It's an honor to have the one and only Kevin Zinger on the show today! Kevin is an entrepreneur who has been driving the skate, surf, and punk rock cultures in Southern California for years. He manufactures clothing, manages bands, produces films, curates art exhibitions, and even has a syndicated radio show!
Kevin grew up in Southern California dreaming to be a pro surfer.
And while he made cash from his sponsorships each month he was smart enough to realize early on that it wasn't going to be viable as a career choice. His surfing did introduce him to bands like The Offspring, Pennywise, and Sublime, in their fledgling phases though. He began to bring bands like these to his hometown to play at packed venues he was too young to get into for 5 dollars a ticket!
Kevin shares how this early love for organizing gigs became the center of multiple passion projects that linked art, music, and fashion — while earning him a living too! He has some great stuff to share with us today about how doing what you love may not always make you a millionaire but why that shouldn't stop you.
We also get into Kevin’s love for surfing and boxing, hearing the central place they occupy in his life, and he doesn’t leave out some of the gnarly bangs and scrapes he has experienced along the way. Kevin also shares some of the wicked new films he is producing as well as artists he is working with, so hit that play button and get ready for the ride!
Key Points From Our Episode with Kevin Zinger:
• The special thing about art and how Kevin and Scott can’t get enough of it.
• How Kevin fell in love with art while immersed in the different subcultures in California.
• The central place of art and passion in Kevin’s self-made multifaceted career.
• How Kevin got into organizing gigs working with bands like Pennywise and The Offspring.
• What defines the word ‘artist’ and how it’s broader than making conventional art.
• Why being able to occupy different worlds is central to Kevin’s career.
• Honesty and hard work are key factors to Kevin’s success.
• More than making millions, Kevin is trying to help artists not have to get a day job.
• A discussion of the actual profit that Kevin would make by organizing a seemingly big event.
• Typical artist profits and exploitations, and the reality that all that glitters isn’t gold.
• The central role that surfing and boxing have in Kevin’s mental health and productivity.
• Being a surfer was key to the connections Kevin made in the early days of his career.
• How Kevin nearly lost his ear in a horrific surfing accident crashing into a novice longboarder.
• What Kevin’s dad taught him and did to become his biggest life inspiration.
• How Scott and Kevin’s natures saved them from partying hard but not ruining their lives.
• The details of a binge drinking session with Scott’s friends and Man One in Chicago.
• A discussion about Kevin’s two new graffiti documentaries.
• Kevin’s perspectives about profit and relevance in his new documentaries.
• What stopped Scott making an art film about Kevin Feldman’s Boeing 747 at Burning Man.
• Scott’s take on Burning Man’s ephemerality, surreality, and communal spirit.
• Why Kevin hasn’t been to Burning Man yet but might go still.
• A blow-by-blow account of a crazy art experience Scott had involving drones at Burning Man.
• What makes Amigo The Devil the best songwriter Kevin has found in decades.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Kevin Zinger — https://www.kevinzinger.com/
Kevin Zinger on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/zingersrh/
Kevin Zinger on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/kevinzinger
Kevin Zinger on IMDB — https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4094149/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr7
Kevin Zinger on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn5eVp1wkB82DnKuaQX76A
Pennywise — https://pennywisdom.com/
The Offspring — https://www.offspring.com/
Sublime — https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sublime-mn0000486047/biography
Makua Rothman — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FuDxEUKwIk
Saving Banksy — https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1836297419/saving-banksy
The Underbelly Project — https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/arts/design/01underbelly.html
Logan Hicks — http://workhorsevisuals.com/new/
CBS Crew — https://gardenamp.com/cant-be-stopped-chronicles-legendary-los-angeles-graffiti-crew-cbs/
Burning Man — https://burningman.org/
Kevin Feldman’s Boeing 747 at Burning Man — https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bma8xa/747-project
Meow Wolf in Area 15 — https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/arts-culture/area15-bringing-art-tech-meow-wolf-experience-to-las-vegas-1598138/
Meow Wolf — https://meowwolf.com/
Barnum and Bailey — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3s5elty854
Salvador Dali — https://www.biography.com/artist/salvador-dali
The Grateful Dead — https://www.dead.net/
Amigo The Devil — https://amigothedevil.com/
John Wayne Gacy — https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110801/news/708019985/
Man One — http://www.manone.com/
Man One on Twitter — https://twitter.com/ManOneArt
Scott “Sourdough” Power — https://www.instagram.com/sourdoughpower/
Not Real Art Conference — https://www.notrealartconference.com/
Not Real Art on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/notrealartofficial/
