TLG: The L Stands for Lovely

By Jrox

Image: http://tlgclub.blogspot.com

Avoxers,

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to a group of brilliant souls that have been putting a stamp on the city with their events. Whether it’s a skateboarding contest, art gallery show, or concert. If they are hosting, plan on having a great time and plan on being off work the next day! They are ‘The Lovely Gentlemen’(TLG) and tonight I have the privilege of sitting down for a chat with founders Robert J. Fowler and Bradley Hainschwang.

Image © Lindzrox

So who are TLG?

RF: We’re a group of young gentlemen who decided to change a few things in the art & skateboard scene around the GTA

BH: We’re just trying to spread the name out there. Our slogan is ‘the L stands for love’ so we’re trying to help promote all the small shops and companies. It could be an independent band, we have a lot of friends who are artists, and so we’re promoting that side of it too. We’re trying to get the word out that there are other artists and bands than what you might hear on the radio or see in a subway station.

What are the origins of the name?

RF: (Laughing) It started with drinking a lot of Amsterdam Blonde and a crazy idea about shooting photos of shoppers on Queen St. We decided to do a FBI-style photo shoot which never really took place, but instead lead to the idea of making a collective of artists to do this sort of thing. Then one day Chris McCarthy and me decided to call ourselves ‘The Lovely Gentlemen’ because we thought it was pretty funny and we still do.

TLG has a foundation in skateboarding, what are some of your thoughts about growing up in the culture?

RF: We are skateboarders at heart and always have been. It’s something we’ve done to pass the time in between beers (laughing)

BH: It’s not just about skateboarding. It is part of it, but so is music and art, all the things that we like.

RF: We lived in your garage for like three years straight skating a mini-ramp, it like was a cave of mini-ramp gnarboots (laughs).

The camaraderie that comes from it is amazing

RF: Honestly we have met and hung out with some of the world’s raddest people just because we push a piece of wood with four wheels.

BH: Then if those people do other stuff. Making art or playing in band, we go to the shows and it comes together from there.

RF: It snowballs into what we like to do as TLG

BH: fo’ life (laughs)

Image © Lindzrox

You guys have been doing lots of events all around town. What’s one of the most memorable events you’ve done so far?

RF: R4R (Ridin’ for Riches). It was sketchy cause it was raining and we were doing a skate contest. Brad calls me up like “Is it raining where you are?” and I’m like “look my mom and dad will let us have our contest today” and Brad’s like “that’s awesome!” For those of you that don’t know, my parents passed away when I was young, so whenever we have any trouble I’m like “they won’t let it happen” and by contest time it was sunny!

BH: One of the first events we did was in Oshawa with Jay from Alcatraz. (R.I.P that shop is gone now). There was a bunch of bands playing and we all walked in wearing suits and everyone was like “who the hell are these guys?” We were promoting the good word of the lovely gentleman. It was our first event and everyone got dressed up, it was definitely memorable.

RF: We didn’t really have to do anything. Krew & Supra sent us a bunch of stuff. Jay King already had the flyer done. All we had to do was walk through the door and it was like TLG was epic that night! It was a little rock bar called the Groove Lounge which is kind of a rock haven, so when a bunch of creeps came walking in wearing suits everyone was like “what is going on?” Then we stood on stage and started throwing tons of clothing out to people.

BH: Everyone loved us at the end of the night cause we threw out thousands of dollars worth of product

RF: There was mad stickers everywhere, it was loose, there was Supra stickers on everybody’s boobs (laughs), always fun for us, but kind of an awkward way to advertise. It was super fun.

What are three words that describe TLG?

RF: Fun. I think that we are enticingly fun people.

BH: Lovely (laughs)

RF: Gentlemen (laughs), I’d say fun, quirky, and lovely.

BH: I’m down with that, that’s good

So something that I just saw on the TLG blog, the Market Garden http://www.themarketgarden.ca/v2/web/ collaboration. What’s going on with that?

BH: They’ve been around for about three years or so and we would keep meeting them at parties, skateboard events, and concerts. So we became friends with them, then as time went on we thought why not do something together? So the shirts should be out around December.

RF: Their graphics are creative and fun. The stuff they do is so interesting, lots of 50’s photographs that are cut up and mangled, right up our alley and the rest of the guys that roll with TLG. We always enjoy wearing a little more quirky stuff. Their clothing style is pretty wicked especially their colour schemes.

BH: We just thought that they would be a good fit for the TLG. They support a lot of people, do artists series and put out shirts and screen prints.

RF: Al & Dave are super rad dudes, you don’t meet a lot of people that are like that anymore, that are genuinely interested in having fun with you.

BH: They are definitely a roots-oriented company. They want to help everyone else

RF: That’s a good way to put it. They enjoy helping other people like we do.

What is your advice for someone that would like to become a lovely gent?

BH: Anyone can be one (laughs)

RF: Go to your nearest pub and find a Hainschwang or a Fowler. Buy us a pint and slap a high five, next thing you know you’ll be inducted (laughs). It’s not that hard to be a lovely gent, just try to do something for the ‘greater good’. Try to be nice to people as much as possible. Sometimes we debate on how the small things in life like common courtesies are overlooked it’s atrocious.

BH: It’s like giving up your seat on the subway or holding the door for somebody. I’ll hold the door for someone and people look at me like what are you doing? You’re half a foot behind me why wouldn’t I open the door for you? It’s small things like that, but I’m not going judge someone if they don’t, I mean that’s their prerogative not mine you know.

That’s not the TLG way though…

BH: NO IT’S NOT (laughs).

RF: Most people that become members, just love to come hang out and check out events. Come out and slap some fives and sooner or later you will become one of us. It’s like zombies, one of us will bite you and you’ll be a TLG member, sorry (laughs). We love to have fun, we don’t want to fight anybody, we don’t cause trouble. That’s stupid and boring, more of a headache than anything.

So there is another Sex Panther party next weekend?

BH: It’s on Nov 20th, and it’s Fowler and my birthday party.

RF: There’s a two-week separation in between our birthdays, but we just figured why not put them together and have one super jam! It will be at 751 Queen St.W, there is also going to be a video premier/party earlier that day at the Baitshop Gallery. So were going to bring everyone from that to the Sex Panther jam.

So everyone should plan on being around Queen West on the 20th.

BH: It’s a short walk from one to the other

RF: Pencil in having the worst hangover ever the next day (laughs)

BH: Another thing is we’re doing a collaboration with a tattoo shop in Pickering called Next of Skin. That should hopefully be out middle of December or January. It’s kind of a fifties-esque tattoo graphic.

Is that going to be for clothing?

RF: It’s going to be on t-shirts, long sleeves, maybe some sweaters. It’s actually the TLG handshake that is the graphic for the shirts.

BH: We also have something coming out with Freedom Fighter skateboards http://freedomfighterskateboards.wordpress.com/. We’re doing a board with Tim that should be out in the springtime, great shape and graphic.

RF: It’s going to be pretty funny. Six or seven TLG members will be depicted in a cartoon format pitted against some sort of gorilla-esque graphic. We’re still kind of in the dark about how it’s going to go down.

BH: We’re also working on Ridin’ for Riches 2010 hopefully down in the city at Ashbridges park. We got a lot of sponsors behind that, more money and still the same trip to go to the ‘Billibong Damm Am’ contest in Vancouver. We fly you out there and give you some spending money. We got a lot on the go, but haven’t put out anything formal yet, other than beer cozies and some fun stuff like that.

RF: We thought the best avenue was to build it up first.

BH: Everyone that comes out with these t-shirt companies “I got a shirt company, check my shirts” then they’re gone next week, we want longevity.

RF: Usually we’re getting stuff from other companies like Krew and Supra to give out, it’s fun to be able to do that. For the 751 party were going to have stuff to give away from Bluetile Lounge http://bluetilelounge.ca, Baitshop http://www.thebaitshop.ca/, Freedom Fighter, and Switch Skate/Snow www.switchnow.ca is in there. Get everyone together and hand some stuff out. Get everyone stoked and give people the chance to check out some new stuff.

Alright gents, let’s go out and grab some beers and take some photos!

For more information on TLG check out their blog at:

http://tlgclub.blogspot.com/