STEREO

INTERVIEW with Stereo's Chris Pastras

Interviewed by: Matt Bauer Web Editor

What is the priority in building a board graphic?
It really depends on the graphic and the goal of the design (if it's a series, who the rider is, etc.) so that is a hard question to answer...

Did you use anything out of the ordinary for inspiration?
Mostly books, records and thrift store finds...I used my Mom's 70's wallpaper for a wheel graphic once, I guess that was the strangest inspiration I can think of right now.

What has been your favorite board series to design?
The Cut Out Series I've been working on for the current season has been a fun one. Besides that the Way Out East buildings series was one of my favorites, I drew Empire State Building, Effiel Tower, and Big Ben for that one.

What pro has had the most unusual request for their board graphics?
Neville Sandzibar, he was a bitch to work with.

What was the overall theme for the latest Stereo catalog (if there was one)?
Not really a set theme for the season, but there is set themes for certain graphic series, such as the Spy series, based on spy tools, and the Cigar series, which was based on some old Cigar and Cigarette packaging from the 50's.

What were some of the most memorable Stereo graphics in your opinion and have there been any you are not too fond of?
I would say the most memorable are the ones we have been reissuing such as the Jason Lee Pipe and Guitar board, Matt's Rising Sun, my Blue Note. Beyond that we've had some rad contributors like Ari Marcopolus, Todd Francis, Thomas Campbell, etc. We did some cartoony stuff in the late 90's I'm not super crazy about, but it's all part of our history.

Thanks for the low down Chris and keep the goggle steez going strong.

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