SpaceCadetz is very proud to present our latest interview with one of the dopest European brands that you’ve probably never heard of. Mekanism is a leading skateboard company based out of Paris, France, and they’ve been making plenty of waves not only locally, but in the global arena as well. The founder, Fred Maechler, was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for SpaceCadetz. Enjoy the interview and be sure to stop by www.mekanismskateboards.com to peep the goods.

What’s up, Fred. Please tell the SpaceCadetz readers who you are and what you do.

31 years old, live and work in Paris, France. I’m the founder and director of Mekanism. And from time to time I write a column at Highsnobiety.com called “The Columnist” about design, art and everything I find interesting.

So about Mekanism. What is the company all about and how did it get started?

Mekanism is a skateboard brand based in Paris and founded in 2002. I work in the skateboard industry since 95, as owner of a skateshop from 95 to 98 and of a distribution company of US skate brands in France since 99. In 2002 I came to a level where I was missing something, none of the brands of the skateboard industry had exactly the same vision of skateboarding that I had so I started Mekanism. Mekanism has a guideline, to communicate through a sober, very graphic field of vision, avoiding the superfluous, without sacrificing comfort and meaning. Since 2005 it has evolved as an UFP (unidentified flying project): we invite artists on limited-edition decks. We try to propose to a young audience the work of artists they are not always familiar with.

I’m assuming that many people on MySpace have never been to France before. This may seem like a very general question, but how would you characterize or describe the youth cultural scenes in France, particularly the skateboarding scene?

The skate/street industry is pretty big and independent in France, we have our own brands, magazines and videos. But I must admit that most of the teenagers are still obsessed by the US brands. The older people support more the French scene.

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of running Mekanism from France?

The disadvantage is that in this skate/street culture in order to get recognized abroad, and even in France, you have to get recognition in the US at first. Only then people start to consider what you do. That means a lot of work and patience. The advantage is that once you got that coverage over there you are noticed easier because few of those projects are coming from France.

Each new season is given a theme, for example the ORIGAMI Series from Fall 2003. Is theme selection based on the art or how does that process work exactly?

The theme of each series comes from the mind of our graphic designer Saviane Auzende, except the Lego series done by Sébastien Caldas. Each theme is a mix of the in-thing with skate/street culture, modern and contemporary art.

Speaking of the art on your decks, I have to say that Mekanism has really elevated that to a whole new level, especially with the artist collaborations. The more recent collab was with German artist Katharina Grosse, in which she spray painted 100 decks in her signature style. How did that one come about?

I discovered her work at her exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in Paris last year and took a slap. I contacted her and ask her to do our next limited-edition deck. She agreed immediately. At first I proposed her the same format as all the other artists, a limited edition of 100 decks. After she agreed, I continued to study her work and thought that using such a medium, the spray gun, directly on 100 blank decks could give an even more interesting result. I proposed her this second method and she preferred this one as well. 100 original and unique skateboards were then created.

Our new project is with Invader. Last year we did with him a limited-edition of 100 skateboards and now he created three skateboards covered with real tiles and conceived a different mosaic for each deck. Three original and unique works of art on skateboards.

Have you thought about expanding the Mekanism brand into other areas like clothing?

We did t-shirts, sweatshirt, caps and accessories. But not on a regular basis, we produce new products whenever we feel like doing it.

You recently joined MySpace. How has your experience been so far?

It’s an easy way to maintain and expand your network. Especially when most of your contacts are abroad.
Any shoutouts?

You, Scott, for the interview, Saviane, Cédric, PY, all the artists we have worked with, all the people and media that support us.

http://www.mekanismskateboards.com

http://www.myspace.com/mknsm

Here are all three videos of Tila Tequila getting a new tattoo, posted in one place for your viewing convenience.

Remember that crab from the Honda Element commercials? “I pinch!!” His name apparently is Gil, and he has a MySpace page up that links to a petition at SaveTheCrab.com to get his Honda ad job back. You can also view the original ad on Gil’s MySpage that made him famous in the first place.

Gil the Crab’s MySpace Profile

I just came across this great independent clothing label on MySpace called Acrylick Clothing. Acrylick, based in Los Angeles, is all about creating fashion that contains positive messages and is meant for people who actively want to express their own original style and spirit.

A lot of companies make clothes with this kind of approach, but leave their customers wondering what the heck is the real meaning behind the designs. Well, Acrylick briefly explains each of their designs in detail so you know what’s up with each piece. If you’re interested in picking up your own piece of Acrylick, go to DigitalGravel.com.

Acrylick MySpace Profile

You can throw this video into the weird category. Apparently when the owner of this rabbit yells, the rabbit screams in unison. Very weird indeed.

If you want to get hooked up with some quality instrumentals, then check out this guy named Dr. Oktoe. These aren’t any ordinary beats though, they have a real nice ambient, jazzy, trip-hop sound that make ‘em great for listening to while chillin out. Three of the four tracks are downloadable, so be sure to stop by his profile for that at the very least.

Oktoe’s MySpace Profile

This freestyle building jumping and flipping crap always impresses me.

A lot of people on MySpace are trying to make a name for themselves, but it should never be at the expense of another. Case in point is this guy I came across who goes by the name Crood. His MySpace profile is called RIP Sage Francis and it’s basically a page dedicated to hating on Sage Francis and calling him a homosexual. I mean it’s crazy. This guy Crood is a nobody and he’s trying to make a name for himself by defaming Sage’s rep. Not that it carries any weight, but still. Crood wins the Best MySpace Hater award from SpaceCadetz.

RIP Sage Francis Profile

Ouch. This clip gives new meaning to the sport of pole vaulting.

If this doesn’t mean that SpaceCadetz has made it, then I don’t know what does. Everyone knows that MySpace is filled with famous females, but I can’t imagine that it gets any bigger than this….. SpaceCadetz is proud to present our exclusive interview with the one and only Holly Madison!! Hugh Hefner’s leading lady took a few minutes out of her day to answer a few questions and here are the results…enjoy!

Hi Holly! Thanks for taking the time to do this. I can’t believe SpaceCadetz is actually interviewing you! So how’s life treating you right now?

Great-we just finished shooting the second season of Girls Next Door! Now I am looking forward to a little time off to enjoy the sunshine.

You probably get asked this a million times, but what is it like living at the Playboy mansion? What are the perks and your favorite parts about living there?

There are so many great things about living here-there’s a 24-hour kitchen where you can order whatever you want to eat, a zoo in the backyard, a gym, great parties . . . but the best thing about living here is just hanging out with Hef and the chance to get to know all the Playmates that come through here.

So how did you and Hef meet and get to become a couple?

I was invited to come to the Mansion parties, and after a while I finally got a chance to talk to Hef and he asked me out. We hit it off immediately, and I moved into the Mansion two days after our first date.

The other question you must get all the time is what is Hef like? To people that haven’t met him, he’s almost this mythical god-like figure (at least to the guys he is haha), but you’ve clearly gotten to know him on a very personal level. Could you describe Hef in your own words and maybe address any misconceptions about him?

Hef is a really fun guy who is one of the most caring people I have ever met. He loves to be surrounded by people he cares about.
Didn’t Hef just turn 80 back in April? He must have had a crazy party. What went down with that?

The party was so fun-everyone was there-Paris Hilton, Donald Trump, Oliver Stone . . . 3-6 Mafia performed, Bridget jumped out of a cake . . it wasn’t just your ordinary party!

Could you give us a little background on yourself? Like where are you from, where have you lived, and how did you get into modeling and eventually into Playboy?

I was born in Astoria, Oregon and moved to Craig, Alaska when I was two. I moved back down to Oregon in middle school and did two years of college at Portland State University. I was a double major-theater and psychology. I transferred to Loyola Marymount University in LA-where I always wanted to live. I was working at Hooters to pay the bills and met a lot of really nice girls there. We were all going to the Playboy parties and that’s how I met Hef. I was never into modelling before that. Opportunities just come along when you live at the Mansion!

So I hear that you are currently filming a second season of your show Girls Next Door, congrats on that. Can you let the SpaceCadetz readers in on what’s going to be happening in the second season?

I have seen three episodes from the new season so far, and I love them! They are so much better than last season, which I loved as well. We start off with Hef’s 80th birthday party, take a trip through Europe, celebrate Kendra’s 21st in Vegas . . there’s so much crazy stuff!

How was that trip to Europe you took with Hef, Kendra, and Bridget?

The trip was amazing-we went to 8 different cities. I have been studying French for the last 5 months, so I got a chance to practice. I love Paris! And Venice. Those were my two favorite cities on the trip!

The slogan “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” probably applies to the Playboy Mansion parties as well, but are there any scanadalous party stories you could leak to us?

Hell no!

Does it ever get catty with so many girls living at the mansion? Without naming names of course, do you have any crazy Playmate vs. Playmate stories that you can share? Preferably ones that involve nudity and mud??

If only it were as simple as mud wrestling . . . . Bridget, Kendra and I are great friends, but in the past we have had some real psycho-gold diggers here as you can probably imagine. One of them accused me of drugging her drink once to get her to ride the bull at Saddle Ranch. Please. I am way too nerdy to know where to get drugs.

If you weren’t with Hef and living in the Playboy Mansion, what else do you think you’d be doing?

I think I would be working behind the scenes, producing a show or something. I love being creative and in control. Our producers and editors on Girls Next Door probably think I’m the biggest gadfly because I am always giving them suggestions.

In general, do regular guys even have a chance when it comes to dating a Playmate? If so, what’s the best way to approach one?

I think so. Playmates are from all over the world and lead varied lifestyles. Most of them don’t want to date the egotistical type, so i would just be myself, be low-key and try to focus on what we have in common if I were going to approach a Playmate (gentlemen, start your fantasies . . ) No, in all seriousness, I think a confident, nice guy is the best kind. But one who is accomplished and has a life. You don’t have to be rich or famous.

If you could make one wish what would it be?

Just one? I’m way to ambitious for that! Does it have to be a world peace wish or can it be a selfish wish? There are a lot of rules to this game . . . .

What’s the best thing about being Holly Madison?

I have a lot of opportunities and possibilities surrounding me . . . but I guess anyone does if they just know how to look at things.

Any shoutouts?

I wanna give a shout out to all my MySpace friends and say sorry I don’t have time to check my messages!