Episode 19: Bobby Ruiz

Mike Giant Podcast

Giant's interview with Bobby Ruiz, owner of Tribal Streetwear. Recorded in Mr. Ruiz’s office at the Tribal headquarters in San Diego, California on Thursday, October 17, 2019.

Topics discussed include: Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1960s, Hacienda Heights, moving to south San Diego in 1972, initial exposure to lowriding, skateboarding, gang culture, moving to Mira Mesa (the suburbs), gang writing, musical influences, stoner culture, high school, Chicano Power movement, appearing in Lowrider magazine in 1981, customizing a 1964 Thunderbird, first experiences with "hip-hop” graffiti while working as a janitor, meeting San Diego writers, earning a bachelors degree with Honors at SDSU in Chicano Studies and Business Management over the course of ten years, difficulties with math, Tommy Guerrero, ska and punk music, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, NWA, Cypress Hill, breakdancing, Rocksteady Crew, the exploitation of subcultures, fashion vs. streetwear, Limp Bizkit, Korn, starting Tribal Gear in 1989, POD, Linkin Park, Los Lobos, Santana, Sublime, Psycho Realm, The Beat Nuts, Lollapalooza, Mixmaster Mike, Suge Knight, Risk/Third Rail, the early years of Streetwear, rubylith, Fat, Stoopid, ASR trade shows, Eazy-E, Boo-Ya Tribe, the 432F show, Bill McMullen, pre-internet indie brands and magazines, Conart, GAT, Japanese buyers, touring in Japan, CCC Satoshi Furuya, VHS camcorder, the Tribal videos, Kien Lieu, John Reeves, Zard, Japanese lowriding, Bosozoku, changing scenes, 1970s Cholo style, going back underground, Dogtown, Jay Adams, Louie Zodak, cutting back with spraypaint, Sake, Joker, Brown, Dyse, MC Rock, photo trading, Phil Kosaka, racking from Kmart, Mr. Cartoon, OG Abel, WCA crew, Chaz Bojorquez, Steve Soto, Carlos Torres, Usugrow, Alex Garcia, Mouse Lopez, the Legacy project/show, Carl Arellano, Pink Floyd, Swank, business decisions/staying exclusive, boutique shops, Big Proof, unpaid celebrity endorsements, Fred Durst, social media, licensing and distribution deals, mall stores in the Philippines, sharing manufacturing, the future of Tribal, RIP Norm and Jesse Valadez (The Gypsy Rose).