Interview: Al Cabino
Posted in: Fashion, Interviews
It is the distinct pleasure of SpaceCadetz.com to present our very first 1-on-1 Q&A-style interview. Our featured guest is none other than the man behind the first ever international sneaker petition, Al Cabino! For those of you who don’t know, Al is currently petitioning Nike to bring back the futuristic Nike sneakers worn by Michael J. Fox as the Marty McFly character in Back to the Future II. Al has received attention from all over the world with interviews and blog coverage in well over 30 countries, so we consider ourselves lucky to have caught up with this world-famous sneakerhead. Oh and be sure to check out his blog and sign the petition yourself!
How’s it going, Al? Why don’t you introduce yourself and tell us what you do and where you’re from.
I’m a Capricorn, I love sneakers, rock music, and hockey. I’m a twentysomething born and raised in Montreal, Canada, working on a book about sneaker culture.
So what’s the status of your campaign? How many signatures do you have right now?
This is the world’s first and only international sneaker petition. So far, over 17,000 signatures from more than 50 countries.
Why the McFlys?
Everyone dreams of walking in a movie star’s shoes. The McFlys are the Holy Grail of movie sneakers. The McFlys were created just for the film, they were never worn beyond the silver screen, and I’ve always been fascinated by them. There’s a sneaker legend that says that in 2015, Nike will come out with them. But I’m not going to wait 9 years. There are a lot of people who don’t want to wait 9 years.
It seems that you’ve coined the term ’sneaker activism.’ Could you tell SpaceCadetz readers what that’s all about and how it’s different from other types of activism?
I am applying activism to sneaker culture. There’s old-style activism with people like Naomi Klein (also born in Montreal). This is new-style activism.
Are there other ’sneaker activism’ campaigns that you would like to see people address and really get behind?
Yes, I’ll keep you posted.
If Nike says yes to the petition, what’s the first thing you would do?
Get a pair !
Why do you think sneakers have been so easily embraced by people around the world?
Who’s never worn a pair of sneakers? Did you ever see Pope John Paul II’s sneakers? He had Reebok Classics. It goes from sneaker fans to the Pope, everyone wears sneakers.
Are there any other shoes you want to see released?
I wanna work with the Montreal Canadiens hockey club on releasing some special edition sneakers that would combine my love for the Montreal Canadiens and my love for sneakers, that would be the greatest honor ever… the Canadiens are celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2009.
Name your top 10 favorite shoes right now.
Nike Vandal, Puma Clyde, Puma Disc Blaze, Vans Classic Slip-On, Vans Sk8-Hi, Adidas Superstar, Converse Chuck Taylor, Air Jordan IV, classic Reebok Pump, Nike Air Revolution.
Mother’s Day is coming up so tell us, what kind of footwear does your Mom like?
Sneakers too, my Mom loves Reebok, I think she’s part of the official Jane Fonda fan club.
Anyone you’d like to shout out?
Thank you to all the sneaker fans, Phil Knight, Chuck Taylor, the Swoosh, the Dassler brothers, Tinker Hatfield, the Van Doren Rubber Company, The Pump, the legendary Montreal Canadiens hockey club, Schwartz’s Deli, MTV Canada, MTV USA, MuchMusic, Ferrari, Spike Lee, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Spike Jonze, Sam Roberts, AC/DC, Pelé, George Clooney, Larry King, Ed Bradley, Colette, and my whole family.
Send your questions, thoughts, media requests, love letters to: cabino@gmail.com
Have any thoughts on the post? Let everyone know by filling out the form below! All we ask is that you try to keep things positive - nothing inappropriate will be approved.
May 8th, 2006 at 5:59 am
Nike McFly Sneaker Activist Interviewed On Spacecadetz Myspace Blog…
In February of this year, a blog called Spacecadetz launched. The purpose of the blog is to highlight some of the best MySpace content from profiles to videos to new features to events. Currently, the blog has an interview……
May 8th, 2006 at 6:21 am
Go ahead Al!!
Greetings from Spain. Your campaign is move on here day by day!!
thnks for all, Al
wizoo
http://wizoopia.blogspot.com
May 8th, 2006 at 7:14 am
MySpace Guide…
So, how do you navigate MySpace? One option is Spacecadetz, a guide of content, music, and videos. Now, the blog has done its first interview with Al Cabino, the man behind the campaign to bring back the Nikes featured in Back to the Future II. …
May 8th, 2006 at 9:27 am
MySpace Guide Gets Its 15 Minutes of Fame…
By B.L. Ochman There is such a vast amount of content on My Space that there are blogs that highlight MySpace posts, profiles and videos. Spacecadetz is one. Now AdAge, adrants, and BusinessWeek’s Blogspotting are writing about Spacecadetz first inter…
May 8th, 2006 at 5:16 pm
Al CABINO bro… how’s your petition going??? u gotta get those kicks made!!!!!!!
May 9th, 2006 at 3:18 am
Al Cabino has started a petition asking Nike to bring back the futuristic sneakers worn by Michael J Fox in Back to the Future. (17000 signatures and counting) That‘s user generated advertising. The real thing. Genuine. And it works because it’s real, there’s no advertising firm behind it. It’s no marketing stunt. It’s a real brand addict doing his thing.
So where does this leave me as an advertising mogul mongrel?
May 31st, 2006 at 3:11 pm
[…] I feel bad because I’ve been sitting on this one for awhile but I’ve been getting caught up in the gears of the Children of the Grave hype machine (more on that later, of course) but Al Cabino, the man behind the push to get the self-lacing shoes Marty McFly wears in Back to the Future II wrote me an email after I posted about his online petition (click that link and sign it!) to tell me about an interview he did at SpaceCadetz.com. […]