Matthias Bednorz is "Useless"

Oh, wait a second. I just have to pause the game. Here we go.

What are you playing?

B: Need for Speed.

[Call disconnected]

Sorry, WhatsApp closed due to low storage. Just had to delete iMovie.

[laughs] We’ve all been there. Let’s start with giving you a chance to correct/comment some quotes by your homies regarding your last part on our website. You told me they wanted to fool you.

Yes please! Let’s go through it!

Max Beinhofer said you should get rid off that pink Nikes.

I mean, ok. They are gone. I get Vans shoes through Chris Pfanner now and I’m pretty hyped on that. But my friends are pretty good with talking shit on me. [laughs]

You mean stuff like posing like Mario Balotelli after a trick or rather film tricks for Instagram than for a video part?

Oh yes. I mean, come on. The Balotelli thing is completely out of hand. Don’t wanna say his celebration isn’t iconic, but definitely nothing I’d do. I don’t know if that Instagram thing would have been true some years ago, but actually I’m loosing my mind way more often while filming stuff for Instagram than for a video part. Also, I had this label for a while to be the little drunk of Nuremberg, just because I joined the street mission being hungover once. Probably it wasn’t my best session, but I had to work a lot to grow out of that image.

I mean from what I can say is that there has been lots of footage of you out there during the past two years on several media for different projects.

Yeah. I was just hyped to hop around, go street skate and meet people. I was cool with just film for different projects and have clips here and there. I definitely wasn’t trying hard to film a video part. But at some point it just made sense.

It seems like you went outside your local bubble a bit.

A lot of that came through visiting contests like SKTWK and make connections. Around here, the Eichel Gang takes me on street missions. I’m by far the youngest guy and pretty stoked they take me with them.

Did you join the older guys because all your friends started doing rap? I saw a lot of Nuremburg locals putting out songs and playing the rap game.

[laughs] Eventually that’s what happened. I have to be honest, I don’t know if I’d still live in Nuremberg if the Eichel Gang guys wouldn’t take me on missions. Now I feel super comfortable and motivated.

That’s what I wanted to ask you. Normally talented skaters want to move to bigger cities pretty quick. Move where the bigger scenes are.

B: Yes, but now I have a core skate connection here. I think it just makes sense for me to stay here and represent Nuremberg. Also I really dislike the behaviour of moving just because of being dissatisfied. The youth here is pretty dissatisfied, because they just think they can’t do too much here. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that someone wants so move to Berlin. That kind of made me want to stay even more. Try to do, to create something here. I don’t think moving will solve too many of your problems most of the time. And places like Nuremberg are not oversaturated. If you really want to make something cool, it definitely will be on the radar.

Also, since February I’ve seen you posting clips mostly skating in a t-shirt. Do you have a supernatural resistance to cold or do you live in a different Germany than me?

My mum told me she move to Nuremberg because it is the place with the best weather of Germany. I don’t know if that’s really true, but it feels like. I really like it here.

You’ve been introduced on Robotron lately. Is that the first brand you are fully on?

Yes! I’m stoked. It’s cool to be part of a thing, be part of their latest and upcoming video projects, go on tours. Before, I’ve just had a distribution deal.

There is a rumor out there regarding that distribution thing. Is it true, that you were the only guy getting 917 stuff for a while?

[laughs] I’ve heard that. I don’t know, I think some guys from Barcelona might got some stuff, too.

Did you ever have been in contact with Alex Olson?

No. But 917 reposted my clips. I mean, they repost everything.

“Matthias Bednorz was the only guy on 917 for a while.” – noted! Robotron had kind of a German Allstar team back in the days. Daniel Pannemann, Tjark Tielker, Kalle Wiehn & more. Do you think you guys can keep with this and create something similar?

Puh, that’s a tough one. Skill- and style-wise the team was pretty crazy back then. I think it’s hard to create something similar, but I think we have a pretty good team with a lot of characters. It’s super fun being with them and I think the vibe we want to transport matches the zeitgeist.

One more: how well you must be doing to put your money and effort into starting a griptape brand?

[laughs] Pretty bad. No. I just felt I was skating too much. For real, I just wanted to do something different and needed a place to be creative. I really don’t see myself as the artsy guy. I just liked the idea to do a griptape brand. Back in the days we did merch with our local crew “RT54”, but sometimes it’s just hard to decide and do something with more people and then we ended up doing nothing. Basically “Useless” is the same vibe, but just my own thing. So far, people like it and even ask for merch.

So you want to turn it more than a side thing?

Yeah. Let’s see where this will end up. I want to do a video with crazy editing and music. I think I might never had a video out that’s the 100% “real me”. So now I can do it!