then we ended up finding it at a footlocker. um
00:06:12
Speaker
we ended up fighting it at a local footlocker maybe a few days after we made the decision ah to pick those up. And then I wore those, I rocked them at my middle school promotion and they've been my like one of my favorite pairs of shoes since then. Not too much. I ended up hunting a a dead stock pair. I still have my original, was it 1996 pair? um Yeah, I just, I love that sneaker. So yeah. And they brought it back so many times. I think the the most recent one is the only one that they kind of did true to form. So I'm glad that they brought it back.
00:06:40
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, that shoe is definitely a I want to say it's a hood classic. I'm going to call it a hood classic because I feel like I feel like they like once that shoe dropped, it was that default of I couldn't get the the 11. So here's my consolation prize is exactly. Yeah. yeah And it's it's crazy. You haven't dragged like I mean, I love it when the like younger sneakerheads who are not like getting into like they don't really know they're about to get into this world, but you're like, um I need to have this. So you just drag your parents around and your parents willingly is down for that because you so it's so you don't hear that very often. I love that. It took some convincing, though. You got to, you know, your your propositioning to your parents like, you know, we have to spend one hundred and ten dollars for this pair of shoes. And they're like,
00:07:27
Speaker
That's way more than a video game because, you know, I was really into video games at the time. It took a lot of convincing, you know, and a lot of ah showing that I could get good grades and stuff like that. But, you know, it ended up working out. Did you? So are you were you are you from L.A.? Like originally, where are you from? I'm from I'm from San Diego. So about two hours south of Los Angeles. I've been in San Diego my entire life. So San Diego born and raised.
00:07:48
Speaker
San Diego born and raised, what is like you, what were, what was high school like for you? Were you the fly is in high school or were you, I feel like you, me and you were kind of in the same boat, whereas like you either get in video games or sneakers. And I feel like that's like, you can't have both.
00:08:04
Speaker
Well, so I was into video games, but my parents were very strict about me playing video games. You know, I only could play video games on the weekend. So during during ah my my normal daily routine for school, I was just focused on class and focus on going to school. A lot of that changed when I got a car. Right. I started teaching school. I started going to play discovering competitive fighting games. But ah prior to then, I was, you you know,
00:08:25
Speaker
pretty, pretty focused on my studies. I ended up getting good grades. I ended up doing the graduation speech in high school. pal um And yeah, it's just I was I was a nerd for for knowledge. So after that, i I, you know, once I started making my own money, I really got into sneakers. But, you know, my parents, God bless them. They they they understood. They understood ah that sneakers helped with not just like going to school and like swagging out, it it helped a lot. Yeah, I mean, that's dope. I don't know if you are a first born.
00:09:01
Speaker
ah firstborn as Firstborn generation immigrant. Is that the right term? Yeah. i don't I don't know if you are. For my family, I am i am ah the first born here in the country. Yes. And so, yeah, I was going to say like the the idea of like pitching it to somebody who's just like, now we come here for a better life. we don't You don't need better shoes to have a better life. You know, like that that is, i don't know how I don't know how you went about it, but like getting them to understand that, like the idea of social currency and like help.
00:09:32
Speaker
It helped that my dad and my mom were like, oh, that's cool. I want a pair, too. So it helped that, you know, they they wanted to try new things and they wanted to try video games. They wanted to, you know, have cool sneakers and stuff like that. So it helped that they were open to the ideas. Oh, that's sick. What was your first job? So my first job was working at a smoothie place. at It was called Juiced Stop. And I it was right across the street or right across the street. It was in a mall. and It was right across from the arcade. So in between making smoothies for people when it was dead, I would go to the arcade and play Tekken 3 or Tekken Tag 1 in the arcade. So it was ah it was a nice first job. where you like Were you like the one when when you pulled up, people were like, oh, man. Or is it like because you if it sounds like you were there pretty often. So it sounds like you were running. You were running people off the off the cabinet as much as possible. not do it You're not doing it right if you're not running people off. It was it was fun. like you know During my my break time or during my free time at the mall, yeah i definitely i was I was a childhood arcade. so I didn't like to go to the arcades. I like to hang out with other the arcades. I had a lot of friends that would go to the arcade. so It was very much a social thing for me. so I definitely enjoyed that. and On top of that, you know back then, there were so many sneaker stores within malls.
00:10:44
Speaker
yeah you know, my same group of friends that were into video games were also into sneakers. So that helped a lot. So we would also also go, you know, sneaker shopping. um This was still even before they started doing things like, you know, raffles and lineups for. Yeah. So there was a little bit before that. i'm I'm a bit older. So I graduated in the year 2000. So i'm I'm a little older.
00:11:04
Speaker
I don't think, wait, when did I graduate? I mean, high school, you graduated high school in the year 2000? Yes. Okay. All right. That, that dates me. That dates me maybe like in 2004.
00:11:18
Speaker
So I'm like not that far behind from you, maybe. But yes, I understand. the the Being a mall rat was actual thing. Like, it wasn't... Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And it was, you were, if you were cool, you had all the friends at the mall, then you're you basically were ran the joint. Or, you know, hanging in the food court just like all the time and stuff like that. Things were different back then, man.
00:11:40
Speaker
For sure. how did How did you and your friends get into sneakers?
90s Basketball Influence on Sneaker Culture
00:11:43
Speaker
like Were you on the forums during this time, or was it more of like the the San Diego sneaker scene? Oh, man. It was so much easier to get into sneakers. like It was even before like collecting. right you know We were influenced because we lived the 90s era of basketball. you know We would see what is on the feet of the ah the players. you know We would get the East Bay catalogs, and we would look at them in school.
00:12:06
Speaker
And you know just going to the mall, you see what's coming up next. You see what's new. Foot Locker and I would say Foot Locker did a great and Foot Action did a great job back in those days, letting people know what was coming out next. So again, I think it was just a good time to be. It was it was very easy, impressionable youth to be able to ah follow what's going on in the sneaker world. So I would say like whenever new stuff came out, all you got to do is walk by the window and you'll be like, damn, they got these now. And that was it.
00:12:35
Speaker
Where did you have to like camp out during this time when you were a kid? My first time I camped out was God, what year was that? Maybe we could look it up on the Internet, but it's when the defining moments package came out. OK, which was the very first time, the very first one, the the gold box, the 11s, it was the 11s and the sixes. And yes, the original DMP. Was that 2005? It was. I will tell you, it was 2006.
00:13:04
Speaker
2006 okay, so that was the very first time I lined up and that was an overnight lineup That was the first time I lined up for anything. We didn't get it There was like a riot that broke out people the cops had to come in But that was my first like wild experience of trying to get a steeper and then trying to go on the internet To be able to get them as well. Oh wow that sounds crazy especially if like when the fight breaks out you're just kind of like and It's like, I don't know how to explain it more than, but I'm pretty sure everybody knows where it's just like, all right, hopefully they don't shut this down. You can fight. Just move down that way. Cause you're thinking the whole time, you're like, I don't, I can't leave. I don't want to lose my place in line.
00:13:43
Speaker
It's one of those, it was really weird. Did you did you like, so like, what was the, what do you guys had a plan when you were yeah like with your friends? Like, what's the plan? Like, Oh, you guys pull up everybody. Oh yeah. yeah and It was mob deep. And then that increases our chances of getting the sneaker, of course. So even our friends that weren't going to buy it for themselves, they're like, you know, I'm down to to line up with you guys and just hang out. And that's, that's what we did. That's what we tried. And it didn't work because everyone else had the same plan.
00:14:09
Speaker
Was so like, how do you explain that to your parents? Like, yeah, god I'm going to I'm going to go. Or was it like, I'm just going to go sleep over in my friend's house? type No, they got it. They understood it. They understood how I mean, because, you know, at this time there were there were reports on the news like, you know, they're lining up at the mall ah for the next Air Jordan sneaker. And yeah it was one of those things where they they saw it and they were they understood it like pair pretty religiously. and And we're like, oh, shoot, there's a there's a release this weekend. I better line up. I'm out.
00:14:40
Speaker
there. That's lucky. I remember trying to explain that to my mom one time. And she was just like, she was like, you're gonna what? And then yeah, exactly. all Right. Like the the idea of sleeping on the street. Like she's like, you're not homeless, you have a home. Like that's like the way it goes into and like, no, I'm trying to get these sneakers. So it just I never really was a big into camping out until later on where I tried it out. And and it just went so bad that I was just like, I'm never going to do this again.
00:15:07
Speaker
Yeah, yeah i don't I mean, I don't line up anymore. when Thinking about though those days is kind of crazy. I mean, we do all our lineups on on on the internet nowadays. Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, we we lose out on the cool stuff like the conversations and the meeting of oh yeah friends because of that.
00:15:24
Speaker
but But everyone acts some kind of way online, you know, there's no human interaction. Human interaction is important for like, you know, for especially for these younger younger kids to just kind of figure out how not to be an idiot or a jackass. Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's it's super interesting in terms of just like how the Internet has now become the the stomping ground for everything. like It doesn't matter what kind of subculture you're into or whatever is your favorite niche, right? You're just like, all right, how do I get into this? And it's just basically like, all right, there's a Reddit for this. All right, now I'm part of this Reddit. And that's it. It's not you know it's not like go to the store, make friends with the manager. you know like I feel like what's coming back with that, I don't know if you're into Warhammer. I feel like Warhammer, Magic the Gathering is starting to pick up and do that more. Or even yeah, fighting game community too, because
00:16:12
Speaker
when i tried to do when I tried to go pro and smash, which ended up really bad because I was terrible. once Once you start playing kids that play this for real, and you're a person with a a nine to five that can only play at the end of the night, it's like, yeah. He's getting real, real quick. And he's just like, damn, maybe I should just enjoy it for and enjoy it it how it is, right? Yeah. All right.
00:16:38
Speaker
You grew up in San Diego, sneaker scene in San
San Diego Sneaker Scene
00:16:41
Speaker
Diego. I don't know much about it. Is there like boutique shops that you would frequent? is there ah Or was it just strict only big releases and malls? There were big releases and malls, but there were a lot of mom and pop sneaker stores as well. There was a famous one ah that everyone called Chinaman up in San Diego. And that's still an iconic building. you know A lot of people used to visit that store in particular in San Diego when they would come down from all parts of the US. Chinaman's was probably the the closest to a mom and pop sneaker shop where, you know, sometimes they get releases early or they hide some in the back, you know, for later on. But, you know, that was one of the spots, I think, in San Diego. But everywhere else, it was just mostly retail stores. There were a few boutiques that opened up a little bit later on um that had a lot of the the tier zero accounts, the SB accounts and stuff like that. But some of them are gone now. So ah nowadays, it's just, you know,
00:17:32
Speaker
everyone has to get stuff off the internet. you know In San Diego, there's not that many stores. I mean, there are stores that still get stuff. There's a bunch of skate shops and stuff like that. San Diego has a rich skating culture, I'm sure. ah You probably know Tony Hawks, obviously, from here. yeah there's there's There's just a lot that's that's out there right now. in ah I want to say it's one of the better sneaker cities, but it's not deep like Atlanta or a New York or a Chicago. No, that's interesting. because I definitely, I'm trying to think of like SB culture. Cause like I've come from SBs. Like, I don't know if you were big into SBs growing up. I loved SBs. I couldn't skate for shit. Just the amount of variety and them amount of references that the early SBs had. I loved them. You know, I had a pair for the longest time. I had a pair of the original Supreme ducks and those were my Grails for a while. I remember getting a bunch of sneakers and and paying some cash to get those, but um
00:18:30
Speaker
i think the sb dunks especially you know all the homage stuff to pop culture, like the Jedi Homers, right? um Even the like the the Three Bears pack, like all those stuff was just so cool. I loved just seeing all that cool stuff. No, yeah. I mean, I just recently wore my Melvins. like I have Melvins. I'm a big Doom guy, so Doom's on my grill. So ah the way that SB would always just like kind of skirt around things and make just like official, unofficial
SB Dunks and Pop Culture References
00:19:01
Speaker
stuff.
00:19:01
Speaker
Come on, the Heineken's? I was so sick. That was so far. I love that. And the and the idea of just like paying homage to a lot of these things that kind of like i felt I felt like it it put you on to things too, because I didn't know who the Melvins were. I didn't know what Dinosaur Jr. was. And then you'd look it up, you're like, OK, I would like this shoe. Let me understand why um I should like this shoe. That's a big part of it, too. It's like you get into something, you want to start learning more about it. And with SBs, you were able to learn so much because it wasn't just about the the dunk, right? It wasn't just about skateboarding culture. It was about everything that influenced whoever helped design that sneaker or whoever collaborated on that sneaker.
00:19:41
Speaker
And they got crazy, man. I think for a long time, there were there were the dunks just kind of took over what was popular for sneakers. And then there was a time, I want to say it was like maybe mid 2000, mid 2010s, where on the Nike apps, when they were still doing stuff, there was no dunks at all for like a year. Yeah, there was like ah the drought, the great drought, there were no dunks, no SP dunks for a long time.
00:20:05
Speaker
the great sb drought because you know everyone was getting out of the game everyone was dumping your cheap i remember seeing a pair of like dead stock ray guns uh homing away for like 300 bucks and i was like man i should have bought those no Yeah, I mean I remember when I was first getting on the on the on the forums and I wanted a dooms and I'm looking at it and I was like I was just talking about this recently so I was like $200 up. That's too much for me. I can't do it. Yo, and I was just saying I was saying this too I was like if I had the money I have now back in the day. I'd just be
00:20:42
Speaker
I'd have everything that I've ever wanted. Oh, yeah. For anyone that's a collector, everyone's going to think that way. then I mean, that for me, for speakers, for video games, for whatever. i just You know what? I'm going to pick up all the stuff I wanted and I'm going to get them dirt cheap. All right.
Gaming and Sneaker Culture Crossover
00:20:57
Speaker
So like, I definitely want to hear the cross intersection of like you being as fly as you are starting to go and immerse yourself into the fighting game community and like, you know,
00:21:08
Speaker
my big my My reference is always with the Smash community first because of, you know, like that, that there's that documentary with like liquid, forgot, all those all those dudes, I of forgot the name of the documentary, but, you know, then we also have Moment 37, which everybody knows went crazy, one of the first viral clips to ever go crazy on the internet um with Justin Wong and Daigo. And this is like the anniversary of it, right, recently as well, right?
00:21:37
Speaker
anniversary just happened on august the first but so you know this is all fast forward and but you wearing dope kick i feel like you would you have felt did you feel out of place or were you like kind of like people who don't know i just beat their ass and i'm wearing supreme sbs like you know like what was it what was the surprise what what what were you thinking You know, I didn't really think about that for when I'm like locked in and and focused on playing in in competition or when I did compete, it was all about the competition first. I didn't really think about um back then. I didn't think about, you know, the fit that you're wearing because like there was no way to really swagger. You couldn't really post a picture instantly like, hey, check out my fit that that didn't exist back there. There was no Instagram. There was no Twitter really yet at the time. So it was, ah again, it's just one of those things. You just go to the events and have fun.
00:22:28
Speaker
mom It wasn't until later and you know because i was a I'm a collector, um I feel like it's a lot easier. ah when When Twitter started becoming more of a visual platform, when it started people started posting photos and videos more, same thing with Instagram when they started posting videos as well, ah it was a lot easier for people to do storytelling and talk about the things that they like.
00:22:49
Speaker
And that's when I really started embracing it more. Like, you know, I I'm into a lot of different things. I'm going to start talking about it even more. I'm going to start ah kind of bridging the association between gaming and and the things that I like to collect, like sneakers, like like like ah arcade six and stuff like that. So for obviously for stuff like arcade six is a lot easier. But for sneakers, people will kind of raise an eyebrow and they'll be like, how are sneakers related? And, you know, even if you go back, well like even way back, there are so many referential things like I kind of put gaming and anime kind of in the same bucket. There's a huge crossover there. Like, ah for example, one of the demographics that we call out when we talk to our partners at Evo is, you know, four out of every five people that go to Evo is a ah consumer of anime. So again, there's just a huge crossover. So even then, like looking at sneakers, there have been so many things that are ingrained with comics, manga, anime, video games. And that's still like since the the late 90s, early 2000s.
00:23:48
Speaker
And knowing that it's there and that these guys that are into sneakers or create sneakers are also fans of everything else It just you know, one of those realization moments where you're like, oh man, we're all geeks. We're all the same Yeah, so it's one of those things like you just like look at each other and you just know you do do the nod i because like yeah I remember growing up and everybody being like, oh, you're a nerd or whatever. I don't think i don't even think it it was nerd. It was just like, oh, you're corny. You you watch anime, you read comics, you and you read mangas or whatever, whatever these books that you're reading.
00:24:20
Speaker
and But then when it came to sneakers and people knowing everything about Jordans and Nike's, Nike basketball, now you're, you're not considered a nerd. Like I'm like, make it make sense. and cakemen it's it's It's wild.
00:24:36
Speaker
It's absolutely wild. And so, like, you know, as you're as you're wearing kicks, as they're like, is it like people pull up and you'll see see you and be like, oh, snap, you got those. Like, does that happen at at like a evil or like early days at, you know, local tourneys and stuff like that? Yeah, it happens. It happened. It happened a lot at Evo where people would be at the event and they'd be like, oh, you got these and these. And then someone else will point at the other guy next to him like, oh, he got those. And you're like, oh, shit, those just came out.
00:25:04
Speaker
Um, even recently, like, you know, I started going to a lot of events overseas and sometimes the US would get pairs early or Asia would get pairs early of certain sneakers. They have different kind of release calendars and I'd go to an event wearing a pair of shoes that aren't even out in that region. yet and then people would be like, oh, man, you have these. Can I take a picture of your foot? I'm like, ah sure, that's weird, but that's cool. Yeah, it be those kinds of experiences. But yeah, it's it's just cool. There's people that are and I'm one of these people, too. I'm guilty of it as well. When when people are walking around, um I look at their feet. I look at what they're wearing. It's just one of those things that my eyes gravitate towards what they're wearing on feet. Then then I look at them i like, oh, it's so and so.
00:25:44
Speaker
No, yeah, I feet was it feet contact before I contact or something like that. that's what People say about a sneaker. handss right Yeah, that's for sure. um So then it's it's very so crazy because like I definitely want to talk into you can get into create the Air Force One, you know, moment 37 and ah Like, what is, like, did you ever think in your wildest dreams that you would ever have a moment like that, where, you know, collecting sneakers for this long, being part of the community, and you're like, I'm gonna actually have a chance to make my own, or, you know you know, a chance to cater to this one moment that you were, were you there when that happened?
The Air Force One Moment 37 Sneaker
00:26:27
Speaker
Uh, so I didn't, you know, it was a, it was a wild moment, you know, um, in trying to get the attention of Nike and Jordan for a very, very long time back when I used to work for a company called mad cats. When I was at mad cats, I used to, yeah, the controller company.
00:26:43
Speaker
design design controllers, design arcade sticks, and then also help manage some of the sponsored players that we had at the time, which includes Daigo. I'm sure a lot of people in Daigo are one of the greatest players of all time. um So I originally pitched an idea to Nike and to Jordan Brand about, you know, would you guys ever consider collaborating with a pro Street Fighter player or a pro fighting game player?
00:27:03
Speaker
And I wanted them to see if they would be willing to support DIGO. So I had these conversations early on and one of the execs at Nike actually responded to me and said, hey, we should explore this idea. But, you know, there was a lot of back and forth. I ended up visiting the campus a few times. What's that like? What is that like? ah Going to the Jordan building, seeing the collection of, the you know, the all white Jordans and just being given the tour ah and and and and them talking about the rich history of Nike and and their athletic program and just sneakers in general. Because you could tell like when you go in there that these guys, they love what they do. So that experience was insane. That was absolutely insane. So I got to give a shout out to my man Retro Kid, who was was there at the time when I had that tour in King Magic. So those guys were obviously like, for me, they were big influences in the sneaker industry for me to keep pushing and trying to do something.
00:27:55
Speaker
so um Yeah, nothing came nothing happened. you know I was pitching it for a long time. And this was, I would say, around 2011 timeframe. But when I got laid off from Mad Cats a little bit later on, maybe it was 2016, I remember still keeping in touch with a lot of people within the the video game industry. And a lot of them were obviously into sneakers. By this time, 2016, you obviously saw there were so many video game related sneakers already out. um know And it it just kept coming year over year. There were like new things, you know, back, back, I think it was 2005 when it first started where you would see like, you know, the PlayStation and Air Force ones. Yeah. There was another PlayStation Air Force one that was released at E3. I think it was 2017 or 2016 those years. But, you know, we're obviously that you got the PGs, you got the Paul Georges, the light up Paul Georges. I got the PS5 ones. Yeah. And just anytime something related, even like the Adidas Xbox sneakers that came out, i'm just going to mention those two. Yeah. I have, I have like,
00:28:53
Speaker
almost every video game sneaker that you could think of, except for the Travis Scott dunks. Oh yeah, the PlayStation. Those are super limited. Those are super limited. um so travis scott I know you're listening, Travis Scott. You're a big fan. ah you know Hook up Mark, man, and then hook me up, too. We'll give you guys our sizes later. But you know just just being a ah fan of all that, you know I remember having a specific meeting with somebody who's no longer with Nike, but I i want to give him his flowers as well, Hayden. And he talked to me about, you know, exploring wanting to do something with the community.
00:29:25
Speaker
And, you know, we had a few conversations and ah eventually ended up working with the sneakers team to talk about what is something that would resonate with the community. And one of the things I thought about at first was it has to be something that is instantly recognizable from somebody in the fighting game scene. And it's one of those if you know, you know moments. And it was definitely moment 37. So that was the idea I pitched to them initially. And ah that's really how the conversation started about how do we pay proper tribute to this community and and do things right? Obviously, the release didn't happen the way we hoped.
00:29:56
Speaker
Yeah, it ended up in outlets It was kind of a stealth release because of the pandemic things didn't end up turning out that way But you know as scrappy as the fighting game scene is the people that wanted pairs ended up getting pairs I remember having to go to stock x to get a few pairs for evil 2002 And I just wanted to make sure that Daigo and Justin got a pair. And then I also had an extra pair for them to sign ah because obviously they're the two people that helped make that moment happen. They're the two highlights, the two main characters of that story. But, you know, just the fact that I was able to work with the sneakers team, work with a few of the designers to help kind of do the storytelling for the sneaker and all the different elements. And I'm sure you've seen it. And I kind of talked about it online.
00:30:35
Speaker
but It looks like a a normal Air Force One from the outset, but there are so many elements that tie it to Street Fighter 3 and to Evo Moment 37 in general. you know You have the canvas from Kenzgi, you have the satin from Chun-Li's outfit, you have the sparks from the parry animation, you have the input from Moment 37's parry sequence as well.
00:30:56
Speaker
And then just so many different things that are are elements of the design, but are also a a nod to the culture and to the community and how it and how that moment became so such such such an impactful moment. And, you know, a lot of people talk about that that moment, they watch it and and they don't realize that it's widely recognized as the greatest esports or competitive gaming moment of all time. And I don't think I don't think many things even come close. No, I agree. I think that when I remember I had downloaded it from Kazaa. You had to download it. That's how cool it is. It wasn't on YouTube yet. You had to download it.
00:31:32
Speaker
I downloaded it on Kazaa and then I remember watching it like seven times in a row just like just that day like I was just you just and then I was doing the the ah like doing the pairing motions and stuff. Oh man and then and then I remember because now that That moment went so crazy that you're able to do that challenge. I think it was in Street Fighter 5 or was it 6? I think it was 6. So in Street Fighter 3, Third Strike Online, they re-released it for PS3 and for 360. In the parry trials, they had a moment 37 trial. And it was just you do trying to do the exact same moment that Diagon did. And they put that in the game, which is awesome. So that was obviously... ah They immortalized it. know yeah Capcom officially immortalized it. And, you know, there's merchandise out there. Official merchandise likes by Capcom ah in reference to that moment as well. So, I mean, they obviously know. Everybody knows about it. No. Yeah, that. Yeah. That moment is is still crazy. I mean, I don't like I was i like I asked before. I was like, I don't know if you were actually there when it happened. Oh, yeah. So I was there during moment 37 actually on my YouTube and on my Twitter. It's my pin tweet.
00:32:42
Speaker
um I had an alternate angle that I found in some of the tapes that I had lying around I think it was around 2001 I was like, hey check this out and it it's actually the best quality version of the moment. Oh, yeah Yeah, i watch that yeah you can hear the audio of people in the crowd and my friend that was recording it you could hear them wilding out and um there You could hear me as well in in the clips. i don't I don't think I called out ah publicly what I said, but I definitely said a lot of shit. I was talking all kinds of shit during that moment. it was It was just wild. It was it was it was crazy, because you think about it, you know, that moment, there was like maybe 200 or 300 people in the room, and then it's been seen by millions and millions of people. Yeah. it's yeah I mean, I'm pretty sure if I look it up right now on YouTube, there's probably 18 versions of it, and they each have like
00:33:26
Speaker
fifty million views each or something like that so yes i'm positive what so i'm curious cuz what.
Mark Julio's Career Path in Esports
00:33:34
Speaker
What is your career path cuz you know you talked about working in mad cats are currently.
00:33:39
Speaker
you know, head honcho at Evo right now. And so did you go to school? What did you go to school for? And how did you get there? And then I have maybe like seven more questions after that. sure so I went to school for journalists. I went to college for journalism. yeah I really wanted to write about video games. So that was my my first love into the game industry and my first entry. I started going to E3, which was in L.A. at the time when I was very young. um And I ended up, you know,
00:34:09
Speaker
writing about video games. I liked it. and Eventually, I got a job at madcats where I started working on, you know, ah gaming stuff and controllers and eventually arcade sticks. And it it was a full circle moment for me because it allowed me to do stuff that I really enjoyed, which was, you know, fighting game related. And I yeah was able to give back to the community. We started sponsoring events. We started doing more events with ah players and and sponsoring players as well. So after that happened, I got laid off in 2016. I immediately joined the Evo team where I kind of spearheaded business development for them. I still do. I'm still ahead of business development. and
00:34:42
Speaker
And um really kind of transforming the event from a competition to have more elements that are related to what the publishers do. So inviting the publishing companies, the developers out to the event to make announcements at the event, you know, which was crazy at the time, because, you know, we're asking them to pick a community event, pick an Evo versus things like E3 versus things like Comic-Con. And a lot of them did. you know They still did multiple events, but they would bring things to Evo because they knew that's where their core community and their core fan base was. and So um being um the head of business ah for Evo, eventually I came across the team over at ah Sony Interactive Entertainment, the PlayStation team. And they had this crazy idea of wanting to acquire Evo. And that ended up happening in 2001 officially.
00:35:26
Speaker
so You're now jointly owned by RTS, and which is a spinoff of Endeavor and SIE Sony PlayStation. So we are in a ah crazy timeline, which I never expected to get into when I was you know first started going to Evo. I've been going to Evo since the very first one. And it's been a while.
00:35:46
Speaker
um It's been a wild ride. That is crazy. Like, because I remember I used to work at GameStop. Like, that was my first job, GameStop. And so I remember being like, we would have these conversations and be like, do you think esports what could be a thing? And we would have several conversations after this, after that. And it would be like, and then we'd come up to the conclusion of like,
00:36:06
Speaker
No, it's not gonna happen. And then, and then you'd see, you know, Halo championships, you start seeing that you start seeing, ah you know, Evo start the fighting game community and you In New York, it was always this, like, you had to find it or somebody had to tell you in order for you to find it, right? And now you can look up, you know, ah what's the one that they have out here? Battle for a something, something battle, something, I forgot the name of the, the tournament that they have here. But, and then, ah you know, Evo's the big stage or like CEO, you know, in Florida.
00:36:40
Speaker
um in the In my wildest dreams, I never thought esports can be this you know this thing that people can actively practice at, become, and actually win money. you know yeah and you know it's not just about the because People think about esports, they think about just the pro gamers themselves. It's an industry where people can find work in, whether it's through production,
00:37:02
Speaker
whether it's through you know different organizations that are part of the the the ecosystem, there's a lot of different career paths within gaming and competitive gaming and fighting games. Sure, it's it's it's a rough industry now. I mean, I'm sure you guys see a lot of the headlines of major companies doing layoffs within the gaming industry. um The thing is, you know there's always new games coming out. So there's always going to be cycles where people have to kind of adjust and and adapt to where they're at and companies will find like, you know,
00:37:28
Speaker
what they need to support and how they can support. So it's it's it's one of those things that comes in cycles and comes in waves. And right now I can confidently say this is the most I mean, I think the proof is just with the most recent Evo with fighting games in particular, this is the most competitive fighting game is that we've ever had. We had over 10,000 unique competitors. Yeah. And even more than the competitors, this is the the first time we've had more spectators and viewers at the event than actual competitors. That's never happened before. So it's actually crazy to know that the people that are consuming fighting games, not just competing, there's a lot more than there have ever been. And you know there's still a lot more new games that are going to be coming out. So I'm i'm ah really really, really looking forward to the future.
00:38:08
Speaker
No, yeah, yeah, I'm very excited for it. I'm definitely going to try to start picking up more fighting games again. So I get something. This was a highlight year for me because we had a sneakers drop at Evo. We had a sneakers drop at Evo. And I never thought, you know, just being a sneakerhead, being someone that's really into the the the culture of sneakers, that we would have an exclusive drop at Evo.
00:38:30
Speaker
That's wild. I can't believe that happened. It's absolutely wild and it's funny because I definitely wanted to bring it up I find it interesting. I don't know if you followed a lot of this new community. That's on Twitter. I do I actually follow ah quite a bit of them I have a lot of friends that I've met some through the the resale community, but also just people that have been collecting for a long time Yes, yeah, and it's it's interesting because a lot of their takes was Why would they put a sneakers drop?
00:38:57
Speaker
in ah in ah and at something where they feel like there aren't sneakers, sneakers heads there. Yeah, and it's because they don't know. It's because they don't know. I know. And i wanted to I wanted to be like, you guys do not understand. like I feel like if you're just on the outside looking in and you've never been to a fighting game, even even even if you've never seen or put on an Evo, you should know that like if you turn it on,
00:39:20
Speaker
Like, I mean, even with your recent, like, the tech and drop that you did, well, not the phone pauses, the tech and drop of like your clothes, the clothes that you put out, with the king on it, which is absolutely fire. Well, the king outfit. Yeah, it's so fire. But it's like, you know,
00:39:36
Speaker
you've done drops like that where it's like you take an element of streetwear sneaker wear put it into fighting game community and it's like yeah people gravitate to that because this is what we always seen but some people don't want to wear a supreme Tekken shirt some people just kind of want to wear some a dope tech and shirt without it being a stat like connected to that. So I think it does get lost in like on the outside looking in because everybody thinks that, oh, video game players are fighting game. Video game players are just you know wearing nothing but a brown shirt and brown pants. and you know And they're just only play video games and they'll go outside.
00:40:12
Speaker
but I was just last night, I was just at a council bar. So yeah, it exists. you know and And that's the thing is just I think the more you live, the more you learn. It's just one of those things you you once you go to more experiences, you find out that, you know, there's more people like you or there's more people that are into things. And you got to think about it. The sneakers industry is a billion dollar industry. The video game industry is a billion dollar industry. There's going to be a lot more crossover than you think.
00:40:37
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's crazy. i So I'm so curious about this. How did you get into commentating? And was it really hard? And how did you get so good at it? Because you are amazing.
Commentating in Esports and Storytelling
00:40:50
Speaker
Thank thank you for the for the the kind words. um I got into it because it was, for me, just a natural thing. I was at the events anyways, and I was always talking about it. I felt like I was um i was passionate enough about it. And I would you know i tried it. And yeah I think the first time I really started doing commentary was in 2008. And I think it just kind of blew up from there. because you know
00:41:13
Speaker
games and game companies started focusing more on the presentation of their competitive product and how it would live on after the shelf life, after within the first, you know, three months of it being out on the store shelves. And they started supporting their games with national tournaments, global tournaments, and it kind of their first foray into esports. And I was there since the beginning just, you know,
00:41:33
Speaker
offering my services to help do the storytelling for a lot of the players that that were out there. And it helps to know the community and know the players that are in the separate communities. ah So that's how I really got into it. I was at the events and I was just happy to talk about the games that I like. Man, because I tried it one time.
00:41:50
Speaker
it was terrible terrible but it it takess You know, it's one of those things where you just got to keep doing it and and it's like having a conversation you don't treat like a lot of people get lost in in when when they do commentary is they try to Specifically call out everything that's happening. You don't necessarily have to do that because people can see what's happening. You have to tell them why it's happening or or kind of form a story. you This is why it's happening or this is what should happen next kind of thing. So it's it's all about having a conversation with the viewer or with the your co-commentator. And that's, I think, where it helps a lot is if you have a good person that you have good synergy with and you can have a good conversation with them, it becomes a lot easier to have a conversation about the game and have the viewers enjoy it as well.
00:42:32
Speaker
Yeah, the you just made me realize it it should be more pro wrestling than it is sports. Exactly. I think and a lot of people do take it that way. A lot of it becomes, you know, ah pro wrestling. And again, it's people can see what the match what's what's happening with the match. But again, the storytelling is really what elevates people's fandoms. Right. Yeah. Like, yeah. Because when you tell a story of like I don't know. I've watched a lot of Anakin. So like Anakin when he was at the at the the house and you're like, yeah, him and John Ding, he used to, you know, he used to go crazy for, you know, play two hour matches and with unlimited life. And this is now it's really paying off in this match. Like, yeah, I understand it now. He leveled up. He did the training. Yeah. There's a lot of things like that that people don't get to see because they don't, maybe they don't watch every single
00:43:19
Speaker
aspect of, you know, these guys' lives. But, you know, if if you're there and you're paying attention and you could kind of tell people that and communicate that, it just makes it more incentive to kind of watch and follow along. No, yeah, yeah, for sure. um How did you get so good at like, because you're so personable. And so where does that come from? Because you're like, even in this conversation, I feel like we're in the same room. We're kind of like talking to each other versus like, you know,
00:43:47
Speaker
the idea of like, oh this is like, you know, ah interview, like a job interview type of thing, you know? So um I feel like you you're you're able to so maneuver in these spaces, but like you are super personable. And I feel like that's such a hard, like a hard thing to create or or a hard skill to to achieve.
00:44:11
Speaker
I think um it's not, I mean, it's not everybody can do it, but being able to talk to people and have a conversation and just give that mutual respect and kind of find out, be be interested in the conversation and just being able to again,
00:44:24
Speaker
ah just have that common courtesy to have a conversation with somebody and and be able to know more about them. I think that's the fun thing is because when I go into conversations, of whether it's recorded or whether it's in person, for me, it's all about learning more about the the subject matter or the person that I'm talking to and then trying to relate to them as well, because more often than not, you find the benefits of that and and meeting cool people and and being able to vibe with them on things that you both mutually like, whether it's games or sneakers.
00:44:54
Speaker
It just makes that conversation much more pleasant. There's, you know, I'm in a lot of conversations I don't like. I'm in a lot of meetings that have to do with things like boring things like budgets, boring things like, like ah just, there's things that, that aren't fun. But when I get to engage with people that are fans and people that are like-minded, that's the fun thing. So for me, I have those conversations and you games is is, is easy for me.
00:45:19
Speaker
So it's really easy for me to talk about that. So I know that's maybe not helpful if anyone's trying to look to get into commentary or into the business of gaming. But again, if you're passionate about it, it becomes a lot easier when when it's something that you feel like you can do because you love it. Yeah,
Japanese vs. Western Sneaker Culture
00:45:35
Speaker
for sure. I mean, look, I'm always trying to make ah mush all the things that I'm interested in and make it my job. So this is why we're here.
00:45:43
Speaker
so I want to know about because you know as ah as a kid we're growing up and I feel like you may have maybe fell in love with the same thing that I felt fell fell in love with the same things that I fell in love with. So what is Japan like and how does sneakers over there and how are you able to like you know not just buy everything up because I feel like That's what I, if i was if I'm there, you give me three weeks there, I'm coming back with maybe a negative bank account. And and like the Yakuza is after me for money. right so So I first started going in Japan in 2009. So that was my first time going there. And I'm very fortunate that I go there at least once a year. I would say um the past few years I've been there a lot more, maybe six, seven times a year. So I go there quite a bit. I used to go once a month.
00:46:39
Speaker
So that just kind of gives you an idea of how how often I've been there. So I've been there. I want to say close to 100 times I've been there. But, um you know, going there and experiencing first and foremost, you know, I mentioned this many times like.
00:46:52
Speaker
If you're into video games, if you're into anime, and if you're just into Japanese culture in general, going out there is is probably one of the best things you can do, just to be able to experience that. Obviously, do it respectfully, ah just to take in the culture and kind of see what's out there. And now is a good time to do so just because of how strong the USD is in comparison to the yen. And you know it wasn't always like that when I started going, you know,
00:47:14
Speaker
early on, it was like 70 yen to one USD, 70 or 80, which is abysmal for the exchange rate. But you know, now it's like, it's it's wonderful right now. yeah But you know, one of the things I always noticed when I was out there, um especially seeing sneakers, is just people love sneakers out there too. And they love it at I feel like a different level, they treat it very much ah more as a culture than as a They treat it much more as ah as a cultural thing than I would say as a material thing. And you could see this from the way they kind of curate their stores and the way that they curate um their outfits in in general. So I feel like for them, I feel like it's probably
00:47:58
Speaker
a lot more foreign to them because you know they're looking into things like the culture of the music they're looking into things like what was the 90s basketball era like because this is not normal to them because they didn't live it they didn't they didn't and it's also in a different language right so them having to kind of learn about things and then apply it to what they like it's it's different for for them to experience it that way because we lived it right they're learning it and trying to live it through learning that. So I feel like they come at it with from a different level of, I guess, respect and a different level of appreciation. So I again, I just feel like sneakerheads all around the world, wherever you go, whether it's Europe, Asia, ah particular countries like Japan, they always ah for me, it's always been a good vibe out there. on Shopping out there is insane.
00:48:44
Speaker
You could probably find anything that you want out there. um You just have to make sure you have the money for it yeah know it but the The days of deals are gone or you know once the internet started becoming more and more accessible and things like Things like stockings started showing up and goat It's been a lot harder to get good deals on things because people kind of go by those prices nowadays And you're not gonna find a deal at those stores. No, you're not but There are times. You got to pop the EMP before you walk in. Yeah, it's rough. Like, you know, one thing I will appreciate and one thing that I do love about like the Western scene when it comes to sneakers is like you could go to Facebook marketplace, you could go to Facebook groups, you could go on forums, you could go a lot of different places where the culture exists. Social media even to be able to kind of find deals on sneakers and find others that you could either trade with or sell things to or buy from.
00:49:42
Speaker
in Japan, it's a lot different if you don't speak the language. It's a lot different um because you know they don't really have that many they don't really they don't really have that many places like you know like like we do. I mean, there's things like Mercari, there's things like Yahoo, Oxygen Japan, but you know those are all kind of
00:50:01
Speaker
taken like in terms of like ah all the best deals are gone. yeah They don't even happen. like As soon as they come up, they're gone. do Have you ever had like an interesting conversation where they ask you about how did they should be moving forward with something? or you know like in sneakers like is this am I is this right am I lacing this right like I don't know it's just an interesting conversation nothing like that I think I feel like those guys are doing their own thing and they're having their own vibe so people in Japan are very obviously respectful they usually keep to themselves they don't really are they're not really as uh
00:50:33
Speaker
as as outgoing in terms of conversation. But, you know, I feel like ah unless they know you can speak the language or understand the language a little bit, then they they can kind of open up a little bit more. But I think for the most part, ah they they just keep to themselves. But again, it's all about respect and it's all about.
00:50:48
Speaker
the just appreciating the culture that's out there in terms of sneaker culture. So I think they do a good job of of maintaining that. And, you know, it's crazy because I've seen so many people out in Japan um that have just been out there for, you know, for sneakers and shoes, doing their own thing. Recently, I walked past Sean Wotherspoon as he was out in Shibuya one time i was like, oh, she's Sean. And I haven't seen him since the round two Hollywood days. So it's just nice to see him out there ah just doing his thing because, you know, he's I think he has a house out there and hes he has his family out there now with him, too.
00:51:18
Speaker
Wow. Oh, I didn't even know that he moved out there like that. yeah I think so. Yeah. He's like, I forget it. I'm out. I'm out of the US. He's doing he's doing a lot more stuff out there in terms of the with the Japanese companies and the Japanese brands as well. Oh, yeah, that's interesting. I think that I mean, he's, he's, like he's great. I've met him a a couple times at complex con and he's been always been nice to me. So yeah, hopefully future future guests one day. We'll see.
00:51:42
Speaker
fingers crossed fingers crossed the um I did have a question so my boy wanted me to ask you a specific question. ah He asked me to ask you ah Do you have a favorite pair of fictional shoes or sneakers from a video game?
00:52:01
Speaker
Oh, a favorite pair of fictional shoes. So shoes that don't actually exist. Don't actually exist. So I think they do exist now because someone made a like a fan made version of them. But there was this about the the homers, the Homer shoes. No, no, no, I'm not like thinking about that. I'm thinking about the ones that were in Doug. So the nickel. Yeah. Yeah. I think I think somebody tried to make those and they they sold like ah a limited amount amount of them. So there was the sneakers that were in Doug.
00:52:26
Speaker
um I can't think of any other fictional sneakers i that really resonated with me like I wanted them. But I would say it was probably that pair, but but definitely not the Homer's. You don't like the Homer's shoes? I forgot the name of though the Simpson shoes. Somebody actually made them and it was like... I was like, all right, they cool. I remember seeing that. it was It was pretty recent, too. It was like within the last few years, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it was like last year, something like that. But I was like, all right, those are cool. the The idea of now we're living in this world where now the idea of fake sneakers
00:53:00
Speaker
But not like I'm talking about like, not talking about reps. I'm talking about fake shoes that are made up in shows and TV shows can actually be a reality. I mean, the first one was always like the mag. I remember everybody being like, imagine if the air mag actually exists for years. And then we finally got it. And I didn't have $10,000, $15,000 to pay for them. So I mean, they still command such a high amount, whether it's the original release or it's the later release with the auto lasing. They're still super expensive, super sought after super limited. So.
00:53:32
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, if you're a big Back to the Future fan, I feel for you. I'm a huge one. um So we're going down to the end of the podcast. I asked one last question and that deals with a little bit of visualization.
Advice to Younger Self and Sneaker Showcase
00:53:44
Speaker
ah from So I want you to think back to what younger self, your younger self, young Mark, about to open that box of the Jordan 11's IE and now you're you transported back in time behind your younger self. What would you tell your younger self as he opens that box?
00:54:06
Speaker
What would I tell myself, my younger self, as I'm opening the box? As you open in the box.
00:54:15
Speaker
I think I'll keep it very simple. Just always make sure you have some fresh socks too. That's it. I don't i don't want to spoil it. I feel like young Mark man had a good life and he he should go about it unobstructed.
00:54:30
Speaker
i love i wanna keep it I'm gonna keep you that way. I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't change a thing. That's great, man. Yeah. I mean, look, your journey is amazing. It's inspiring. I love, you know, I love being able to have this chat with you, but let everybody know where to find you. You know what? I wasn't, I wasn't sure. And I wasn't, Sure what to prepare for the show I wasn't sure if you wanted me to have some kicks ready to show off or anything like that So I I had some but I wasn't sure if you were gonna call me up like hey, what's your favorite sneaker? What's your favorite? ma this library but like I mean, but if you want if you want to pull out something you want to show I'll show we could we could show a little bit. okay Okay. I want to show you something I want to show you something just because I talked about it for a long time You know, I was thinking long and hard recently and I kind of want to know this from you, too What are your top three sneaker silhouettes?
00:55:14
Speaker
Uh, the dunk, obviously the big dunk guy, uh,
00:55:21
Speaker
Jordan three. No, no, Jordan four. Okay. Jordan four and.
00:55:32
Speaker
Tough. That is tough. Because you're limiting yourself. You're limiting yourself. Yeah, I am. Dunk, Jordan 4. Jordan 4 is my favorite Jordan of all, like Jordan model. OK. And then I would say the,
00:55:51
Speaker
I kind of want to say Jordan 1 or the Air Force 1. Ooh, that's tough. So you have like four. Yeah, yeah i you know before i'll I'll use that. I respect that. OK, mine was very close. So I my favorite of all time is the Jordan 11. It's actually the the Colombians are my favorite shoe. And then the Jordan one.
00:56:13
Speaker
And then it was a toss up between the dunk and the Air Force One, but I feel like the Air Force One has kind of won me over ah recently. I feel like the the Panda crazy killed kill the dunks for me.
00:56:24
Speaker
i mean like yeah first so like When it comes to the dunk, right? I'm such a big fan of the shoe because I'm flat footed. It's a perfect shoe for flat feet. I've never really had any problems with the fours, pinky toe killer all the time, until recently for me. The threes are probably the most comfortable shoe. But I feel like you were only relegated to a couple of colorways like that. Amamineers or the bread colorway, black cement colorway. And God, the black cements are coming back. Yeah.
00:56:56
Speaker
yeah Need a refresh, right? For sure. I never own a pair. But ah my first my first threes is the it's the shoe that got me out of dunks. Fire red threes. And I love them. Great. Those are great. I have a fresh pair of stuff. I have a fresh pair of everything you except for the black cement. So I'm waiting for the the new pairs to come out. But yeah as I was talking, I did want to show you something. Because I think you've seen some of these. Let me change my angle. Give me one second. Can you see that? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Give me one second. Let me grab these kicks. OK.
00:57:29
Speaker
I'm gonna need a second angle.
00:57:35
Speaker
Okay, I'm back. All right. So you know, when I was first talking to Nike and we were talking about this project, so this is ah the the moment 37 Air Force One, right? Yeah. So we were first talking about this project, you know, when they first told me they wanted to do an Air Force One, I was like, man, why an Air Force One? I wanted to do a Dunk or a Jordan One or something like that. But after working on an Air Force One and actually remembering the things that I collect and made me appreciate the Air Force One a lot more. Because, you know, I started thinking about like, you know, I love the Sakura Air Force Ones. I love the Linens. Yeah. I love the the snakeskin ones that and that came out. And then, of course, now that these came out, I fell in love with them again. You know, I think it's
00:58:17
Speaker
some people will think it's maybe corny or cheesy to like really love something that you work on but the team did such a great job i really really fell in love with it oh yeah i still need a pair i need a pair bad size 13 somebody anybody oh that's a tough size that's a tough song yeah we'll see what we can do that's a tough size but You know, this is coming out and just tying it all into video games. But this is coming out again. And I just wanted to show it off because this is one of my loves. The ones that I oh you actually own a pair. That's crazy. Oh, yeah. You know, I owe a pair. I want to pair. This is the original. The original ones, the ones that were limited to 150 pairs. But the PlayStation Air Force ones i absolutely love this sneaker. When I saw that old picture of Kobe looking at him like God damn.
00:58:58
Speaker
This was the one. And I love, again, like I said, I love this pair. um I was thinking about wearing them this year because, you know, it was getting to that age, like, you know, I should wear them before they just crumble. Yeah. But then they announced they were coming out. And I was like, you know what? I can't wait. I mean, until I see an official announcement from Nike, I'm not going to believe it. Man. and Unless you know, you know. Man, I can't say anything. I'm going to put these away now. I can't say anything.
00:59:26
Speaker
But yeah, that's that's all I wanted to talk about. Where's the where's the white? Where's the white phone positive? I want to see it. What makes you think I have one? Because you are one of the co-creators of the shoe. I actually didn't. but Juan Huerta, the designer of the shoe, he worked on it very closely with Michael Murray and the tech and project team. um I just helped with the launch of it. OK. Well, you're one of the launchers. They um they they've announced that it there's more coming later this year. Yeah. So just pay attention. You might hear more information on it soon.
00:59:56
Speaker
I mean, look, I won't have the money for it. I just want to. Man, sneakers are expensive, man. These these are so expensive. So I mean, you know, this is dude. I'm so glad you got a pair. They're beautiful. Like, you know, there's a lot of little elements there that people really haven't talked about me because they don't they they're not intrinsic. when They don't know what the what the thing is. So, you know, usually that that that kind of I stay area for the full posits. It's usually kind of like a new book or suede-ish material. Right. Yeah.
01:00:22
Speaker
So it's a leather material on here because it's supposed to match the color of Kazooie's jacket. So and that's when they used leather on there, I was like, oh my God, they paid attention to his outfit. So Juan did an amazing job. Even though the the the heel part, the inner lining being the devil eye is yeah crazy as well. And it's you can kind of feel it there. It's kind of like a satin feel. yeah It's on point, man. The design is crazy. I hope a a lot of people get these. They get to kind of appreciate it. If you look at that eight logo on the on the tongue as well,
01:00:50
Speaker
it's It's the Devil Eye too. it's yeah It's crazy. It's crazy. It's the Devil Eye that shows up on Kazoo's forehead. It's it's nuts. It's wild. the sho i mean When I opened the box, I was like, this is amazing. I can't believe I got this pair. um yeah It's iridescent, too. So the color is iridescent. And then it has a little bit of the the crackle from like the the Croc leather that he has on his jacket. But then it also has the kind of reflective 3M as well.
01:01:13
Speaker
that you can see, but man, it's a neck breaker for me. I love that sneak. I love this shit. And then the, yeah, I mean, this is my first phone. This is my first phone puzzle. Break them in well. Yeah. Break them in well. I heard they take a little bit of the time. What did you get there? Nah, yeah, for sure. But let everybody know where to find you. So everybody, if you want to find me, I'm Markman23 on Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch.
01:01:43
Speaker
I think that's the only way you can find me. Most of the place, yeah. But I'm Markman 23 pretty much everywhere. And I always talk about video games, retro games, sneakers very often, and just try to live my life as an old man that appreciates cool stuff. Lots of Japan trips. Lots of pictures of Japan trips. Yeah. I'm going to be there for... I'm going to be there for a while. So if you are interested in Japan or you have any questions about Japan, hit me up while I'm there in September and October. Oh, I've got tons of questions. You will be get hit up. There you go. And then, yeah, you know where to find me. I am who is house on social media. Follow the podcast of my first kicks pod. Follow the podcast of my first kicks on YouTube. And if this is your if you were listening to this, just know this is an actual video. Go to YouTube, hit that like subscribe button and
01:02:30
Speaker
You know, hit me up if you have my first kick story, myfirstkickspotagima.com. And for everybody out there, you know what we say each week, wear your kicks. Peace.