Customs X First Thursdays Artist Interview: Richard "French" Sayer

Artist, Illustrator, and Art Director. Richard “French” Sayer is bringing you the macabre across record labels, skate brands, media and apparel. Check it.

Interview by Russ Pope. Photos by Alex Irvine.

CCS: Where are you living in right now? Are you in Sherwood Forest?

French: At present I live in Royal Tunbridge Wells, it's about 40 minutes by train directly south of London in Kent, the ‘garden of England’. It’s super nice, very countryside. It’s got a really good skate scene, a few street spots, a couple of bad skateparks, a pretty rad 2nd hand record store, couple of good pubs. But there’s super fun parks within driving distance. It’s not near Sherwood Forest, but it is near the forest that Winnie the Pooh is set in. Pooh Corner is a good bicycle ride from my house. Ha!!

You’ve been all over the place in the last handful of years, do you like living one place better than another? Do you miss Australia?

I really liked living in Nuremberg, Germany. It was a massive culture shock and life changing experience for sure and I made some true life long friends, but Melbourne for sure has my heart. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have an inner heart ache for Melbourne and all my mates there. I’ve never felt so at home somewhere before. Australia really is the most amazing place and the people are great.

What was the last trip you took, where would you like your next trip to be?

I was just in Bilbao painting a mural for Volcom. The Basque Country is beautiful and the food is great. Loads of rad old parks to skate and the locals are all really friendly and welcoming. I’m actually gonna go to ‘Rock Hard’ Festival in Germany in June. It’s gonna be a skate trip that also goes to the festival with my friend Lars. Razor and Midnight are playing !!! Can’t wait !!

Who’s your favorite person to ride skateboards with?

That is a very difficult question to answer. Rich Gilligan, my German homies Matthias, Andi and Stefan are pretty good dream team. But I also love to skate the car park in my home town with my friends Munt, Chas and Mingo. I’ve been skating there with them since ‘92. It just feels like, as the Scorpions would say ‘coming home’.

Easy to share a handful of artists that you appreciate?

Laurie Vincent, Ranger Persson, Liisa Chisholm, Jody Barton, Daniel Cantrell, Chrissie Abbott, Gabriel Hollington, Barf.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on in the last few years?

Thats also a difficult question, I’ve worked on loads and loads of sick stuff in the past few years and I’m so proud of loads of it.  I think perhaps the stuff I just made with ‘Lazy Oaf’ as the clothing that came out was so out there and its so rad to see it as all over prints and also as clothes for both women and men. I love seeing how crazy it can get.

Judas Priest or Mercyful Fate?

I have to say Priest. I think even though Fate have a huge place in my life, I listen to Judas Priest and Motorhead most days.

Favorite televisions Marc Churchill story?

I really enjoyed it when he told Lee Dainton once that he’d had higher TV ratings than him. As his show was on a national TV station in the 90’s on a saturday and Dainton’s show was just on MTV, hahah!! I love Marc, I also enjoyed watching him wipe an ice cream all over his face whilst shouting at me to land a trick.

Pizza, burgers, or sushi?

Pizza 100% - always Margarita !!

Beer or cocktail?

BEER BEER BEER!!

What’s your favorite medium to work in?

Sharpie on paper, it feels so nice. I love to use my air-brush and I really enjoy to painting on glass at the moment. But I really take pleasure in the bleed you get from ink coming out of the pen into the paper. It’s always gonna be the starting point anyway.

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions and for being part of the Customs X First Thursday's project. Have any parting comments, thoughts, upcoming projects to keep a lookout for, requests?

Thank you for asking me to get involved. I hope people have fun customizing the products with my artwork. Skate, listen to metal, draw stuff and most of all, please have fun and enjoy yourself.

Now it's your turn to get busy with the demonic drawings of Richard "French" Sayer. Check out the Customs X tools and get metal with it right here on the CCS website. Or navigate the river Styx with French's Pick of an all new shaped deck!

Make sure to tag us, French, and #ccscustoms in all your creations so we can share your work with the underworld.