RICH HIRSCH INTERVIEW

( photo stolen from the Mosh Website )

I probably shouldn't have to tell you who Rich is. He runs Lotek, Mosh, Goods and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. He also kills it on a bike and is one of the main reasons BMX looks cooler now than it did 5 years ago. Check it:

Allright, you're involved in a lot of different buisnesses within BMX. How did you get involved in the industry side of things and what are your goals with each of your seperate ventures?

I got involved like most kids/people just by printing t-shirts and it just kind of grew from there. As far as my goals for each venture go. I really just want to make cool shit because there wasn't anything cool when I was a kid, and there definetely wasn't a decent place to get stuff at.

A lot of people seem to think that BMX is too influenced by skateboarding lately, particularly in videos, the Lotek mixtape for example. Do you think there is any merit to those concerns?

Can you be more specific on that one?

Ummmm just the whole movement towards videos being all street, no brakes, lots more lines, a lot of bmx shirts and artwork being heavily skate influenced ( I'm not saying that i think that's true about lotek, I loved the video and would rather every video be more like that, it's just what i've read kids say online ).

It's no problem, everyones entitled to there opinion. I just wasn't sure exactly what to answer. I'm just gonna give my opinion on each one of those.

I really don't think the no brakes trend came from skateboarding at all. I remember people doing it when I was a kid, it just didn't stick until someone influential enough came along. I feel that when people saw Edwin ride they were inspired. It was just something completely new that looked fun. He was also one of the first people that actuals got coverage and didn't ride skateparks at all.

As far as the lines go I guess that could come from skating but in all reality that's how people ride. Were just getting better at documenting it.

The clothing side of things is a bit of a grey area. You can look at any t-shirt and compare it to something simply because a t-shirt is the most widely used art form in the world. Its sort of like when you here a new beat on the radio and you know 1000 unknown kids have probably used the same sample. Theres only so much cool shit out there that our culture is inspired by. For me most of it lies in the music/ art/movies of the 80's since that was when I grew up. Im really just trying to make stuff that I like and unfortunatly you cant please everyone.

Did it bum you out when Edwin left Lotek for DC?

That was the first time I had to deal with something like that and it's definetely a strange position to be in on both sides. I'm still bummed out about it because I like Edwin a lot and he's one of my favorite riders. I can see it from both sides though and it seems like he has a good thing going with them so its cool.

You were one of the first riders on Redline and now you're off the team. Why is that? Is it true that Mosh is going to start making frames again?

Rooftop was the first rider on Redline and he set up the rest of the team. I like Mike a lot but I'm not really into Redline at all. I went back and forth about quitting for a long time and eventually just had to do what i was into. Mosh isn't going to ever make frames, just parts.

Do you think the whole notion of "coming up" and making something out of BMX besides just having a good time is becoming too prevalent within BMX? Is that mentality a lot more prevalent now than when you started riding?

I can only speak for myself so I'm not really sure but I see it a bit more. That may be just because there are a lot more people now though too. When I was a kid I rode with guys like Jason Enns from time to time and Im pretty sure they didn't even get payed. So I thought being sponsored meant you got a free bike or a deal, but I definetely dreamed of someday getting that.

Kids don't seem that "coming up" for the most part means 2 or 3 hundred dollars a month and a part time job to survive. It's real cool but really only a brief pause before having to eventually get a real job. Riding is riding and nothing really seems to change it to much.

Who do you consider the 3 most influential riders today?

Mike Aitken ( obvious, I know ) , Ian Schwartz, Chase Hawk.

Really, why do you say Chase Hawk?

You just have to see what happens if you ride with him in front of a bunch of people. It just kind of turns into a demo at every session. You just want to watch. Eddie's up there too.

What can we expect from you and your various projects this year?

I'm just starting out. Bike shop is nearing it's second year, Loteks nearing it's third. So we got a long way to go before catching up to the competition. Just gonna try to make some cool shit and Ride a lot. I think we might do a Subrosa trip to Tijuana.

You're on Subrosa?

Yeah. I thought you were all up on the internet how'd that slip through?

Haha I don't know, I should have known that.