The Converse Blog's Weapresent Weapon Wednesday!

Welcome to the Converse Blog's Weapon Wednesday. Today is all about Weapresenting. I mentioned last Thursday about the Weapresent Boston T-shirts, well thanks to Paul, one the fine people at Converse I have some shirts to Weapresent to you today. Oh, before we get to the goods, go check out CelticsBlog.com, they have this awesome Weapresent banner.

Below are the two Weapresent Boston shirts, the white shirt is sort of distressed and extremely soft, very nice. They also have the Chevron and Star on the back of the shirt as you will see below. After that you'll see the Green Weapresent Boston Shirt.





Also I just found a picture of the Weapresent Los Angeles shirt from KLAC's website.

Even more Weapresent goodness below. In the recent press kit on the "My Drive Thru" song, they have profiles from some other recording artist, this shot features Chad Hugo of N.E.R.D., Kid Sister, and Frank Carter from Gallows. It is in this shot that Chad Hugo is wearing a Weapresent Virginia Beach shirt, very cool. Hopefully this means more Weapresenting past the finals.




Well that's it for today, thanks for stopping in and please remember to vote on your way out. Derrick Rose is starting to pull ahead of Beasley and Mayo. I am off to the Ichthus Music festival tomorrow so I may or may not be able to post on Friday, or I may post tomorrow before I leave. You'll just have to come and see.

The Converse Blog: My Drive Thru feat. Pharrell, Santogold, Julian Casablancas

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (June 9, 2008) - Converse, the creator of iconic shoes including the Chuck Taylor® All Star®, Jack Purcell® and One Star®, announced today that it had brought together the talents of Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D., Santogold and Julian Casablancas as part of the brand’s Century celebration. The artists recently joined forces to create a brand new, all original music track, “My Drive Thru,” that will be distributed digitally free of charge to a global audience exclusively on converse.com and authorized Converse web sites around the world. The track will be released on Tuesday, June 10.


“I’ve always wanted to work with Julian and I’m a big fan of The Strokes. Santogold is super-talented and she cares about music so much that it’s not just about sound, it’s a visual aesthetic,” said Pharrell Williams, the track’s producer. “Working together on original music that crossed all of our inspirations was completely refreshing and I love the track. As for partnering with Converse, I only wear and support the things that I like. The Chuck Taylor is the golden goose egg.”


Converse has long been associated with the worlds of music, sport, art and fashion. The brand’s current Century celebration is largely inspired by its role in disrupting the status quo over the last 100 years. The Chuck Taylor shoe has been worn by musical icons ranging from Sid Vicious to current artists like Common and M.I.A.


“Converse has been embraced by an amazingly diverse group of musicians and artists over the years,” said Geoff Cottrill, Chief Marketing Officer of Converse. “As we celebrate the brand’s first century, we thought it would be fun to bring together Pharrell, Santogold, and Julian, to create new music together that bridges the styles they are known for. The results are everything we hoped for and we’re excited to add ‘My Drive Thru’ into the mix of music that fans will listen to this summer. We are also providing a platform for a number of emerging artists from around the world. The music industry is changing and this partnership is about the music and sharing it with fans for free.”


“As an artist that is just breaking, being asked by Pharrell and Julian to join them on this project was a dream,” said Santogold, whose debut CD was released in May 2008 to rave reviews. “My inspirations come from sources ranging from singers like Nina Simone and Grace Jones to bands like Devo. Working across musical genres was like creating a patchwork where I got to weave together various influences and allow them to co-exist in a fresh and original way.”


In addition to collaborating on the track, the artists also participated in the creation of a music video that will be released during the summer. The song will be promoted, in part through Converse print, outdoor and online advertising tagged Three Artists, One Song. The advertising features the three artists as well as a range of emerging musical talent from across the globe, including MGMT, Bradford Cox of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound, YACHT, Kid Sister, Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces, Frank Carter of Gallows; Does It Offend You, Yeah?, and Sophie of Care Bears on Fire.

My Drive Thru - The Line Up:

Pharrell Williams: He can see sounds. Pharrell Williams has already made history for being one of the most successful and prolific producers to emerge during the last decade. As a part of the beat-making duo The Neptunes, Pharrell and his partner Chad Hugo have helped A-List pop stars sell millions of albums and even earn Grammy Awards for the likes of Justin Timberlake, Nelly, and Usher.

N.E.R.D. Funk rock class is now in session. "N*E*R*D* is who we are. “It's our life," Pharrell would say in 2000, in describing the group that includes him, Chad and longtime friend and creative wunderkind, Shae. The three of them together combine for uninhibited explorations of sounds, emotion and truth, adhering to no agenda, subscribing to no rules. N*E*R*D* is the way they live their life, the way they see the world.

Santogold: Worth more than her weight in gold. Her genre of music can only be described as Santogold. She’s a true alchemist in the music lab where she’s crafted a liquid mix of new wave, Wall of Sound era pop, dub and twisted beats. Santi White’s singular sound doesn’t bow down to the expectations of mainstream radio. So if you’re listening, Pop music, here’s your cue.

Julian Casablancas: The underground front man. If you’re looking for synchronized dance moves, you’ve got the wrong guy. Julian Casablancas may front indie rock superstars, The Strokes, but he always lets the music take center stage. With an obsession for songwriting that’s borderline psychotic, it’s his infectious hooks that take the spotlight.

The Converse Blog's Friday Flashback: Scatback Turf Ox

Hello world, welcome to the Converse Blog's Friday Flashback. Today we're going to return to the Psycho Training series. I actually didn't even notice that these were Psycho Trainers until I loaded up the pics. The name is Scatback Turf Ox, which can only mean that these trainers were designed for Football players.

You have to the love these as only a shoe from early 90's can be loved. I am a sucker for the logo used on these, they remind me of my childhood which is always good. That's it for the week, cheer on Big Brown this weekend. Thanks for checking out the blog and don't forget to vote on your way out.

The Converse Blog: Weapresent Boston T-shirt NBA Finals

So I am sitting at my friends house watching the game, enjoying myself rooting for the Celtics. Then the ball goes out of bounds and ABC shows the stands for a split second. Out of the corner of my eye...is that....it sure looked like a....YES!!!!

So I ran home to get online to see if I could find out for sure, and thanks to getty images I can bring you a solid picture of the Weapresent Boston t-shirt. It features the Converse Weapon in the classic Boston Celtics colorway.

I sure hope one these shows up on eBay because I need one in my life. I can only assume that there will be a Weapresent LA t-shirt too.

The Converse Blog's Weapon Wednesday

With the finals only a day away the Celtics and Lakers are everywhere. Players now and players then are being quoted and photographed everywhere. Yesterday, NBA Living Legends and former Converse endorsers Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did a conference call/interview. Personally, I think they saved the best question for last. Even though neither of the two have a working relationship with Converse, it was amazing to read what they had to say. Which I will pass on to you today.

Q. Can you talk about the Converse commercial you shot. You both mentioned you didn't have a personal relationship before. Tell me how that changed, how your relationship has grown since then.

MAGIC JOHNSON: The great thing is his mother could cook very well (laughter). We were standing there. We went up to Larry's house. His mother cooked lunch. We had a great time. We had never really talked for any length of time. When we went up to his house, also we were standing in between takes, we were able to start talking, and lunchtime, we were able to talk, get to know each other. We were both from the Midwest. Both from families that are close. I really got to know him as a man, not just the great, great basketball player. I think it changed my view as far as Larry is concerned. I've always had the highest respect even back when we played in the world games when Hall didn't start either one of us. Remember, Larry, we killed the starters. We were on the second team and we always beat the starters in scrimmages. I'm glad I finally got a chance to know him, him and his wife, his family. He got to know me. Now we're getting ready to come out with a book together next year. So we've been doing things and keeping in contact with each other. Larry is a good friend. Have nothing but the highest respect and love for him.


LARRY BIRD: You know, back in '84 when we shot that commercial, we really didn't know each other. We played in one All-Star Game together. When the ball went up, when we played against each other, everything was off. I mean, we were competitive. We wanted to win. We did whatever we had to do to get ourselves prepared. I know in the summertime, no matter how we finished up, I geared everything to playing The Finals against the Lakers. That's how I spent my summers. You hear guys going out and having dinner together before the games. That was never gonna happen, believe me, because we were too competitive. Leave all that stuff for the summertime. We did get to know one another. I had a lot of friends of mine were big Magic fans, thought he was the type of player you'd never be able to see again. I had so much respect for him, how he handled himself, how his teams played. He was the man with the ball. He was making the decisions. It all started in '84 and it's carried on now to 24 years later.

MAGIC JOHNSON: Exactly.

You can read the complete interview over at Inside Hoops. I am out for today, I've got to rest up for the finals, or something like that. Either way, thanks for checking out the blog and please remember to vote in the poll.

The Converse Blog: Converse Pro Team

I've been meaning to post this picture for a while now. I was trying to see if I could find any other shots, but I haven't yet. I am a huge fan of the color teel and all teel related colors. This Pro Team fits that description. These are probably just samples, all of the Pro Team colorways released this year have been pretty conservative.

Well that's all for today, not a whole lot, but I just wanted to give this colorway some coverage. The lead that Michael Beasley had on the poll has shrunk to only one vote in front of Derrick Rose and OJ Mayo is gaining ground too. I have seen where Dwyane Wade and OJ Mayo have been spending some time together in Chicago. Hopefully that will lead to OJ signing with Converse. It would be a dream to sign all three, only time will tell.

The Converse Blog: Converse Premium Fall 2008 and Product (RED) Fall/Holiday 2008

I woke up this morning to find two new press kits released by Converse. The first press kit is for the Premium Fall 2008 footwear and the second is for the Fall/Holiday 2008 Product (RED) footwear. Please go and check them out for yourself, they're right there..go ahead click them...wait wait wait, go to them after you finish with today's post, please...

Instead of just telling you every thing that the press kits will tell you, I am going to post a few pictures of what I consider to be highlights. The first shoe pictured below is the Converse Wave Trainer. It is a re-issue of a shoe that previously featured Energy Wave. I've seen another colorway and picture that featured the Energy Wave logo on the heel. I am not sure if they have Energy Wave in them or not, but I sure hope so.

This is the Converse Bosey Boot by John Varvatos, here is some of what the Press Kit says.

For Fall 2008, John Varvatos gives a nod to Converse’s centennial by drawing inspiration from a boot from the Converse archives. With the introduction of the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Bosey Boot, Converse by John Varvatos offers an extra, extra high interpretation of a boot that dates back to Converse’s heritage as a military footwear contractor for the US government in WWII. A rugged, gusseted upper with beautifully supple, oiled leather and a military, painted rubber canvas version present style in a refined, stylish manner.




Below is the Converse Jack Purcell V-4, which you can tell stands for Velcro 4. If you read this blog then you know I love the Jack Purcell's, even more then Chucks...gasp...but it is true. These Grey and Lime Green beauties can't get here soon enough.
I first showed you these Chucks a few post ago from the Bread and Butter trade show. These are named the Converse All Star Low Profile. That may be their name, but it was surely named with Tongue firmly in Cheek. At least visually they aren't low profile, especially in other colorways. I really can't wait to see these in person and see what they're all about.

Finally, from the Product (RED) collection. Besides the 1 Hund(Red) artist collection, there are also regular Product (RED) shoes coming in the fall. But these aren't exactly regular, they are made with African canvas. A nice touch on the heel will let you know that the Canvas was made in Africa.

These are just a few samples of what is offered in the new Press Kits, please go and check them out for yourself now.

Also while I was writing the blog today I found out about the Target and Converse One Star afterparty for the 2008 MTV Movie awards. WireImage has a lot of photos up for your viewing pleasure. You can find them here.

Thank you for stopping in, I am going to try and post tomorrow too. Don't forget to Vote on the way out.