Jon Wexler sat down recently with his fellow Portlander John Gourley (vocals for Portugal. The Man) to talk about some of his most interesting stories for Whalebone Magazine. Remember when Kendrick Lamar and Kobe Bryant interviewed each other last year? This is like that kind of.
Whalebone hand-picked 30 people that they admired to each interview one person that they admire. Gourley is a vet when it comes to sneaker culture, having made himself one of the loudest voices for sneakers in the Rock genre; so it’s no surprise that he choose his long-time friend Wex for the interview.
The interview is full of hidden gems about Wex, including the fact that at 16 he bought himself a mixer and two turntables and he’s been obsessed with hip-hop (and buying two of everything) ever since.
Check out highlights from the interview below, and special thanks to Whalebone where you can check out the full read.
JG: How did you end up being a lifetime adidas advocate coming up in a world dominated by Michael Jordan and that other brand?
JW: My three obsessions growing up were basketball, sneakers, and rap. Pioneering new ideas, and rooting for the challenger also underscore my approach to life. As a kid, the first pair of shoes I begged my parents to buy me was an adidas shoe (burgundy Campus). When it came time to look for an opportunity to work in the sneaker industry, adidas was the clear fit—the entrepreneurial nature of the brand really enticed me. I feel truly blessed to have a job that lives at the intersection of all the things I’ve been passionate about my entire life.
JG: You work for a global brand. Beyond the shores of America, who are you seeing out there globally that are having an impact on sports, music, and culture that people might not be hip to?
JW: Influencers help us stitch our stories together on a more immediate and local level regardless of regional differences by sharing our stories through their own unique perspectives. With the explosion of the influencer space over the past few years, the brands that continue to innovate evolve their approach will thrive. Recently I’ve read a lot of stories with headlines like “millennials killed business xyz,” but I think they should say, “business xyz died because they failed to recognize the shift in the marketplace and failed to market themselves differently to be more meaningful to the next generation of consumers.” We will continue to put an enormous effort into anticipating where the market is trending, and cultivating relationships with the agents of change driving culture within those communities.
Stay connected with Gourley & Wexler on Instagram.
Special thanks to Portugal. The Man & Whalebone Mag.
