INTERVIEW WITH GODMACHINE

Godmachine hails from South Wales, UK and is one hell of an Illustrator, designer and artist. He has handled the artwork of every great metal band and record label in the planet and has also worked with companies like Flip Skateboards, Adidas, Globe, Birdhouse and many more. Godmachine was recently commissioned to do a range for KFD Skateboards and this is what he had to say about the range, metal, his inspirations and his work…

What was your inspiration or the idea behind your range of KFD boards?
I can’t really remember now what we agreed on, I think the guys were worried that one of the boards had butterflies on and that it wasn’t mean enough, but on seeing that it was a zombie tree covered in blood they were fine. I think the brief was my inspiration; “draw zombies”. I am very pleased with these and have been anxious as hell waiting for them to be printed. I have worked with a load of big skate names but there is nothing more exciting with working with the smaller companies; they seem to take more risks, invent new ideas and take things that little bit further. Large companies deal with a lot bigger losses and tend to play it safe.

What do you listen to when you’re working?
Soundtracks a lot lately, they seem to invoke more feeling than some 19 year old angry spotty prick screaming at me about pain and loss… fuck off you are 19 and in a signed band, hard to take that seriously anymore. Before it used to be that you knew the band toured hard in shitty pubs for years before they got signed, now you don’t know who to trust, bands getting signed because they fit a marketing hole, “here kids, get some sleeves, that helps sales”. Sorry, having a bad morning. But to be fair there are a lot of amazing young bands out there, unsigned bands that release their stuff on CDR and hand it out at shows, bands that don’t listen to FM radio or MTV or chart music or anything they can hear at ease, they are making music that can only be heard on CDR and at the show, hard nasty LOUD greasy skinny bleeding stoners crawling between amps on shitty stages…t hats the future of music. If you don’t get a CDR thrust into your hand by a friend one night, you will miss them. I love those guys.

The question was what do you listen to, not what irks you. I listen to the Event Horizon soundtrack, that’s amazing horror score for space, it has wind in it, wind in space, genius! Some OST’s: Sunshine (Danny Boyle), Batman, Blade Runner, Dracula (Bram Stokers), Solaris. Band wise: Big Business, COC, Chis Isaak, Harry Connick Jnr, The Police, Goblin Cock, Weedeater, Tool and all the others.

What is your favorite skateboard graphic of all time?
Mike Vallely’s elephant in pink. Only because it’s nostalgic as hell, when i see it I’m home skating again with all my friends with no worries to call my own. I can see it now: Peewee is bitching about something, Malcolm is puking on Peewee, Stuart is covered in blood from something and shouting at his dad… not a mobile phone in sight. But if I had to pick one on artistic merit, I would be at a loss, so many good stuff coming out now, wish I was allowed to do more sick stuff.

What do you get up to when you’re not illustrating?
I like looking at illustrations, reading books and watching documentaries. My biggest vice is coffee, I have had some coffee sent to me from a Cape Town coffee place called Deluxe. So far, the best coffee I have had along with a coffee from France called Haiti Blue. I also love eating out. I do that as often as I can.

What was your favorite project to work on this year?
Blade Runner poster. One of my all time favorite films and was a real pleasure doing it. I think I don’t usually boast or feel like I should boast about most things I do, but thats like a childhood dream come true. That and anytime I get to do a skateboard… seriously, all those years drooling over boards and now I’m actually doing them myself.

Do you have any plans for 2011 such as art shows, travels or new styles to explore?
I have a few things coming up and planned, nothing I would really like to start saying now just in case it all falls through, but follow me on Twitter @godmachineuk and see if I drop some hints. Someone Invite me over to Cape Town, the place looks crazy and beautiful.

For more, visit the official Godmachine site HERE and the KFD site HERE.

Purchase your Godmachine range of skateboards online HERE.

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